Happy National Quilting Day

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Luana

Guess what? The 3rd Saturday in March is National Quilting Day, and that’s today! We know we don’t have to tell you that, to get you in front of your sewing machine, or to pick up your needle and thread and work on your latest project this weekend. Have a wonderful Quilting Day!

This weekend, I am looking forward, and looking backward. There have been a lot of changes in the industry in the last couple weeks, and in particular we thought you would like to know that Kona Bay Fabrics has closed and I’d like to give an appreciation for the beautiful Asian fabrics they have produced for so many years. It was one of the first companies we ordered from when we opened in our basement, and over the years our family has become friends with the owner Doug. My kids used to run around his warehouse in Hawaii, when we visited Paul’s parents in Honolulu.

So now I guess Kona Bay fabrics are going to be collector items. We are stocked up and expect to get one more shipment, but if you’ve ever wanted to own a Kona Bay collectible Asian panel, floral, etc. now is the time. Our best wishes to Doug and everyone at Kona Bay… we will miss you.

Looking forward, I wanted to talk about one of the trends I saw at QuiltCon. In the past I’ve talked about how Linens have been so important both at the Tokyo Quilt Festival and in Modern Quilts.(Solid, Natural and Printed Linens)

At this QuiltCon I saw SO much Denim and Chambray! It is so interesting to see how these fabrics associated with work garments (i.e. blue collar) have been used for all or part of many Modern Quilts in 2017. We’ve been bullish on chambray and denim for a long time, because of these fabrics being so strong in fashion and home dec the last few years. We expect to see these fabrics join Linen as an important basic in Modern Quilts going forward into 2018. I’ve put solid/natural Linens together with Chambray and Denim for your convenience.

I have 136 photos up now, from QuiltCon 2017. You can see them here.

Also we just previewed my clip from the new Modern Quilting PBS show “Fresh Quilting” and it will be up on our Video page in the next few days.

I am working on the pre-trip Textile/Craft day for the Tanzania trip, and yes we still have a few seats left. If you would like to toast the New Year under the stars on the Serengeti with me later this year, call Aly at NatHab (details at this link) and save your spot!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Redwood Express

Posted on March 17, 2017 by Luana

All Aboard for this week’s exclusive Free eQuilter Pattern, ready to transport you to another time and place on the Redwood Express. You can almost hear the high-pitched “choo-choo” of the steam whistle, and the chugging of the engine through the whispering branches and leaves.

The central panel of this 58″ x 72″ quilt is a view of an engine steaming across a trestle, winding its way through the majestic Redwoods in an ancient forest.

Surrounding the beautiful central panel, there are other vignettes of historic trains in dramatic landscapes. This is layered with Hoffman Hand-Dye sashing, an allover Redwood Forest border, and the outer border is vintage train tracks.

Snap up this collectible Train panel, and make this quilt the focus of a special room for your steam engine aficionado!

… from the ‘Redwood Express’ collection by Marc Desobeau for 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.

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 – Organic Mid – Century Mod

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Luana

One of the fun things about going to QuiltCon is seeing a seemingly endless collection of Mid-Century Modern interpretations.

This piece was quilted by Laura Bennett, theme and colors by Jessica Levitt, blocks designed & constructed by the Central Jersey Modern Quilt Guild.

It has a distinctly Mid-Century Palm Springs Vibe. Maybe it is really a Mid-Century Jersey Vibe… but it really reminds me of the architecture tour I took in Palm Springs while at a Color Marketing Group conference there. At night we walked around and peered in the windows of the vintage collector stores, and saw things with this same design vibe, that reminded us of the Rat Pack…Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra style.

This collaborative quilt titled ‘Organic Mid-Century Mod’ was a progressive quilt, made at the Mid-Atlantic Mod quilting retreat. I would say that had a lot of fun with this piece! If you ever hear anyone say that Solids are boring, show them this quilt. It makes me smile!

Kudos to Laura, Jessica, and their quilt posse from Princeton, NJ! (Jessie Aller, Neva Asinari, Ashley Bander, Tracy Baird, Ruth Bass, Nicole Folino, Michelle Kochan, Janet Schoenfeld, Robin Tillsworth & Colleen Wiest.)

Check out the album of photos I’ve posted from QuiltCon…more being uploaded every couple days.

If you’ve been intrigued by my New Years trip to Tanzania, to see the Serengeti Great Migration, I’ve uploaded some photos from NatHab and my friend Kevin who have shared images from their recent trips.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – She Sews Sea Shells

Posted on March 14, 2017 by Luana

Take a trip to the seashore with Janet’s whimsical vintage collection,
in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern.

This 42″ x 59″ quilt makes a fun wallhanging, featuring a central panel with ladies in swimming costumes, and concentric borders using coordinating fabrics. Have fun with this super easy quilt pattern for a fast gift…or freshen up your Room With a View of the water, for the warm months ahead.

Janet’s illustrations somehow manage to be contemporary and antique all at the same time, which is why her artwork is so beloved by eQuilter customers. Come on in… the water’s fine!

… from the ‘She Sews Sea Shells’ collection by J. Wecker Frisch 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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Daylight Savings Time

Posted on March 13, 2017 by Luana

Tonight we are providing our Bi-Annual Daylight Savings Service: Time to set your clocks ahead one hour for most states in the US. You might need a little extra coffee if you are reading this on Sunday morning!

Yesterday we celebrated our 18th Anniversary at eQuilter, but it was also my mother’s 80th birthday, and we celebrated with family members who flew in from out of state.

Carolye was born in Orange County California when it was still all orange groves, then grew up on a farm in Molalla Oregon and walked down a dirt road to a one-room schoolhouse. She went to business college and eventually became a real estate broker, after raising 3 kids. She has always supported my work in the arts, and I thank her for allowing me to follow my dreams and my creative interests.

When I was a music major, she was my piano accompanist. When I was a fashion designer, she wore my designs. She is one of those very special sweet happy people who can always see the good in a situation. Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

There is a nice big batch of QuiltCon Photos on my photo page now, and there will be more! Take a look and see where Modern Quilting is going in 2017.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Sparkling Starscape

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Luana

Wow! This is one of the most gorgeous quilts we’ve ever had in our exclusive Free Pattern program! If you’ve been holding out for a larger quilt pattern that can be used for a bed,
this 67″ x 88″ pattern might be just for You.

Start with 3 panels (in 3 color combinations) of Paula’s large Kismet stars on point, alternate with smaller kaleidoscope stars, and set in a high-contrast sashing using Hoffman Hand-Dyes. Wrap it up in the absolutely delicious Dragonette Filigree for the border, and you’ve got a new bed quilt that will give you the most amazing starry dreams!

… from the ‘Kismet’ collection by Paula Nadelstern for Benartex.

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 – Light and Shadow – QuiltCon

Posted on March 8, 2017 by Luana

As I work through the photos I took at QuiltCon, I find that the thing that stands out the most is the use of Color. It is no longer just a MidCentury Modern color palette. It is certainly not just about one color. It is about the combinations of color and how they are used in the design of the quilt. These color palettes seem to be drawing more and more on the Seventies era, combining saturated secondary hues with neutrals, and using value to create a sense of dimension.

Here is just one of the many striking Modern quilts from QuiltCon. “Light and Shadow” by Rebecca Loren (Boston Modern Quilt Guild) uses a star block inspired by quiltindex.org, from a piece made by an unidentified quilter around 1850-1875.

Rebecca designed her plan for the colors before constructing the quilt, then pieced improvisationally for the wash effect. The graded colors were intended to create a flicker effect, like shadows at dusk. Note the dense quilting, which was machine quilted on a frame by Linda Wolyniec. Many modern quilts are pieced by one person, and quilted on a midarm or longarm by another person…as with this striking quilt!

There are many more quilts from QuiltCon that have creative uses of color and value, and I’ll be uploading them on my photo page this week.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Starlight

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Luana

Gather up an armful of Celestial Beauty, with this week’s Free Quilt Pattern.

You’ll find the Sun, Moon and Stars all shining in this 63″ x 72″ bed quilt, based on a panel of 5″ squares… cut up into blocks and alternating with pieced stars.

This collection shimmers with gold metallic, and the sashing is a lovely Sky Blue Hoffman Hand-Dye. The border is a clever engineered stripe, with Phases of the Moon, and the Planets of the Solar System…the perfect gift for your favorite Star-Gazer!

… from the ‘Starlight’ collection by First Blush Studio for Henry Glass.

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 March! Happy 18th Anniversary!

Posted on March 6, 2017 by Luana

We had 75 degree days in February, and the trees are starting to bud out here in Colorado, which is a little freaky. However one can’t help but catch a little Spring Fever when the weather is this nice, even if March is supposed to be our snowiest month!

You may have noticed that we are bringing in more products that are exclusive to eQuilter (like our Designer Digital prints) and this week we introduced a very special collection of African Dutch Wax Prints…some with metallic foil and some printed on a cotton jacquard. When I am traveling I am always on the lookout for fantastic new fabrics for our serious Fabriholic collectors…you know who you are…

This coming week is our 18th anniversary. Some of you still remember when we started the company out of the basement of our house, or our first warehouse that we took over from Celestial Seasonings. (All the fabric smelled like mint tea for the first 6 months there.) Our kids have grown up while we’ve run this business together, and Paul and I are still having fun planning the next Big Thing for our company.

We are so blessed to have such wonderful employees, friends and customers because of eQuilter. We continue to raise money for our list of charities, and when we hit $1.4 million recently, it was kind of surreal. Be assured that we will continue, with that next goal of $1.5 million just over the horizon! Thank you again for your enthusiastic support over the last 18 years!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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Free Pattern – Kimmidoll Yuna

Posted on March 3, 2017 by Luana

This week’s Exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features the latest version of the wildly popular Kimmidoll designs – the adorable Japanese kimono doll with coordinating Lotus Flowers and Dragonflies.

This quilt design uses a clever Asian geometric design, setting dolls and dragonflies on point, contrasting shades of Teal and Indigo, against Rose-hued sashing.

Elegant touches of gold metallic give this a subtle shimmer, like the last rays of sunlight glimmering on a peaceful Lotus pond. This 41″ x 41″ wall hanging quilt will add a feeling of calm luxury to a special room in your home.

… from the Kimmidoll ‘Yuna-Calm’ collection by 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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