Why do we love the Mona Lisa so much? Is it her calm enigmatic smile? Is it her reputation as the most priceless artwork ever created? Is it her status as an iconic female image recognized universally across the cyber-verse? Yes to all!
To make this 54″ x 62″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ high resolution digital-printed reproduction of this celebrated portrait. Then piece 5 more collection coordinates (Da Vinci Portrait Sketches plus 4 colors of the Crackled Veneer) to create the elegant frame.
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.
Like many of you, I don’t know how we would have gotten through the last year without our beloved pets. In our case, we have 2 golden retrievers and 3 rescue cats. We have 4 humans living in the house and 5 animals. When our oldest son comes to visit, we have a spare for him. He comes over for kitty therapy.
The dogs haven’t had a bath for months, because of the pandemic. As I write this email, they are lying asleep at my feet. (stinky, but cute.) When I get up to go to another room, they will get up and follow me. It is good to be part of a pack.
We know now (because scientists had to research what we already knew) that petting dogs or cats lowers our blood pressure. It is a lot like quilting – it is a kind of meditative therapy that brings you into the moment so your troubles disappear. So if you have pets in your sewing room, that is a double dose of calming therapeutics, right?
Throughout the pandemic ‘self care’ has been kind of a buzz word. If you pause to have a hot beverage, then you are engaging in Self Care. So if you have a dog, a cat, a cup of coffee, a chocolate bar, a bottle of wine, a sewing machine and a stash of really good fabric all in one room, what do you have?
Paradise my friends. You’ll never need to go out again.
Just keep telling yourself this until the pandemic is over. Ha.
Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it….
with hope for the future… Luana and Paul
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Spring is just around the corner, and the Flower Fairies and Garden Gnomes are busy waking up the dormant bulbs and sleepy seeds in your winter garden.
To make this 51″ x 65″ quilt design, you will use 7 fabrics from this collection: Start with the 24″ x 44″ central panel, then piece 2 florals and 3 blenders, and finish by making a border with the Gnome stripe.
Whether you make this as a lap quilt, a garden picnic quilt, or a wall hanging….this quilt is sure to encourage delightful giggles and dreams of magical little people.
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.
Now that our industry is starting to emerge from the totally immersive Facemask-Sewing era, we are starting to see some new trends emerging. Finally!
I just got off Zoom with the Canadian Quilt Association, giving a presentation about quilt trends. For those of us in the deepest part of Winter, we are definitely looking for some energizing joyous ideas and images to propel us into creativity, as we hopefully start to emerge from the pandemic.
COLOR is a big part of that thirsting for visual inspiration, and you’ll see that exressed in the collections we are bringing to you this month. We are introducing the colorful patterns of Australian quilt designer Kim McLean this week, whose vibrant quilts are made with Kaffe Fassett fabrics. There is an intense group of Kim McLean fans who hang out on the Kaffe Facebook page, sharing their love of these complex detailed patterns.
This weekend we are getting some bone-chilling temps – high of 10 degrees and lows of -10 degrees. Brrr! Good time to stay indoors, sip hot tea, and QUILT!
Next weekend on Feb 21 eQuilter is sponsoring an online showing of the award-winning documentary film “The Condor and the Eagle” for friends and customers of eQuilter. The film is being presented by donation only, so it is available to everyone to view.
Kathy Price, the director of Mission of Love (one of our 7 charities) will join me on a discussion panel afterwards, along with 2 of the indigenous protagonists from the film. We do hope to raise funds for Mission of Love, Earthworks, and the filmmakers.
This is something that is very near and dear to my heart…for the indigenous communities, waterways and wilderness being poisoned by extractive industries. The first time I saw the film I was blown away, and I am so grateful we can share this with you. Feel free to share the documentary link with others.
Online Lecture Calendar: Feb 18-22 – Virtual QuiltCon. eQuilter is a Gold sponsor.Feb 18-22 – Virtual QuiltCon. eQuilter is a Gold sponsor.
Feb 21 – The Condor & The Eagle – Film Screening for eQuilter customers and friends. REGISTER HERE.
Early March – SAQA Color Interview with Martha Sielman
March 13 – Rocky Mountain Quilt Association – online lecture
Just in time for Valentines Day, this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern celebrates a famous love story…of the Little Mermaid who loved a man so much she was willing to give up her life in the sea. The Disney version of the story has a happy satisfying ending, and this colorful quilt design captures a moment of bliss for Ariel meeting the Prince before she has bargained away her voice for a pair of legs.
The focus of this 58″ x 51″ jewel-toned quilt is the digital-printed artwork on the 36″ x 44″ panel. It is set in a pieced border like a faceted gemstone, using Stars and Sunset Skies, and 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes, to complete this scenic fairytale quilt.
The sunset sky, coral reef, castle on the cliff, and sailing ship bring in different elements from the beloved Hans Christian Anderson tale…with that sweet Disney twist! We just have one question…which song do you hear in your head when you look at this quilt? (We’re thinking the romantic calypso ballad…”Kiss the Girl”)
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.
I think we could all use a vacation right about now. Let’s imagine we are going to Paris for Valentine’s Day…to the Pont des Arts next to the Louvre. Lovers have been attaching padlocks to this pedestrian bridge, engraving locks with their beloved’s name, then tossing the key into the Seine River below …as a romantic gesture. Because this tradition was started by tourists, not the French, workers come by periodically to cut off the locks. The weight of 700,000 locks almost collapsed the graceful metal bridge in 2014. As of 2015, over a million locks had been placed there, weighing about 45 tons! [Wikipedia] That’s a whole lotta love!
This is kind of what happens to some people who have been staying at home working online, home-schooling kids, and riding out the pandemic with their partners or families. There is such a thing as…too much of a good thing. No matter how much we love our family, being stuck inside together for a year has been a challenge for many. However I know many a quilter who escapes to their sewing lair for some creative ‘alone time’…emerging happy and refreshed after hours spent with a needle and thread. Can you relate?
Fortunately for Paul and I, we are so busy at the office during the day, we don’t see much of each other so we don’t get tired of each other. We are one of those rare couples who can work together and still enjoy coming home to catch up on the day’s events. We are coming up on our 22nd eQuilter anniversary in a month, and we’ve been together since we met in 1994, so I think it’s going to last.
Just a reminder to our local quilters that you can still tuck some of our imported artisan chocolate bars into a curbside pickup order this week for Valentines Day…or if you live farther afield, you can drop hints for an eQuilter Gift Certificate to your favorite fabric enabler. They can be sent by email!
eQuilter is sponsoring a free (by donation) screening of the award-winning documentary ‘The Condor and The Eagle’ on Feb 21, and I will join the discussion panel afterwards. Please see details and registration at the links below. I’d appreciate if you’d share this documentary screening with others!
My Zoom power point lecture for Canadian Quilt Association is this Saturday afternoon, and tickets are now available for non-members to purchase online. Come join us for a review of quilt shows and International Quilt Trends!
If you are a member of the Canadian Quilters Association, registration is now open for you to sign up for my Zoom power point lecture on Feb 13. Non-members can register starting Feb 8.
We have a major online quilt festival happening soon – now is the time to register for Virtual QuiltCon! I am so excited to see all the quilts that the Modern Quilters have made during the pandemic. (eQuilter is a GOLD sponsor for the event.)
Many of you will remember that when Sophie was in middle school, she and several students and teachers became very ill in their school building, which set me on a journey of learning about toxic chemicals that damage humans and other living things. This led me to make the “Rocky Mountain Poison” quilt that was in the “Water is Life” show that premiered at the UN in Geneva. Later, this quilt was used to raise funds for Earthworks, and then it was acquired by the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska.
So this long journey has now led me to sponsor an online showing of the award-winning documentary film “The Condor and the Eagle” for friends and customers of eQuilter. The film is being presented by donation only, so it is available to everyone to view. Kathy Price, the director of Mission of Love (one of our 7 charities) will join me on a discussion panel afterwards, along with 2 of the indigenous protagonists from the film. We do hope to raise funds for Mission of Love, Earthworks, and the filmmakers.
SEE LINKS BELOW for more information and registration for these events. Please do join us for the documentary film in 2 weeks. This is something that is very near and dear to my heart…for the indigenous communities, waterways and wilderness being poisoned by extractive industries. The first time I saw the film I was blown away, and I am so grateful we can share this with you.
Feb 13 – Canadian Quilters Association – “Intl Quilt Trends” – registration open now to CQA members – and tickets for Non-Members are open NOW (as of Feb 8) at this new link:
On a crystal clear night somewhere in the North Woods, a full moon shines on a mountain stream. The lunar glow shines on the fresh snow, and the sound of the rushing water is pierced by the howl of a wolf calling out to its pack in the forest.
To make this frosty 59″ x 72″ quilt design, you will start with the central 28″ x 44″ scenic panel. Piece triangles to make ‘mountain’ shapes, using 6 coordinates to create the borders. This evocative quilt captures a beautiful moment in a wild place that will bring the howl of the wolf to your cozy lair.
Make the backing with Flannel to make this coverlet quilt extra cozy, or use silver metallic thread to make it sparkle for a wall hanging. (Don’t forget the Metallica needles and Sewers Aid for machine sewing with Metallic Threads!)
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.
Catch a firefly, let it go, blow on a dandelion, and make a wish!
To make this 54″ x 70″ quilt design, you will start with the 24″ x 44″ Firefly Panel, then add 6 more coordinates from this GLOW-IN-THE-DARK collection. To make this extra special, add one or more colors of stitching with Glow-in-the-Dark threads, and add a Starry Sky for a backing.
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.
Tonight I want to share a story with you. It is inspired by events over the weekend: My stepbrother received a call Saturday night, and 24 hours later was in surgery to receive a desperately needed and long-awaited kidney transplant. The heartbreak and loss of one family, led to a miracle for a father of 10-year-old twins. We are so grateful, but we also send our prayers to the family who suffered the loss.
So I’ve been thinking about this story:
About 25 years ago I befriended neighbors who had just adopted a little 18-month-old girl out of the foster system. Their whole life shifted, to bring this little lost girl into their life. A few years later the mother learned that she had heart failure, and would need a heart transplant to live. For the sake of her daughter, she got on the list. A few years later…a miracle…she was matched with a heart.
After she recovered from the transplant and grew stronger, she had the urge to go to the local pool and start swimming. She found it made her feel better, so she began to swim laps and laps, pushing herself to go further.
She was noticed. She was invited to go to the Transplant Olympics…and she won Gold Medals!
The parents of the boy who had died, and donated the heart, came to the games. After she climbed out of the pool and received her medals, they came over to meet her for the first time. They fell into her arms weeping, as they explained that their son had been a champion swimmer, and the captain of the high school swim team. They could see him still swimming in the pool, when they saw her win those gold medals. They knew that a part of him lived on, in her.
My friend was able to live long enough to see her daughter graduate from high school. I will never forget her. And because of her I am signed up to be an organ donor.
Tonight I send out prayers for comfort and peace to all the families who have lost a loved one, and saved others through organ donation. And to all of you still waiting for your transplant, I wish you a perfect match, healing and blessings as God wills.
eQuilter is sponsoring a free (by donation) screening of The Condor and The Eagle on Feb 21. Please see details and registration link on our blog. If you have an interest in how indigenous people are affected by pipelines and mining on their lands, you’ll want to see this one.
with hope for the future… Luana and Paul
Online Lecture Calendar: Go to Blog for registration links. Feb 13 – Canadian Quilters Association – “Intl Quilt Trends” – registration open now to CQA members – tickets open to public Feb 8. Feb 21 – The Condor & The Eagle – REGISTER HERE – Film Screening by donation Early March – SAQA Color – Interview with Martha Sielman
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Posted inCharity|Comments Off on Healing Hearts…Loving Hearts
