I don't like EQ. I seem to be inspired by the look and feel of real fabric in my hands. I commonly plan out a quilt, buy the fabric, start working on it, and suddenly all my work/planning goes out the window and I head off in a different direction. Planning and seeing a quilt on my computer screen simply leaves me cold and uninspired, even if I upload the fabric to it. I don't know how people can insert their own fabric into the program as usually I don't buy fabric until I have an idea as to how much to buy. Even then, I often buy more/different fabric as my quilt changes course as I create it. I admire people who can create on EQ. I simply am not one of them.

I have received this as a birthday gift from my parents. I had just sent my computer in to be cleaned up and ready for the EQ7. I have just installed it and can not wait to get started on learning this wonderful program. I know I will be able to use this for years to come. I have been reading threw many of the posts on this thread and can say "THANK YOU EVERYNE!" I have appreciated getting on quilting board seeing this tread and learning a great deal.

Everyone has answered your questions so completely. I know I have only scratched the surface with EQ, but I love it!

dray 965 you can export the whole quilt. With the quilt in Layer 1, go to File>Export image and save it to the folder you want. You can also File >Export a Marquee Selection--with the magnifying glass pointer select the quilt. You can save to a file or copy to clip board. I'm like you I copy the quilt and maybe the different blocks and then write up my instructions.

I agonize over the price of just about everything I buy, especially for hobbies. If I didn't buy everything in which I agonized over the price, I wouldn't ever buy anything. Hmmm maybe that's not a bad thing...

Once you sign up with them you are always getting free patterns, fabrics to download and they even a free software now for printing out squares of any size. Lots of tutes out there on thier site, you tube, and even on here. Rhonda has several tutorials on here for it.

One of the ways to learn a whole lot more about EQ is to join in the DoYouEQ Challenge each month. There are no fees, only a challenge for you to create a themed quilt according to the current month's guidelines. The first payback is that you really get to explore EQ and learn more about it, often with suggestions from Barb Vlack. The second awesome payback is that sometime in the next month, everyone who submitted an entry gets an email to download an EQ copy of all the quilts for the month you submitted one. I have learned so much from the experienced designers who share their wonderful designs with the EQ community. My designing skills are improving every month and, yes, I participate every month. My designs are often very simple when compared to the experienced EQ users, but I don't let that stop me from uploading a quilt. It really is a great way to learn a lot about EQ.

http://doyoueq.com/clubeq/

Shopping with me would be misery for you. LOL. I am more of an impulse buyer.

I have both 6 and 7. 6 is on an offline computer which means I can't verify unless I hook a cable up to a modem.
The computer is running XP for other software, and it stays offline for safety.

7 is on a current laptop which is online. It will probably stay that way until Microsoft pulls a fast one to get everyone using Windows 9 which is supposedly due out later this year. In that case, I'd have to stay with 6 on the offline box.
I'd probably switch the laptop to a form of Linux, and I don't think WINE supports EQ.

I have no trouble with the various functions in EQ, I know how to use bezier curves, etc, it's how it saves and handles the save that bothers me. It seems to save 2 versions of everything. I'd like to have the menu where you can pick patterns, colors and designs open while trying to save certain colors or fabrics to the sketchbook.

Exporting whole quilt to METAFILE
 

You are right oksewglad. I can export the whole quilt. But not to a metafile, which is what I want to do. The export it allows (along with the marquee selection) only allows exporting as a various types of picture files. I am wanting to pull apart the rows to demonstrate how to assemble the quilt. For that I must have a metafile.

Thanks for trying to help me out though. I appreciate it. :)

I am probably just not willing to keep at it, but I have found it difficult...I even took a class, and now I can't remember much. I have tried to use it a couple times since and I just get frustrated because I dont' remember enough to do it easily. So yes, I think there is a big learning curve.