eQuilter Blog

Ten days ago I was in Tucson at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum for the Camouflage exhibit reception. It was a super fast trip because I have too many pots on the stove (so to speak) right now, but it was a glorious 24 hours. I had been to this museum about 9 years ago, and always wanted to go back. One of the reasons was because of its proximity to the Saguaro National Parkland, but also the museum is set in a huge botanic garden full of desert flora. At the end of summer the gardens are full of blooming cacti, and buzzing with many kinds of pollinators. I was also tickled to see a quail family come skittering out of the underbrush as the sun set.

One of our great inspiration opportunities is travel, and often it is the landscape and the local flora and fauna that delight us the most. In this case it was a chance to wander through a wonderland of statuesque saguaro, stickery cacti, and the kind of chittering birds who come out as the sun drops along with the temperature.

I stayed as the staffed cleaned up after the party, and caught a ride with the director of the art institute. We shared our love of sunset and landscapes so she took me on a scenic back road so we could enjoy the golden hour and the colors of the sky reflected on the red rocks.

Here I share some of my photos from that afternoon, and I hope it will inspire you to get out and gather inspiration from the turning colors of the Fall season. Fall landed with a thump on Monday here in Colorado – with up to a foot of snow in the high country – and a dark monsoon rain with overnight temps in the 40s. Today we had a steady soaking rain, and as I drove home, I enjoyed the brilliant golden-greens of the wet landscape that is just starting to turn colors.

Enjoy the colors of your season, wherever you are!

Sharing our passion for fabric…and cats!
Luana & Paul

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Congratulations to all the big winners in the Houston Quilt Festival, which were announced last Monday. Caryl Bryer-Fallert Gentry was the winner of the eQuilter Master Award, and Ricky Tims won Best of Show. I look forward to seeing all the fantastic quilts in person in 2.5 weeks!

Monday is the Fall Equinox, so this weekend is truly the end of Summer. Do you find that you are drawn to a different palette of colors as the leaves begin to turn, and the air cools at night? Perhaps you will experiment with new textures in your projects, or play with new embellishments? Trying new things is what keeps textile art and quiltmaking fun…and fresh.

If you have not tried a magazine for new ideas, the turning of the season might be the perfect time to consider something unique? I have my favorites (Quilting Arts and Art Quilting Studio) and I look forward to new techniques whenever a new issue lands on my desk. What is your favorite magazine?

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here.

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram and Pinterest pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Artist Blog, Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

We are very aware that many of you are dedicated Crazy Cat Ladies (and Lads), with kitty assistants lolling across your current quilt projects on your sewing machines. Yes many of you are dog lovers as well, but this is an Ode to the Ailurophiles out there. You know who you are.

I got my first dog at 5 years old, but I picked out my first cat at a pet shop when I was about 12 years old. I picked out an adult rescue cat and brought it back to my home which for some reason my mother accepted. The shop keeper told me it was a boy, so I named him Timothy. However as the weeks went by and Timothy’s belly swelled with mysterious wiggles, we suspected that he was a she. Yes in fact Timothy had kittens a few weeks later which was a shock and delight. That was back in the day, before we knew to spay cats.

Now our daughter is away at college and has an apartment. A year ago she got herself a 5 year old rescue kitty named Grapefruit, whom she adores. Grapefruit is a grey, peach and cream calico.

And here’s a funny story….when Paul and I first met in 1994, we each had 2 cats. He had 2 British Shorthairs. I had a tuxedo and a tabby. So our first home together had 4 cats. And multiple lint brushes. Now we have 2 dogs and 3 rescue cats. We adore our furry family and we can see from all the cat and dog fabrics that you collect…that you share our devotion to fuzzy friends.

Our exclusive collection of Cat fabrics is legendary…and sometimes very silly. This week we also have the new Quiltfolk book of CATS, which features several of our talented customers’ work. Featured on page 106 is a OBW quilt called “Bedazzled” by artist Jackie OBrien featuring eQuilter’s very own panel by Rubin Design Studio called Intricate Illustrated Kitty.

Fellow crazy cat lads & ladies can join my Fabriholic Kitty Club on Facebook, where you can post as many cat photos, memes and videos as you like, and nobody will unfriend you. Meow!

Sharing our passion for fabric…and cats!
Luana & Paul

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews

As this email goes out, I’ll be flying home from Tucson Arizona. My butterfly quilt – “Uncompahgre Fritillary” – is in the SAQA Camouflage exhibit at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum through September 28.

I’ve put up several batches of photos in 3 albums, so you might want to take a peek at my photo pages online.

eQuilter is the sponsor of a $5K Master Award for the Houston Quilt Festival, and the big winners will be announced on Monday.

We are excited to see a new crop of stunning quilts in Houston, the second week of October. Please do note that this year Festival is earlier than usual – which means we can all stay home for Halloween this time.

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here.

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram and Pinterest pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Artist Blog, Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Today I bring you another quilt from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, UK. This one is by an artist I know very well – Galla Grotto. Over the last several years her stylized elegant portraits of women, have earned her fame in Europe.

This year she had her own gallery in Birmingham, titled “Women’s Encyclopaedia”.

This was one of my favorite portraits by Galla. I have matched it up with one of our new lovely hummingbird/floral prints on the right.

“The main purpose of any encyclopaedia is to collect knowledge scattered around the world and pass it on to those living today, so that the works of our past centuries do not become useless for future centuries, and our descendants, enriched with knowledge, become kinder and happier. This exhibition is an appeal to world cultural traditions through the rethinking of myths, images and symbols. At all times, women have played an important role in history, art and culture.

In Galla Grotto’s gallery of female portraits, goddesses and fairies, muses and other female images occupying a significant place in the mythology of different countries, perform an important mission – they pacify human anger, calm passions, bring peace, talk and negotiate. Women make the world a better, more harmonious and beautiful place. A woman in all her manifestations is the main theme of the exhibition.”

Galla is a Russian artist, who left Russia to live in Ukraine, then left Ukraine to live in France. When the war started she had to worry about her daughter who was still there. She has a unique perspective on world events, which I see her express through her beautiful art works.

I have shared another big batch of photos from the show, including from Galla’s gallery. Enjoy!

Sharing our passion for fabric,
Luana & Paul

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Sept 12 – Fri 4-6 pm – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson –
Artist reception for SAQA “Camouflage” exhibit
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe – Independent Study
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture
Nov 21-23 – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Feature Artist & Speaker
Dec 10 – Canadian Quilt Association – Zoom Lecture – Intl Quilt Trends
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.