Hooray! It can be done. Here's the response on the EQ Forum to my question:

"Oh, yes. Since you say you have the Bernina software, you're in business.

With your embroidery design on the Artistic mode worktable, go to FILE > Save image as and choose .PNG as the file type. This will save the stitch-out without a background and preserve the stitching and the coloring. The coloring of the design is especially desirable here.

Import the design to EQ7 through LIBRARIES > Embroidery Library > Import > Add to Sketchbook.

You will be able to place the embroidery design on Layer 3 of your quilt layout.

Hope this helps!

BarbVlack
EQ Author and Teacher"




I am currently designing a storm at sea themed quilt in which I plan on mixing both the traditional storm at sea blocks and an appliqued/embroidered/pieced picture. I am hopeful I will be able to design the tall clipper ship itself for applique and embroidery of the rigging and details in my Bernina software for making in the jumbo hoop. I am blogging this on my personal blog...we'll see how it comes out. But however it does, I am sure I'll be using these two pieces of software together in the future a lot.

Kmouse, Thanks for the suggestions. Yes, it's too bad they don't seem to talk together. I knew they weren't designed to, but thought maybe some brilliant quilter out there in TQS land had figured out a work around. I put a similar question on the EQ forum, but no one has responded yet. Guess it isn't possible, but I like your idea of using it as a backdrop in Bernina Plus. As much as quilters use both pieces of software, they should acknowledge that fact and figure out how to play together.

I have both EQ7 and Bernina Artista software. The quilter program in Bernina is for simple layout quilts or diamond quilts. Designer Plus level has Block Editor where you can create your own block but it is much easier to do in EQ. The main difference is that with Bernina, you can place actual embroidery designs in your quilt and any changes in size will be remembered in your software.

With EQ, the ability to design a unique quilt is much easier. When loading pictures or embroidery designs, you are placing the image of the embroidery on the quilt. I note what the actual size is before I place it in the quilt. If I alter the image size, I make a notation of how much I altered it (I believe it is listed somewhere on the screen) then make the actual changes in my Bernina software. Also, when using Bernina designs, you have to save the design as an image file (PNG) in order to maintain the actual colors of the embroidery. EQs process is for designs other than Bernina so the colors are wonky when placed in the quilt.

In short, the two programs are wonderful for what they do best, but they are not intended to be used seamlessly. I use EQ for designing basics and a general view of how the embroideries or quilting motifs will look. I do not spend a huge amount of time getting the "plan" to look perfect.

One thing I haven't done is import an image file into Bernina (or EQ) to use as a BACKDROP for freeform embroidery stitches (Designer Plus). From your art quilt profile, that might be something you could play with....

kathyst2 wrote: Good idea, Kathy, I'll pursue that avenue.

Betty Jo, I don't know anything about Bernina (I'm a Janome girl), I wonder if Barb Vlack or someone else on the EQ forum on their website would know the answer? They are extremely savvy over there and if it can be done, they'll know.

Kathy

Anyone ever tried this?

I have noticed that the Bernina design software is a kind of smaller version of Electric Quilt. In Bernina software you can take your embroidery designs and place them on the quilt design you make in the quilt side of the software. In EQ you can put ready-made embroidery designs on the quilts. What I want to do is move them back and forth between each other because I like the EQ7 software for designing a quilt better and the Bernina software for designing embroidery. Has anyone done this? If so, how do you do it?