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Electric Files to Download

Over on my sidebar, down under “Free Patterns and Projects”, near the bottom of that section, you’ll see “Electric Quilt Files to Download”. You do need EQ6 to open the files. For some designs, I offer patterns, for some I offer the project to download.

During the coming months I plan to do many quilts that I think are quick. Some always question what’s quick and what isn’t when I say something is quick so . . you’ll have to be the judge on each design. Because my main quilting goal in 2010 is to use a huge chunk of stash and make bunches of donation quilts, most of these will be in the 60″ x 80″ range but you can make them any size you choose. There will probably be more EQ files to download than written patterns to share . . just so I can get more quilting time instead of writing and testing patterns.

If you don’t have EQ, get it! And . . learn to use it! 🙂 In the coming months, I hope to give you good reasons to at least be able to open the projects.

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Comments

  1. I look forward to seeing what you come up with for donation quilts. I make quilts for the local Children’s Hospital, so I’m always watching for fun, fast patterns.

    I’m with you on EQ. I don’t know how I ever made quilts without it.

    • If you’re talking about EQ not working on the Mac, I have several friends who run it very successfully on a Mac. Not being Mac literate, I can’t tell you how it’s done but I think it’s pretty common knowledge in the Mac world about how to do it. You might check out the EQ forums . . there may be info there. You can do a search on C. J.’s blog (http://www.tinkletimes.com). She uses a Mac and EQ.

  3. Funny you should mention learning EQ6. I have kept up with the upgrades and played with it a little over the years. Well, this year, I upgraded to EQ6 and we retired this past summer and are traveling in our RV. I just finished all my Xmas quilts, which I had to quilt without my frame and machine (grace and Juki) or my Bernina 730! I did all the quilting on my Bernina 430 which consisted of in the ditch and stipple!! I digress! Now we are sitting in an RV park in AZ and I am on Lesson 4 and plan on finishing the lessons and learn it. My goal is to finish 2 more quilts before we get home in April. These are for my twin grand-daughters. They are similar but different. One is done but the other is kind of my own except for the embroidered blocks which I neeed EQ-6 for. So if I learn the program, I can complete the quilts!!

  5. Semi response to Carol, I have a new iMac and EQ6 is a Windows based program. They do not have a Mac version. Your Mac needed to be partitioned off and Windows installed in that partitions part of your Mac. Such a problem could be better solved by buying a Windows based laptop (used or new) just for programs such as EQ6, Embroidery sewing programs, Digitizing programs for embroidery and computerized long arm machines. etc. The expense of installing Windows and partitioning off your Mac could exceed the cost of a used laptop if you don’t already have access to a Window XP software which is preferred by many programs such a embroidery software–or possibly even EQ6. Although on the EQ6 website it says the new Windows 7 version does work with EQ6. I would stay with XP as it runs all such programs with no glitches. I have all my sewing and embroidery software on an older Dell laptop, but love my iMac for most everything else. Hope this helps.

    • Angie, thanks for that Mac explanation. I knew it worked but didn’t know enough about to to help. I’m running EQ6 on 2 computers with Windows 7 and have had no problems.

      One more note for anyone interested in buying EQ6, the minimum resolution on which it will work is 1024 x 768. Many of the little netbooks have a lower resolution so be sure to check that if you’re buying a netbook and hoping to run EQ on it.

    • Mac household here, too. DH (the household IT guy) has installed Windows emulation software on both Macs. When he wants to run something that’s available only for the Windows platform (boo, hiss), he turns on the Windows emulation software, and the Mac runs as if it were a Windows machine: the display is Windows and the software program runs. It still runs as a Mac, too, at the same time.

      DH just found an ad for his Windows emulation software on his computer for $80 and then told me, “This is in addition to your own copy of Windows.” !!! The software program he installed here is called “Parallels ™ Desktop 5 for Mac.” He said it works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7.

      Personally, I feel that it’s somewhat sacrilegious to turn a Mac into a Windoze machine, and I haven’t tried EQ (I’m way beyond “old school”–I’m positively atavistic: I still use graph paper, sketches, etc.). But I’m also not as productive as Judy or the others who do use it. If I were a full-time quilter, I might be tempted, but as it stands…not for me, not now.

      • P.S. He says the Mac has to be an Intel-chip Mac for Parallels to work. sorry.

        PPS. He also says that “emulation software” isn’t exactly right: Parallels works by making the Mac USE Windows. That’s why you have to pay Bill Gates’ company the $$.

        • Thanks to your huby for the info.

          Like you,I consider using Windoze ona Mac sacrilege and paying Bill Gates to do so a crime against nature.

          I do have an intel-based laptop but am not likely to go that route.

          I MIGHT (just might) ask DH to install EQ6 9and other pattern making software) on his new Dell laptop… But his computer spends so time in the shop getting corrupted software fixes, hard disc replacements and the like (THREE time in teh past six months) and he has just finished fighting off a Trojan horse from China which had hijaked his email to send out SPAM so I’m not eager to expose my beloved MacBook Pro to THAT!

          • Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and preferences with computers. I’ve used PC’s for years and other than messing them up through my own fault, I’ve never had any problems that I blame on Microsoft or the manufacturer. I’ve used EQ on more computers than I can remember, having started with EQ2 or 3 when it was a DOS program.

            Whatever we have, we love and stand behind for the most part but there’s no need to say unkind things about brands that are personally don’t like.

            As far as having a crash when installing EQ . . I doubt it was EQ that caused the problem.

          • Oh, not EQ causing the crash. Of that I’m certain as he doesn’t have it on his machine. It’s just that DH’s windows machine seem sprone to crashing — cause not certain.

  6. I never make a pattern “exactly” the way it shows and having it in EQ already will make tweaking your neat ideas to make them fit my stash & colors easier. Thanks for all you share!

  8. I’m with Jill! Also, when we have questions about “what if we did this instead?” we can answer them ourselves! Good deal.

    Judy, you are SO generous!

  9. I bought the EQ6 upgrade when it came out several years ago. Things got busy around here….and somehow I never got it installed. I finally installed it about a year later, and then our hard drive crashed a couple weeks after that. I’ve been afraid to install EQ6 in the new computer just in case it was the cause of all the problems. But I think I’m going to risk it, because I’d love to get all your patterns right into EQ! Does anyone know if it’s compatible with Vista (that is what our new computer has….)?

    I am a loyal reader of your blog even though I don’t comment very often. I appreciate your talent, your stories, and your opinions. Thanks for sharing your wonderful quilt patterns and all the hints about pieced borders, etc. You are appreciated!

    • I have EQ6 installed on a computer using Vista and have had no problems, but I understand your trepidation. My computer crashed after an upgrade of Explorer was downloaded. Now I tense up every time there are upgrades of anything.

      I also have the BlockBase upgrade and I’ve been nervous about installing it, but it’s time to get brave and “just do it”; I used the original BlockBase frequently with EQ3 on my old computer and miss having it.

  10. Thanks so very, very much, Judy!!! I love EQ! This will be perfect for me! I wonder if there is an EQ7 in the works? Can’t wait to see what else they could make this wonderful software do!

    • Haven’t heard a word about EQ7 but I know they’re always in the process of improving the software and trying to grant all our requests. But, I have no inside knowledge of what goes on at EQ so they could have something up their sleeve and I won’t know til everyone else does.

  11. Can you see any reason not to buy EQ6 from the All Brands site? It has a sale price on it. What do you all think? Thanks.

  12. More for Carol (and anyone whose computer seems to spend more time NOT working than otherwise):

    Make sure your security utility is up to date. If you’re not getting an automatic update every week (that’s how often Norton resets their virus definition) or so, then you or DH are behind the times. I highly suspect that THAT is why his laptop spends so much time in the shop.

    Invest in a quality security utility for each platform and USE IT. No doubt the shop he goes to can recommend a good one for his situation. Scan the computer yourself on a regular basis if you haven’t set the utility to do so automatically. Because *that* platform is so widespread, naturally hackers are drawn to it like flies to … something. 😉 They get a bigger effect/disruption for their effort than they would by writing junk for Macs; we evidently aren’t worth the effort to most of them.

    But we are to some of them, so don’t get complacent: get a software utility.

    It would be really upsetting to have nice designs and what-ifs stored away, and some good chat with friends, and WHAM! hard disc fries because of an invader.

    Safe computing, fellow quilters. It’s as good for you as safe fabric cutting. (You know: shut the blade when you put the cutter down. Don’t cut with the cutter when you’re not feeling well / have had a drink / have had meds which interfere with your coordination and/or depth perception.)

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