Coming from Electric Quilt 8

QuiltLab vs EQ8: a browser-based EQ8 alternative

QuiltLab is a quilt design app that runs in your web browser. If you have designed in EQ8, the Maker plan imports your .PJ8 project files, so your fabrics, pieced blocks and straight-set quilts become editable QuiltLab designs.

This page sets out what moves across, what stays behind and when EQ8 is still the better tool, so you can decide before you switch.

Import a .pj8 file See plans and pricing

How they differ

  • Where it runs: QuiltLab is web-based, with nothing to download, and your designs are saved to your account. EQ8 is installed software from Electric Quilt.
  • Your EQ8 work: QuiltLab reads .PJ8 project files directly. It does not write .PJ8 files, so the move is one way.
  • Screens: QuiltLab's editors are designed for a desktop or laptop browser.
  • Cutting math: QuiltLab does not compute yardage or cutting charts for a whole design. Its free quilting calculators cover yardage, backing, binding, batting, HSTs, flying geese and block resizing on their own.
  • Price: QuiltLab has a Free plan; EQ8 import is part of the paid plan. For EQ8 pricing and features, see Electric Quilt.
QuiltLab plans Quilting calculators Electric Quilt (EQ8)

When to keep EQ8

Keep EQ8 for projects that rely on what QuiltLab does not import: curved or applique blocks, layouts other than straight sets, sashing, styled borders, quilt-level colourings, and EQ8's yardage, rotary cutting, template and foundation printouts. You can keep EQ8 for those projects and design new work in QuiltLab.

Comparing more than two tools?

Our blog post compares EQ8 with several other quilt design programs and asks what you would give up by switching.

Looking for an EQ8 alternative? Compare before you switch

What the importer brings across

  • Fabrics

    Each fabric image in the project becomes a private swatch, up to 256 per file. Swatches are numbered (EQ8 Fabric 001 and so on); EQ8's fabric names are not kept.

  • Pieced blocks

    Straight-edge blocks become editable blocks with every patch as its own shape. Patches painted with a project fabric show that fabric; solid patches keep EQ8's colour. Blocks keep their EQ8 names and arrive at 12 in.

  • Straight-set quilts

    Each horizontal (straight-set) quilt keeps its rows, columns, block size and block placements. Quilts are numbered (EQ8 Quilt 1 and so on).

  • Borders

    Each EQ8 border becomes its own border layer at its EQ8 width, in placeholder greys with square corners.

  • A contact-sheet Canvas

    One Canvas links everything from the file, and every item is tagged eq8-import plus the file name so the import can be found together.

What stays in EQ8

  • Curved piecing, applique and motifs

    Curved blocks, applique blocks and motifs are skipped, as are threads.

  • Other quilt layouts

    Strip and custom-set quilts are not imported. On-point and the remaining EQ8 layout styles have not been tested.

  • Border detail, sashing and cornerstones

    Border colours, fabrics, styles and blocks set into borders are not read. Sashing and cornerstones are not carried over.

  • Quilt-level colouring

    Blocks in an imported quilt show the block's own fabrics, not the fabrics assigned on the quilt in EQ8.

  • Layers 2 and 3

    Applique on the quilt, quilting stencils, embroidery, photos and text.

  • Names and notes

    Fabric names, quilt names and notecards.

  • EQ8 printouts

    Yardage, rotary cutting, templates and foundation patterns are not imported.

Limits and privacy

  • .pj8 files only, not earlier Electric Quilt formats.
  • Each file can be up to 64 MB. If a larger project will not import, email support@quiltlab.co.
  • Importing needs a QuiltLab account on the Maker plan. The Free plan does not include EQ8 import.
  • Your browser reads the file first and shows what it found. On import, the file is uploaded to private storage and decoded on QuiltLab's servers.
  • The original file is kept as a private source archive that only you can download or delete. It counts toward your storage.
  • The import is a starting point to review, not an exact copy. There is no export back to EQ8.

Frequently asked questions

Can QuiltLab open my EQ8 projects?

Yes, by importing them. On the Maker plan, QuiltLab imports .pj8 files: fabrics, straight-edge pieced blocks, straight-set quilts and borders. Curved and applique blocks, other layouts and EQ8's printouts stay in EQ8.

Is QuiltLab free?

QuiltLab has a Free plan for designing. Importing EQ8 files needs the Maker plan; see the pricing page for current prices.

Can I export from QuiltLab back to EQ8?

No. QuiltLab reads .PJ8 files but does not write them, so keep your originals.

Will an imported quilt look exactly as it did in EQ8?

Not always. The import is a starting point: borders arrive in placeholder greys, blocks show their own fabrics rather than the quilt's colouring, and anything QuiltLab cannot read is listed as skipped or failed. Check each design after importing.