Bequest

Hi, all!

I'm new here. My name is Marcia and I was recently left a really nice Janome machine, fabric, and notions by a dear aunt's passing. While I miss her a lot, I know that she would be tickled to see that her bequest is getting me into quilting!

I noticed that Aunti had collected about 100 quilting books. Since she liked to shop and was passionate about quilting, I figured this must be overkill, but I've been looking for patterns by surfing the Internet, and Pinterest, and then seeking to download free, or even purchase, patterns. It's a bit frustrating! Many sites are hard to navigate or find how to purchase. Some pins lead to blog posts that are years old. Some patterns turn out to be out of print.

So.... I am a digital gal, and experienced sewer. (That looks wrong, but I guess it isn't! ;-) ) I've stumbled across (and read lots of reviews of) EQ7, and so now I'm wondering if that's my answer to how to get block patterns most easily and efficiently?

Specifically, assuming that I do learn to use the software, will I be able to generate usefull patterns FOR CONSTRUCTION from it with a rudimentary understanding of quilt top construction, or should I keep all of Aunti's quilt books (somewhere... we don't have much space) that I have inherited...or is there some other way to get started with designing/sewing quilt blocks? I am fine with choosing fabrics and shapes and colors for the finished look... that's not what I need help with. I need help with getting patterns that indicate the shapes and steps in piecing the quilt tops.

(BTW: I did buy a book on appliqué that was great, and watched a video, and successfully completed my first project this week, so I know I can learn... which is good because I live on an isolated farm that's an hour from the nearest fabric/quilt shop.)

TIA for any input/advice!