This week we are celebrating our 21 year anniversary at eQuilter! In case you are not familiar with the story of our family business, we started the business in the basement of our home, with a little black and white ad in the back of Quilters Newsletter Magazine. I had this idea that I could have a little part time business that I could run out of the basement, and stay home with the kids. However, we had identified a niche of products that was not being provided to the hungry quilters around the world…and the rest is history!
eQuilter is not just an online retailer for quilt fabrics and supplies…we are also a sponsor of quilt exhibits and contests around the world. We support the amazing quilters who create the stunning works of art that are seen at large and small events around the US and the world. Our goal is to inspire and support quilters at every level of their creative development, and to provide those innovative fiber art products that may not be available in a local quilt shop. We advocate for the independent quilt shops in our industry, because if we don’t have those local mom-and-pop quilt shops on Main Street, we don’t have an industry!
All of our kids have worked at our family business, and all of them have traveled to quilt shows with me. Many of you have met our youngest Sophie, when she travels with me to Houston or other quilt festivals. Sophie is graduating from high school in 2 months, and has been accepted into the Music Education program here at CU Boulder. She will come to the opening of my curated exhibit “For the Love of Gaia” at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska on June 26, and she’ll be my gallery helper when we take “Love Your Mother” quilt challenge to the Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts end July. If you come to one of our workshops this summer, she’ll be the classroom attendant.
With your help, our charity program has raised $1.65 million for a variety of non-profits. We give our humble thanks to all of you who have supported this effort, with a special thanks to the quilters who have made and donated comfort quilts for our disaster relief and humanitarian projects with Mission of Love and Engineers Without Borders.
A special thanks to all of our eQuilter staff who keep our warehouse humming, who answer the phones, who wrap your packages and tie them up with a bow. This year we seem to have many new employees with purple, teal and green hair to go with our colorful fabrics!
The world seems to be especially crazy now, but you can count on us to continue to be a reliable source for your creative needs, and we thank you for supporting our dream to be a force for good in the world.
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul
*The beautiful quilt above “I Live On Earth” was photographed by Luana at the Tokyo Quilt Festival in January. The artist’s name is printed in Kanji in the top left corner. For more photos visit her photo page.
eQuilter Classroom:
March 28 – Violet Protest & Finish Quilt Tops
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson – SOLD OUT
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern – Kaleidoscopes & Quilts – Registration OPEN
July 20-23 Betty Busby – Transfer Dyeing
August 6-9 – Cindy Lohbeck Returns
2021 – Jacqueline de Jonge
Luana’s Travel Calendar:
May 14-15 – Quilt Market (May 17 – Sophie’s Graduation!)
June 19 – Quilt Canada – “Intl Quilt Trends” presentation
June 26 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE – Opening Reception & Lecture “For the Love of Gaia”
July 29 – Aug 2 – “Love Your Mother” Gallery in Birmingham UK (Lecture 8/1)
Sept 26 – Quilters Take Manhattan
Oct 16-17 – Visions Art Museum – San Diego (Lecture 10/16)
