The Healing Power of Helping Others

Posted on July 23, 2018 by Luana

Today we had another Charity Sewing Day, and I have to commend the dedicated bunch who showed up today, to make quilts for those in need. One of the ladies brought in 4 quilts that she finished since the last Sewing Day. This batch is going to those who lost their homes to the volcano in Guatemala. (via Mission of Love)

One of these ladies has been fighting cancer for months. She’s lost her hair since I saw her last, but she says she’s feeling better. She doesn’t have the strength to come for the whole day, but she works from home on our charity quilts, and brings them in as they are finished. She says it keeps her mind off other things, when she is making quilts for those dealing with natural disaster or poverty or illness.

This last week was so much fun having Lea McComas and her two workshops in our classroom. We are planning for her to come back for a 5 day advanced class next summer – stay tuned!

Our next featured workshop will be MJ Kinman’s Gemstone Quilts on Oct 6-7. The link to the discounted hotel rates is at the bottom of the workshop page here. Next week we will have fat quarter packets that go with her Birthstone Patterns.

Before starting eQuilter, I studied classical portrait oil painting, and attended a weekly figure painting group with a live model for 15 years. So I have a great appreciation for portrait and figurative artwork. Washington Crossing the Delaware is a huge painting in the Metropolitan Art Museum in New York, and I have spent many hours over the decades, looking at this painting. I was thrilled to see the image available as a large digital printed panel, and this week it is in stock at eQuilter. The frame for this painting is 12′ x 21′ but when you are sitting in front of it, it just seems impossibly heroic and massive.

This Tuesday Mission of Love is sending their 64th Denton Program Airlift, this time for volcano victims in Guatemala. We are shipping out a big batch of comfort quilts to MOL on August 1st for the next airlift to Guatemala on August 12. If you are local you can drop off donated quilts to our office by Aug 1, and if you are not local please ship them directly to Mission of Love to arrive by Aug 5. (the quilts and all other relief supplies have to be palletized and processed in advance of the shipment). Add a label with a message of love on the back, and be sure to send with a tracking number because MOL is unable to send confirmations for packages received.

Mission of Love
2054 Hemlock Court
Youngstown, OH 44515

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Cat-i-tude Cool Cats

Posted on July 20, 2018 by Luana

Two out of three quilters have at least one cat at home, often ‘helping’ in their sewing room. So this one’s for you – of our most popular Cat collections of all time.

This colorful eQuilter Free Quilt Design starts with a panel of six blocks, then uses the coordinating prints to piece the quilt. The opulent paisley theme is richly embellished with gold metallic, giving this Kitty quilt the Royal treatment.

The 61″ x 81″ quilt design makes a fantastic wall hanging for a Sun Room (maybe where your cat likes to sleep in the sun) or makes a beautiful Twin quilt perhaps for a young person who likes to cuddle up with cats at night.

… from the ‘Cat-i-tude’ collection by Ann Lauer for Benartex.

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Northern Light Wolves‘ quilt patterns.
All our Dream Big panels are 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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Creative Nudge – Dragon Stories

Posted on July 18, 2018 by Luana

What is it about Dragons that has captured our imagination so deeply? From Game of Thrones to Harry Potter, our pop culture continues to churn out stories involving Humans and Dragons.

One of the oldest stories is St George and the Dragon, which is depicted in this incredible sculpture, unveiled in 1489 as an alter monument. This late Medieval wood sculpture now lives in the Stockholm Cathedral next to the Royal Palace. The spikes of the dragon were made from moose antlers – my favorite creative detail.

Legends about Dragons exist from Asia to Europe. They were associated with the Emperor of China, and Tolkien wrote about dragons in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Did you know there are many people who believe that Dragons existed in our distant past here on Earth? Dragons or similar creatures appear in the myths and legends of almost all cultures around the world. Jason’s Golden Fleece was guarded by a Dragon. Today, people play Dungeons and Dragons in games that go on for hours, days or weeks.

A popular motif in recent literature is the friendly Dragon that is raised from a hatched egg, by a special Dragon-Whisperer or Dragon Master. The 3rd installment of How to Train Your Dragon comes out next year, following movies like Dragonheart, Eragon, Pete’s Dragon, Never-ending Story, and who can forget the Pink Lady Dragon in Shrek?

I buy every Dragon fabric I can find, because I know we have serious Dragon Fans out there who will snap them up. I’ve had my own fantasy of being a Dragon-Whisperer since I was a kid. Who wouldn’t want to have a Dragon as a pal?…like Puff the Magic Dragon?

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

* The collage above features a photo of St George and the Dragon by Berndt Notke, with Dragon-themed fabrics now in stock.

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

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eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
July 19 – 20 – Lea McComas Applique Workshop @ eQuilter
July 21 – 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:
Aug 5-12 – London & Birmingham UK Festival of Quilts
Sept 6-12 – CMG – Wash DC, QA TV – Ohio
Nov 2-8 – Houston Quilt Market & Festival
Nov 13-19, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour
Dec 23 – Jan 4 – China

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Free Pattern – Northern Light Wolves

Posted on July 17, 2018 by Luana

Here’s a great way to cool off from the Summer heat … this exclusive Free Quilt Patternfeatures an impressionist icy landscape and a Wolf Pack on the move. A Full Moon, Snowy Peak and Northern Lights shimmer in the distance.

Start with the gorgeous digital printed panel, then construct the pieced border with 6 different Hoffman Hand-Dyes. This 58″ x 66″ quilt makes a stunning wall hanging, or back with Flannel for a snuggly Lap Quilt on a chilly Winter’s Eve.

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

And don’t miss the wonderful ‘Dreaming in Color‘ and ‘Jungle Giraffes‘ quilt patterns.
All our Dream Big panels are 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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Aren’t We Lucky?

Posted on July 16, 2018 by Luana

As I travel the world and meet all different kinds of quilters, one thing is very clear to me: this worldwide tribe of creative makers are resolute in keeping their quilting time a sacred place to rejuvenate, find solace, and strengthen their connection to their own Creative Voice. The joy that is expressed when quilters come together, whether it is in Sweden, the US, Mexico, Canada, Japan, South Africa or Australia … feels the same, even when one is technically an outsider.

Now more than ever, I feel so fortunate to have found this little oasis of creative acceptance, where young and old, traditional and experimental makers, can come together to inspire and delight one another. There is usually caffeine and sugar involved, and the enthusiastic sharing of one’s latest ‘fabriholic’ adventures, but the part that keeps calling us back is the healing aspect of taking creative time for oneself. As the world around us falls into polarized acrimony, we can return to the peace and healing of needle and thread, and our fellow fabriholics.

This week (July 16-20) we are hosting two workshops by internationally-known quilt artist Lea McComas, whose Applique and Thread-Painted Portraits have won awards in the US and abroad. If you want to sign up we still have some room – register now and we’ll send you a supply list over the weekend. For more info about her work, see Lea’s Facebook Page …. and yes, there will be caffeine and sugar. *smile*

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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eQuilter Classroom & Event Calendar:
July 16 – 20 – Lea McComas Workshops @ eQuilter
July 21 – Charity Sewing Group – Please RSVP.
Sept 14-19 – Betty Busby workshops @ eQuilter
Oct 6-7 – MJ Kinman Gemstone Quilt workshop @ eQuilter
Dec 2 – CQC workshop Victoria Findlay Wolfe

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Goodbye Beautiful Sweden

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Luana

Originally published in newsletter 7-11-18:

I am writing to you from an airport hotel in Stockholm, and early tomorrow Sophie and I will start our journey home. The haunting melodies and foot-tapping harmonies of Swedish fiddlers will be with us always. We have had such a beautiful experience in the Heart of Sweden, staying in rural villages, lakeside hostels, and historic B&Bs with the group of music students.

Our last 3 days were up on a hillside in the forest, overlooking a large lake. A moose came out to greet us as we arrived the first night, and we’ve seen plenty of foxes and delicate Fallow Deer here too. We got a kick out of the “Otter Crossing” and “Hedgehog Crossing” signs too.

Our new Swedish friends have described to us the deep snows and magical skies of the Northern Winters. We’ve waded through fields of waist-high purple flowers where a meter of snow lay 6 months ago. We’ve hiked through forests that look like they are home to elves and trolls.

My time spent with Swedish quilters has been very special, and I had one last meeting tonight. Carin took a bus to the airport to have dinner with me before I fly out. She brought an older book about Swedish quilt-making in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I was astonished to see beautiful photos of Log Cabin, Pineapple, and other traditional quilts that we think of as American. Perhaps Swedish immigrants brought some of these quilt patterns to our shores?

Tonight I put together a quilt collage of fabrics that represent what I’ve seen here in Sweden the last 2 weeks. We have a temporary category of Scandinavian-inspired fabrics also. I will be posting photos from the trip on my photo pages in the next week, but for now I need to go to sleep so we can catch our early flight home tomorrow morning!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my travel notes from the land of my Swedish grandmother.

Next week we are hosting Lea McComas’ 2 workshops on Portrait Quilts – hope you can join us!

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:
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:
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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Red, Yellow and Blue

Posted on July 13, 2018 by Luana

Originally published in newsletter 7-7-18
Tonight I am writing to you from Orsa, about 4 hours northwest of Stockholm, with a midsummer twilight sky reflected on a forest-rimmed lake. Unlike the smoke-filled skies at home in Colorado, the air here is fresh, clear and cool.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting with TWO groups of Swedish quilters on summer retreat, or maybe I should say Summer Quilt Camp. Many thanks to all of the quilters who made me so welcome in Mora and Vamhus! I also discovered some Swedish patterns which I hope we can carry in the near future.

Can you imagine living in a place where everyone lives in a red house? Many structures here, especially in country villages and farms, are painted a deep red that comes from a byproduct of copper mining. There are some neighborhoods in the US where having a red house would be unthinkable, but here it is the norm, and it is absolutely delightful! This time of year the Red stands out against the Green forest and the Blue, Pink and Yellow wildflowers. In the winter when they have a meter of snow on the ground, the Red must be very striking against the white snow and ice. I can’t think of any other country I’ve visited where Red is so ubiquitous.

Because the big quarterfinal match of the World Cup is today, Sweden is also swathed in the national colors of Yellow and Blue. Quilting is just starting to really take off here, and it is interesting to see how quilters choose either the primary colors of Nature and Sweden, or more Modern colors influenced by the rest of Europe perhaps? They are still very much influenced by US quilting trends, but I see a budding Swedish movement and I look forward to seeing unique Swedish art quilts appearing on the international quilt scene in the next few years.

If you’ve been thinking about attending one or both of Lea McComas workshops July 16-20, now is the time to sign up to reserve your spot, so we can send you the Class Supply List. I’ll be in the classroom too so I hope to see you there.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana
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Free Quilt Pattern – Wildwood Way Star Gazer

Posted on July 10, 2018 by equilter

This week’s Free eQuilter Pattern features fantastic flower garlands from RJR’s popular Wildwood Way collection.

These wonderful digital prints include floral impressions and misty landscapes, combined into a woodsy star of delight, in both delicate hues and rich jewel tones.

Your 40″ x 40″ Wildwood Way Star Gazer quilt makes a striking table topper or wall hanging, bringing a graceful field of wildflowers to your home.

… from the ‘Wildwood Way’ collection, a Digital print by RJR Studio for RJR Fabrics.

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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.

********

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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