Free Pattern – Ballet Dancers

Posted on June 8, 2018 by Luana

Beautiful Ballet Dancers and Swan Lake are the themes of
this week’s Exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, which is made with 2 of our own digital panels, plus 2 Stonehenge textures. You’ll make 9 pieced Snowflake blocks, then combine them with 4 panels featuring this exquisite pair of dancers.

In the Swan Lake story, the Swan Queen comes to the Prince in the human form of Odette, asking for his help to break the spell of Von Rothbart. This ballet composed by Tchaikovsky, was premiered by the Bolshoi Ballet in March 1877…and is still a favorite ballet today.

This 64″ x 80″ quilt can be a bed cover for your young ballet dancer, or perhaps might grace the walls of your local dance studio!

Be creative with this design and make it your own – with metallic threads, beading, or fusible metallic bias trim. Perhaps turn on the ballet music by Tchaikovsky while you are sewing?

… by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Reverie Garden‘ quilt patterns.
All our Dream Big panels are now in stock.

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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Coastal Canada Quilts

Posted on June 6, 2018 by Luana

I am just now catching my breath after the quick trip up to Canada last week! Every year the quilt exhibit grows in quality and quantity, and I especially love to see the quilts that express the things that are unique about Canada: the coastal environment, the wildlife, the indigenous people, the culture and mountain forests.

During my visit I squeezed in a 4 hour whale-watching tour, and was thrilled to see a pair of humpback whales! I didn’t get to see any Orcas, but I saw plenty of sea lions, seals, and bald eagles. I’ll be headed back to Canada in November to see the Polar Bears in Churchill, which is also where the Beluga Whales give birth in the summer time.

The collage above features details from 2 beautiful coastal-themed quilts in the Quilt Canada exhibits in Vancouver BC last week. (And related fabrics in stock now.)

Effie Brandt – ‘Flying Free’ – Pelican at a lake in Alberta
Linda Poppy – ‘Iceberg Alley’ – Skiff at Twillingate Newfoundland

I’ll be posting these and other photos from Quilt Canada this week on my photo pages. Next year the conference is in the capital city of Ottawa, and I plan to be there!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

Enjoy artist interviews, tutorials, and quilt festival tours, on our eQuilter Video Page.

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
June 23 – eQuilter Charity Sewing Day! (Please RSVP)
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
Coming soon – workshops with Betty Busby (Sept) and MJ Kinman (Oct) @ eQuilter!

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 9-11 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour

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Free Pattern – Butterfly Pavilion

Posted on June 5, 2018 by Luana

When we first saw this gorgeous Butterfly panel, we knew it had to be part of our Free Pattern program! The central panel features a rainbow Kaleidoscope of these delicate winged insects, swooshing in an upward arc on a Teal watercolor background. This easy pattern wraps colorful coordinates in in strips and layers, to create a brilliant border.

Why do we get butterflies in the belly when falling in love? Remember that dazzling feeling when your beloved walks in the room? Or maybe it will remind you of that feeling of Joy when something unexpectedly wonderful drops in your lap. That’s the sensation this 40″ x 58″ wall-hanging evokes…and will bring a smile whether it is hung in a kitchen, a baby’s room, or on an office wall.

We leave you with this Irish Blessing:

May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.

… from the ‘Butterfly Pavilion’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Mystic 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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Canadian and African Quilts

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Luana

Yesterday I returned from Quilt Canada in Vancouver, just in time for the opening reception of Hollis Chatelain’s West Africa exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum. What an inspiring week I’ve had!

We’ve become a regular sponsor for both organizations, and it wonderful to see each year how the Canadian quilters are expanding and expressing their unique culture through their quilts. This year was very special because I’ve always wanted to visit Vancouver BC, and I managed to squeeze in a Whale-Watching tour my first day there. (Yes, I did see humpback whales – whoo hoo!) Vancouver was the site of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the convention center was the site of the giant Olympic Flame Cauldron where the medals were awarded. The giant cruise ships are coming in and out of the bay and the trees and azaleas were lush and beautiful. Thank you to my Canadian friends who came to spend time and share our passion for quilts.

Last night I saw Hollis’ West African quilts for the first time, and they are just stunning. She has used a new technique for this collection, and everyone was admiring and examining her exquisite work. You may recall that we carry her West Africa coloring book. This was the basis for her new quilt collection, featuring portraits and fabric designs of West Africa. She turned each detailed ink drawing into a colored pencil artwork, then had them enlarged and digitally printed, and then she quilted them with her dense detailed and multicolored stitching. These portraits were – as I said – just stunning. I hope you can see her collection in Golden this summer, or in one of the other future venues for this traveling exhibit.

We are so excited to be hosting Lea McComas Applique and Thread-Painting Portrait Workshops the week of July 16-20 … hope you can come join us for one or both! You can find products for her supply list by searching for “mccomas” on eQuilter.

If you are a teacher and would like us to stock a specialty product for your students, please write to me through Customer Service and we will be happy to provide those products, and insert your name so your class supplies will come up in a name search.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Call of the Wild Mystic Owl

Posted on June 1, 2018 by Luana

Celebrate your love of the North Woods Wilderness and Mountain Wildlife, with
this week’s Exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern.

This majestic digitally printed panel features a Horned Owl in flight, surrounded by a misty cabin and mountain wilderness background.

Add Northcott Stonehenge textures and a Hoffman Hand-Dye to make this 61″ x 74″ quilt – great for a lap quilt or a wall-hanging. It’s also perfect to drape over a chair next to a window or fireplace in your mountain cabin.

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

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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Dreaming of The Wild

Posted on May 30, 2018 by Luana

As you may recall, over New Years I was on a photo safari in Tanzania, and it was one of those experiences that haunts me. Some of the most amazing encounters on that trip were closeup moments with Lions, Cheetahs and Leopards. I’ve had many closeup experiences with large wild animals but some of them really stay with you – as if you are carrying a piece of the soul of the animal with you.

Here in the US we have more tigers in captivity than there are tigers in the wild! There is a place in Colorado that rescues lions, tigers and bears…and jaguars and wolves…and lets them live in an open sanctuary. It is called the Wild Animal Sanctuary, and when I yearn to be around wild animals, I’d rather go here than a zoo.

Here is a photo I took of a Black Leopard who lives at the sanctuary. He was very hard to photograph, even when I waited for him to come out of his hiding place. I was happy to see him so content, living a peaceful life under the open sky.

Tuesday I flew to Vancouver BC, and Weds night I’ll be attending the award ceremony for Quilt Canada. (And giving the awards for the Modern Quilt category) Every year I am more impressed with the quilts being made up here, so I can’t wait to see this year’s exhibit!

However… before the award ceremony, I am going on a half day whale-watching tour. I look forward to seeing an Orca in the wild. I went to Sea World once and had a close encounter with an Orca through a glass window, and I cried.

I am flying home Friday so I can be at the opening reception for Hollis Chatelain’s exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden Colorado. Hope to see many of you there!

Thank you for those of you who submitted entries to the Love Your Mother challenge! The blind jury process is underway and those chosen for the Houston exhibit are scheduled to be notified by June 20.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

Enjoy artist interviews, tutorials, and quilt festival tours, on our eQuilter Video Page.

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
June 23 – eQuilter Charity Sewing Day! (Please RSVP)
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
Coming soon – workshops with Betty Busby (Sept) and MJ Kinman (Oct) @ eQuilter!

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 1 – Opening Reception for Hollis Chatelain – RMQM – Golden CO
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 9-11 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
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Free Pattern – Furr Ever Friends

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Luana

What’s your favorite – Cats or Flowers?

In this week’s Free Quilt Pattern you don’t have to choose… you can have it all… Cats in the Garden!

This delightful 61″ x 69″ quilt combines 2 of our most popular themes into one fantastic quilt design, with happy kitties enjoying butterflies, blossoms and sunshine in a summer flower garden.

Start with the central panel, then add consecutive borders with 3 coordinates. You’ll be finishing up this quick pattern in a snap, with more time to play with your kitties and tend to your flower garden.

Makes a great gift for Cat Lovers too – make one for you and one for your fellow Ailurophile. If your feline ‘helper’ rolls on the quilt during construction…what’s a little cat hair among friends?

… from the ‘Furr Ever Friends’ collection by Linda Picken for Blank Textiles.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Under the Sea‘ and ‘Jungle Giraffes‘ 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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Quilt Market Preview – Part 2

Posted on May 29, 2018 by Luana
Quilt Market Preview – Part 2

Here are some of our most favorite collections that we ordered at Quilt Market last weekend. (You can see Part 1 in last Saturday’s newsletter) These will be arriving in the next 2-6 months and as always, watch the weekly newsletters for when they arrive!

Cattitude 2 by Ann Lauer
More is More by Paula Nadelstern – 20th Anniversary
Zuma by Tula Pink
Awaken the Day by Jim Shore
Quantum by Giucy Giuce
English Summer by Ana Maria Horner
Spots & Dots by Edyta Sitar
Dragonfly Dance by Kanvas Studio
Home Grown by Nancy Halvorsen
Garden bright by Sue Penn Designs
Abstract Garden by Christa Watson
Montagu by William Morris & Co.
Confettis by Odile Bailloeul
Savernake Road by Monika Forsberg
Butterflies and Moths by Carl Brenders
Adventures of Bear and Friends by Jane Chapman
Brew – Coffee collection with burlap print
Urban Cottage – Toweling
Once upon a time – Doll-house pattern
Bloomfield Avenue – Amazing violas
Malam Batiks VI by Jinny Beyer
Retro Road Trip – Campers & Trailers
Starlight & Splendor – digital collection
Call of the Wild & Wild Kingdom – Hoffman Digital
Seed to Blossom by McKenna Ryan
Dream Bigger – Digital quilt backing using the Dream Big flower
ASPCA Paw Prints – all the proceeds go to ASPCA
Arcadia by Betsy Siber – National parks
Goat Island by Susan Emory
Kashim Gardens by Sarah Campbell – Paisley, floral
Monster Chemistry Lab
Feather & Flora by Elizabeth Isles
America – Home of the Brave
Coffee Break by Alexa Kate Design

Trends:
Moths, dragonflies, and fireflies
Unusual Woodland Animals, and Bears with Personality
Ornamental & Super-Realistic Cats!
Large Scale designs on digital quilt backing (see this week’s shipment above)
Incredible artistic painterly details on digital prints
Graffiti and Street Art Influences

We were very sad to learn this week that Meander Publishing is closing their doors, but we are stocking back issues so you can still get their beautiful Machine Quilting and Modern Quilts Unlimited copies until we run out. This comes after we learned that Australian Patchwork & Quilting is also ceasing publication…very sad for all of us who love our glossy quilt magazines.

As a result we are picking up 2 new titles which we will announce in the next week or two.

I hope to see many of our Canadian quilter friends in Vancouver when I am there Weds night and all day Thursday, or perhaps you can come to Hollis Chatelain’s opening reception at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden Colorado next Friday evening!

Thanks to all of you who submitted an entry to the Love Your Mother Challenge. The entries are being juried now, and then registrants will be notified of the results.

Happy Memorial Day,
Luana and Paul
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Free Pattern – Dreaming in Color

Posted on May 25, 2018 by Luana

If you’ve been waiting for a King Size Free Quilt Pattern from our collection of exclusive weekly patterns, this one’s for YOU!

This 96″ x 96″ quilt features one of our most popular digital panels of all time – the Dream Big digital floral from Hoffman. We’ve combined 4 different colors of this gorgeous flower panel, to be cut up and pieced into this stunning large bed quilt. The 4 panel colors are tied together in the digital printed coordinate for the border.

You’ll have sweet garden dreams when you sleep under this luscious quilt. Once you’ve made one for yourself, you can start making another one for a holiday gift later this year. We’ve stocked all of the 8 colors in depth so you can mix and match and design your own color combinations of this quilt design.

Designer Jeanie is a Colorado quilter and we are so proud and happy for her success with this Hoffman fabric collection!

… from the ‘Dream Big’ collection by Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero for Hoffman Fabrics.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Under the Sea‘ and ‘Jungle Giraffes‘ 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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A Rainbow of Diversity

Posted on May 23, 2018 by Luana

We’ve just returned from Quilt Market which was over the weekend in Portland Oregon. I thought you would enjoy seeing these portrait quilts from the Art Gallery booth, depicting women of all different colors and cultures. As an extension of the multi-cultural wedding celebration in England over the weekend, I thought it would be fun to show our collection of fabrics featuring women of all different Colors, Shapes and Sizes.

Thanks to Pat and Walter Bravo who put up this quilt exhibit in their booth to celebrate the diversity of women. We also celebrate and support diversity in fabric designs whenever possible. I remember about 10 years ago when we saw the first multi-cultural ballet print… featuring little girls of all different colors, in their tutus, in ballet class. We were so excited…and our customers were too!

Recently a customer called to ask us to carry more multicultural fabric designs. Trust me, I order every single one that we are offered! To be fair, the fabric manufacturers are offering more and more designs showing diversity in women and children. We will continue to order every fabric offered that celebrates diversity.

Thank you for those of you who submitted entries to the Love Your Mother challenge! The blind jury process is underway and those chosen for the Houston exhibit are scheduled to be notified by June 20.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

* The collage above features quilts from the Art Gallery booth at Quilt Market, plus fabrics in stock now at eQuilter featuring multi-cultural women.

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
July 23 – eQuilter Charity Sewing Day! (Please RSVP)
Coming soon – workshops with Betty Busby (Sept) and MJ Kinman (Oct) @ eQuilter!

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
May 29 – 31 – Quilt Canada – Vancouver BC
June 1 – Opening Reception for Hollis Chatelain – RMQM – Golden CO
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 9-11 – Birmingham UK – Festival of Quilts
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour

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