A Fabulous Fun Week Ahead

Posted on July 6, 2019 by Luana

We are very excited to have Cindy Lohbeck teaching Four 1-Day Dyeing classes this week! Cindy and I met at the Quilting Arts TV studio about a year and a half ago, and we’ve been planning these classes since then!

We do have a couple seats left in her INDIGO Shibori classes on July 11 and 12, so if you can snag those last seats, I know you’ll have fun making this gorgeous form of Japanese tie-dyeing!

Sophie and I will both be in the classes, and if you’ve signed up for any of these classes, we’ve sent you an invite for a special Sip ‘n Dip party on Weds night. Be sure to RSVP ASAP so we have enough wine and chocolate!

Sophie is coming with me the following week, to the Sacred Threads opening, and the Not Fade Away and SAQA events July 19 and 20. We are a longtime sponsor of this event, and I have a quilt in this exhibit, so we are triple-excited to be seeing the quilts and all of you attending in 2 weeks. If you live in the DC area and can attend, we encourage you to sign up now for the Sacred Threads Experience Weekend!

Jacqueline de Jonge‘s workshop registration is going live next week, and those of you on the waitlist will receive notification first. My goodness Jacqueline has quite the international fan club!

We have friends and family in So Cal, and so we are happy to read that there are so far no fatalities in the earthquakes over the last couple days. My family left Hermosa Beach in 1968 to move to Colorado, but I remember several earthquakes while we lived there. I was in a few big quakes in Taiwan in my 20s, which I remember vividly. So I know those of you in So Cal and Nevada had a big scare!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Check out our 180 videos from international quilt festivals, PBS TV, artist and curator interviews on our eQuilter Video Page. Subscribe and catch the latest videos on our eQuilter YouTube Channel.

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Luana’s Travel Calendar:
July 18-22 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away (VA & DC)
July 30 – Aug 6 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts

eQuilter Classroom:
July 11-14, 2019 – Cindy Lohbeck – Shibori Dyeing – Almost FULL
Sept 13-15 – Cas Holmes – FRCQ Workshop
Oct 8-10 – Jacqueline de Jonge – Enchanting Stars & Dream Flight
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern

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Free Pattern – Joyful Christmas Pets

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Luana

Christmas is a time to share our love with our beloved family members, including our Fur Babies! When the family gathers around the Christmas Tree and the holiday table, our pets are sure to be close by…or right in the middle of everything!

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features adorable puppies and kittens in Windowpane blocks, in holiday vignettes around the decorated tree.

To make this 63″ x 57″ quilt, you’ll start with our exclusive digital panel, cut up the blocks and piece with 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes, and add the Cat-i-Tude stripe for the border. This makes a great gift for an Animal-Lover, or perhaps you’ll hang it in your living room for your own holiday celebration!

… featuring the Designer Christmas collection by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Catitude Christmas‘ and ‘Arcadia Garden‘ 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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American Life

Posted on July 4, 2019 by Luana

As we pause for our Independence Day on the Fourth of July, I am thinking about the topics and motifs that are so quintessentially American. So many of these are expressed through our fabric collections, but where to begin? The lighthouses in New England? The Redwoods in California? The Grand Canyon, Monument Valley or Yellowstone? The Native American Pueblos of the Southwest? Or maybe you think of the great museums of New York City, or the Smithsonian in Washington DC?

We live in such a huge country, so that travel is necessary to experience all this beautiful land has to offer. Skiing in Colorado, surfing in Hawaii, fly-fishing in Montana, whale-watching in Alaska, or snorkeling in Key Largo…we hop on plans, trains and automobiles to have these unique experiences.

Then there are the classic things that we bake and eat and drink on the 4th of July….Lemonade, Cherry Pie, Watermelon. We gather together and spread out our blankets (or quilts!) on the grass, lay out a picnic, and then wait for the cool darkness and the thundering Fireworks.

I lived in New York City from 1984 to 1990, and during those years I went to the top of the Empire State Building, the World Trade Center, and the Crown of the Statue of Liberty. Peering out from her crown to Ellis Island, I imagined my ancestors arriving there after a long ocean voyage.

In 1986 I went to the huge fireworks celebration for the Centennial of the Statue of Liberty. It was so beautiful – I will never forget the colors exploding over Liberty Island, the bursting lights reflecting on the water. For me, she is the most iconic symbol of being an American.

If you have signed up for one or more of Cindy Lohbeck‘s dyeing/shibori classes, you should have received an invitation to a party the night before the classes start. Please RSVP ASAP!

The Tokyo Quilt Festival is welcoming Western quilters to submit quilts to their exhibit, to be held in January 23-29, 2020. The deadline for submissions to be received is Sept 30.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Luana’s Travel Calendar:
July 18-22 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away (VA & DC)
July 30 – Aug 6 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts

eQuilter Classroom:
July 11-14, 2019 – Cindy Lohbeck – Shibori, Ice-Dyeing and Ombre Dyeing – A couple seats still open – sign up now!
Sept 13-15 – Cas Holmes – FRCQ Workshop
Oct 8-10 – Jacqueline de Jonge – Enchanting Stars & Dream Flight
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern

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Making a Masterpiece

Posted on July 1, 2019 by Luana

This time last year I was in the forests of Northern Sweden, as a chaperone with Sophie’s Swedish Fiddle & Folk Music tour. This last week over the Solstice, I kept having flashbacks to the land of my mother’s ancestors…the traditional red houses and barns with crisp white trim…the costumes of the musicians at the folk music festivals…so much color and design to inspire those of us who love to sew. So here is an encore of images from those long Midsummer days where the sun goes down at 11:30 and rises at 3 am!

I have also added more photos from Quilt Canada, so you can see more ideas from our talented neighbors up North.

You may recall that in April I was speaking at the quilt festival in Nantes France, and then I popped up to Paris to see the fire damage of Notre Dame.
So many of you asked if we would do a Notre Dame fabric design, so here it is.

I have a very long connection with Paris and Notre Dame, have visited there several times, starting in the late 80s. Last week Sophie and I went to see the Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Denver Nature & Science Museum, and the last section was a deep analysis of the Mona Lisa. The first time I saw Notre Dame was also the first time I visited the Louvre and saw the Mona Lisa. In those days she was in a small dark room and you could walk right up to her. I feel very lucky to have had such an intimate experience with her, compared to the madness of the huge crowd in front of the Mona Lisa these days.

Did you know that the Mona Lisa is unfinished? Did you know that Leonardo carried the Mona Lisa with him and continued to work on her from 1503 to 1517? Talk about a heckuva UFO! Also through a series of tests, researchers have determined that da Vinci repainted and redesigned elements of the painting several times.

So…even the great master had parallels to common quilter practices. We carry handwork, rip up and re-do, and struggle with UFOs. What is YOUR latest masterpiece?

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Arcadia Garden

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Luana

If you like dramatic quilts with exquisite detailing,
this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern just might make your heart beat a little faster. The Greek province of Arcadia dates back to antiquity – and was referenced often in Renaissance mythology. It is now a poetic reference to a pastoral vision of unspoiled wilderness…a Golden Age or Utopia.

This glowing quilt design has a mysterious quality, setting pieces of a digital-printed double border floral on a black background. Glowing gradient strips are pieced into the floral border. The 60″ x 68″ quilt design could be a generous Lap Quilt, a small coverlet quilt, or a dramatic wall hanging.

… featuring the ‘Arcadia’ collection by RJR Fabrics.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Northern Light Wolves‘ and ‘Fireside Pups‘ 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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Creative Nudge – North Woods

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Luana

I have posted several photos from Quilt Canada on my photo page – feel free to share!

This week I am featuring another wildlife quilt from Quilt Canada. The center image in this collage is a quilt with a Mountain Lion (Cougar) by Georgia Andrews, named “Vantage Point”. This quilt was quite striking because of the face-to-face image of the mountain lion, with detailed eyes and a great use of value contrast.

I’ve included some other Cougar and North Woods prints in the collage. This time of year in the Rocky Mountains we see lots of wildlife not only in the mountains, but also in our communities that adjoin open space. Yesterday there was a Bobcat jumping on roofs in the middle of the night in a neighborhood a few blocks away from us. My brother and his family drove through the Wyoming and Colorado Rockies on their way to visit us, and during their trip they saw Moose, Elk, Black Bears, a Grizzly Bear, Wolves and Bison. That was really exciting for their twin 10 year old boys!

The Tokyo Quilt Festival is welcoming Western quilters to submit quilts to their quilt exhibit, to be held in late January 2020. Take a look at our Facebook posting, read the submission requirements, and consider if you might have a quilt to submit to this prestigious show.

We have an immediate opening for a Customer Service full time position – do you know anyone in the Boulder County area who might like to join us?

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Luana’s Travel Calendar:
July 18-22 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away (VA & DC)
July 30 – Aug 6 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts

eQuilter Classroom:
July 11-14, 2019 – Cindy Lohbeck – Shibori, Ice-Dyeing and Ombre Dyeing – Almost FULL
Sept 13-15 – Cas Holmes – FRCQ Workshop
Oct 8-10 – Jacqueline de Jonge – Enchanting Stars & Dream Flight
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Painted Horses

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Luana

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern is based on the juicy paintings by Marcia Baldwin, depicting horses with flowing manes, illuminated by sunlight. The pieced border uses coordinates from the collection, with Dreamcatcher Ponies, and beautiful abstract brushstroke blenders.

You will enjoy working with the vivid colors and painterly artwork of these digital-printed fabrics, as you piece together this 55″ x 70″ quilt. The theme of wild romantic horses in the central panel, is enhanced by the deep jeweltones in the coordinating prints.

… featuring the ‘Painted Horses’ collection by Marcia Baldwin for Benartex.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Wolf Moon‘ and ‘Fireside Pups‘ 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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Happy Summer Solstice!

Posted on June 24, 2019 by Luana

In case you missed my mention of the Tokyo Quilt Festival‘s invitation in our Midweek Creative Nudge, an English translation page has been posted by the organizers of this show, and they have asked me to put out the word to Western quilters, that your quilts are welcome for submission for the January 2020 Tokyo Quilt Festival! Click through here to our blog for the link to the submission page…the deadline is in September and they are requesting that physical photos be mailed with the application, so plan to send out your entry in August to beat the submission deadline.

My 10 year old twin nephews are visiting this week: one is a musician and one is an artist. I don’t see any grandkids on the horizon yet, so it is fun to spend time with these creative kids and share our own family traditions in the arts.

Sophie has just come home from the CU Boulder Orchestra Camp. She is a rising Senior so she is one of the big kids this year. She practiced and played so much this week, she had a bruise on her neck. Monday is her 17th birthday. Can you believe it? Next week she will be in Omaha Nebraska with Mason at the Rockley Foundation piano sale and fundraiser. If you live in the Omaha area and are interested in buying a piano or string instrument, 2 of my kids will be there to help you.

I was excited to hear that my quilt “A Mission of Love – Kathy Price” has been accepted into “A Better World” exhibit which will premier in Houston this Fall. My “Polar Bear Eclipsed” will also be in the “Endangered Species” exhibit there. Congratulations to all the artists accepted into these exhibits, and to the IQA quilt exhibits in Houston this fall!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Call of the Wild Tiger

Posted on June 21, 2019 by Luana

In the mist-shrouded mountains of India and Siberia there once lived a line of legendary Tigers with a very rare genetic mutation…the White Tiger.
This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern remembers the last of the wild white tigers in a beautiful digital printed panel.

We’ve combined an ombre double-border forest design, with a powder blue Ice Crystals print, to make this stunning 50″ X 65″ quilt. This easy-to-make quilt uses 3 fabrics, and goes together quickly. Add some metallic or holograph threads to give this a shimmering effect.

… featuring the ‘Call of the Wild’ collection by Hoffman Fabrics.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Wolf Moon‘ and ‘Fireside Pups‘ 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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Snowy Owls of Canada

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Luana

This week for the Creative Nudge, I am sharing a new quilt from one of my favorite Canadian quilters – Colette Dumont. 2 years ago Colette burst onto the scene with 2 prize-winning quilts that won “Best New Quilter” and “Best of Show” at Quilt Canada. She lives on a dairy farm in Quebec, and designs her own quilts and embroidery. This year she made a thread-painted award-winning quilt with a Snowy Owl as the subject. The center of this collage is her machine-stitched quilt “Ookpik” which means Snowy Owl in the Inuktitut language. You might be interested to know that Colette contacted the wildlife photographer who took this shot, and got permission to use the image as inspiration for this quilt.

This is just a detail shot, but you can see the whole quilt, and other quilts from Quilt Canada, on my photo page.

I’ve included in the photo collage a number of our owl fabrics in stock now. Owls have been a huge trend in the last few years (there are *way* too many cartoon owl fabrics) and the realistic owls have been our best sellers. Maybe you are all Hedwig (Harry Potter) fans? I have seen Snowy Owls twice on my trips up North to photograph the Polar Bears. They are absolutely gorgeous and it is very special to see one in person, in the wild. Is the Snowy Owl your spirit animal? It is a symbol of Wisdom, Purity and Inner Knowledge.

I’ve been in touch with the organizers of the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and they have asked me to share an invitation with you:
This year they are welcoming Western quilters to submit quilts to their quilt exhibit, to be held in late January 2020. This is the show I go to each year, held in the Tokyo Dome. (baseball stadium) Take a look at this page, read the submission requirements, and consider if you might have a quilt to submit to this prestigious show.

Today I attended a funeral for a 92 year old relative who lived in Wray Colorado, out East near the Kansas border. She was my dad’s cousin, and I only met her for the first time 2 years ago – at her 90th birthday party. She was a quilter! Today we gathered in a room that was hung with quilts that her senior group had made. The world of quilts brings us together in ways we can’t anticipate. I feel lucky to have known her, however briefly.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Luana’s Travel Calendar:
July 18-22 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away (VA & DC)
July 30 – Aug 6 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts

eQuilter Classroom:
July 11-14, 2019 – Cindy Lohbeck – Shibori, Ice-Dyeing and Ombre Dyeing – Almost FULL
Sept 13-15 – Cas Holmes – FRCQ Workshop
Oct 8-10 – Jacqueline de Jonge – Enchanting Stars & Dream Flight
April 13-15 2020 – Susan Carlson
June 1-5 2020 – Paula Nadelstern

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