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
During the week I spend a lot of time communicating and sharing ideas/updates with friends in the industry. I think we all know that when we get to the other side of this pandemic, things are not going to be the same. There will be a new normal, and many things that might have come 10 years in the future, will have become an accepted norm in the ‘Now’.
We all know that having large chunks of the population (office workers and students) moving online, is going to change our thoughts about what meetings and activities can take place virtually. Some organizations have actually seen a boom in participation because now they can attract attendees from around the country and even around the world, instead of just locally.
Savvy quilt museums for instance, are scheduling online events now, that will go to a hybrid mode post-pandemic. That way they can maximize attendance from local/in-person, to including a larger audience virtually. Now is the time to be thinking about what kind of equipment will be needed to hit the ground running in this hybrid mode, in the not-too-distant future.
Many quilt teachers have tried taking their classes online, with varying levels of success. I suspect that we’ll see teachers who have perfected this mode of instruction, who then offer classes online to other wannabe teachers, on how to set up and promote an online/hybrid class.
Even with online classes, there has to be a limit on the number of students, so the teacher can give everyone individual feedback or attention. If a class is free or cheap, students should not expect that type of attention from the teacher. So there will be widely-varying models of online teaching.
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 – Film Screening for eQuilter customers and friends. Info & Registration Here. Early March – SAQA Color – Interview with Martha Sielman
The winds of change are blowing across our land, and the Eagles are gliding on those updrafts with a new perspective on what it means to be an American. Our democracy continues to redefine the concept of patriotism and this week’s exclusive Free Quilt Pattern takes inspiration from the artwork of Linda and Deborah in this stunning quilt design.
To make this 61″ x 72″ quilt, you will start with the 28″ x 44″ digital-printed ‘Eagle Mountain’ panel, featuring Bald Eagles flying free over rocky peaks, and a rippling American Flag. Then you will piece the border with 3 Stonehenge textured coordinates, and 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes.
This makes an excellent ‘Quilts of Valor’ project, or a heartfelt gift for a special veteran. The detailed artwork and the rich saturated colors make this a memorable quilt that will bring deep meaning to your patriotic gift.
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.
As a kid, I was compelled to create. I was the shy kid in the back of the class, making detailed drawings on the back of my assignment papers. I had to draw, all the time. It was a compulsion. Fortunately in 7th grade I had an art teacher who recognized this as a talent, and told me I was an artist. I began to read biographies of Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir and Da Vinci. It was such a huge relief to know that throughout history, there were others who had that compulsion to make art. I found great comfort in studying their artwork.
Years later when I began to experience their masterpieces in person, these visits to museums were extremely emotional epiphanies. The first time I saw the Mona Lisa at The Louvre was in the late 80s, when she was still in a small dark room and you could walk right up to her, just hanging there on the wall like the Raphaels and other paintings in the room. I stood there for a very long time, somehow realizing that it was a once-in-a-lifetime intimate interaction with the enigmatic portrait. The last few times I visited her, it was in a huge room with a thousand people all taking photos of her with their phones. I am happy that she continues to serenely smile and inspire so many others, but in my heart she is still my Mona Lisa, who smiled at me in that small side gallery.
Today of course, she is considered to be an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci’s favorite painting has been described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”.
We have just received the Leonardo da Vinci collection from Kaufman Fabrics, and I am delighted to have her serene smile on the shelves when I walk through the warehouse this week. The photo of the street artist was taken in Florence in front of the Duomo on a trip to Italy.
To make this opulent 82″ x 82″ bed quilt, you will cut up and piece 3 kaleidoscope panels, 4 coordinates, plus solid Black. The dazzling colors and marbleized textures in the coordinates make this a sumptuous feast for the eyes.
We are deeply stocked at the moment, but Paula’s collections do tend to sell out quickly, so if this catches your fancy we recommend you place your order soon. If you are new to Paula’s unique artwork, check out all of her gorgeous collections in her designer category here.
There has been a lot of chatter and speculation about future quilt exhibits and quilt festivals, so I’ve spent the last week or two reaching out to organizers and trying to get a little more information on where things stand. Of course we are still in the deep end of the pandemic pool, and even though the vaccines are coming and the far shore is coming into view, there are still many unknowns…including when it will be safe to travel and gather.
Here is a list of shows that we sponsor, and some updates:
QuiltCon – The virtual version is coming right up – Feb 18-22. “QuiltCon Together” has classes, lectures and exhibits online so I suggest you check it out, for those midwinter socially-distanced blues.
Birmingham Festival of Quilts – August 2021? A final decision has not been made as to whether the event will happen this year, and it will be announced in April or later.
Houston – International Quilt Festival – Fall 2021. Last week Quilts Inc put out a Call for Entries for this event and we are all hopeful that by late October we will be able to gather and travel.
Tokyo Quilt Festival 2022? There is news circulating that this event is gone ‘forever’ or ‘permanently’ but the official language is ‘postponed indefinitely’. It does look like the show will not ever be held in the Tokyo Dome again, but I’d put my money on a show coming together eventually in a different venue.
The Call for Entries for Visions Art Museum “Interpretations 2021” juried exhibition is now open as well. Keep working on those quilts for the multiple Calls for Entry coming this year!
Over the last year we’ve been celebrating the Centennial of the 19th Amendment, learning about the struggle over several decades, by the Suffragists who fought to secure the vote for women.
Most women today recognize how precious it is to have the right to vote, so we’ve put together this exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern to celebrate Women’s Suffrage. This is a great gift for a student of Women’s Rights, or maybe your local chapter of ‘League of Women Voters’ who continue the fight to guarantee the right for all to vote here in the USA.
To make this 50″ x 69″ quilt design, you will start with the digital-printed 24″ x 44″ panel featuring quotes from suffragettes such as Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, and Amelia Bloomer, combined with vintage photographs and posters. Add 5 coordinates from the collection, to make this quick and easy quilt with a powerful message.
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.
Today, on our Inauguration Day, I am sharing with you a quilt that I made for the “Inspired by Washington DC” quilt project, curated by Donna DeSoto. (She also curated the Endangered Species project, which included my “Polar Bear, Eclipsed”)
Title: The White House — Sunrise, Sunset…Front Door, Back Door
Artist Statement: “The image of my quilt depicts the sun rising and setting over the front and the back of the White House. This represents the change that takes place after elections, as one presidency ends and another begins. The residents may come and go over time, but what the White House represents… known as “The People’s House”… will stand as long as this iconic residence exists. It is not just the residence and workplace for the American President, but it is one of the most well known symbols of freedom and democracy, representing America’s history, and our hopes and dreams. Each new President and administration represents our hopes for the future, for our country and for our children.”
This is one of many quilts with a Washington DC theme that will be featured in an upcoming quilt exhibit, and a book by Donna, published by Schiffer Publishing. The exhibit was supposed to premier at the Houston Quilt Festival in Fall 2020 but the festival was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The peaceful transition of power on Inauguration Day is the foundation of our democracy. It is time for a new kind of patriotism for America – a compassionate and inclusive kind of patriotism – a return to basic respect and humanitarian priorities. It is time for healing our country so we can get through this pandemic and come together again in peace. Quilters can be part of that healing, with every loving stitch we make. It is time to mend this ragged patchwork back into the comfort and protection of our UNITED States.
May we all be blessed with peace, prosperity and health in 2021.
The “Venice” collection is one of the biggest blowout designer groups we’ve ever had, and since we just got another precious shipment, we are offering this Free Quilt Pattern using these deliciously juicy digital prints in eye-popping saturated colors.
To make this 53″ x 68″ quilt, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ panel, then cut and piece the rest of the quilt with 9 collection coordinates. The swirling colors remind us of millefiori patterns and the marbleized colors found in the blown glass of Murano. (an island off Venice, where the ancient glass-blowing industry still exists.) It may be hard to cut up these beautiful fabrics, but the results are worth it…Enjoy!
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.
