eQuilter Blog

It is Labor Day weekend here in the US…what many consider the end of summer. Last week Starbucks announced the seasonal return of Pumpkin Spice. Despite the chaos in the world, the seasons continue to change, and those of us with reasonable balance in our lives….prepare for that first delightfully chilly evening just around the corner. I have a reclining chair on my back patio where I go to listen to the crickets and gaze at the stars at night. Soon I’ll need a sweater or shawl….or quilt!

It is going to be a very busy Fall season for me, as you can see in my schedule below. This long holiday weekend I am spending all 3 days in the studio, finishing 2 pieces, starting a new one. I watch the news for a short time, then I go shake it off or maybe I should say blow it off on my quilts that carry messages about the world we live in now.

For those of you who spend a lot of time on social media, I want you to keep a discerning eye out for the fraudulent ‘quilt shops’ that are popping up online. If something pops up that you have never heard of, and it doesn’t seem quite right, follow your gut and take caution. I’ve had several pop up in my feed the last 6 months or so. As we’ve reported to you, a couple times in the past they have counterfeited our name and website. If you get our newsletter and have shopped on our website, you know who we are. But I see a lot of people on social media falling for these sites – liking and sharing them. Now they are inventing new sites, new names, new AI ‘owners’. Buyer beware!

I’ve decided to go to Tucson for the opening of the SAQA exhibit “Camouflage”, at the beautiful Arizona Sonora Desert Museum gallery. The reception is Friday Sept 12 from 4-6 pm. I am honored to have a detail of my butterfly quilt on the cover of the Camouflage exhibit book. I am having dinner that night with a special friend from Pantone/Color Marketing Group, so I’ll be packing a lot into my 24 hour trip.

If you read the Wednesday e-newsletter from me, you know I am starting to post photos from the Birmingham U.K. Festival of Quilts. It takes awhile to edit them, add the artist names, etc. I’ll be uploading batches all weekend. You can see this album and others on my photo page here.

We hope you have a deeply restful holiday weekend, punctuated with stitching and giggling.

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here.

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Sept 12 – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – artist reception for SAQA “Camouflage”
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
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok 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 am sharing another stunning quilt from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham U.K.

“Sunflower” by Pippa Moss
A traditional Hawaiian pattern, designed by Poakalani of Honolulu, Hawaii
Hand applique with hand quilting.

Over the many years I have gone to the Birmingham show, I have not had the chance to meet Pippa, but I have admired her beautiful Hawaiian quilts and of course her patience for the handwork.

You can see several of her quilts that I have photographed at this show, at this link. Pippa uses wide quilt backing these days, instead of having to sew together 2 pieces of 44″ wide fabrics.

Just this last spring we had a fantastic exhibit of Hawaiian Quilts here at the Loveland Art Museum, about an hour North of Boulder. Every several years we have a local showing of the Hite collection, and this one was curated and staged beautifully. The last time I saw the Hite Collection Quilts was at the Colorado State University in Fort Collins…many years ago.

As our longtime friends and customers know, for many years I traveled to Hawaii with the family to visit Paul’s parents, aunt and uncle, sister and her kids. Sadly the elders are all gone and the kids have moved to the mainland. His father was a WWII vet, so his parents are resting at Punchbowl Memorial.

During all those years, Paul’s mother knew I had an interest in Hawaiian quilts, and she would research where I could go see quilts on display when visiting. Over those 25 years, my knowledge and appreciation for Hawaiian quilts grew.

The last time I went to Hawaii, we stayed in Lahaina on Maui. Yes it was just before the huge destructive fire. On this page you will see the quilts in the historic Baldwin House, which stood in front of the huge Banyan Tree. The house was totally destroyed, but the tree has grown back.

If you are thinking of trying your hand (pun intended) at making one of these eye-popping Hawaiian quilts, these days we have such a huge assortment of quilt backings to choose from…currently 280 products in stock! (We know you love to choose from a huge variety when finding the perfect backing.) You’ll find a large selection of hand-sewing needles here as well. If you can’t find what you need, give us a call, send an email, or try a live digital chat during business hours!

Sharing our passion for fabric,
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

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.

This week our maple tree had a branch that turned colors, and a perfect little red leaf fluttered to my feet. I picked it up and tucked it into a book I am reading about the Metropolitan Art Museum. Today we finally got some rain and the next week will be highs in the seventies …. very welcome! I am seeing on Facebook that many of our quilter friends have been evacuating due to fires and floods, and having to make decisions about what to put in the car as they leave their homes. Sewing machines and pets are usually on that short list. I hope you all stay safe and can return to your homes soon.

Yesterday I gave a tour of eQuilter and my studio, to a group of quilt teachers from Alaska. The conversation usually turns to bears, when I talk to Alaskans. This is the time of year when I took photo trips to Alaska during the salmon run. Those trips are still inspiring my quilts. I do enjoy welcoming groups of quilters to tour our warehouse and my studio, usually on Friday afternoons. If you are interested, give us a call and we’ll get you on the calendar!

Sophie Quinn just finished her first week of school. Her college education has been delayed by the pandemic, then her violin professor and mentor got sick, and later we lost him so she transferred to another school and lost a lot of credits. But she is still working on nailing down that Music Education degree. Our quilter friends always ask about her so I hope you don’t mind that I give an update now and then. She is still working for the Colorado Symphony in Patron Services, and attending classes at MSU Denver.

It is a cool breezy evening with thunderclouds on the horizon, and that means in a few weeks the Aspen will start to turn gold up in the Rockies. Kids back in school and cooler weather means….sewing season! I did some cleaning and re-organizing in my studio space today, and am ready to get back to work after a busy summer traveling. The long Labor Day weekend is just around the corner, and I am planning my own 3-day holiday sew-a-thon…. making a new piece for the Taiwan Quilt Festival in November.

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

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok 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.

After my weeklong stay in Birmingham UK at the Festival of Quilts, I traveled down to Oxfordshire and stayed in a hotel built in the 15th century, in Henley on Thames. In the early mornings I watched the river flow past my window, as it has for hundreds, indeed thousands of years. But during the day I visited with naturalist and quilter Linda Seward and entered her magical world of wild mushrooms, flowers, birds and insects.

Part of my time in Oxfordshire was at her home, and I was amazed that she would call to the Red Kites, and they would come and circle over her garden. She would whistle to the sky, and in response we would hear their characteristic whistling ‘peee eooo eooo’ call.

Red Kites are one of the UK’s best recovery success stories. In just a few decades, they’ve gone from being on the brink of extinction to around 6,000 pairs in the UK.

On this trip my longtime friend came up from London with her beau, and I was the fly on the wall with Linda and this pair of avid birders. We had lunch in the 600 year old inn, and I just sat back and listened to them share stories about birding in the UK.

So the quilt I am sharing tonight is by Lynn Kinsey, from Powys in the U.K.

Artist Statement:
“High as a Kite” with the freedom to soar on the thermals. I am privileged to be able to sit on the deck in Mid Wales to observe this magnificent bird glide with such ease and change direction with the slightest movement of the wing or tail. As the sun catches it from below, the colours come alive.
Pieced background, raw edge applique, hand-dye & batik fabric, machine stitched.

Sharing our passion for fabric,
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

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.

The news cycle is so totally bonkers. I am deeply grateful for the quilting community, and the sanctuary of my creative space, to keep my sanity. My B790 machine had a ‘spa day’ while I was in the UK, and my Q20 has been cleaned and oiled as well, so it is time to put the pedal to the metal.

Rosie our 2 year old pup has been wearing a cotton jersey jacket (recovery suit) for almost 2 weeks, instead of the cone of shame. It has been a reminder of the cottage industries out there, many of whom are our customers, who solve day-to-day problems with fabric and a sewing machine.

We have a beautiful new issue of Quilting Arts Magazine, with the theme of COLOR. One of my favorite topics! I have recently sent in an article for QA magazine about our new group of artists who will have a premier in Houston in October….just around the corner now! That article will come out in the next issue in early November.

In the meantime if you follow us on Facebook, I have just posted the article about Soul Stories that came out yesterday in the International Quilt Festival e-zine.

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

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok 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.