Eq7 ?
 

Hello everyone,
For those of you with EQ7 I d like to know what you like and don't like about it please.

Is there a learning curve to it?
What do you like best @ it?
What do you hate about it?
Should I wait for the the EQ8?
Would you suggest I purchase it? If so why or why not?

What is the best place to purchase it from?
Thanks so much, you 'guys' are awesome and such a wealth of information,!

Feel free to add anything else regarding EQ7 and even what you wished you'd of known before purchase' :)

Looking forward to your answers.
LaQuita

I love everything but the price. I started out with quilt design wizard. It was too limiting so I bought EQ5 used. I loved it and used it for almost every quilt I made. Mainly for figuring out where I wanted to put which colors. I skipped EQ6 because of the limited activations but since EQ7 doesn't limit them I went ahead and upgraded-it was before it was released so I got a good deal on it but I did have to pay for the full program rather than just an upgrade price since I skipped a version. One thing I love it for is figuring out how much fabric. For example I had a certain amount of 3 or 4 different fabrics and I was able to figure out the best block configuration to use up as much of it as possible. I love that I can add my own scanned fabrics or find images of it online. I also have the EQ stitch plug-in so I used that to make custom quilt labels but it's pretty limiting imo (compared to other embroidery software).

I've heard of good prices at quiltinaday.com. I bought mine from planetpatchwork.com.

I didn't know a new version was coming out but if it is, I guess it's due. EQ7 has been out for over 4 yrs.

I don't have EQ7 but I do have EQ5. I have own two previous versions.

Yes, there is a learning curve but they give you a cookbook that takes you thru all the steps.

Being able to take a quilt I like and getting the design drawn quickly. Resizing blocks are quick and easy.

Only thing I miss is the ability to do more complicated Bargello (remember I have EQ5) and the limited online fabric selection. Both have been improved in EQ7

Depending on your financing, if EQ8 comes out, then people might be selling their used EQ7.

Yes, QIAD is a great place to look. I think you need to put it in your shopping cart to see the price.

Once you get familiar with the program, you can do anything, the sky is the limit. If you want to try paper piecing, EQ will number the sections in order to be sewn automatically in a block. I almost use it every day. Just wish the company didn't take away our ability with EQ5 to be able to download the fabric available monthly.

Absolutely love it - especially changing colours - sometimes just one colour and the who thing looks different - I've had over 100 versions as I've tweeked this and that - but it's just a click. you can't do it with graph paper. Love the yardage calculations - well everything. Yes, a learning curve but follow the initial lessons to familiarise yourself with the basics (and beyond) depends how adventurous/original you want to be, as you extend yourself you'll want to consult the manual. I wish there was a facility to add balance marks - especially for curves.

Haven't heard anything about version 8 - when it comes - I'm in!

Alas, no deals in the UK so take advise from your compatriots.

as with anything - there is a learning curve. I love mine and have had EQ for 3 year - I am still learning but use it weekly

I love being able to play with colors, style, borders, redesigning blocks, paper piecing foundations, resizing blocks and high on my list is that I am currently doing a BOM that requires templates (which were very expensive) - once I draw the block, I can print out either templates of foundation pages for PPing.

There are some things in drawing a block I have not been able to accomplish - such as copping part of a block - but my guess there is a way and I have not come across it - lol.
I had EQ 6 and it had limited installs, so I upgraded to 7 which has a limit on "active machines" which you can manage online. I am very pleased with 7 and it does way more than I am capable of using. Unless 8 dances the jig and sings, I will probably not upgrade again. I purchased my original one from:

http://jhittlesewing.funoverload.com...ls/page_1.html .

You need to "sign up" for this site by giving them your email but the price was great compared to others at the time. They send one email a week to their "specials". They do not advertise their price on EQ, so I had to call and get a quote but it is a great site for any sewing related things.

Good luck with your decision - I love mine and would not be without it.

If you have to agonize over the price then don't buy it. The program does have a learning curve that isn't hard just takes a lot of time. Many get frustrated because they can't devote the time needed to use it the way they want to. I use it with about every quilt I make. I import the picture of the block pattern, change the fabric colors, rotate, flip, add different borders, overlay quilt designs, change the size, covert to paper piecing, and usually end up with a different pattern altogether. LOL I have used EQ since it was on floppy disc. EQ7 is amazing what it will allow you to do with a quilt pattern.

Is there a learning curve to it?

Yes there is, just as there is with any new software. If you are computer savvy, and don't mind reading the manual, you'll have no problems at all. If you hate reading manuals, you might be saved by the fact that there are videos and several print-out lessons that come with it. Of course, not being afraid to just get in there and play with it will speed things up for you.

What do you like best @ it?

Absolutely everything! Even if I have bought a paper-pattern, I always recreate it in EQ7 so I can put my own fabrics in to see if I like what I'm about to do prior to cutting. Many times the patterns that I like in books/mags/individual patterns are not in the size that I'm wanting to make. I can put the pattern into EQ7 and enlarge/reduce, put my colors in. EQ7 will calculate the yardage for me. I recently made a king-size quilt from a quilt-maker pattern that was a full-size quilt.

I also love that I can make my own appliques. I used the software to design a RAZORBACK football quilt for my pastor, who is a big fan. I used th quilt block ARKANSAS TRAVELER that I found on a website, created it in EQ. Then I imported a pic of their mascot and drew it in the Appleque part of EQ, put it in the middle of my quilt design. It turned out beautifully. EQ calculated the yardage, gave me cutting info for the block, and templates for my applique design.

The only thing it doesn't do is write the pattern.

What do you hate about it?

I hate the fact that it doesn't export the whole quilt picture as a metafile. It does export a block as a metafile, but not the whole quilt. Exporting the block allows me to pull the pieces apart when I am pattern writing in my MSWORD software.

I hate the fact that, when posting to their staff on their forum, they sometimes take days or weeks to get an answer.

Should I wait for the the EQ8?

If you do, you may wait quite a while. I've not heard anything about an upcoming newer version. I'm on the forum and their website quite often.

Would you suggest I purchase it? If so why or why not?

If you enjoy using software and learning how to do new things that might be temporarily frustrating, I would. If you don't like software and hate being frustrated as you learn, then certainly not.

What is the best place to purchase it from?
Can't help you there. I bought my first one (EQ6) from a LQS and my EQ7 from their website.

There's a learning curve for everything, including EQ7. I haven't heard of EQ8 being out anytime soon, though I could be pleasantly surprised. I will definitely buy it when it comes out, because I like to keep the latest versions of software that I use often. And I do use it often - for every quilt I make and for many more quilts that I hope to make, or when someone has a question on the board, or just because... What I like about it is that I can design without resorting to pencil and paper, which I find tedious after a lifetime of using computers for everything. There are some feature I would like to have that are not there (or perhaps I haven't found them) but overall it's a great tool, as important to me as my sewing machine, rotary cutter, or iron. As others have said, Quilt in a Day usually has the best price.

Yes, there is a learning curve to EQ7. If you're not willing to put in the time to understand even the basics, it will be of little use to you.

The thing I like best about it is that it permits you to scan fabrics you already own and plug them into a layout to get a sense of things before cutting into your good fabric.

It's also good for resizing a pattern and allowing you to check yardage.

The one thing that's frustrating is when I'm working on a custom layout. Resizing things is cumbersome (or maybe I've not dug deeply enough into the manual to learn what, if anything, I'm doing wrong. Still, the custom option is valuable--when you need it, it's there.

If you're ready to start designing your own quilts or wish to draw your own blocks or modify a pattern you already have, I would say go for it and make the purchase without waiting for EQ8. Upgrades are fairly inexpensive and not even all that necessary. I've heard nothing about version 8 as the company just released EQ7 for the Mac. I would think they're a little tied up with that at the moment.

I can't tell you from whom to purchase the software, but you can buy it directly from the company if you don't want to wait.

Good luck with your decision!

Thanks for asking this question, and thanks to all who have answered so thoroughly. I told Santa that I'd like this for Christmas, and now I can hardly wait!

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.

Ahh learned something new today--thanks:)

dray965 - Do not know if this helps but Open Office Draw (which is a part of Open Office and free) is capable of converting jpegs to metafiles.