Free Pattern – Beneath the Waves

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Luana

Dive into a magical underwater world in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern.

The center panel is a fantastic photo-realistic scene of a coral reef, with colorful tropical fish, and a sea turtle up above, with the glittering waves beyond.

We’ve combined digital prints from a few different companies, plus a pearlized tonal border, to create this stunning 54″ x 66″ wallhanging. This fabrics are so gorgeous you might not want to cut them up, but please do!

This makes a great gift for a diving or snorkeling enthusiast, for a wall in a beach condo, or as a memory of a special vacation.

…from the ‘Beneath The Waves’ 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.

EQ7 is the leading quilt design software, which is available here at eQuilter.

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 – Buzzing in my Garden

Posted on May 31, 2017 by Luana

As I am sure you know, eQuilter gives 2% of sales to a carefully vetted list of charities, and tonight I was happy to attend a Rainforest Action Network (RAN) event as a corporate sponsor, where Paul Hawken spoke about the organization Project Drawdown and the book “Drawdown”, which features solutions for using humanity’s collective wisdom to solve the climate change problem. I especially like solution #6 – Educating Girls!

This time of year here in the Northern Hemisphere, many of us are busy with our gardens, planting vegetables and tending to flower beds. We invite pollinators such as Bees and Butterflies into our gardens, not always knowing that plants and seeds have been impregnated with pesticides that can kill those pollinators.

The eQuilter Fabric Garden happens to be lush with an abundance of flowers and bees and butterflies at the moment, (see the fabric collage above!) but I’ve noticed the last several years that there are less and less pollinators visiting my backyard garden. Our local beekeeper has sold our family jars of honey for 30 years, but this year he has no bees and no honey.

However we’ve seen lots of Bees on fabric this year, in fact I’ll say that it is a very hot trend. We can barely keep our best Bee fabrics in stock! And why? Because so many of you are concerned about the plight of Bees too. I can’t wait to dive into my new copy of ‘Drawdown’ to read about proactive solutions for our planet’s climate challenges.

To our friends in Canada – I hope to see you in Toronto at the Quilt Festival. I’ll be at the Tuesday night award ceremony, and I’ll be walking the show all day Wednesday. (June 13-14)

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Festive Cardinals and Ornaments

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Luana

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern has two 45″ x 58″ versions – glittering Christmas Tree Ornaments, or brilliant Red Cardinals on Green Pine & Holly Boughs. Make one of each for a fantastic set of holiday wallhangings!

Start with a central panel featuring large-scale detailed birds or ornaments, add a pieced Inner Border, then add the larger outer border with more birds or ornaments. The Red and Gold Metallics really “pop” on the Black and Ivory backgrounds…perfect for a festive room full of holiday decorations.

These lovely holiday wall-hangings are sure to become part of your holiday tradition for years to come…or as a gift for someone special.

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.

EQ7 is the leading quilt design software, which is available here at eQuilter.

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 30, 2017 by Luana

Here are some more Designer Collections, Trends and Themes that we picked up at Quilt Market last week. Watch for these in our future newsletters over the next several months!

Wanderlust by Paula Nadelstern
Hydrangea Blue by Jackie Robinson
Hopscotch
Pretty Foxy by Ro Gregg
Best of Sarah Jane
Cat-I-Tude by Ann Lauer
Winter Games for Winter Olympics
Hummingbird Bouquet
William Morris 2017 – Victoria & Albert Museum License

Quilters Canvas – Embroidery & Appliqué outlines printed on Cotton/Linen
Metallic Mayhem – Metallic Lame Yarn-Dyes
Thoroughbreds (Horse Portraits)
A Ghastly Moment from Alexander Henry
American Country 17th – Bees & Honeycomb
Flower Sugar – Retro Roses from Lecien – Japan Import
Uncorked – cork texture cotton prints with metallic
Born Free – Raccoons, Meerkats, Otters, Parrots, Pandas, Crows and more
On the Go – Canvas Road Map, Tea Towel Calendar Panel
Got Your Back – Handwriting & Typeset – Quiltbacking
More ‘In the Patch’ Wooly Charms and Chunks pre-cuts

Trends to Watch:
Hydrangeas, Hummingbirds, Otters, Parrots, Tigers, Unicorns, Sloths, Llamas
Tropical and Retro Barkcloth is back!
Modern, flat Batiks – we are stocking precuts from several companies
Rustic, sketchy, old fashioned farm themes
Linen Prints expanding to include traditional themes and text

For our Canadian quilter friends – please note that I will be at the Award Ceremony on the evening of Tues June 13, and will also be at the show all day Weds June 14. Hope to see many of you there!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Zen Oasis

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Luana

Enjoy the graceful beauty of Asian Florals and Butterflies in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, featuring Chrysanthemums, Peonies and trailing Wisteria blossoms.

Delicate butterflies hover over Cream, Pink and Red flowers…with the drama of Gold Metallic details on a black background central panel.

Alternating Ivory and Black border panels embrace the central panel, and a lush floral engineered stripe creates the detailed outer border in this 58″ x 76″ quilt design. Inspired by historic imperial palace artwork, this quilt will bring an ambiance of regal elegance to a special room.

…from the ‘Zen Oasis’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

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.

EQ7 is the leading quilt design software, which is available here at eQuilter.

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 – A Walk on the Beach

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Luana

Hello from New York City!
Last weekend we attended Quilt Market in St. Louis, and picked out lots of gorgeous fabrics that will be arriving over the next several months. I am spending a couple days at a design show in NYC, flying home tomorrow.

This morning I had coffee with a friend from the Color Marketing Group. Leatrice Eiseman is the Pantone VP who announces the Color of the Year every December. She has written many excellent books on COLOR, and was in town to give her lecture about color trends for the design show. I can’t wait to see her latest book this Fall.

I am seeing lots of design that features themes about the OCEAN, WATER and TROPICAL flora and fauna. Barkcloth is back! Palm trees, tropical florals, parrots, and whales are some of these upcoming print trends. I’ve put together a collage of some of these fabrics, to evoke a summer on the New England coast. Perhaps you are planning a summer vacation to a coastal town with a beach like this?

The opening of the 2017 Quilt National show at the Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio is this upcoming Memorial Day weekend. eQuilter is a sponsor but I am not able to attend the opening. I hope some of you can check it out!

Sophie is finishing her first year of high school this week. That went way too fast!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Queen of We’en

Posted on May 23, 2017 by Luana

Your unique and eccentric taste has led you on a journey, seeking a Halloween project that no one in your neighborhood or quilt guild has ever seen…

This enchanting Halloween wallhanging will make a fantastic door-panel, because the clever swags will blow in the breeze, and flap every time you open the door for little Trick-or-Treaters. Perfect! Includes fabric for both the 3-patch mini-swag (shown) plus a bonus seven-patch swag.

Start on your Queen of Halloween celebration today, with this festive 42″ x 63″ creation!

…from the ‘Queen of We’en collection by Janet J. Wecker Frisch for Quilting Treasures.

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

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.

EQ7 is the leading quilt design software, which is available here at eQuilter.

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 I

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Luana

Hello from Quilt Market in Saint Louis.
Ready or not, here come the DIGITAL PRINTS!
We are seeing an explosion of creativity and technical achievement in digital prints, particularly in wildlife panels, exquisite florals, and incredible landscapes.

The market is saturated with simple, flat artwork, so we are focusing on what our customers like best: gorgeous artwork and high quality illustrations, with lots of detail and beautiful colors. Digital prints allow us to see the brush-strokes of the artist from the original painting. Digital prints allow us to see an almost infinite range of textures and shading.

Gold and silvery metallics are prevalent, with a beautiful high quality we have not seen before now…there is a new benchmark for metallic pigment and subtle pearlescents that gleam with elegance and a luxe sophistication.

Here are some of the designer collections we have loved (and ordered!) so far at Quilt Market. They will be shipping over the next several months. Watch our newsletters for their arrivals!

Color Flow by Caryl Bryer Fallert
Kaffe Artisan & Kaffe Collective
Bella Vita Batiks by McKenna Ryan
Hatters Tea Party by Janet Wecker Frisch
Lucy & Ollie by Valori Wells
Marilyn Monroe Digital Prints
Ajisai by Jason Yenter
Poppy Perfection by Jane Shasky
Picture This digital panoramic scenes
Dream Big photo realistic floral panels
Heavenly Hydrangeas by Sue Zipkin
La Belle Provence by Heidi Pridemore
Home Sweet Home, Motorin’ & 5 Alarm by Dan Morris
Birds of a Feather
Covered Bridges
Artisan Spirit Water Garden by Ira Kennedy
Destinations by Deborah Edwards (Travel theme)
Mrs. Bobbins
All a Twitter
Bark Cloth – Retro Tropical & MidCentury Modern
‘Caturday’ feline friends
Text Me Back – Emojis, Hashtags, Text Bubbles
Wildflower Meadow by Jackie Robinson
Here Comes the Sun
Unicorn Kisses
Flannels – Mammoth & Highlander
DIGITAL PRINTED QUILT BACKINGS!

Trends to Watch: Batiks with Metallic Screen Printing, Unicorns, Hedgehogs, Sloths, Llamas, Cactus & Succulents, Printed and Natural Linen, Chambray in Blue & Metallics.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Nature’s Angel

Posted on May 19, 2017 by Luana

Enter the enchanted forest of this spectacular Nature’s Angel in this week’s Free exclusive Quilt Pattern. Foxes, fawns, squirrels, deer, raccoons and more forest woodland creatures gather, drawn to her gentle, blessed spirit.

Start with a lovely central panel, beautifully detailed in this digital printed scene. Then add multicolor ribbons of nature with neutral hand dye twists for the pieced border.

This 47″ x 55″ quilt could be a nap quilt, a lap quilt, or a magical wallhanging in a special room. The glowing colors evoke a mystical aura; you can almost hear the woodland whispers of the cherished forest.

…from the ‘Artworks’ collection by Liz Dillon for Quilting Treasures.

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.

EQ7 is the leading quilt design software, which is available here at eQuilter.

Click Here for a Video Tutorial of the Free Pattern Designer.
Download Instructions for the pattern at the bottom of the pattern designer page.

Luana

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Creative Nudge – Cosmic Kismet

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Luana

One of our most popular fabric designers is Paula Nadelstern, whose kaleidoscope-inspired mandalas are prized by textile collectors around the world. Over the years I think we have carried 14 different collections designed by Paula, and we’ve sold thousands and thousands of yards of her entire collections. We stock her old collections as long as possible, because we know they will just sell and sell to her old and new fans.

After I left the New York garment industry and moved back to Colorado, I was looking for a new art form to play with fabric and color. I stumbled across a quilt magazine at the grocery store, and I just knew this was what I’d been looking for. (1990) I found my way to our state guild, and the very first time I went to a meeting of CQC, the guest speaker was Paula! I had recently moved from New York City, so as Paul talked about living in the City, and making quilts on the kitchen table in her NYC apartment, I felt a kinship with her.

Over the years Paula and I have become friends, and we even met in Canada a couple years ago, when she was teaching a class in Winnipeg, and I was leading a group on a Polar Bear tour. One of our most popular videos has been my interview with Paula at her American Folk Art Museum exhibit. (Part I and Part II)

Paula’s kaleidoscope quilts and fabric designs remind me of the swirling graphics of Doctor Who and other Sci-Fi/Space films, like giant quilted nebulae floating in a vast textile universe.

Indeed, Paula has created her own quilted universe, where we can go and play with her spinning mandalas…so much better than coloring books!

The collage above combines a Solar System Panel by Heidi Pridemore, with Paula Nadelstern’s “Kismet” panels and coordinates.

I am leaving Thursday to travel to Quilt Market in Saint Louis, where there is an 80% chance of thunderstorms and rain all 3 days. Watch for my Quilt Market review in Saturday’s newsletter!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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

********

Travel Calendar:
May 18 – 24 – Saint Louis (Quilt Market) & NYC
June 12-15 – Quilt Canada Festival in Toronto
June 19-21 – Cleveland – Fresh Quilting
July 14-16 – Sacred Threads & Not Fade Away
July 30 – Intl Quilt Trends lecture at San Jose Museum of Quilts & Textiles
Aug 12 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
Sept 16 – Quilters Take Manhattan
Oct 1-11 – Intl Quilt Trends lecture at New Zealand Quilt Festival – Christchurch
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Africa Wildlife Migration Tour – Limited Spaces
Feb 22-25, 2018 – QuiltCon – Pasadena, California

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