QuiltSoft has been on the market for some time. Originally called Quilter's Design Studio, it has undergone many changes since its introduction in 1991. QuiltSoft is currently available for both the Windows and Mac platforms, but QuiltSoft 6.0 for Windows is the latest incarnation.

Overall, QuiltSoft's functionality is pretty standard. Like most quilting software, users may design complete quilts, including custom blocks and color palettes. QS creates templates for cutting and piecing, and also estimates yardage requirements.

QuiltSoft features two screens; the "Work Area" where quilts are created from block library designs and "Create Block" where users design and save blocks to library.

Requirements

- 64 MB of memory, minimum
- CD-ROM drive
- 15 MB of available disk space
- Microsoft Windows 98, ME, XP, 2000, NT

Features

- Block library including over 300 designs
- Quilt library featuring 20 designs
- 128 fabric fills to simulate fabrics
- 8 customizable color palettes with 64 colors
- 1 Fabric Palette with 32 Fabrics
- 1 Pattern palette with 150 patterns/textures
- 200+ page User's Guide featuring tutorials

In addition to these basic features, QuiltSoft boasts enhancements from earlier versions. The bulk of these improvements streamline the design process. With QuiltSoft 6.0, users can now :

- scan fabrics into library
- calculate yardage for quilt front, back, borders and sashing
- print larger blocks and templates
- create and simultaneously modify groups of blocks
- zoom into designs up to 500% for more detailed work
- import and export single quilts or blocks from libraries
- use grid/snap tool for block creation
- alter grid and line color during block design
- trace scanned blocks and save in the block library
- download fabrics from the Internet
- import and use enhanced meta files as blocks

QuiltSoft's 6.0 quilt design functionality is fairly convenient. Users can :

- flip and rotate blocks
- copy and paste within a design and into other Windows applications
- move blocks to desired locations
- select multiple items
- design with real fabrics
- color or recolor blocks throughout a quilt design
- shrink or stretch blocks
- snap to grid
- generate layouts
- create custom layouts

The block design capabilities are also convenient and allow a certain amount of creativity. In QS 6.0, it is possible to :

- copy or customize library block designs
- create block templates
- rotate or flip patches within a block
- copy and paste block patches
- use bezier curves for appliqué creation
- reshape patches
- snap to grid
- mirror or copy patches
- use a variety of shapes, including circles, pies, arcs, rectangles, triangles, hexagons, regular and irregular polygons

Pros :

Overall, QuiltSoft does provide some noteworthy benefits. This is a more stable version than earlier releases, and includes basic functionality for quilt design. Quilters transitioning from paper-based design for the first time may find this software more manageable to use than a more feature-intense package.

QS 6.0 is compatible with older system configurations, and does not require an upgrade to the latest operating system or hardware. If you are more interested in quilt design than cutting edge computer technology, this is important.

In comparison to more robust quilting software, QuiltSoft has some benefits in its favor. For one, it is more economical than the more sophisticated packages on the market. Two block libraries, formerly sold separately, are bundled within QuiltSoft 6.0, further increasing the savings. There is less of a learning curve with this package compared with higher end software, such as Electric Quilt or Quilt Pro. This is an important consideration for those easily intimidated by technology or unacquainted with digital quilt design.

Cons :

While QuiltSoft is a solid design package, it is considerably less robust than higher end software. Experienced quilters may find its functionality lacking for their purposes.

Anyone using Quilter's Design Studio 3.0 or older will run into some difficulty transitioning to QuiltSoft 6.0. There is an upwards compatibility issue, and designs from these versions cannot be exported into 6.0 directly. They must first be exported into QuiltSoft 4.0, and then into 6.0.

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