Free Pattern – Bountiful

Travel back in time to the era of the family farm, in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern. Cows, horses, chickens, goats, ducks and pigs fill this Country-themed quilt, with a lovely textured illustrative style that is the hallmark of artist Dan Morris.

Large animal portrait blocks alternate with pieced blocks, using coordinates from Dan’s collection. This 63″ x 73″ quilt design would make a small bed quilt, a large lap/couch quilt, or a wallhanging for a farmhouse kitchen.

…from the ‘Bountiful’ collection by Dan Morris 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.

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Happy Mothers Day

All of us at eQuilter wish you a wonderful Mothers Day weekend, and we hope you are able to spend this time with your mother, your children, or all of the above.

I’ve spent most of my career as a mother, working at this company…18 out of 27 years. I started quilting when Mason was one year old, so I’ve been quilting for 26 of those 27 years. My life as a quilter is measured against my years as a mother.

When I was a young mother, I sought out older mothers to give me a reality check as I navigated milestones like Kindergarten, Puberty, and Graduation. Now that the last of my 3 kids is in high school (almost done with her Freshman year!) I am on the other end of the scale.

Today Sophie and I took my mom to an annual tradition – the Mothers Day Tea at a local Victorian mansion owned by the Longmont historical society. We wore fancy hats, we munched on cucumber sandwiches, and waved our pinkies in the air as we sipped from antique teacups painted with flowers.

This is the first year we’ve been to the tea since our dear friend Eleanor left us at the age of 100. They have her portrait hanging in the hallway, and her fancy hat was on the bed, as if she just took it off and went into the adjoining room. We drank from the teacups she donated to the historic home, and we toasted her as someone who was like a mother and grandmother to us.

The love we give, the meals we prepare, the quilts we make, the sage advice we give…all of these things are kept in the memory of our children and those we mentor. I feel lucky to have had so many wonderful women mentors in my life, and that I have a chance to pass that on now to younger women who are mothers and businesswomen.

I am also thankful for my husband and business partner of 22 years. Today Paul and I celebrate our 22nd wedding anniversary. We feel so fortunate that we’ve been able to share this journey and make so many people happy with our business!

If you need a last minute Mothers Day gift, our eQuilter Gift e-Certificates are sent via email for an instant gift. The only thing better than chocolate or flowers on Mothers Day is…instant gratification!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Scrabble Cabin

Scrabble enthusiasts unite!
This week’s Exclusive eQuilter pattern is a colorful celebration of the
cherished, world-famous word game: Scrabble.

Jewel-tone hand dyes are set in log cabin blocks amid a medley of wonderfully detailed Scrabble tiles. This fabulous 60″ x 84″ Scrabble quilt is sure to warm the hearts of your favorite word crafters.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make your own ‘Scrabble Cabin’ quilt.
Friends and family will want one for their next Scrabble match.

This versatile Scrabble panel includes 98 tiles detailing all the letters of the alphabet,
from 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.

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Creative Nudge – Rainbow Ombres

During these polarized times when so many people want to define reality in terms of Black and White, we as artists and makers can choose to see the world in shades of colors….and the popularity of Ombre effects suddenly takes on a whole new meaning.

One of the things I have enjoyed the most about being in the Color Marketing Group, is the philosophical discussions about how color and design trends evolve.

The ongoing popularity of Ombre colors in all aspects of design (Textiles, Fashion, Home Dec, HAIR and Makeup!) is telling us something. It is the opposite of stark blocks of Yin and Yang colors. Instead it invites us to explore and contemplate all the shades of color from one end of the spectrum, to the other.

Printed Ombre fabrics and Hand-Dyed Ombres have been slowly but steadily growing in popularity in our industry. Modern quilters are starting to play with the three-dimensional effects of Ombre colors…moving from Cool to Warm and from Light to Dark.

Now with the explosion of Digital Printed fabrics on the market, we are starting to see this new technology used to produce a new kind of Ombre printed design. It is very exciting to watch this trend grow and expand as designers explore the creative options of this new printing technology.

As a photographer, when I think of Ombre images, I think of Sky and Water. In my most recent travels in 2017, I’ve taken Ombre photos in Venice, because the sky is always filled with misty colors, and the reflective water is everywhere.

I hope you will enjoy this collage, combining a twilight photo of the Grand Canal in Venice, with several of our beautiful Ombre fabrics.

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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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 New Zealand Quilt Festival – Wellington & 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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Free Pattern – Ocean Oasis

This beautiful Free Quilt Pattern is sparkling with the gorgeous illustrations by one of our favorite artists – Dan Morris.

Start with a panel of 8 marine life blocks – then piece them with the coordinates of this stunning aquatic collection. Shimmering diamonds and triangles in the colors of Water and Sand, make a jewel-box setting for these underwater scenes.

Make this 60″ x 73″ quilt as a coverlet for a bed, or hang in a room to give the illusion of a saltwater aquarium on the wall. It makes a great gift for those who love the ambiance of coastal living!

… from the ‘Ocean Oasis’ collection by Dan Morris 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.

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Hola from San Antonio

I hope you are enjoying this very pleasant time of year. (Except for those of you dealing with the crazy storms and flooding!) I am writing to you from San Antonio in Texas, where I am attending a couple performances of the opera ‘Barber of Seville’. A friend of the family has a lead part, and I have a lovely invite to a reception tonight (including tour of costumes and props) and the cast party tomorrow. San Antonio has such a rich culture of color and art…and music… so I am also just wandering around soaking up the post-Cinco-de-Mayo ambiance and enjoying the Riverwalk. Flying home Monday to get ready for Quilt Market!

Here is a recent report from one of our Charity Program recipients:

Kathy Price, director of Mission of Love writes –
“Thirteen Air Force Pallets of educational, medical and humanitarian aid are staged in Charleston for arrival into Guatemala City any day soon. The Denton office is just waiting for a plane to fly our aid.”

“This past week I have obtained two fire trucks, one ambulance, 15,000 pounds of corn, furnishings for seven classrooms, 4 newborn incubators, 6 heating units for newborns in which will save infant lives for the indigenous Mayan communities.”

Thank you Kathy and MOL volunteers, for making our contributions stretch to help so many in need!

Reminder: the deadline for dropping off quilts to be hand-carried to earthquake victims in Nepal is this Weds May 10. The CU chapter of Engineers Without Borders is leaving May 15 on a 3 month working trip, and they are going to carry those quilts in their backpacks when they hike up to the remote villages that were destroyed by the earthquakes. Amazing young people!

With Mothers Day on the horizon, I’d like to remind you that our eQuilter Gift Certificates are always a great gift for the avid quilter. We can send a lovely color gift card through the mail, or send via email for a last-minute gift.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Cosmic Space

Perhaps today you’ve been dreaming of Star Wars and interplanetary travel.
It is May the 4th, after all.

This week’s exclusive Free Quilt Pattern is for the Space Geek and Astronomy Nerd in the family, celebrating the beauty and the science of our Solar System.

Make this fantastic 57″ x 73″ quilt by starting with the central panel, then cut up a 2nd panel featuring Planet blocks. Piece together with coordinates depicting comets, constellations and nebula, for your dramatic Space-themed quilt.

Intense jeweltones on a black background, with a Red Nebula for sashing, make this eye-popping project perfect for a twin bed or a wallhanging.

… from the ‘Cosmic Space’ collection by Heidi Pridemore for Blank Textiles.

(May the 4th is a day celebrated by Star Wars fans, as in “May the Fourth be with you.”)

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 – Dogs & Cats & Kids

We love animals, and I bet you can see that expressed in our website and the fabrics we carry. We love wild animals and domestic animals, but especially our Cats and Dogs. Personally, our family has 2 rescue kitties and 2 golden retrievers, and our kids adore our pets too.

I know many of you have the same love for your furry buddies…they hang out on your sewing table, they give puppy-dog eyes at the dinner table, they lie quietly in our laps and they race around like maniacs. And then we love them even more!

Many quilt exhibits include in the entry rules “No animal hair” because so many of us have our pets in the studio. What would we do without our Studio Cats who love to “help” by curling up on the best quilt? What would we do without our dogs, snuffling and slobbering in our scrap pile, and reminding us to get up from the sewing machine every once in awhile… to stretch and take them outside?

When you put little kids together with cute pets, especially kittens and puppies, the result is smiles all around. So I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos of Sam and Sophie when they were little, with a couple beloved pets who are now gone. The pink poodle was not ours … we met this doggie on a trip to Florida. Now ladies are dying their hair pink, instead of their poodles…ha!

If you are donating a quilt for Nepal earthquake victims, they must arrive by May 10, because the CU chapter of Engineers Without Borders is leaving May 15.

Don’t forget – last minute Mothers Day Gift Certificates!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Travel Calendar:
May 6-7 – San Antonio, Texas
May 18 – 24 – Saint Louis (Quilt Market) & NYC
June 13-14 – 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 New Zealand Quilt Festival – Wellington & 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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Free Pattern – Bella-rina

This delightful Free Quilt Pattern features a central panel of 3 Little Ballerinas…and the first time we saw these cutie-pies, there was a simultaneous “Awwww….how adorable” in the room.

For all those little girls who take ballet lessons, this 74″ x 82″ bed-sized quilt will bring dreams of tutus, tiaras and ballet slippers.

Coordinates include Music Notes, Piano Keys, and a clever stripe used as a border – depicting Barre Class. Pink, Turquoise and Black make this an eye-catching color combination that is sure to thrill your little ballerina.

… from the ‘Bella-Rina’ collection by Swizzle Stick Studio for Studio E 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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Having Too Much Fun!

We’ve had great fun with special visitors this week, with some Modern Quilters and a bus full of Nebraska quilters dropping by!

It is always interesting to hear what different quilters have to say when they walk through our warehouse and classroom.

The Modern Quilters of course were delighted to see that we had over 300 colors of Kaufman Kona Solids in stock (plus multiple Kona Fat Quarter packets, Color Cards, Kona Charms and Strip Rolls.)

They were also tickled to see that we had so many Linen prints and Linen solids, including natural, cross-dyed and lame yarn-dyed Essex Linen. We do realize that our site is so big that sometimes it is hard to know all the products that we carry.

Yes we do carry many products for Modern Quilters, which is why we are sponsors for QuiltCon and the new MQG TV show on PBS – Fresh Quilting!

You can see my 2 segments from Fresh Quilting on our Video Page. (Cuban Colors, and Quilts for Charity.)

Friday we had a giant bus of fun-loving quilters from Nebraska, who were taking a fabric tour across Colorado. We had a blast with these ladies, and if you have a large group who would like to come visit us, just let us know!

We had coffee, tea and cookies…then a tour of our fabric warehouse, offices and my studio. After that I gave a trunk show of quilts and Bernina Fashion Show garments.

The best part was our giant fabric garage sale, and the ladies brought bags, stuffed them with our premium scraps, and paid for them by the pound. If you want to come for a class or tour, and your group is big enough, we’ll open up our Fabric Scrap Sale for you too! Call Dana in Customer Service and we’ll get you on the calendar!

eQuilter is a sponsor for the SAQA annual conference at the Intl Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln Nebraska over this weekend. Sorry I can’t be there! We are also sponsoring a SAQA event in Boulder this August – the NEXT exhibit and symposium – hope to see many of you SAQA folks here in August. (Come visit us while you are here!)

With Mothers Day on the horizon, I’d like to remind you that our eQuilter Gift Certificates are always a great gift for the avid quilter. We can send a lovely color gift card through the mail, or send via email for a last-minute gift.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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