Electric Quilt Review: My Honest Experience with EQ8 Quilt Design Software
If you’ve ever wished you could test out your quilt ideas before cutting a single piece of fabric, you’ll love The Electric Quilt Company’s EQ8 software. In this review, I’ll share my real experience using EQ8, what I love about it, and why I think it’s one of the best digital quilting tools for modern quilters.
Discovering The Electric Quilt Company
As a lifelong quilter, I’ve always enjoyed the creative challenge of mixing colours, fabrics, and patterns. But sometimes, my ideas don’t translate exactly as I imagined once I start sewing — especially when I’m experimenting with new layouts.
That’s what led me to The Electric Quilt Company and their popular EQ8 quilt design software. I wanted a way to plan, design, and preview my quilts digitally — and EQ8 turned out to be the perfect companion.
Getting Started with EQ8: Easier Than I Expected
I’ll be honest — I was a little nervous about using design software. I’m a quilter, not a tech wizard! But EQ8 surprised me with how user-friendly it is.
The installation was quick, and the built-in tutorials guided me through each step. Within an hour, I was designing my first digital quilt — experimenting with block layouts, colours, and borders. The drag-and-drop interface feels natural, and the ability to import real fabric swatches from popular brands makes everything look beautifully realistic.
Here is the demo video showing how it all works!
EQ8 Features That I Absolutely Love
The Electric Quilt Company really thought of everything when they designed EQ8. It’s packed with tools that feel intuitive and genuinely useful for real quilters — not just tech-savvy designers.
Here are the standout features that make EQ8 shine:
🧵 Fabric Auditions: Test Before You Cut
This is, hands down, one of my favourite things about EQ8. I can import digital fabric swatches from my stash or directly from popular fabric brands online and “audition” them in my quilt layout.
You can try out bold prints, tone-on-tone backgrounds, or even entire fabric collections to see how they’ll play together — all without cutting a single inch. It’s amazing how often I’ve changed my mind after seeing how a certain print looked in a large block versus a small one.
For anyone who’s ever bought too much of the wrong fabric (guilty!), this feature pays for itself.
🎨 Endless Design Options and Custom Blocks
EQ8 comes loaded with over 6,000 pre-designed blocks and templates, plus you can draw your own from scratch. The built-in Block Worktable is where the real creativity happens — you can modify classic quilt blocks, combine them, or invent something totally original.
I love experimenting with symmetry tools, rotating designs, and resizing blocks to see how they change the overall feel of a quilt. It’s so satisfying to tweak a traditional pattern and make it uniquely mine.
And because the grid system is so precise, every measurement translates perfectly when you move from digital to real fabric.
🖨️ Print-Ready Patterns, Templates & Yardage
This feature feels like having a personal assistant in the sewing room. Once I’m happy with my design, I can instantly print rotary cutting charts, foundation paper piecing templates, or appliqué patterns — all at the exact size I need.
EQ8 even calculates yardage requirements automatically, so I know exactly how much fabric to buy. It’s incredibly handy when planning a large project or coordinating a group quilting session.
The printouts are neat, professional-looking, and easy to follow — which is why some designers even use EQ8 to create patterns for publication.
💡 Learning Support & Community Inspiration
What makes The Electric Quilt Company stand out is how much support they offer. Their website and YouTube channel are full of tutorials, step-by-step guides, and design challenges.
When I was first learning, I followed a few of their beginner lessons and was designing confidently in no time. There’s also a friendly online community of EQ users who share tips, problem-solving tricks, and gorgeous quilt designs for inspiration.
It doesn’t feel like you’re learning software — it feels like you’ve joined a club full of creative quilters who want you to succeed.
💻 Bonus: Import, Export & Share with Ease
A smaller detail, but one I use constantly: you can save and share your quilt designs digitally. I often export my layouts as images to show friends or post on social media. It’s also handy if you sell patterns or want to include mock-ups in a presentation.
Plus, if you update your fabric library or use add-on packs from EQ, your collection grows with you. It’s like an ever-expanding digital stash that never needs folding!
Perfect for Beginners and Professional Designers
One of EQ8’s biggest strengths is its flexibility. Whether you’re a beginner designing your first lap quilt or a professional creating publishable patterns, EQ8 adapts beautifully.
I’ve used it to design gifts, test colour palettes, and even calculate fabric yardage for large projects. It’s made me a more confident quilter because I can test my creative ideas visually before cutting into my fabric.
My Verdict: EQ8 Is a Must-Have for Creative Quilters
After spending time with the Electric Quilt Company’s EQ8 software, I can confidently say it’s one of the best investments I’ve made for my quilting hobby. It’s powerful but approachable, technical yet deeply creative — and it bridges the gap between imagination and reality perfectly.
If you love quilting and want to explore your ideas in a stress-free, digital space, I can’t recommend EQ8 enough. It’s saved me fabric, time, and second-guessing — and it’s made designing quilts more fun than ever.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a few new EQ8 designs ready to stitch into reality!
Where to Get EQ8 Quilt Design Software
You can explore the full range of Electric Quilt Company products — including EQ8, add-ons, and tutorials — directly from their official website:
👉 Visit The Electric Quilt Company
They also offer updates, learning videos, and a welcoming online community to help you make the most of your quilting journey.