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

****************
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 – Holiday Beach

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Luana

Santa’s on vacation at the Beach, in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern! And why not? The jolly old elf certainly earns a tropical vacay after delivering all those packages to children around the world, and this quilt design does double-duty by bringing in the beach vibe and the holiday personality.

This 56″ x 76″ quilt features Santa chillin’ on the main central panel, then combines the collection coordinates including Sandy Snowmen, Innertube Penguins, and colorful Flip-Flops.

Do you have Snowbird friends who spend the winter by the beach or in tropical climes?
If so this just might be the perfect Christmas gift!

… featuring the ‘Holiday Beach’ collection by Diane Kater for Blank Quilting.

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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Long Summer Days

Posted on June 17, 2019 by Luana

We have an immediate opening for a Customer Service position! If you live in Colorado and might be a good fit, check out the details here.

I have spent the last few days at Quilt Canada in Ottawa, and yesterday I gave my power point lecture “International Quilt Trends” to a full house. It is such a joy to share photos from quilt shows around the world, and talk about the cross-pollination that is going on between quilters on different continents. I’ll be adding photos of Canadian quilts to the next iteration of this power point lecture.

Now that I’ve been coming to this show for several years, I have developed a nice group of Canadian quilter friends, and it is wonderful to see how their work is progressing. I’ll be featuring one of these special quilts in my Midweek Creative Nudge in a few days. As always, there were quilts celebrating wildlife, Canadian wilderness, and indigenous (First Nation) people in Canada. There was a lot of talk about climate change when groups of people got together. With the permafrost melting up North here, the Canadians are very close the changes that are occurring, including a rise in the water levels of the Great Lakes.

Our next big event in the eQuilter classroom is just around the corner. Cindy Lohbeck is teaching four one-day classes July 11-14 …2 are sold out but we have just a few seats left in the 2 shibori classes. The class fee is $50 to register, and there is a materials fee payable to the teacher. I met Cindy when we were both guests on Quilting Arts TV, and I was just blow away by her work. Sophie and I are going to be students in her classes too, so snap up those last few seats and come join us next month. It’s going to be a party in our classroom!

I am sending an invitation out to all of Cindy’s students, for an event the evening of the 10th before the classes start. If you are signed up, watch for this email in the coming week.

Today I am flying home, and tomorrow I drop off Sophie at music camp for a week. My next trip is to the Sacred Threads event in July, and Sophie will be coming with me because she likes to hang out with all my quilter friends…because you guys are just the best.

Can you believe the Summer Solstice is coming up next week? I hope you are enjoying the long days and cool twilight hours of these Midsummer weeks.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Singing Lessons for Pups

Posted on June 14, 2019 by Luana

Wildlife lovers with a soft spot for the loyal wolf will fall for this week’s
Free Exclusive eQuilter Pattern, affectionately called ‘Singing Lessons for Pups‘.

We have many beautiful Wolf themed fabrics, but none are as captivating and heartwarming as this feature panel with mother and her pups. Delicate coordinating wood grain and slate prints are pieced into borders, echoing a peaceful mountain landscape.

This 53″ x 64″ wall-hanging or lap quilt will grace your room with the spiritual wisdom symbolized by these intelligent and majestic animals.

… featuring the ‘Wildlife’ collection by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Wolf Moon‘ and ‘Great Horned Owl‘ 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 – Quilt Canada

Posted on June 12, 2019 by Luana

Hello from Ottawa in Canada!
This morning I got up at 4 am so I could catch a couple flights, across the US and then up to Ottawa. As I flew from NYC up into Canada, I was struck by the lush deep green of the forests and fields below, and the beautiful rivers and lakes. I wish I had more time to explore this area, but I am going to be busy at the show while I am up here. One of the reasons I love Quilt Canada is because of the beautiful wildlife, forest and coastal themed quilts. They are obviously inspired by the Canadian wilderness here.

I got in just in time to attend the awards ceremony. Kathy Wylie won the Best of Show, with her intricate appliqued quilt ‘For Such a Time as This’, which some of you may have seen in Houston last Fall. The event opens tomorrow morning, so tonight was just a taste of what is to come this weekend. The conference center is located in traditional Algonquin lands, which was mentioned in the opening remarks. That recognition of the First Nation people really meant a lot to me. Other Quilt Canada events have been held in Mohawk and Huron traditional lands, I was told.

Tonight I had a comment which really made me smile. A longtime quilter said she’s never found another source for COLOR, like eQuilter. As you may know that is one of our specialties. This is why I am a member of the Color Marketing Group, so we can stay on top of the mega-color trends that drive the fashion, home dec, and design industries. You don’t have to ask what the color trends are; if you watch our new products, it will be evident.

I was told that there was a tornado nearby this week, and that may be why the internet is down at my hotel and at the conference center. Tonight I am having to use my phone as a hot spot, to send out this email and image. Everyone here is talking about the strange weather. I met a couple from Vancouver BC who said their snow pack is 75% of normal. I think we got all their snow in Colorado. We are at 300% of a normal snow pack this year.

Since I don’t have access to the internet tonight, I am sharing a detail shot of a fun quilt I saw in Tokyo in January. It is ‘The Chocolate Factory’ by Osami Gonohe, and I thought you’d enjoy these adorable little chefs in their big hats, with lots of cute details. We know that quilters love Chocolate, Cats, Wine and Coffee. Tonight I met someone person for the first time, who is a member of my Facebook page ‘Luana’s Fabriholic Kitty Club‘, which is where quilters go whose friends and family are mad at them for posting too many Cat memes. If you are in danger of becoming a Crazy Cat Lady, come join my Fabriholic Kitty Club!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

****************
Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 11-15 – Quilt Canada Ottawa – (lecture Fri 6/14)
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 – Fireside Pups

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Luana

Do you know who loves decorated Christmas Trees as much as kitties?
Why, Puppies, of course!

These adorable little pooches are posing for Christmas Eve photos, bringing the spirit of the holidays with a special canine twist. Our Free Quilt Pattern features several different dog breeds, wearing Santa hats and being a little mischievous (as pups can be…) under the Christmas Tree.

This generous 67″ x 73″ quilt dials up the “Cuteness Factor” with fluffy little doggies who are being curious, playful, slightly naughty, and sleepy. We are just crazy about this collection, and especially the panel, with so many charming details. I bet you know somebody who will squeal with delight when they open up this quilt gift on Christmas Morning!

No puppies were given as gifts for Christmas in the making of this quilt pattern!

… featuring the ‘Fireside Pups’ collection by Bob Giordano for Henry Glass & Co.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Catitude Christmas‘ and ‘Sun Valley Dance‘ 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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The Language of Quilting

Posted on June 11, 2019 by Luana

We have an immediate opening for a Customer Service position! If you live in Colorado and might be a good fit, check out the details here.

This weekend I am prepping for my trip to Quilt Canada in Ottawa. I’ll be at the award ceremony Tuesday night, and I am giving my power point lecture “International Quilt Trends” on Friday. I hope to see many of our Canadian friends and customers this week!

I just love photographing the unique Canadian-themed quilts at this show. (Arctic wildlife, First Nation indigenous themes, etc.) The quilts about wilderness and wildlife tend to be exceptionally beautiful. We have sponsored the Modern Quilt category for many years, and I really appreciate seeing the development of Modern Quilts and Art Quilts with that special Canadian twist!

Sophie is home from her trip to Europe, where her high school orchestra was touring and performing. They spent most of their time in Northern Italy and Croatia, and she actually visited several places I’ve never been! Her favorite city was Cremona, where the Stradivarius violins were created over 300 years ago. As a music performance major (before design school) I was a fan of Jacqueline du Pre. I just realized that YoYo Ma plays the same Strad cello that she played. I’ve been listening to that same instrument over many decades, played by 2 brilliant musicians.

Paul and I are just finishing up our work here at the office today, and a minivan full of 3 French quilters and 3 husbands just showed up, so we gave them the Saturday tour! So much fun to share our family business with the visitors who stop by. One husband had a hat from Utah, and we found the fabric on the shelf that matched his hat. They were also excited to recognize Antelope Canyon on one of our new exclusive digital prints. It is so fun to share our love of fabric, art and color with visitors from other countries…even if we don’t speak the same language…we share the language of Quilting.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free eQuilter Pattern – Sun Valley Art

Posted on June 7, 2019 by Luana

This week we bring you an exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern with one our all-time most popular digital panels – the Dancing Kokopelli at Sunrise!

You will enjoy this flute-playing story teller from Southwest Native American cultures, representing the joyful spirit of Music. The earliest known petroglyph of Kokopelli dates to about 1000 AD!

The rich Southwest colors of Terra Cotta, Turquoise, Cactus Green are also found in the pottery and Navajo rug patterns of this 56″ x 75″ quilt design. The geometric stripe is used to make the clever border. The last time we had this panel in stock it blew out, so we want to make sure you have another chance to dance with Kokopelli now that he is back in stock.

… featuring the ‘Stonehenge – Sun Valley’ collection by Linda Ludovico for Northcott Fabrics.

Don’t miss the popular ‘Dream Big Leaf Star‘ and ‘Catitude Christmas‘ 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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