I just downloaded this for my Mac and can't wait to try it. I have EQ5, I think, and while I liked playing with it, I'm sure I never used it to its full potential and so never felt like it was worth it to upgrade. Plus, EQ doesn't run on my Mac (even on Parallels, I tried).

Looking forward to playing with Gimp!

If you can do it in Gimp, you can do it in Photoshop or Illustrator if that's what you have. I can use all 3 plus EQ5. Gimp is free, but some of us also edit photos and might have Photoshop already.
The actual drawing programs are far better for Celtic designs.

I stayed with EQ6 for the price reason. I really only use it now when I want to duplicate and play with quilt block I have seen in other quilts. That allows me to figure amy of material and for that its is sufficient.
MaryKatherine

I agree with BellaBoo. I have had it since Version 3. The best upgrade imho was when they went from 5 to 6. I did go with 7, but havent begun to explore the possibilties! I think its easy to use compared to other programs. I have tried Gimp, its ok for photos but I use EQ more to design quilts, design blocks, test layouts, etc. I rarely use graph paper and colored pencils for anything anymore.

I've had EQ7 for a couple months and it does a lot. But there are a few things I wish it does that it doesn't.

1) if you plan a quilt with several different blocks you must print templates for each block separately. You cannot print templates for the entire quilt at once.

2) Blocks are square/rectangular. So if you want to design hexagon blocks or triangles, its possible but they're in square settings. Its much more difficult to design quilts (such as with simply amazing spiral quilts) with unusually shaped blocks. I would really love to be able to make irregular shaped blocks and set them into a quilt.

Heavy learning curve. Its possible I don't know some tricks that would allow me to do what I want, but I've emailed customer support and though they responded promptly and were polite, they basically told me EQ7 doesn't do what I would like it to.

Having said that, I think it is a great program and I still use it frequently.

I like it and use it all the time. Since I've used other graphics software I didn't find it too difficult to learn.

I can't tell you whether it would be worth it for you, but I can tell you about my own perspective. I got EQ5 as a gift a few years ago and was thrilled, but I discovered that I never used it. The basics seemed simple enough to learn, though I never tackled its advanced applications. I just wanted to be able to look at a quilt layout to determine color placement. It always seemed like so much more effort than just laying out the fabrics or making a sample block.

That said, it could be just the thing for you, depending on your main purpose in getting it.

I tried Gimp and it drove me nuts!

There is the basic version wizard. Eq has a comparison if the 2 programs. Maybe that one would be better. I sometimes regret not having gotten that one instead.