Hello from Washington DC

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Luana

This weekend I am writing to you from Washington DC. I am on the Steering Committee for the Color Marketing Group’s final palette this year. But also I am here in DC to participate in the democratic process. Friday I visited my two Colorado senators’ offices to express my opinions. That is pretty amazing that you can just walk up to their offices and tell them what you think.

I also visited the Folger Shakespeare Library for the first time, and got a private tour of the Reading Room. Then I went to their production of Macbeth Friday night with a curator friend. I am doing research for a new project. If you are a Shakespeare fan and are visiting DC, be sure to check out the Folger and take a tour.

Last weekend I spent packing, and this last week we moved my studio and office. When I return we have Betty Busby teaching in our new classroom, while we move the rest of the warehouse to our new building. It is a crazy busy time for us here at eQuilter!

Quilt Market and Quilt Festival are on the horizon now. The winners of the eQuilter ‘Love Your Mother‘ Challenge will be announced at the Nov 8 Teachers Luncheon, and you’ll be able to see the 17-quilt exhibit at Festival. I am flying down to Houston early October for the final judging…can’t wait to see the juried quilts in person!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Royal Peacock Palace

Posted on September 7, 2018 by Luana

Return to a time of elegance with this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, featuring a jewel-tone Peacock and graceful stone fountain with botanic and floral details. The collection ‘Palais Jardin’ means ‘Palace Garden’ in French, and this evocative quilt will bring an air of opulence wherever it is hung in your own palace.

The sophisticated panel at the heart of this quilt, has gold metallic accents and a vintage script background. The digital printed peacock feathers in the border are crisp and detailed, matching the Lapis Blue Hoffman Hand-Dye in the pieced outer border.

You will find that this 53″ x 71″ quilt can be used as a wall-hanging or a lap quilt – to bring a sense of beauty and peace into your own personal space.

… from the ‘Palais Jardin’ collection by the Sorelle Studios for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Season of Peace‘ and ‘Butterfly Awakening‘ 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 Four Elements – Earth, Air, Fire & Water

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Luana

In ancient astrology, the world is divided up into Four Elements: Earth, Air, Fire and Water.

Creativity too can have elemental expressions. Fire burns through us to express our vision. Earth grounds us and awakens the senses. Air gives us an intellectual approach to creativity, and Water opens us up to let new ideas flow from intuition.

Here are the Four Elements represented by Fabrics. (In the collage above.)
These 4 elements represent 4 aspects of our reality in many spiritual philosophies.
Earth is the body.
Air is the mind.
Water is the emotions.
Fire is the Spirit.

What elements do you bring into your creative environment?
What elements are expressed in your work?
What elements open up your Creative Juices?

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
September ?? – Moving to our New Building
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby FRCQ workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – MJ Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter – Register Now!
Dec 2 – Victoria Findlay Wolfe CQC workshop @ eQuilter

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
Sept 6-12 – CMG – Wash DC, QA TV – Cleveland
Nov 2-8 – Houston Quilt Market/Festival
(Nov 8 – Love Your Mother Awards @ Teachers Luncheon)
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Pattern – Stars and Stripes Forever

Posted on September 4, 2018 by Luana

Happy Labor Day! … a federal holiday since 1894, honoring the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength and prosperity of this country.

Our Free Quilt Pattern also honors those American workers, with an image of Mount Rushmore, our national bird the Bald Eagle, and a rippling flag with our Stars and Stripes.

This 60″ x 72″ quilt would make a generous sized lap quilt, a bold wall-hanging, or a bed cover for a youth sized bed. Start with the central patriotic panel, then add the pieced borders using coordinating Stonehenge textures, and Hoffman Hand-Dyes.

… from the ‘Stonehenge Stars & Stripes’ collection by Northcott Fabrics.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Season of Peace‘ and ‘Butterfly Awakening‘ 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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Labor Day WEEK Clearance – Packing & Moving

Posted on September 2, 2018 by Luana

Our Labor Day Week CLEARANCE sale starts NOW!
8 Categories, 1900 Products on Sale, 40% to 50% Off!

It is September 1st and I just had my first Pumpkin Muffin of the season! That also means that our trees can now be planted at our new building. This week they are going to start putting in all the landscaping. It may look like business as usual to an outsider, but here at eQuilter we are buzzing with anticipation of our upcoming move to our gorgeous 23K sq ft new building!

Over this long weekend the kids are helping me to pack up my studio and office. I am hoping to move Wednesday before I leave on my trip Thursday. Fingers crossed we get the OK. The rest of the warehouse will start to move in a couple weeks. Please take advantage of our Labor Day Sale so we don’t have to move as much fabric! *wink*

I am looking for charity sewing organizations who would like to take scraps from eQuilter to make quilts for those in need. As many of you know, we have lots of scrap fabric that we like to give to those making charity quilts. However it MUST be for an established organization, not just ‘hey give me some fabric, I’ll make charity quilts!’ because we’ve had individuals take advantage of that situation.

If your organization has an established presence online and a good reputation for good work, and you can pick up fabric at our warehouse, please contact us on Tuesday at 303-527-0856. No pick and choose, just come pick up boxes or stacks of fabric. It is all good stuff!

If you are out of state and want scraps shipped, we will ask you to pay for the shipping cost. It will have to be shipped to the address of record for your organization.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
September ?? – Moving to our New Building
Sept 14-20 – Betty Busby FRCQ workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – MJ Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter – Register Now!
Dec 2 – Victoria Findlay Wolfe CQC workshop @ eQuilter

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
Sept 6-12 – Color Marketing Group – Wash DC, Quilting Arts TV – Cleveland
Nov 2-8 – Houston Quilt Market/Festival
(Nov 8 – Love Your Mother Awards @ Teachers Luncheon)
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Pattern – Santa’s Helpers

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Luana

We all know that Santa has lots of helpers, but who knew that they could be this adorable?

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features some very special Christmas Elves who are busy making toys, trimming the tree, and making some holiday magic. You will use 2 of our exclusive digital printed panels, a Stonehenge texture, and 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes for this project.

If you are looking for a special Christmas Eve gift for a special little somebody, this 67″ x 83″ quilt design makes a fanciful bed cover for a child, and will bring sweet dreams of Santa’s magical toy-makers.

… from the ‘Festive Holiday’ collection by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Season of Peace‘ and ‘Butterfly Awakening‘ quilt patterns.

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Creative Nudge – Divine Dahlias

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Luana

Inspiration is everywhere if you pay attention. Last time I upgraded my smart phone (a couple years ago) I made the camera my top priority, and I’ve been reaping the benefits ever since. Wherever I go, when I see something beautiful or inspiring, I whip out the phone to take images.

This weekend I went to visit my local nursery, and they had a Colorado Dahlia Society Show and Contest out in the greenhouse! I was taking closeup photos of these exquisite hybrid blooms when the Dahlia Docent sidled up to me and said “So…are you a grower?”

“No, not Dahlias” I admitted. “I come to photograph your gorgeous flowers. I am more of a perennial kind of gal.”

I continued with my photo sweep, and someone else came up next to me…”So…are you a grower?”

By the time the 4th person asked me this, I was starting to wonder what was happening. Do I look like a Dahlia Gardener? When I told them I was more like a Dahlia-Slayer, their eyes glazed over. I will let them grow the Dahlias, and I will take the photos. These extraordinary blossoms are luxurious mandalas of opulent color, teasing us with their secret hints of color hidden inside unfolding petals. They obviously deserve care from a Dahlia Diva or Dahlia Domo.

Here are some digital printed fabrics from our exclusive collection, with Dahlias I photographed a few years ago. Jeanie’s “Dream Big” Digital Dahlias have been a runaway best-seller in the last year. Dahlias are floral fireworks that celebrate the late days of summer, making us gasp at their symmetry and perfection.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
September ?? – Moving to our New Building
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby FRCQ workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – MJ Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter – Register Now!
Dec 2 – Victoria Findlay Wolfe CQC workshop @ eQuilter

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
Sept 6-12 – CMG – Wash DC, QA TV – Cleveland
Nov 2-8 – Houston Quilt Market/Festival
(Nov 8 – Love Your Mother Awards @ Teachers Luncheon)
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Pattern – Rule the Road

Posted on August 28, 2018 by Luana

When we saw this Motorcycle panel several months ago (and placed an order), we all let out a gasp together – “OMG….How AWESOME!”

The artist Jeff really put in a fantastic amount of detail, from the tire tracks to the metal chain border, and especially the shiny chrome on this beautiful piece of machinery.

If you have a biker in the family, you know this Free Quilt Pattern Design is going to hang in a place of supreme honor. The 44″ x 62″ design means that it can be a double duty quilt – functional or decorative.

We love the color combination of Vintage Roadmaps with the Stonehenge textures. This is one of our favorite fabric collections and it looks even more AWESOME in person.

… from the ‘Rule The Road’ collection by Jeff Wack for Quilting Treasures.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Heavenly Cats‘ and ‘Butterfly Awakening‘ 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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Just Around the Corner….

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Luana

The kids are back at school here in Boulder, and I imagine most kids will return to classrooms by the Labor Day weekend. Can Pumpkin Lattes be too far behind? No matter, quilters have been working on their Halloween and Christmas quilts for a couple months now…we tend to plan ahead when it comes to seasonal quiltmaking.

We no longer have family in Hawaii, but we are still watching the news about Hurricane Lane and hoping all you Aloha Quilters are staying safe. This is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey in Houston…doesn’t it seem like it was more than a year ago?

The parking lot at our new building was paved this week, and the landscaping is going in soon. The exact move-in date is still a moving target, but it looks like some time in mid-September. We are all super excited to get into our new digs…trying not to think too much about the actual move…I imagine it will be like giving birth. I’ll be glad when it is over. This week I am putting in a giant triple stainless steel sink so Betty Busby and her students can make a big mess and launch our new classroom and studio. I hear there are a few spaces left in her first session, so contact FRCQ if you want to get in on the fun!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Mermaidens

Posted on August 24, 2018 by Luana

Journey to the magical underwater world of these sweet little Mermaids, in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern. Each young Mermaiden is holding an underwater treasure like a Starfish, Seashell or Anemone.

This 51″ x 61″ quilt pattern starts with our own digital-printed panel featuring 4 Mermaid vignettes, then piece them into an underwater background with Fish, Shells, and a beautiful turquoise Hoffman Hand-Dye sashing.

We are thinking this would be a beloved bed cover for a young girl who is Mermaid-crazy, an aquarist (Aquarium-keeper), or maybe a young swimmer in your family. Makes a beautiful wall-hanging too!

… from the ‘Mermaids’ collection by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Heavenly Cats‘ and ‘Butterfly Awakening‘ 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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