Quilt Design Software

When I began designing my own quilts, my go-to method was colored pencils and graph paper. For those just starting out designing their own quilts, check out our site to find many different printable graph paper styles.  

As I became a bit more adventurous, I began using quilt design software along with my trusty graph paper method to design quilts.

Quilt software makes it much easier to arrange the designs of a quilt block and to try out different fabric colors and patterns before purchasing and cutting fabric.

Digital quilting is a wonderful alternative to labor intensive hand drawing and offers so much more right at your fingertips!

This is an amazing tool for those very creative quilters, enabling them to create a unique quilt design of their own.

Another advantage to using quilt software is that most of the software programs have calculators to give the required fabric yardage.  

However, not all quilters are savvy on the computer.  But given the time to learn how to use the programs, quilting can be taken to a whole new level.

What to look for in quilt design software

It’s important to note that before purchasing a quilt software program, there are free quilt design programs available to help determine which features a quilter wants in the software.

Some free software design programs are listed below.

Keep in mind that none of the free quilt programs offer as much as the software that can be purchased. If playing with color palettes and designing only a few quilts, a free program might be just the thing.

When deciding on quilt design software, keep these things in mind.

• Design Features: Check out the different options for designing the quilt and the quilt blocks.  The design features to look for are ease of use of the program to learn and the power of the program to design the quilts.
• Usability and learning curve: It is important to be aware of the amount of time that will be required to learn how to use the quilt design programs.
  
  This is different for every quilter, as some are more used to working on a computer and using software. Keep in mind how easy or difficult the program is to use after the learning curve is over. 
  
  Be sure to weed out design features that hinder the use of the program, the layout of the major tools, and more.
• Printing Options: Nearly all of the programs allow the user to print out their designs, but they may give different information on the printouts. When the pattern is finished, the quilter will take it to the quilt shop to pick out fabrics. 
  
  It is important to know the options that the quilting design program has available when the design is printed and taken to the shop.
• Onboard Options: The quilt design software will come with pre-generated blocks and pre-loaded fabrics. 
  
  Be sure to know how many of these come with the software as well as how to upload your own fabrics.  What are the options available to do so?
• Support: Most users will want access to software support features.  See how helpful the company’s support system is, which help features are available, and if there are help videos and online tutorials.
• Price and Value: The programs are costly, so it is important to know what you are willing to pay. Be sure to compare the price of the quilt design software program with its value.

Most Popular Design Software

Electric Quilt 8, also referred to as EQ8, is one of the leading quilt design software.  Most say that this software is great for both beginner and professional quilters with all levels of computer skills.

This software is full of wonderful features, like swapping and rotating blocks, playing with different colors and fabrics, adding borders, and more.

Scroll down for a link to Electric Quilt 8 to learn more about this incredible software.

If you are ready to design your own quilts and are beyond the use of graph paper and pencils, check out the quilt design software below.

With the different software below, quilting is a major work of art! 

Happy Quilting!