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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Creative Nudge – QuiltCon Best of Show

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Luana

Having just returned from QuiltCon in Savannah Georgia, to photograph the Modern Quilts on display there, I wanted to make sure you all saw the Best of Show quilt by Katherine Jones. She is from the Tasmania MQG in Australia, and has created a stunning 98″ x 98″ pieced quilt that sets the bar very high for aspiring QuiltCon quilt artists.

This is absolutely a work of art…it is not a ‘traditional patchwork quilt with a twist’. It is an original and incredibly complicated paper-pieced design using solid fabrics, based on the intricate facets of a Princess Cut Diamond. Hence the name – ‘Bling’.

It took 160 hours to piece the top, and then she used a Walking Foot to quilt the project on her BERNINA 720. The word that seems to come to mind for everyone who saw this quilt was….WOW.

For those who think that Modern Quilting is simple designs, this mind-blowing quilt has just re-written the description of “What is a Modern Quilt?”

If you are inspired by this quilt design, remember that we have every single color of Kaufman’s Kona Solids … over 300 colors! We also carry the color card so you can be as fussy and matchy-matchy about the colors as you like. Can’t decide which shades of Green? Snap up some Solid Pre-Cuts and play with color to get those creative juices flowing!

Be sure to look for the new MQG show “Fresh Quilting” on PBS and online, for more fresh updates on Modern Quilting! eQuilter is a sponsor of the show, and I am a guest on the show. We are thrilled to be able to support this movement that is growing and changing exponentially.

Thanks to all of you who came to the eQuilter Cocktail Party on Friday at QuiltCon. It was so great to see all of you there!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

********

2017 Travel Calendar:
March 26 – April 1 – Wash DC & NYC
Dec 29 2017 – Jan 5 2018 – Tanzania Great Migration – New Years in Africa – Taking Reservations NOW!

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Free Pattern – Lighthouse Wonders

Posted on February 28, 2017 by Luana

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern is actually 2 versions of a scenic Lighthouse view:

‘Sunshine’ is a walk along a rocky coastline at Sunrise (or Sunset!) with brilliant colors shining in the sky, and reflected in the waters.

‘Stormy’ is a dramatic coastal image with dark clouds and cooler colors: a sentinel Lighthouse stands at the end of a rocky pier.

Both powerful images…which one would you choose?
Maybe both?

These 59″ x 67″ panel quilts would make a fantastic pair of wall hangings, or a pair of cozy lap quilts on the front porch of your own coastal retreat.

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 Con in Savannah

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Luana

This weekend I am writing to you from QuiltCon in Savannah Georgia…the quilt conference for the Modern Quilt Guild. You may recall that last year this conference was in Pasadena. Last night we hosted a cocktail party as the show ended, and it was great to meet so many of our customers!

Next week watch for my photos from QuiltCon, so you can see the emerging trends of Color, Design and Fabrics for the Modern Quilt movement.

Fresh Quilting is the new Modern Quilting TV show on PBS, and it had its online debut on Thursday. eQuilter is a sponsor of the show, and I will also make 2 appearances on the show in this first season. We are so excited to support this new Modern show, and hope you will enjoy it too!

Last week I was in Venice, photographing Carnivale costumes. I’ve uploaded lots of photos here so you can enjoy the colors and fabrics of this annual celebration.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

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