Many designers like to work in EQ Mini with actual fabric lines. One way to do that is to use the Digital Fabric Stashes that you can purchase as add-ons to your EQ Mini software. These digital stashes are available as online downloads right from the online Electric Quilt Shop. Many manufacturers are included in these downloads that are created several times a year. Here is a little bit more about these digital fabric libraries.
What stashes are available?
There are currently 11 digital stashes available at the online Electric Quilt store that you can purchase. Each stash has over 1000 fabrics representing several manufacturers fabric lines, some have many more. Electric Quilt generously provided me with a copy of the latest Digital stash 2016 -03 which contains Batik fabrics so that I could share my experience with you.
What is included?
EQ Stash 2016 Download 3 features the newest batik fabrics from the top manufacturers. In this example, there are fabrics from Hoffman Fabrics, Island Batiks, Moda Fabrics, RJR Fabrics, Robert Kaufman fabrics, and Timeless Treasures fabrics. With each stash description, you will find the Manufacturer name and the name of each fabric line included. You can see a subset of the Batik download details above. The 1100+ digital fabrics are ready to download right into your EQ Mini Fabric Library for immediate use for designing your EQ Mini projects.
How do you purchase the Stash Downloads?
Just go to the Electric Quilt Online Shop, and look under Add-ons for EQ, then find Digital Fabric Stash. Choose the stash you want and add it to your shopping cart and purchase. The stash will then be available for immediate download.
How do you download your purchased Fabric Stash?
After completing your purchase, a link to download the file will be available on the confirmation page, in your confirmation email receipt, as well as in your ElectricQuilt.com account (as indicated below). Follow the instructions to download the file.
- Log into your account on ElectricQuilt.com:
http://electricquilt.com/online-shop/account/ - Click the “Downloads” link.
- Click the “Download” link next to “EQ Stash Online – Stash Name″.
- Follow the steps prompted by your web browser to download and run the file.
- When you run the file, you will be prompted to install the fabric file on your computer.
How do you view your fabrics in EQ Mini?
- Open EQ Mini on your computer.
- Go to Libraries → Fabric Library
- Click on the Library in the box on the left named “EQ Stash Online”. The fabrics appear in collections and are sorted by manufacturer.
- Browse through the digital fabrics, review their notecards for further information and select any that you’d like to use to color a project by clicking “Add to Sketchbook”.
Does Electric Quilt provide any Free Fabrics?
There are several ways to add free fabrics to EQ Mini. Check out my previous blog on EQ Mini Friday Fun for all of the details.
Using a fabric stash to design your quilt is a great way to virtually design before purchasing or even cutting into your favorite fabrics. Check them out as another tool for your design creativity!
Questions or Feedback?
Please share your ideas, questions and feedback in the comments. Thanks!
Lori J. Miller lives in Troy, Michigan, where she designs, stitches and sews quilts and quilty things. She loves experimenting with fun colors and designs to make playful and clever products for the modern stitcher. Sewing since age 11, Lori has deep roots in sewing and quilting traditions that add a unique dimension to her designs. She loves designing using Electric Quilt 7, Electric Quilt Mini and EQ Stitch. You can follow her quilting adventures on her blog at lorimillerdesigns.com or on instagram @lorimillerdesigns
