Midsummer in Sweden

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Luana

Happy Independence Day from the Forest Country of Sweden, where we are celebrating the long Midsummer with the locals. Sophie was invited to attend a Swedish Fiddle Workshop Tour, which includes several Folk Music Festivals in the countryside. If you show up to the festival with a fiddle, you get in free, and you can join in spontaneous music-making.

Last night we had a traditional Swedish dinner on a 400 year old forest farm property, with cream in our coffee that came from a cow an hour before. Today we had a workshop on Cattle Calling which is a combination of yelling, singing, and the way my Swedish Grandma used to call us in for dinner. (It is how they call their cows home from the woods at night.)

While I am on this trip, I want to share with you the colors and culture from this Land of the Midnight Sun. Above is a collage with photos from a folk music festival, with local musicians in their traditional dress. When you go into the woods, it feels very magical and lush, with berries and foxes and that bright evening light with the low sun hanging on the horizon and filtering through the trees. The sun falls just below the horizon for a few hours, and the lavender sky is reflected in the pink and teal water.

There are many people in the village, wearing the national colors of Yellow and Blue for the World Cup. Most of the country houses and barns are painted a deep red with white trim. Lupines grow in massive clumps along the side of the forest roads, and tiny white daisies dot the green fields. If our driving is a little wobbly in the rental car, a little coffee cup symbol appears on the dashboard and it says “Time to take a break!”

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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

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eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter – Register Now!
July 23 – eQuilter Charity Sewing Day (Please RSVP)
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby FRCQ workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – M.J. Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter
Dec 2 – CQC workshop Victoria Findlay Wolfe @ eQuilter

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 5-12 – London & Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts
Sept 8 – Color Marketing Group – Wash DC
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Hello from the Land of the Midnight Sun!

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Luana

Newsletter originally published 6-30-2018

Tonight I am writing to you from Hudiksvall, about 3 hours north of Stockholm on the Baltic Sea in Sweden.

It is 11 pm and the lavender sky is reflected in the inlet of the Baltic Sea outside our hotel window. The sunset time is listed as 10:38 pm, and sunrise will be at 3:12 am, but that doesn’t fully explain that the sky remains in twilight while the sun briefly dips below the horizon at Midsummer. Hudiksvall is at 61.73 degrees of latitude, compared to Anchorage at 61 degrees north. The air is cool, clean and fresh.

Sophie was invited to go on a Swedish Fiddle workshop tour, and I came along as a parent chaperone because of my Swedish ancestry. This is my first time in this country. We’ve been drinking Lingonberry juice, eating Swedish pancakes for breakfast, and I actually found a place with vegetarian Swedish Meatballs in Stockholm. Today I was in the workshop of a special musical instrument maker, and his woodworking tools all came from Smaland. My 2nd great grandpa came from Smaland, and one family story goes that he came to this country with the shirt on his back and his carpentry tools. Smaland is also the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren (Pippi Longstocking) and Ikea.

I am busy looking for examples of Swedish design that could be applied to quilt-making. This morning I got excited about painted stencils on the furniture in an old farmhouse kitchen. I am also loving the special deep red the houses are painted in the Swedish countryside, and the yellow and blue of the ubiquitous national flag. The rich green of the Midsummer Forest and the lavender twilight sky are magical colors that fire the imagination.

Naturally, I have plans to meet with Swedish quilters! We have traveled North of Stockholm to study with folk musicians, and attend folk music festivals. I’ll be meeting up with quilters who are on a week-long retreat in this beautiful forested area on the Baltic Sea.

As I sign off, we see a bright orange full moon rising, reflected in the violet-blue waters. I am soaking up the colors and folk art here, to share with you in the near future.

 

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Solids and the Jewelbox Quilt

Posted on July 4, 2018 by Luana

Newsletter originally published 6-27-2018

Here is another amazing quilt from Quilt Canada last month – this is the first prize winner of the Traditional Quilt category.

It is called ‘Islamic Art’ by Faiza Elmayergi, and it is an intricate and mind-boggling ode to her culture. At the award ceremony the story was told how she had tried for so long to create an award-winning quilt, and finally she created this stunning masterpiece that brought the crowd to its feet when she shyly stepped forward in her headscarf.

A lot has been written lately about working with solids in Modern Quilting, and to be honest I am seeing more and more Modern Quilts that do not use Solids. As Modern Quilting explores the joys of ombres and small-scale patterns, now we see this quilt which is so ornamented and embellished with only color, applique and stitching…it takes our breath away.

You may recall when the Tentmakers of Cairo burst on the scene, thanks to the efforts of Jenny Bowker. I saw them first at the Birmingham Festival of Quilts in 2011, when I interviewed the (male) Egyptian Quiltmakers who make their quilts solely from SOLIDS. By the way, Jenny has just won Best of Show at the Sydney Quilt Festival in Australia.

You can find my photos from Quilt Canada on my photo pages now, and Videos on this page. Feel free to share links to Quilt Photos on my photo pages – they are there for YOU.

When you receive this email, I will be flying across the Atlantic to Stockholm. Sophie has been invited to a Swedish Fiddle Workshop Tour and I am coming as a Parent Chaperone. I’ll be writing to you from Sweden for the next two weeks, on a creative retreat returning to family roots.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Beach Pet Selfies

Posted on July 2, 2018 by equilter


Favorite Pet Selfies are on now the beach! You just can’t help but smile when you look at this adorable quilt with illustrator Howard Robinson’s ‘Beach Pet Selfies’ collection.

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features dogs and kitties in colorful beach attire with cute expressions and fuzzy smiles, posing for Selfie photos.

This 66″ x 66″ square quilt is great for a crib, a play-mat, or a happy wall-hanging for your favorite grownup Animal Lover! (Maybe YOU?!?)

… from the ‘Pet Selfies’ collection by Howard Robinson for Elizabeth’s Studio.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this wonderful quilt pattern,
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

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Free Quilt Patterns – Heavenly Cats

Posted on July 2, 2018 by equilter

Attention Fellow Cat-Lovers…..
This one’s for you!

As you may know, Dan Morris is one of our favorite artists, and this gorgeous Cat-themed fabric collection has been one of our top sellers.

We’ve designed our own exclusive Free Quilt Pattern around Dan’s embellished cat illustrations, to make a 76″ x 83″ bed quilt for that special Kitty person in your life.

And hey – being a Crazy Cat Lady is more fun with quilts like this. Your feline quilting ‘helpers’ will enjoy snuggling with you on this Kitty Comforter and we are pretty sure you won’t mind a few cat hairs on this unique quilt.

… from the ‘Purr-suasion’ collection by Dan Morris for Quilting Treasures.

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Announcing the LOVE YOUR MOTHER Artists!

Posted on June 24, 2018 by Luana

Hello and Happy Summer!

Last week I shared with you a Quilting Arts TV clip about trends from the Tokyo Quilt Festival. This week you’ll see a 2nd clip which features my own art quilts, including a new Polar Bear quilt from a photo I took up in Churchill Manitoba. Enjoy!

We are very proud and happy to announce the names of the 17 quilters whose work has been juried into the Love Your Mother exhibit –

Mirvia Aranda, Patty Arensen, Debra L. Bowman,
Elizabeth A Budd, Melissa Dessent, Barbara R. Dove,
Linda Garofalo, Becky Grover, Sylvia Hernandez,
Janice Jones, Deb Manowske, Karen Ponischil,
Annette Rowland, Sonia E. Ruiz, Deborah Snider,
Silke Steuxner and Marijke van Welzen.

It is an international gathering of artists who have expressed their thoughts and feelings about what is happening to our Mother Earth, and I hope you will come to see this exhibit premier in November at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. The winners will receive their prizes – including the top prize of a BERNINA 570 QE machine at the Teachers Luncheon on Thursday Nov 8. I hope you can join us there.

Sophie’s new violin teacher has invited her to go on a Swedish Fiddle workshop tour for the next 2 weeks, and I invited myself along as a parent chaperone. I am going to treat this as a creative retreat, and will also be meeting Swedish quilters and doing research on Scandi design.

This weekend we are celebrating Sophie’s 16th birthday! How did that happen?

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

*****
Check out our 170 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.

********
eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – MJ Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter
Dec 2 – CQC workshop Victoria Findlay Wolfe

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 5-12 – London & Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts
Sept 8 – Color Marketing Group – Wash DC
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Patterns – Nebula and Galaxy Collections

Posted on June 22, 2018 by Luana

As NASA telescopes evolve and bring back more amazing images from deep space, our imaginations are fired up by the awesome photos of galaxies, and nebulae.

Astronomers, Students and Sci-Fi fans will be thrilled with this fantastic 59″ x 59″ quilt, featuring not just the images but also the names of many of the most fascinating spectacles of the Cosmos.

We use 2 of our exclusive digital prints for this eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern – a panel with multiple images – and a swirling starry sky print. The colorful prints are set off by Kaufman Kona Solid Black, a deep rich and saturated black that is a fantastic contrast for any colorful print!

Available in 2 Out-Of-This-World variations:

Space – Nebula Collection

Space – Galaxy Collection

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

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Nouveau Belles‘ 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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Gemstone Quilts and a Sparkling Personality

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Luana

In my travels around the world to quilt festivals, I have met some of the most amazing creative geniuses. My “job” as I see it, is to share that talent and inspiration with all of you.

One of those people is MJ Kinman, who I met in Houston last year. I saw her large gemstone quilts and was just blown away. I ordered a large quantity of her Gemstone Quilt Patterns and it turned out you all agreed with me! Because we are setting up an eQuilter Workshop program in our classroom, I asked if she would come and teach in our space. She said yes! Her workshop “Treasure Hunting” will be offered on Sat & Sun, Oct 6 & 7, 2018.

Registration for this workshop is OPEN NOW…
along with Lea McComas’ 2 Portrait Workshops in July.

MJ is really interested in the Creative Process, not just the nuts and bolts of how to teach her gemstone quilt techniques. She is very generous and enthusiastic about sharing her ideas. This is going to be an introductory workshop and we hope to have her back again for a longer in-depth creative retreat. She suggests using Gradients (Ombres), Solids and Hand-Dyes for these quilts. Of course we stock all of these categories in depth, in yardage and precuts, for your convenience.

As you can see by the calendar below, we are trying to set up a regular schedule of talented national teachers to come share their ideas, techniques and inspiration in our 15,000 sq ft warehouse. We’ve already hosted Lisa Walton, the first international president of SAQA. So many people have come into the classroom, seen the project we made in Lisa’s workshop, and wished they had come.

So please come and join us!
We are delighted to host both local and out-of-state workshop attendees, and you can stay in the beautiful Hampton Inn with our corporate discount.

Now you may have noticed from my calendar that I am going to Sweden next week. Yes! It’s true!
I will be there for 2 weeks and I’ll tell you all about it, and of course I’ll be taking lots of photos to share. I am going to be doing some design research in my spare time as a parent chaperone.

If you live in Sweden and want to connect while I am there, please send us an email.
I want to meet you for Fika!

You can find my photos from Quilt Canada on my photo pages now. Many thanks to Gabi for sharing that link in her Quilt Art News. Feel free to share links to Quilt Photos on my photo pages – they are there for YOU.

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 20 – Love Your Mother notification emails go out.
June 23 – eQuilter Charity Sewing Day & Sophie’s Sweet 16 Party! (Please RSVP)
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby FRCQ workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – M.J. Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter
Dec 2 – CQC workshop Victoria Findlay Wolfe @ eQuilter

Luana’s Travel Calendar:
June 27 – July 11 – Sweden
Aug 5-12 – London & Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts
Sept 8 – Color Marketing Group – Wash DC
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Pattern – Morningmoon Fairies

Posted on June 19, 2018 by Luana

Create your own Midsummer Night’s Dream to celebrate the Summer Solstice, with Jody Bergsma’s breathtaking illustrations reproduced in detailed digital printed panels.

Her magical fairies have tamed Butterflies & Moths, Hummingbirds & Doves, to ride across the sky at Dawn. These vignettes are set in blocks, and pieced into a starry background.

This 57″ x 72″ quilt will make a beautiful fantasy bed quilt for a special little person, or perhaps a lap quilt or wall hanging for fans of that enchanting Shakespeare play?

“If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumbered here
While these visions did appear….”

… from the ‘Morningmoon Fairies’ collection by Jody Bergsma for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Butterfly Pavilion‘ 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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Making Memories and Making Quilts

Posted on June 18, 2018 by Luana

Several of the yummy fabrics we ordered at Spring Quilt Market started to arrive this week, and I hope that they will give a smile and perhaps a giggle or two, with your Sunday morning cuppa.

Recently I was delighted to visit Quilting Arts TV to share photos and inspirations from the 2018 Tokyo Quilt Festival – here is a clip of my segment from the PBS Create series “Quilting Arts TV” with host Susan Brubaker Knapp.

Summer is a time of Festivals – Music Festivals, Art Festivals, Shakespeare Festivals, Food and Drink Festivals. Garden tours and outdoor activities may briefly take us away from our sewing and quilting projects, but they also provide inspiration for our big projects in the Fall and Winter months. Now is the time when we gather images, mementos, color and design inspirations for our favorite indoor activities – quilting and sewing!

We aim to stock every type of fabric that represents all those summer activities – from camping to gardening – beach vacations and road trips – farmers markets and horseback riding. When it gets hot and we head to museums and cinemas with air conditioning. And of course those of you Down Under are enjoying your cool Winter weather now!

Lea McComas is teaching her amazing Portrait technique workshops here next month – if you’d like to learn more about fusible applique and threadpainting, sign up for one or more of these fantastic workshops!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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