I love Electric Quilt software

The Electric Quilt Company from Bowling Green, Ohio, makes many, many quilt related computer programmes, some of which are stand-alone and some of which need EQ to operate.

I have been reviewing computer programmes which are of interest to quilters for almost thirty years. I write about them in my Computer Quilts column in Down Under Quilts magazine.

(2016 I have retired now, but I still love EQ software.)

My favourite has always been EQ.

Images of software, and the photos of Penny and Dean are from the Electric Quilt website. They are used with permission.

Quilt software specialists

Penny McMorris and Dean Neumann began with Electric Quilt Version1 in 1991.

The programme came in a boxed set which looked so special.

The manual was written in plain English, not in geek speak, and was so easy to follow that people were soon up and running on what was to be the company's flagship product.

My favourite part of the manual was the bit that said I couldn't break the computer!

Nowadays they have so many products - not all software. They also make printable fabric, foundation 'paper' for their foundation piecing software, and companion books for the flagship products.

Software man

From Electric Quilt's website:

Dean Neumann - President

Along with being the co-founder of The Electric Quilt Company, Dean is the creator and programmer of all EQ software. He takes suggestions from customers and puts it into a quilting program like EQ, BlockBase, or Town & Country Patchwork. Dean is a retired Mathematics professor from Bowling Green State University.

Customer relations person

From Electric Quilt's website:

Penny McMorris - Vice President

Along with being the co-founder of The Electric Quilt Company, Penny is the main technical support person. Penny has had earlier "quilt lives" as a TV Producer, quilt historian, and art curator, but now spends full-time answering customer questions for many EQ customers via email and/or the telephone. Penny also edits many of the companion manuals for EQ software and is the friendly voice you hear on our videos.

At The Electric Quilt Company?

As the focus of the company is for quilters, all the programmes are oriented to patchworkers and quilters.

Patchwork, applique and quilting are the major areas for mainstream quiltmakers and these are covered very thoroughly in many of the offerings.

There are specialty designer programmes, block pattern software and fabric software.

Currently at The Electric Quilt Company:

• Electric Quilt 7
• Quilt Design Wizard

Companion and stand-alone software

• AnglePlay Blocks
• BlockBase
• Quilting Designs, Vols. 1-7
• Sew Precise 1 & 2
• Sew Precise 3
• Sew Precise 4

Fabric Software

• Stash

Designer software

• Amy Butler Softwares
• Best of Quilters Newsletter 2007
• Dear Jane
• My Dream House
• Kaleidoscope Collection
• Sue Spargo: Folk-Art Dreams
• Judy Martin's Stars & Sets
• Town & Country Patchwork

Because Electric Quilt software is so good.

• It's good because it works like no other quilt design software.
• It's good because it suits your level of expertise — from beginner to professional and everything in-between.
• It's good because Dean listens to users and takes their ideas on board. He introduces their suggestions in following versions when it will improve the programmes.
• It's good because there are great manuals for each programme, either in html form or in printed book form.
• It's good because, unlike many software programmes on the market, you don't have to constantly get patches upon patches to fix glitches.
• It's good because you can add to it to suit your needs.
• It's good because there are great help files in each programme, even video help for some.

I certainly do!

Tell us what you think here

Is EQ your favourite quilt software?

Queen sized quilt

The elephant blocks were adapted from a block found in BlockBase

I have no affiliations with The Electric Quilt Company other than having reviewed their programmes for several years. As I have now retired, I no longer do that.

Jan T Baillie