I would disagree with EQ7 having a steep learning curve. I was able to create & color quilts with minimal effort within a few days of first receiving my first EQ program which was years ago. You can always up your learning skills and go into more depth of learning as your basic quilting skills develop and become more advanced but you will never outgrow the program. That doesn't mean that a beginner can't use it, in fact I found it most helpful for color and fabric selection when I was able to arrange different placement and could actually end up with a quilt that looked like the design I created with the program.