Free eQuilter Pattern – Feathered Peacock

Posted on April 16, 2021 by Luana

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features the luminous artwork of Chong-A Hwang, with a glowing Peacock panel and feathers, offset with solid black to make the colors really ‘pop’. If the Peacock is your spirit animal, this beautiful bird brings balance, pride, self-love, courage, confidence, honor, integrity and wisdom. The peacock also inspires ‘showing your true colors’ to those around you.

To make this stunning 53″ x 72″ quilt design, you will start with the 24″ x 44″ central Peacock panel, then add 3 coordinates from the collection, plus a Hoffman Hand-Dye and a Solid Pima Black. The diamond border has pieced squares set on-point, giving this a sparkling quality.

…featuring the ‘Glow’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Celestial Magic‘ quilt patterns!

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

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News From the Mayonnaise Jar

Posted on April 14, 2021 by Luana

The last year has been an exercise in letting go. We’ve had to let go of almost all our expectations, and float like jellyfish in a mayonnaise jar. Jobs, school, travel, even friendships…all put on hold, or even lost. Quilters know how to take advantage of weeks and months suspended in a confined space. We pull out our stash and we start cutting and sewing. But, it does get tiresome after a year. It is fun to dream of traveling to quilt festivals again, but nobody knows for sure when this rollercoaster of pandemic chaos will end.

The collage above is inspired by the show “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”. I am madly in love with this show. The music, the dancing, the colors, the costumes, and the sets. It makes me so happy. They have a playlist on Spotify so I can keep the snappy music going during the next day. Whatever happened during the day, if we can watch another episode at night just before bedtime, I have the most creative joyful dreams that night. It’s a kick. If you like Broadway musicals, Karaoke night, Bollywood and/or Wes Anderson movies…check it out.

Every few months our suppliers come out with new batches of designs, and right now we are poring over the ‘Spring Release’ collections from many designers and manufacturers. I am seeing the 2nd wave of creativity from artists who have been prolific in Covid lockdown. I am ordering things that won’t ship until Summer of Fall, but it really lifts my spirits to see all this incredible outpouring of creative zingers.

Today I saw artwork from one of our larger suppliers, and several times I gasped out loud with delight. I just love when designers come up with something that nobody has ever thought of, that I know is going to make our customers buzz with fabriholic rapture. And aren’t we lucky that we get to curate these collections and bring you a smorgasbord of textile euphoria each week?

Hope to see many of you at the SAQA online annual conference which starts Thursday (tomorrow!) and runs through next week. If you are interested in art quilting and haven’t heard of SAQA, just google “Studio Art Quilt Associates” or pick up their “Art Quilt Quarterly” here.

…with hope for the future,
Luana and Paul

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Celestial Magic

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Luana

Radiant Smiling Suns shimmer in jeweltones and rich gold metallic,
in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, featuring the lighthearted artwork of artist Laurel Burch.

To make this delightful 51″ x 51″ quilt design, you will start with a 24″ x 44″ block panel. Cut and piece with 5 collection coordinates to make this fun quilt full of sunshine, starry skies and opulent gold accents.

…featuring the ‘Celestial Magic’ collection by Laurel Burch for Clothworks.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Hungry Animal Alphabet‘ quilt patterns!

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

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Our Giant Fabric Pipeline

Posted on April 12, 2021 by Luana

Today Sophie got her 1st vaccine shot, which means now all of our kids have their first dose. Paul and I had our single dose J&J a few weeks ago, so this is bringing another layer of hope for the future. Our staff are also pursuing their vaccine appointments so we are all feeling like there is real visible light at the end of the tunnel now. I am exhausted, and I know you are too, but this is what keeps me going.

We are receiving many emails from our suppliers about supply chain issues. One of the biggest issues has been delays at the port in Southern California. Boats arrive and then have to wait weeks to come into port and unload, so they are docked offshore just waiting. Factories are experiencing delays also, and so many collections have been delayed by a few months. Thanks to our hard-working buyers, we’ve been able to keep our shelves stocked and continue to offer 1000+ new products each month. (This week – 390 new products!)

Fortunately we have many suppliers and therefore many options, so we just keep that fabric pipeline open to keep our warehouse stocked. This week we got our custom order from Langa Lapu Fabrics in South Africa. They don’t have any other orders so they are relying on eQuilter, to keep their ladies employed which means keeping their children fed. When you order these special fabrics, it means we can place the next order. The ladies there thank you.

This week we have a very special purchase – Kaffe Fassett’s new book “In the Studio” is absolutely gorgeous and we got a big batch of signed copies. Our staff was eagerly paging through the office copy, drinking in the luscious images and colors of this beauty. Kaffe Fassett fans will want to add this title to their collection – snag a signed copy while we have them in stock!

We have discussed collecting comfort quilts for the families who have lost loved ones in the recent shooting here in Boulder, but I also would like to put out a call for any quilt guilds or groups who might want to work on memorial quilts for the 10 victims, as we did for Newtown. We would want to present them on the one-year anniversary next year in March, at the very latest. If your group is interested, please contact me at eQuilter.

Thought for the day:
Reach out to somebody you haven’t spoken to for a long time – check in on friends who have been shut in over the last year. There are folks out there who are in need of love and companionship and sunshine. I bet you can think of someone you should call right now!

with hope for the future,
Luana and Paul

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Free Quilt Pattern – Eagle Owl Majesty

Posted on April 9, 2021 by Luana

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features an enigmatic Owl portrait, illuminated by a moody Full Moon, bracketed with pieced Feather blocks.

To make this 61″ x 71″ quilt design, you will start with the 29″ x 44″ digital-printed Owl panel, then piece the striking border with Stonehenge textures and a Hoffman Hand-Dye.

This color combination has a rustic appeal, to hang in a cabin or an earthy living room…but you could also change some of the coordinate fabrics to make a Harry Potter or Halloween theme. Either way, you’ll have this wise owl and the midnight Moon watching over you when you hang up this evocative quilt.

…featuring the ‘World of Animals’ collection by Aimee Stewart for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Aurora Wolves‘ quilt patterns!

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

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Free Pattern – Library of Rarities

Posted on April 6, 2021 by Luana

Is there anything more exciting than poring over shelves of antiquarian books full of adventure, mystery, and romance? Collecting rare and vintage books is a pastime shared by many, and this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features one of our most popular fabric collections for the true book-lover!

To make this 50″ x 61″ quilt design, you will use the detailed digital-printed fabrics showing antique book covers and spines, add in a Hoffman Hand-Dye and some Stonehenge textures, plus a dazzling Bookbinder’s marbled paper also digital printed on fabric. This is the kind of marbling you find in the handmade paper shops in Venice Italy. We also love the parchment pages used in the border, featuring pages from classic books like Jane Eyre.

You can almost smell that lovely musty scent of old paper, oak shelves, and Eau de Librarian from the back of the Antiquarian Bookstore. We just received a reprint shipment of this popular collection, so snap it up while it is still in stock!

…featuring the ‘Library of Rarities’ collection by Aimee Stewart for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Steampunk Halloween‘ quilt patterns!

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Free Quilt Pattern – Hungry Animal Alphabet

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Luana

So many things to look at in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern – with the beloved Hungry Alphabet Animals by artist J. Wecker Frisch. Come dine with this zoomorphic crowd and see what delicacies are on the menu! From the apple eating alligator to the zucchini growing zebra, this beautifully rendered panel will have you charmed with the clever drawings and gorgeous colors.

To make this 61″ x 68″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ Block Panel. Use 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes and the coordinating Animal Stripe to make the concentric sashing and border, finishing with a Red Gingham binding.

We’ve found that this quilt provides hours of “I Spy” fun with your favorite little person. The engaging animal portraits – all busy with detailed food and settings – provide an adventure in storytelling and make-believe!

…featuring the ‘Hungry Animal Alphabet’ collection by J. Wecker Frisch for Riley Blake Designs.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Steampunk Halloween‘ quilt patterns!

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

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April – Season of Renewal

Posted on April 3, 2021 by Luana

Dear Friends – I am still trying to get through all the emails and letters that you sent to us after the March 22 shooting. Here in Boulder we are all still processing what happened, still learning of people in our circles who were affected.

After the Sandy Hook shooting in December 2012, we were inundated with requests from our customers to organize some kind of response from the quilting community. As you may remember, we were discouraged from sending comfort quilts, so we worked with several quilt guilds around the country to organize memorial quilts. These quilts had the names and/or images of all the kids and teachers lost, and they were presented to the city officials to be distributed to community locations like City Hall and local churches.

I have been in touch with the Boulder Emergency Taskforce. (The same group we’ve worked with to support mask-making for front line workers last year, and then later to distribute quilts to the wildfire victims.) We have discussed collecting comfort quilts for the families who have lost loved ones in the event, but I also would like to put out a call for any quilt guilds or groups who might want to work on memorial quilts for the 10 victims, as we did for Newtown. We would want to present them on the one-year anniversary next year in March, at the very latest. If your group is interested, please contact me at eQuilter.

Today it was 80 degrees and sunny. Neighbors were all out in their yards, on their porches, and talking in the streets. The trees are budding out and the tulips will burst into bloom in the next week or so. As we celebrate Easter tomorrow, a holiday symbolic of rebirth and renewal, we have to keep choosing HOPE as we look to the future. I saw many people out walking today, silent, just taking in the blue skies and birdsong, and presumably pondering what it means to be alive and human in the Spring of 2021.

In these photo albums, you can see images of other comfort quilt projects we have organized over the years.

In a few months from now, we will reach a total of $1.8 million donated to non-profit organizations, and rest assured we are sending money to many different organizations who are focused on desperately needed relief in this age of Covid. Thank you for supporting our efforts to help those in need.

Whether you are celebrating Easter, or ending Passover this weekend, we wish you a peaceful and blessed holiday with loved ones.

with hope for the future,
Luana and Paul


299 NEW Products this week!


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Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost

Posted on March 31, 2021 by Luana

Those of you who have known me for many years, are familiar with my pre-pandemic schedule. I traveled once a month on business, often to photograph quilt festivals. To keep our staff safe, I stopped traveling over a year ago. We also have not seen any sales reps inside our building during the pandemic, because they travel to several states. As much as we love our wandering sales reps, our commitment to our staff’s safety has been our top priority.

So for those of us who love to travel, it has been an especially painful year. Now that health experts are warning that Spring Break travel could bring on a 4th wave of Covid, and help incubate variants, I am sticking to my commitment with our staff…even though I am vaccinated. If you don’t know why, just read the news this week.

I bet many of you are longing for a road trip or a beach break now, so I am offering some images to hopefully give you a little mental break. I’ve been listening to ocean waves at night before I go to sleep. I’ve been meditating and visualizing that I am walking in a rainforest. I’ve been reviewing my photos that I’ve taken on past trips. I’ve been watching Nature TV shows about beautiful wildlife and lush habitats. I changed my ringtone to a melodic bird call. In a couple weeks our crab apple trees will burst into bloom, and I will have my morning coffee under the drifting pink petals. This is how I will nurture my sanity, especially after the traumatic events in Boulder last week.

Since we lost Paul’s parents, aunt, uncle and sister on Oahu, we are not traveling to Hawaii, but I still dream about the islands. For many years I took the kids once a year to see the grandparents, and the trip highlight was going snorkeling at dawn, in Hanauma Bay. There we floated among the yellow, blue, green, orange and shimmering silver reef fish…communed with green sea turtles…and dodged an eel or two. I close my eyes and dream of floating in lukewarm waves, and it helps me to get through another day. How about you?

…with hope for the future,
Luana and Paul

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.
“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

J.R.R. Tolkien – The Fellowship of The Ring

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Free Quilt Pattern – Steampunk Halloween

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Luana

Enter the fantastical world of Steampunk in this week’s Free exclusive Quilt Pattern, with a collection of animals constructed from gears and other found objects. Halloween characters like Jack-o-Lanterns, a Top Hat Owl, Aeronaut Raven and Vintage Radio-Cat complete this whimsical cast of characters.

To make this 63″ x 67″ quilt, you will start with a 24″ x 44″ digital-printed panel, add 4 coordinates from the collection, plus a stripe to make the engineered border. Start this project now, and you’ll be ready by Halloween!

…featuring the ‘Steampunk Halloween’ collection by Desiree’s Designs for Quilting Treasures.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Zootopia Alphabet‘ and ‘Winter Forest‘ quilt patterns!

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

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