I originally posted the below in a rant to the Inklingo group. I wanted to defend the pricing of the collections to people who seemed upset that they weren’t free. The internet has made it easy to get a lot of things for free, but when it comes to small businesses, especially those that are providing a wonderful niche service like quilting tools, I think it’s extra important that we recognize their value and pay for their work.
—–
Occasionally I see rumblings over the cost of Linda’s collections and it surprises me. The way I see it, this method of getting shapes out of fabric that are accurate and fun to piece is worth way more than the price tag in convenience and a FINISHED quilt.
I found Inklingo during a search for a better method of getting shapes that couldn’t be rotary cut (one day soon, I will have that double wedding ring quilt I dreamed of from the beginning). I was at the point of making my own rubber stamps (egads)Â when I stumbled onto Inklingo.
Now, when I start planning a new quilt, I start with Inklingo and EQ7. I easily spend $100 for the fabric and notions and another $75 for batting and backing. Then, of course, there is the time spent piecing, basting and quilting. Imagine if I only half-pieced a quilt and after hours of tracing and cutting, just got tired of the whole thing. Into the UFO pile it goes and along with it, $100 and time lost.
Well said! Inklingo is a fabulous tool and one that offers us all such fabulous precision and perfect templates every time!
If it wasn’t for Inklingo, I don’t think I would have continued to try quilting. Everything about it is designed to make quilting a joy, not a chore. I think many have started projects only to become discouraged and give up or put aside for a future time. With Inklingo, you get to start sewing right away. There is no need to worry about accuracy, Linda has taken care of all that. The marking makes sure of the accuracy. The speed in which your fabric is printed with the template markings all makes for the quilter to get to the most fun part: watching your design come together. So much more time for sewing! The only difficult part is picking your fabrics. Any questions and the designer herself, Linda Franz, is only a keyboard away to answer any question. Her shape collections and design books give you so much information. The cost is really minimal when you see what all you get with a purchase. And like you said, because it is all digital everything is in pristine condition to use again and again. A very small investment toward having a beautiful, FINISHED quilt!
Nancy (a very happy Inklingo lover)