Free Pattern – Flight of Fancy

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Luana

The centerpiece of this week’s Free Quilt Pattern is a richly hued and ornately detailed Winged Trio panel, featuring two brilliant butterflies and a sparkling dragonfly.

The panel features a tonal, ombre wings background that complements and highlights the shimmering wings of these dazzling creatures. Four coordinating borders complete this 41″ x 60″ quilt, which is both easy to construct and delightful to view.

Plus you can customize it with any one of three colorways of this winged trio panel.

… from the ‘Artisan Spirit Shimmer Flight Of Fancy’ collection
by Deborah Edwards for Northcott 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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A Passion for Color

Posted on November 13, 2017 by Luana

Hello from Portland Oregon.
I am here over the weekend for the International Summit of the Color Marketing Group, sharing my passion for color with other trend forecasters and designers from around the world.

This is a working conference, so we spend time talking about world events and changes in societal attitudes, so we can forecast design and color trends. It is fascinating to see how chaos can be translated into color trends, but it is also heartening to hear how people around the world are waking up to the challenges of climate change and pollution. The trend forecasts include urban trends and technological developments to respond to a changing world, and it gives me hope. This morning we learned that Adidas is making shoes from plastic that is re-constituted from gill nets and plastic trash that is scooped up in the ocean, for instance.

One of our speakers today was Lee Eiseman, who chooses and announces the Pantone Color of the Year. She has a new book out – ‘Color Harmony’ – and a group of us had lunch with her after her massive (!) book signing. She flies all over the world giving color trend presentations for Pantone, at the biggest fashion and design trade shows…you just might have one of her many books on your shelves! (by Leatrice Eiseman)

Portland is its usual Gray and Drizzly self, but the downtown area is hopping with coffeehouses and restaurants. I am going to head on over to Powell’s Books in my spare time, where my stepbrother has been a buyer for many years. My other stepbro’ and his family had to evacuate their kids and animals during the recent fires, so I will hear yet another tale of disaster evacuation while I am here.

We have a very small group coming to sew next Saturday the 18th, so if you are planning to come please RSVP right away. If we don’t have enough people coming, we will need to reschedule. I know it is pre-Thanksgiving…but we will open up if we have a group to sew comfort quilts for hurricane victims.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Monet’s Woman with Parasol

Posted on November 10, 2017 by Luana

This week’s Free Exclusive eQuilter Pattern captures the impressionist brushstrokes of renowned painter Claude Monet. Kaufman’s exceptional Monet collection evokes the bright and vibrant color of Monet’s masterpiece paintings.

Monet’s ‘Woman with Parasol’ central panel print is bordered with beautiful water lilies, sky blue clouds and rich brushstroke blenders. Your 50″ x 67″ Monet quilt makes a wonderful wall-hanging; it will add brightness to your home and delight your visitors and family.

… from the ‘Claude Monet’ collection by Robert Kaufman 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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Love Your Mother – Bernina Contest

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Luana

Now that Houston Quilt Festival is over, I can announce our Big News:

The top prize for our Love Your Mother quilt challenge will be…the brand new model 570 QE BERNINA sewing machine which was just introduced in Houston!

BERNINA 570 Quilter’s Edition:
-Superb fabric feed
-Handles big quilts with ease
-Threads cut automatically
-Precise & perfect stitches
-Patchwork foot #97 included

While I was in Houston, I had several meetings about our Love Your Mother project. We got lots of enthusiastic feedback, and we are waiting to hear back from one big venue about our opening exhibit. We have interest for exhibiting the juried show in the US and in Europe, so I urge you to join our challenge…not just for the prizes but also for the opportunity to show your feelings about our beloved planet, with many others who will see the exhibit.

Many thanks to everyone who has advised and supported this project so far!
Special thanks to the BERNINA’s contribution of this gorgeous machine!

We encourage you to put your heart and soul into this project, and share your thoughts and feelings about what is happening to Planet Earth. For our part, we will sponsor and organize the project and exhibit(s).

We hope that this project and the ensuing exhibit will raise awareness and inspire others to take action to protect our planet…and its inhabitants. The subject is not just environmental, but also you may consider specific topics such as clean vs. toxic waters, wildlife habitats (land and sea), indigenous peoples, rainforests, pollinators, Arctic/Antarctic, Endangered Species, and other matters closely tied with the theme of Mother Earth.

Start by purchasing one of the Challenge panels, read over our guidelines, and have a high quality image ready to upload and register by May 15, 2018. We will do a blind online jury, then the juried quilts will be judged in person.

Good Luck !

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Event Calendar:
Nov 8-13 – Color Marketing Group – Portland OR
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Africa Wildlife Migration Tour
Feb 22-25, 2018 – QuiltCon – Pasadena, California
Apr 14-15 – Lisa Walton @ eQuilter.com
May 11 – eQuilter Chromazone – Color Marketing Group
Nov 14-20, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour – Join me in Churchill

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Free Pattern – Coffee Common Grounds

Posted on November 7, 2017 by Luana

In every quilter’s life, comes a time when we need a Coffee Break!

This delightful coffee-themed 40″ x 40″ wall-hanging is this week’s Free Quilt Pattern, perfect for your kitchen, or your neighborhood cafe.

Start with a panel of Espresso, Latte and Cappuccino vignette blocks, mix in with a Burlap texture, Distressed Wood, Coffee Beans and a Tonal Blender to create this great Coffee House vibe.

Use extra fabric to whip up four 6″ x 8″ mug rugs to go with the wall hanging, and you’ll be ready to host your quilting friends for a cup of Java!
(4 Rectangle Mug Rugs shown below quilt image, showing front and back of each rug.)

… from the ‘Common Grounds’ collection by Blank Textiles.

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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Fall Quilt Market – Part 2

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Luana

Here are some more collections we ordered at Market, which we think are going to be HOT products when they arrive in the next few months:

When Sparks Fly by Libs Elliott
Thomas Kinkade Digital Scenics
Autumn Leaves & Lilacs by Jackie Robinson
Midnight Poppy by Ann Lauer
Under the Australian Sun by Leesa Chandler
Bohemian Blues by Judy and Judel Niemeyer
Kelmscott & Merton by Morris & Co
Folk Tales by Jane Sassaman
Night Music by Amy Butler
All Stars by Tula Pink
Kaffe Fassett Collective Spring 2018
New Frida & Halloween from Alex Henry
Precious Metals – Black Metallic
Llama Llama Bo Bama
Hoffman Digital & Christmas
Elegantly Frightful – Halloween with silver glitter
Northern Solitude – Polar Bear digital by Jay Kemp
Festival of Lights Hanukkah
Farmers Market & Swedish Christmas by Deborah Edwards
Joy to the world by Linda Ludovico
Stonehenge Maplewood by Helene Knott

Expanding Trends:
Sloth, Llamas, Swans
Horses – realistic and detailed
Australian collections – 2 new designers
Doll/animal panels – cut, sew and stuff
Cactus/Succulents and now Houseplants
New higher quality metallics that glisten and shine!

There has been an over-saturation of simple childlike designs and flat artwork, and we are finding that true paintings and illustrations made by talented artists are what is really selling. There is a resurgence and appreciation for hand-painted artwork and we look forward to the pendulum swinging back toward this type of artwork on quilt fabrics. Artists are pushing the boundaries on what is possible with digital printed fabrics, and we were blown away by the huge leap of innovation taking place in this category. The more wildly creative, the better!

We see a trend away from 5″ charms, leaning towards 10″ charms, as quilters realize that it is hard to piece together lots of little pieces, instead of joining and then cutting apart larger pieces.

Similarly we are welcoming Moda’s new strip product “Dessert Rolls” which have doubled the width of a Jelly Roll strip – i.e. each strip is 5″ x 44″ which gives the quilter a lot more options for piecing and cutting. Yes!

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.

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Travel Calendar:
Nov 9-12 – Color Marketing Group – Portland OR
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Africa Wildlife Migration Tour
Feb 22-25, 2018 – QuiltCon – Pasadena, California
Nov 14-20, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour – Join me in Churchill!

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Free Pattern – Space Pets

Posted on November 3, 2017 by Luana

Enjoy the wonders of space with your ‘Space Pets’ eQuilter Exclusive free pattern, featuring three brave pets exploring the vast space frontier! Two adventurous cats and a courageous dog show us that space exploration isn’t just for humans.

Three eQuilter Exclusive panels (Space Pets, Moonlight Double Border and Mandala Planets) are combined and pieced together into a hexagon center, and surrounded by a starry background and colorful paw prints.

This 59″ x 59″ design makes a fun wall hanging or lap quilt for both pet lovers and astronomy buffs. Your Space Pets quilt will bring you years of pleasure and amusement!

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

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 – Old Trucks Are a Thing

Posted on November 1, 2017 by Luana

Hello from Houston!

Tonight was the IQA award ceremony, and $96K was given away in cash prizes to a very international group of quilters. Part of that was the Group Quilts award sponsored by eQuilter. Congratulations to all the big winners!

I have not photographed all the quilts in the show yet, but I have noticed one trend. Old vintage trucks are a Thing…especially if they are rusty and broken down in a field. I’ve compiled this collage of four Old Truck quilts (top left corner of this collage) plus some popular truck fabrics we have in stock now.

The quilts featured above are:
(clockwise from top left)
Seasoned With Time by Karlyn Lohrenz
Amber Waves by Dawn Allen
The Kiss by Margery Hedges
Dad’s Blue Truck by Tonya Littman

It has been 2 months since Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, and the downtown area is back to normal. If you are thinking about attending Quilt Festival, I urge you to come on down and see the quilts, which were carefully protected during the storm, and are now hanging as if nothing ever happened here.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Travel Calendar:
Oct 27 – Nov 2 – Quilt Market & Festival – Houston
Nov 8-13 – Color Marketing Group – Portland OR
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Africa Wildlife Migration Tour
Feb 22-25, 2018 – QuiltCon – Pasadena, California
Nov 14-20, 2018 – POLAR BEAR Tour – Join me in Churchill

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Free Pattern – Walkabout II

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Luana

Today’s Free Quilt Pattern takes us to the land Down Under, with the distinctive style and colors of Australia’s aboriginal artists.

Fussy cut Kangaroos are set in blocks made with black and white dots, and Sandscapes swirling textures. The ‘River Walk’ outer border captures the spirit of the vast Australian outback.

Our Walkabout fabrics are eQuilter favorites, and you’ll enjoy making this 54″ x 72″ quilt that’s worthy of these extraordinarily vibrant works of art.

… from the ‘Walkabout II’ collection by Fabri-Quilt.

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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Fall Quilt Market

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Luana

It’s our first day here at Quilt Market, and I wanted to share some of the exciting things we have ordered! These will be shipping over the next several months, so watch the newsletter for when they arrive in our warehouse!

Gustav Klimt – The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, The Tree of Life
Marilyn Monroe – 4 new designs
Sunshine Garden by Darlene Zimmerman
Musings by Valori Wells – Lino block print styled birds
Picture This – Digital panels with Tigers, Elephants & Pegasus
Supernova Seasons – Fourth of July & New Years digital panels
Hoffman – digital printed wide Quilt Backing
Out of this World – Digital outer space collection
Flamingos – Your favorites are back.
Spellbound by Dan Morris – Wizards, owls, and skulls
Artworks – Retro Marquee, Retro Diner, Sea Turtles, Under the Sea Dolphins, Travel posters
Splendid Swans – Elegant framed and glowing Swans
Seamless by Dan Morris – Whimsical sewing machine, notions, and dress forms
Southwestern Soul by Dan Morris – Southwest horses and Kokopelli motif
Purr-suasion by Dan Morris – Colorful stylized cats with paisleys
Little Explorers – Animals around the world
Air Show by Boeing – Airplanes vintage and modern
Rejoice – Easter Lilies
Stonehenge: A Stitch in Time – New colorways – sewing machines, spools, buttons and quilt labels
Artisan Spirit Floral Fantasy
Resting Point – Wolf digital panel and coordinate
Loon Lake by James Megar – Loons digital panel and coordinate
Friends of the Forest by Kevin Daniel – Squirrels, Bunnies, Raccoons and Chipmunks digital panel
Unicorn Magic – Unicorns with silver glitter accents
Sleepy Sloth – Playful collection proudly supports Quilt for Kids organization
Graffiti – Digital-printed Street Art
Alaska Scenic by Alaska’s Artist Jon Van Zyle – Alaska landscapes, Puffins, Whales and Sled Dogs
Neko – Asian cats with gold metallic blossom accents
Dreamscapes II by Jason Yenter- Digital bright and colorful butterflies and flowers
Autumn Album by Color Principle – Beautiful fall leaves, sunflowers, pumpkins, and corn

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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