Free Pattern – Nouveau Belles

Travel back through time to another era of grace and elegance, with
this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern. We’ve combined our own digital panel with the Free Spirit ‘Kelmscott’ collection by Morris & Co, to create a truly one-of-a-kind wall hanging.

This triptych uses one digital-printed panel with three blocks, then each Art Nouveau figure is pieced into the larger 56″ x 52″ quilt design using the beautiful William Morris botanic prints.

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

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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Brushstrokes and Inspiration

When we pursue being an artist, there is a fire in our belly that is longing to be expressed. Where does it come from? Is it always there, just waiting to be ignited? Is it a discovery, like finding one’s purpose in life? Sometimes one’s purpose in life can be ….to express what we see and feel through our art.

As a kid I devoured artist biographies. I read Irving Stone’s bios about Michelangelo and Van Gogh so many times that the book covers fell off. Their lives, their pursuit of color and form, was a blindingly brilliant inspiration. I could relate to the intensity that burned inside of them, that came out in their art.

As a young adult, as my childhood dreams of travel began to unfold, I always included art museums and galleries in every city I visited. I had visited most of the great museums of the world at a relatively young age. I was obsessed. In particular I loved to find the work of one of my painter idols, and stand in front of their work for long periods of meditative study. That study of color and form was absorbed on a deep level, and provided a foundation for my adult careers.

Do you remember discovering a source of creative fire at a young age? Do you still have a connection to that feeling? Do you consciously source those smoldering fires when tapping into your own creative genius? Do you give yourself permission to break rules and pursue expression beyond normal boundaries?

In the center of the collage above is a Van Gogh painting that I adore. I visited it in the Met in NYC last year. As we received these digital printed reproductions of Impressionist paintings this year, (the borders of this collage) I kept thinking about this lush sunflower painting. My love of sunflowers, my love of blue and yellow, my love of the Impressionists’ sweet raw outpourings has undoubtedly influenced my professional life…and I bet you have such a creative source to tap into also.

You can find my photos from Quilt Canada on my photo pages now.

Our next Charity Sewing Day on June 23 will be for the Guatemala Volcano victims.

We have an immediate opening for an assistant buyer with quilt pattern design experience:
https://www.equilter.com/news/jobs

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:
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 – Three Wise Men

It may be summer, but this is the time of year when savvy quilters start working on their holiday projects and Christmas gifts!

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern features a triple-portrait of the Three Wise Men bringing their precious gifts under the guiding light of the Star of Bethlehem. Rich gold metallic enriches this quilt in the main panel, and in the jewel-toned coordinates.

This 48″ x 56″ wall-hanging features a pieced border with starry metallic squares set on point. The color theme that ties it all together is a deep Sapphire Blue with lots of that beautiful gold metallic for highlighted accents. You might just want to make a second one … for yourself!

… from the ‘Three Wise Men’ collection by Sarah Summers for Quilting Treasures.

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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Guatemalan Volcano Relief Mission

As you may know, eQuilter has supported many airlifts of disaster relief, medical and education supplies by Mission of Love, the largest user of the Denton Program. This week as I read about the volcano destruction in Guatemala, I wrote to MOL director Kathy Price and asked if she is planning a relief effort. Here’s what she said:

I have 85,000 pounds, three C17 Denton Planes being prepared to fly into Guatemala June 22 ( 2 planes) and June 23 ( 1 Plane ) with humanitarian aid for the survivors of the volcano. I will be in Guatemala to meet the planes and go and distribute the aid.

Our Mission of Love team in Tecpan has already been to the site, delivering medical, food etc via the ambulance we just donated last month and the fire truck.

I intend to go and build recycled homes for those in need.

Two of my firemen friends who just last month took aid to these folks with Mission of Love supplies died and they have not found their bodies.

Monetary donations are needed via gofundme for the indigenous Maya Indians of Guatemala. With your donations we can deliver water, food, humanitarian aid to the poorest of the poor people in need via our Mission of Love.

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In addition to the monthly check we send to Mission of Love as part of our charity program, we have just donated an additional $2500 for this relief effort. Please consider visiting their gofundme page and contribute whatever you can – even a small amount helps.

Today Lea McComas was in our classroom, assembling bricks into her Wall Project which we hope will be displayed at a big show later this year. Sophie and I are making bricks too. We did a live Facebook video this afternoon, with Lea explaining the project. You can see that on the eQuilter Facebook page, or my personal Facebook page.

Lea is also teaching her Portrait classes 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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Free Pattern – Ballet Dancers

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

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

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

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

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

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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