Quilt design software: EQ8, PreQuilt and alternatives

Electric Quilt (EQ8)

The best-known quilt design software for Windows and Mac

Electric Quilt is quilt design software from The Electric Quilt Company. EQ8 has large block and fabric libraries, lets you lay out a quilt and audition fabrics, and calculates yardage. It can also print templates, rotary cutting charts and foundation paper piecing patterns. It is a one-time purchase rather than a sub…

• Block and fabric libraries
• Quilt layout and fabric auditioning
• Yardage estimates
• Templates and foundation paper piecing printouts

PreQuilt

Browser-based quilt design and colour planning

PreQuilt is an online quilt design tool. You pick a block or layout, try colour palettes, randomise colour placement and see an estimate of fabric requirements. It is quick to learn and popular for planning modern quilts and scrappy layouts.

• Block and layout library
• Colour palettes including solid fabric ranges
• Colour randomiser
• Yardage estimates

Quilt-Pro

Quilt design software with block drawing and printing

Quilt-Pro is desktop quilt design software with tools for drawing blocks, building layouts and printing templates. It is a paid alternative to Electric Quilt.

• Block drawing
• Quilt layouts
• Template printing