Free Pattern – Make a Splash

Make-a-Splash

Tropical waters beckon, and Cetacean smiles will warm your heart,
in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern!

Your 52″ x 58″ Dolphin-themed quilt is built around a gorgeous panel, cleverly spliced with a tonal dolphin print, and a realistic ocean wave design.

It is set in an easy border using a tossed Snapshot print, and the overall effect is sure to bring a smile to that special someone who dreams of being a Marine Biologist or Dolphin Defender.

Hang it over a bed, or make a nap quilt, and you’ll be dreaming of swimming with the dolphins!

…from the ‘Make a Splash’ collection by Exclusively Quilters.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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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Stitching for Peace

Often these days, it seems like the world has gone crazy. This week we are sending our love and sad hugs to those in Nice, France. My quilter friends who live in Paris have written to say that the event in Nice hit them hard. I have decided that every quilt I make that is going to go out on tour, will have a prayer for peace somewhere in the quilt, if not obvious, then hidden as a secret message to those who look close. I pray for peace every day, and this is one way I can stitch those prayers into my work that will go out into the world and hopefully add to all the other prayers.

Here is another example of using quilts for healing and awareness. We all know someone touched by this pervasive problem against women. I would be happy to host a workshop in our new class space. If you are interested, let us know. In my previous life, I ran a support group for women survivors, so this is one close to my heart. Perhaps some of you would also like to host workshops in your area.

Just in case you missed this last week, we have a new video with Betty Busby, talking about her exhibit at the Dairy Arts Center here in Boulder. Thanks Betty!

A week ago was pretty scary here because we had a fire burning in the mountains up above Boulder. We watched the planes dumping slurry and the helicopters hauling water, for several days. Our family lives near the Boulder airport so we were aware of the giant helicopters coming and going. It is a relief to know that the fire is out and the 2000 evacuees have gone home.

I’ve been meeting with various local and regional groups to plan for our new Classroom Space. If you have a group who would like to book a meeting/class space, or make an appointment to shop our ongoing Garage Sale, please contact Dana in Customer Service.

Final payments are now due for my Cuban Arts Tour in September. Those of you signed up for the Polar Bear Tour will be receiving a fabric packet in your trip package from Natural Habitats, some time in August.

I’ll be meeting with Arte Patchwork in Seville (Spain) next week, but will also be in Granada July 25-26, and Malaga July 27-28, if any of our friends in Spain would like to get together there. Please contact Dana (Customer Service) and she will get a message to me.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana and Paul

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Free Pattern – Bluebird Gathering

BluebirdGathering

Your exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern awaits you with wonderfully detailed bluebirds in splendid, framed floral settings with a delicate, filigree background.

Find your ‘Bluebird of Happiness’ by snapping up this cheerful and uplifting 44″ x 53″ quilt. Bird watchers and nature lovers will enjoy snuggling up with their own bluebird gathering.

…from the ‘Bluebird Gathering’ collection by Jackie Robinson for Benartex.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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 – We Are Storytellers

Fireworks2016_700

If you’ve followed my blog or my Midweek Creative Nudge for awhile, you know that I love to take photos and find ways to relate them to the fabrics we carry. I find that the things I love to photograph are often very similar to the fabrics I love to order for eQuilter.

My kids find it very annoying that I always have to bring a camera to the Fourth of July Fireworks. So this year I didn’t bring my beloved Nikon, but when the celebrations started and the sky lit up… I couldn’t help myself. I had to whip out my phone and try to capture the perfect shot.

I started playing around with a photo collage of the fireworks this week, and it occurred to me that we actually *did* have fabrics that evoked the explosion of light and color that delights us on this purely American Summer holiday.

When my kids were little they all had a chance to experience the fireworks at Disneyland. I remember little Sophie’s thrilling shriek when Tinkerbell appeared at the top of the castle, then flew through the air. (aided by an almost-invisible wire.) Having lived in LA near Disneyland until I was 10 years old, I was thrilled to relive that childhood memory with my own daughter. I took her when I was at a trade show in An aheim!

Now that my kids are pretty much grown (Sophie starts high school in 6 weeks!) I find that I miss the days of Tinkerbell and fireworks, but I smile when I think about combining our Disney licensed prints, with the designs of Paula Nadelstern of Peggy Toole, that remind me of those wondrous nights under the shimmering multicolored pyrotechnics.

We collect fabrics in our stash because they remind us of something, they touch our heart, they excite us but we don’t know why… and then suddenly we realize we’ve collected fabrics that tell a story!

May your storytelling bring you great pleasure and the sweetest of memories, now and forever.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
~Luana

2016 Travel Calendar:
July 20-29 – Seville & Granada
Aug 6 – Intl Quilt Study Center/Museum – Lincoln Nebraska
Aug 12-14 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
Sept 3 – Water is Life – Frascati Rome
Sept 18-25 – CUBA Arts Tour #2 – Havana, Trinidad & Varadaro
Oct 6 – Dairy Barn – Athens OH – “Intl Quilt Trends” Lecture
Oct 29 – Nov 4 – Houston Quilt Market & Festival
Nov 11-13 – Color Marketing Group – Albuquerque
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Canada

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Free Pattern – Rosewater

Rosewater

We are delighted to bring you one of the most gracious and lovely Free Quilt Patterns of the summer season…featuring the ‘Rosewater’ fabric collection.

This pastel rose garden has luscious painterly details, with blocks set on point, giving the impression of a garden trellis and a shimmering background. Perhaps it will remind you of an English garden, or your grandmother’s Tea set?

This generous 82″ x 93″ quilt pattern will make a lovely queen-size quilt…maybe this one is for YOUR bed? This would also make a great project for holiday gift-giving for someone special, to keep the roses blooming all through the winter months.

…from the ‘Rosewater’ collection by Nan for Quilting Treasures.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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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Free Pattern – Catalina Ultra Violet

CatalinaUltraviolet

Enter into a mysterious midnight garden, in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern.

Ultra-Violet flowers really “pop” on a black background, with soft leafy green accents and sashing.

Blocks are set on point, creating a lovely Garden Trellis effect. Tiny pinwheels hold the trellis blocks together, while garlands of blossoms are cleverly engineered into a lush blooming border!

…from the ‘Catalina Ultra Violet’ collection by Marti Michell for Maywood Studio.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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 – * Arctic Blast * Warm Hearts *

BearInTheGrass_700

Here in Colorado, our hottest month tends to be July, so once we hit July 4th, I start thinking about ways to keep cool. One of the ways that I do that is by looking at my Polar Bear photos!

This handsome fellow hung out near our Polar Rover for about an hour, stopping occasionally to stare at us inquisitively. A little while later a female walked up to our back deck and sat down for 45 minutes. Thinking about it sends shivers down my spine…brrrr!

When my boys were little, they just loved to have “Mama Do You Love Me?” as a bedtime story, and now that I’ve met the Inuit people while visiting the edge of the Arctic Circle, it means even more to me. I was so thrilled when the illustrations from this book were licensed as fabric designs!

In addition to seeing lots of Polar Bears, on my previous 2 trips we also saw Snowy Owls, Arctic Foxes, White Ptarmigan, Silver Foxes, Bald Eagles, and of course lots of snow and ice and crystalline sunsets.

Naturally, I have been collecting fabrics so some day I can make a quilt that tells the story of these frigid exhilarating adventures. I know that many of you collect storytelling fabrics, because we see what you order! Sometimes we look at the combinations of fabrics and wonder…what is YOUR story?!?

Some of you share your story quilts by sending us photos of your finished projects, made with fabrics from eQuilter. We love to share them on our social media pages, to inspire other quilters. When we buy special fabrics with Polar Bears, Lighthouses, Whales, Hot Air Balloons, Camping Trailers, Ballet Shoes, the Eiffel Tower, Firetrucks, Koala Bears, Bicycles, Star Wars, Teapots, Motorcycles, Pianos, French Bulldogs, Steam Engines or Soccer Balls… we KNOW that you are also delighted to find the right fabric to tell your story, or tell the story of a loved one.

So just for fun, think of a story from your family, think of a visual theme related to the story, and search for those key words in our powerful search engine. (Thank you Paul!) Then click and go to the product page, click on your favorite color in that design, and click on the blue button “Find This Color” for coordinates.

We stay up late just dreaming up ways to make you smile, so you can tell your story, and make somebody else smile. Pass it on!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
~Luana

2016 Travel Calendar:
July 20-29 – Seville & Granada
Aug 6 – Intl Quilt Study Center/Museum – Lincoln Nebraska
Aug 12-14 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
Sept 18-25 – CUBA Arts Tour #2 – Havana, Trinidad & Varadaro
Oct 7 – Dairy Barn – Athens Ohio – Intl Quilt Trends Lecture
Nov 11-13 – Color Marketing Group – Albuquerque
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour

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Free Pattern – Unbridled

Unbridled

Take a trip to the wide open spaces of the wild west, with this gorgeous Horse-themed Free Quilt Pattern. We wish you a Happy 4th of July with these iconic images from our country’s early days, celebrating the wide open spaces of America’s western lands.

Dan’s combination of illustrations and textured silhouettes gives this a lovely weathered look, with a vintage color palette and prairie styling.

This 64″ x 76″ quilt is perfect for those twin bunkbeds for your little buckaroos, or a comforting nap quilt on the couch in your cabin. Use one of our Flannel Blenders or Plaids as backing and you’ll be ready for those cool Fall nights that will be here in a few months!

…from the ‘Unbridled’ collection by Dan Morris for Quilting Treasures.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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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eQuilter’s First-Ever Warehouse Garage Sale July 9!

The reservations for the Polar Bear Tour (November) and the Cuban Arts Tour (September) are snapping shut, so if you were thinking of joining us, now is the time to make a phone call and sneak in before the reservation window closes! LAST CHANCE!!!

Our eQuilter Public GARAGE SALE is going to be next Saturday July 9th, in our new classroom space. If you have a group that wants to make an appointment to preview the sale, we can arrange for you to visit before that date, if you call Dana in Customer Service.

We need to CLEAR OUT the rest of our fabulous Scrap Packs, Bolt Ends, Discontinued Yardage and Panels to set up our CLASSROOM SPACE so please come with your shopping bags and help us prepare for the next chapter in the expansion of our business… so exciting!

The sale will run from 10 am to 4 pm, and you will enter through the back door of the warehouse, on the North side of the building. Sophie will be here helping me, and we will have COOKIES!

We have a few 60 yd rolls of 60″ wide organic batting on clearance, priced below wholesale, so if you’d like to split a roll with your quilting group, come and snap them up.

GARAGE SALE is CASH ONLY – As Is – Amazing Deals!

***

This week we had a very special visitor from New Mexico – Betty Busby had an opening reception with an exhibit of her fiber art wallhangings and sculptural pieces, at our local Dairy Arts Center. I first met Betty in Jan 2015 in New Zealand. I took one look at her shoes and knew she was a kindred soul.

Anyway we are preparing a video interview with Betty talking about her techniques and materials, which will be helpful when you see images of her work. Everyone says when they see her work – ‘How did she do that?!?’

Next month I am connecting with quilters in Spain, and in August I’ll be on a panel at the Quilt Study Center (Lincoln NE), then we are sponsoring the VIP lounge at the Festival of Quilts. (Birmingham UK)

In early October I’ll be speaking at a fundraiser for the Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio, and if you have not seen the Mastery exhibit there yet, I encourage you to make a day of it!

I hope to see you at one of these events!

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Free Pattern – Wild Gold Sunflowers

WildGoldSunflowers

You’ll find yourself wading through a glorious field of golden Sunflowers with this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern! It is easy to see why Van Gogh was inspired by these summer bloomers….that fill the Summer fields in the south of France.

Huge yellow blossoms reach for the sun in the central panel, with smaller sunflowers in the border. Follow this gorgeous color story of Yellow and Blue with matching coordinates.

This 57″ x 69″ quilt is big enough for a youth or nap quilt, but can also fill a room with sunshine during the winter months as a bold wallhanging.

from the ‘Wild Gold’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

You may order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our over 20,000 fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.

This pattern was designed in EQ7, 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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