eQuilter Blog

We have just received the Hoffman Challenge fabrics, including a fat quarter bundle. It is already selling out fast, so if you miss out on this first shipment, contact customer service to let you know when it is back in stock. The challenge batiks this year are PURPLE!

Today I am sharing another beautiful quilt from Quilt Canada, in the category we sponsored.

“Finding Strength in the Lion’s Heart”
by Lise Belanger

Artist Statement:
“In times of uncertainty, we can all channel the courage of a lion. Their strength and unwavering spirit remind us that we possess the same resilience within. As we navigate these challenges, let us embrace our inner lions, standing strong and brave, ready to face whatever comes our way.”

Raw edge applique, trapunto, machine quilted.

I appreciate Lise’s reminder that we can find inspiration and strength, and even healing, in the spirit of wild animals. Indigenous people around the world understand this connection to Nature. Instead of fearing the lion, we can choose to embrace the fierce wild spirit.

As Mary Oliver wrote in her poem “The Summer Day”…..

Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

Next week on Friday July 18, I will be at the opening reception for the SAQA “Balance” exhibit in Durango Colorado. It will be from 4-6 pm at the Durango Arts Center, 802 East 2nd Ave.

My “Stardust Mothers” is hanging in this show. If you missed at the DAR Museum in Wash DC last year, you can see it in this show which will travel to several venues.

Sharing our passion for fabric,
Luana

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
July 18 – SAQA “Balance” opening reception in Durango, CO
July 27 – Aug 6 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Sept 12 – SAQA “Camouflage” reception – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson AZ
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

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.

We have fond memories of 4th of July fireworks in Boulder over the years. The kids and I, and often my mother, had a favorite spot on a grassy little hill next to an ice cream shop. We would get there early, stake out our spot with lawn chairs and a picnic quilt, and then everybody had a double scoop while we waited for the sky to darken. Due to wildfire concerns, the fireworks were permanently cancelled in 2024. Mom, and the ice cream shop are gone….but the memory lives on in our hearts. Instead of fireworks at the CU stadium, this year Boulder had Phish concerts. I stayed home and watched the new season of “Gilded Age” with Paul.

Other communities had drone light shows, with complex patterns and images pulsating in the sky. I have heard there are now drone clubs who get together to practice these multiple-drone flying light displays. Drone shows are considered sustainable compared to fireworks because after the show they are packed up, batteries recharged, to be used again thousands of times. Instead of relying on explosives that can be loud, polluting, and pose safety risks, these shows utilize swarms of drones equipped with vibrant LED lights to create colorful aerial performances. If you have pets, you know it is distressing to our furry friends. It is also traumatic for wildlife (birds!) and humans with PTSD. So I have an open attitude towards making new traditions for the holiday.

This is a different kind of long holiday weekend, but I am using the time to work on some projects in the studio. I am working on finishing 3 quilts, and 3 other quilts are being shipped off this week. When it is sizzling outside, it’s a good time to stay inside and finish some projects!

Stay cool out there – and keep stitching.

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here.

Travel/Lecture Dates:
July 18 – SAQA “Balance” opening reception in Durango, CO
July 27 – Aug 6 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Sept 12 – SAQA “Camouflage” reception – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson AZ
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

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.

We have just restocked our inventory of Hoffman Dot Batiks – one of my favorite collections that I use quite often in my artworks. Check out all the beautiful colors and pre-cuts in stock now!

This week I thought I would share something different – a small quilt I made in one day as an experiment! This quilt will be sent to SAQA for their fundraiser auction later this year. It started out as a test piece for a larger artwork that is under the needle now. Sometimes it helps to try out a new idea in a smaller sample piece, before making the commitment in a larger final piece.

This started out as a drawing of a face, which I transferred to a 12″ x 12 piece of Evolon. (a nonwoven which I often use as a painted background in my art quilts) Then, with the detailed drawing under the Evolon, and a piece of clear plastic over my lightbox, I proceeded to ‘paint’ the face with Inktense blocks and gel medium.

My stash is mostly made up of batiks and hand-dyes that I have found in our eQuilter scrap hampers at the end of each week. In other words, after all of you place your orders and we get to the last small piece at the end of the bolt, that is what goes into our scrap packs. Many of you are fans of these scrap packs! And of course, we always have a *fabulous* curated selection of batik and hand-dye pre-cuts.

I have accumulated quite a collection of batik and hand-dye scraps with a paper-backed fusible attached, sorted into piles and bins of colors. After I choose the color story for a project, I pull out those bins, start to cut out shapes, and then fuse them to the background. So in this image you can see that I fused the green batik background, then the hair.

Finally I used various colors of Aurifil 50 wt cotton thread, to freemotion stitch on my Bernina Q20 which is a sit-down midarm with a 20″ throat. (I love that machine!) Because this piece is small, I gave it a matching green zigzag edge. It can be hung as is, or matted and framed.

Hopefully this will raise a lot of money in the auction later this year.

“Hope” – 12″ x 12″

Emily Dickenson’s poem “Hope is the thing with feathers” was the
inspiration for this piece. She compares hope to a bird that sings
continuously, perched in the soul, not asking for anything in
return. Her words describe the resilience of Hope, staying with us
in even the most challenging chaotic times. This image is a
reminder to always look up for Hope, to see the possibilities that
lie in the future. During the darkest of times, Hope is our
companion even when it is logical to remove our Rose-color
glasses. Hope comes with Faith, whether it is faith in our own
abilities, or a higher power.

Have you ever made a quilt for a fundraiser, a raffle, or a comfort quilt drive? It can be very freeing to try something new in a piece that will make someone else happy!

Sharing our passion for fabric,
Luana

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Exhibit Dates:
July 27 – Aug 6 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK (Kubota’s Dream)
Sept 12 – SAQA “Camouflage” opening – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson AZ
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture

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.

Quilt festivals and exhibits are happening all over the country now, and I urge you to get up and get out to these celebrations of our beloved art and craft.

As this email goes out, I’ll be attending the opening reception and award ceremony of the Legacies art quilt exhibit at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, which is about an hour North of Boulder. Like our town, it is a college town, and thriving with creative energy. I went to summer music camp there several times, and later, my kids went to the same summer music camp.

Going on a summer quilting retreat can feel like Summer Art Camp for adults. This year I have gone on a quilt retreat in the Spring (Alegre) and will finally return to Art Quilt Tahoe this November, after 20 years. These days I like to sign up for independent study, but most people sign up to take a class and learn some new techniques to fold into their stitching repertoire. Either way, the point is to have fun and hang out with like-minded people.

There is nothing like hanging out at a quilt retreat, a quilt workshop, a quilt festival, or a quilt exhibit, to lift one’s spirits and fill up that Creative Gastank! Just be sure to review any class supply lists well in advance so you can have everything you need, before you pack your bags and hit the road.

If there is something you need that you can’t locate on our site, give us a call or online chat during business hours, or send us an email. We will send you links to the products, or get them back in stock and contact you when they arrive.

Stay cool out there – and keep stitching.

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here.

Travel/Lecture Dates:
July 27 – Aug 6 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Sept 12 – SAQA “Camouflage” reception – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson AZ
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis

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.

Having returned from Quilt Canada over the weekend, I am still digesting all the beautiful artwork produced by the talented Canadian quilters. eQuilter sponsored the Pictorial category, and this Egyptian-inspired portrait quilt (on the left) was one of the winners. It was made by Galla Grotto, whose career I have followed for many years. She moved from Russia, to Ukraine, and then to France. (where she lives today) When Galla showed her first beautiful portrait quilt of the Madonna in Canada, I bought it for my collection. When I met her and told her about our support of environmental non-profits, she was delighted….and told me that portrait was about the Divine Mother’s sadness for the world.

So being able to see Galla at the award ceremony, to give her a hug and hand her an award check, was one of those ‘full circle’ moments. Galla’s career has exploded, and she has showed her gorgeous portraits of women, all over the world. Her classes are in high demand and her fans are always waiting to see what she will do next.

You may have noticed that we also have a collection of Egyptian-themed exclusive Rubin Design Studio digital prints. So I am delighted to share both with you now – Galla’s portrait of Nefertiti on the left and one of our Egyptian Queen fantasy portraits on the right.

It is believed that Queen Nefertiti ruled ancient Egypt as regent while Tutankhamun came of age. Her bust is the most widely reproduced piece of art from ancient Egypt. As Galla noted in her artist statement, her name literally means “Beautiful”.

I will be posting photos from Quilt Canada on my photo pages throughout the next week.

Sharing our passion for fabric…..
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist website.
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Exhibit Dates:
July 18 – SAQA “Balance” opening – Durango CO (Stardust Mothers)
July 27 – Aug 6 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK (Kubota’s Dream)
Sept 12 – SAQA “Camouflage” opening – Arizona Sonora Desert Museum – Tucson AZ
Oct 9-12 – Houston Quilt Festival – Soul Stories
Nov 2-6 – Art Quilt Tahoe
Nov 7-10 – Sacred Threads – Indianapolis – Art & Activism lecture

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.