summerset

Hi all,

I’m new here and have a pressing question (pun intended!)

Is there any software or app out there that you can add pictures of your fabric and rearrange the blocks so that you could visualize the quilt before you make it? I don’t really know what search terms to Google, even!

I have done it in a way where I take a screenshot of fabric I’m thinking of buying, crop it down to a particular size and do the same for all the colors/prints consistently. Then, I’ve added them all to a Word document just so I can arrange them around to get an idea.

I mean, it’s kinda time consuming and you can’t swap out colors and sizes easily so I wondered if some genius out there has created an online tool for doing such a thing. If not, someone could probably make a mint if they invented it.

Iceblossom

Welcome and glad you found us.

Yes, you will want to look at Electric Quilt, there are other quilting software packages available too, some free sites too.
https://electricquilt.com/

Stickied to the top of this section is a help thread -- check it out!
EQ7/EQ8 Tips, Q&A here!

Iceblossom

The problem with your request for free software is the images of actual fabric, but there are some free websites that help with design.

I have my web quilter bookmarked
https://mywebquilter.com/

And I actually use the graph papers and specific quilting grids here quite often.
https://www.incompetech.com/graphpaper/

But just "free quilting software" or "free quilting app" will start leading you into many different directions depending on what you want to do.

edit: Just realized this might help you out, my usual shopping site equilter, has a design board where you can play some with the fabrics you are buying. So it would be limited to their stock.
https://www.equilter.com/store/st_orderdesignboard

summerset

I never said “free” as I am willing to pay! I can appreciate how much time and effort go into coding programs so I would not expect a free tool.
Thank you for the links!

Iceblossom

Sorry for any misunderstaning, I understood you were willing to pay. You can import images into ElectricQuilt, many makers now specifically make files of their lines available, so that half of the equation is pretty easy even using different lines available from different sources.

If there is an app that does what you want, I don't know it yet but if it is out there, it is likely that someone here knows about it.

ElectricQuilt seems pricey but it is very powerful, the equivalent of a CADD program. In addition to letting you play with your designs and fabrics, it can help calculate yardage, quickly scale a project up or down, print out templates for piecing or paper piecing, the benefits go on and on.

Peckish

I love EQ and it will definitely do what you're asking and a whole lot more. You can design your own blocks, swap out fabrics, colors, change sizes, add sashing, borders, applique, print out templates or paper-piecing patterns for the blocks you design, test out how quilting designs would look, and so much more.

IceLeopard

I'm on my 4th EQ upgrade. I bought a version 4 years and years ago, then v.6, v.7, and just last week v.8. I would have stuck with v.7, but it doesn't seem compatible with Windows 10. You can import your own fabric scans, but with thousands of fabrics available to use, it's really not necessary.

Here's an example. Block and quilt.

Rhonda K

This may be something you may want to play with for your quilts. I haven't tried any of the features yet.

https://goquilt.accuquilt.com/projects

dunster

I've been using Electric Quilt for years, started on EQ6 and am now on EQ8. I use it for almost every quilt, sometimes with the actual fabrics I have on hand and sometimes just using similar ones from the built-in libraries or manufacturer's libraries. It's been worth every penny to me.

Feathers-N-Fur

https://www.quiltinaday.com/shoponline/gift/209239

Quilt in a Day has it on sale.