Peckish

Yes, if you look at EQ strictly by the numbers I can see how you'd come to this conclusion. However, the second part of this statement is where you can't assign a cost benefit - how much FUN do you have using this software? Some people may not use it much at all, which makes the software too expensive for them. But for people who really enjoy the design process, the software is worth the price. I know of one quilter (http://virtualquilter.wordpress.com/) who really enjoys it because she can design way more quilts than she could ever make in a lifetime.

faykilgore

Thank you, MRSRAB for starting this thread. I was going to look through the archives for just this information. Thank you QB members for your feedback. I enlarged a block and added a pinwheel where a square had been. I've made 3 sizes of pinwheels so far. At least the "too big" ones can be cut down. EQ sounds like it would have saved me time, fabric & frustration.

BKrenning

I'm the odd duck, I suppose, but I use Quilt Pro and have found it quite user friendly in all the versions I have used--4, 5 & 6--the current version. I did start my quilting life with graph paper, rulers, a protractor, colored pencils and a calculator but quickly learned about quilting software and purchased Quilt Pro version 4 off ebay. Much quicker to design when you can change colors and patterns with the click of a mouse. Yes, I can do all the math with a calculator but it's so much easier having a program do it for me.

scrapinmema

I am looking for a quilt design software that will allow me to scan my fabric and use in doing my layout of my quilt. Will any of the programs mentioned above allow me to do that? Thanks for this great site.

bearisgray

Just make sure that your computer is compatible with the software/program you want to acquire.

Becky Crafts

Ok ladies, I feel like a dinosaur. I'm using Quilt-Pro 4. We bought the first ones many years ago and I was too intimidated to learn it, but DH has come up with a special quilt he wants me to make and now I have to. I've been working on it. Eventually I'll get it but I'm not real technically sound. I'm excited about it being able to print out the whole pattern with yardages & all though, when I'm done!

feline fanatic

I have been quilting long enough that I can pretty much figure out how to make quite a few quilts w/o software. My favorite sources for patterns are books. Any book I own I have at least 3 quilts I want to make out of it. Most books include templates or instructions for cutting and peicing. I like the portability of books. I look at them in bed before going to sleep, on the sofa while DH and I sit in front of the TV, I take them on trips to look at. Sure you could do all that with a laptop but I guess I am old school. The one thing I do love about s/w like EQ is you can preview your quilt with your fabric choices.

Edited to add, I will still buy patterns, especially for complicated things like feathered stars, mariners compass or the gorgeous bella bella quilts that are based on Italian floor mosaics. Again, if it is a stand alone pattern or a book, I will always go for the book.

feline fanatic

Pretty sure that is an EQ6 and 7 feature.

QuiltnLady1

I LOVE designing my quilts -- I use both graph paper and EQ (now 7). EQ frustrates me -- here is an example. I designed a quilt with 56 blocks, there are 4 block sets that are the same pattern and different color ways. With EQ I was not able to find out how many of each color way I needed. It does not tell me how many pieces I need to cut of each block to do the whole thing. I wound up counting the blocks by hand using the printout of the quilt and doing my figuring by hand.

What I find most useful with EQ is the fantastic assortment of blocks -- I have made a lot of wonderful quilts using the blocks in EQ and BlockBase. EQ also updates their fabric selection regularly -- I find I don't need to scan in my own fabrics since I can get most of what I want in their fabric assortment.

I have been tempted to buy Quilt Pro because I have heard it is really flexible, but it takes a lot of $$ to buy a new program -- once you have bought one they offer good deals to upgrade to keep you hooked.


This is why I still use graph paper.

jlm5419

Perhaps it is the geek in me, but I'm a software kinda gal. If I design something on paper, I will redo it in software for convenience. The software does the math for you; tells you how much of each fabric you'll need, provides cutting or foundation plans, and allows you to print out the quilt for a colorful visual aid.