Giving From the Heart

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Luana

Tonight I am writing to you from my hotel in Miami, as I wait to meet my fellow travelers who are arriving from all over the country. Tomorrow we will fly on a charter plane to Havana Cuba, to be part of the history that is being made now on this island nation.

I am bringing sets of violin, viola, cello and guitar strings for musicians we will meet there. Our travelers are also bringing various gifts and donations for supplies that are hard to come by in Cuba. Last time I brought a few dozen shears and needle packets. Art supplies are also welcome!

This week we said goodbye to the last batch of donated quilts for Nepal’s earthquake victims. The local CU Boulder chapter of Engineers Without Borders is traveling to Nepal to build new water systems in remote villages, and they offered to hand carry the last 30 lbs of quilts. 200 lbs of quilts were shipped to Nepal a few weeks ago, to be distributed in another devastated village. Many thanks to the quilters who sent these donations!

Mission of Love is in Guatemala with the team of surgeons this week, performing dozens of cleft lip and palate surgeries for children who live in poverty there. We are proud to support this amazing annual surgery trip.

The NASA chapter of EWB is wrapping up the opening of the home for street children in Maua Kenya, gathering up kids who were living on a dump and sniffing glue, and giving them a new chance for a good life and education.

Thank you for supporting eQuilter and our charity program. Because of you, we are able to do so much good in the world, to help children living in poverty, who need disaster relief and medical services. We are so honored to be a channel through which this aid can flow.

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Free Pattern – Forever Roses

Posted on May 6, 2016 by Luana

canvas

Celebrate Mother’s Day with this exquisitely detailed Roses quilt pattern, featuring our ‘Prized Bloom Roses’ digitally printed panel.

Nothing says ‘I Love You’ like Roses, and this vibrant and richly hued Roses collection is sure to be cherished and adored. Don’t wait – order your ‘Forever Roses’ pattern today!

…the ‘Roses’ collection by Red Rooster Fabrics.

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 – Giving Permission….to Follow Your Heart

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Luana

5.4

Mothers Day is just around the corner, and I am sure many of you feel a strong connection to your mothers and grandmothers when you quilt or sew.

My mom is not a quilter, but she was always supportive of anything creative that I decided to pursue… and there were many different pursuits!

Both of my grandmas were seamstresses, and both taught me about sewing and embroidery and painting. My maternal grandmother who is pictured on the right, was 100% Swedish and as you can see from the photo, she loved her floral fabrics! She was also an organic gardener, and had fruit trees around the house, and bountiful flower beds and flowering shrubs. She was also a porcelain painter and crewel embroiderer. You can see a couple of her painted ceramics in the photo. They lived in Molalla Oregon.

That love of Nature and flowering beauty was passed on to my mom, and on the left is a photo of her from around 1966 enjoying the shade of our back yard in Hermosa Beach, California. (Which was also fragrant with blossoms, and had a lemon tree.)

Being given permission to be an artist, a creative person, is a great gift. These days we give that gift freely to our kids, but it is always amazing to me that I was given this gift and allowed to follow my creative passions from childhood through college.

It is my hope that our business passes on that passion and permission, to inspire you to follow your heart.

Thanks to all the mothers and grandmothers who share that gift with the next generation… you know who you are!

I will be in Cuba on Mothers Day, so I also want to give a special thanks to my mom Carolye, for always supporting my artistic adventures, with love and enthusiasm.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
~Luana

2016 Calendar:
May 8-15 – Luana’s CUBA ARTS TOUR #1 – Sold Out
May 1-31 – The Golden Hour – SAQA Call for Entries
May 20-22 – Quilt Market
July 20-29 – Seville & Granada
Sept 18-25 – Cuba Arts Tour #2 – details here!
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – 3 spots left

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Free Pattern – Moon Over Waterfall

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Luana

Moon Over Waterfall

In our busy lives, often we turn to quilting to provide a sense of peace and calm.

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern will extend that peaceful ambiance to any room where it hangs, bringing a meditative focus and soothing colors. Rippling waves, sprigs of Wisteria, and sprinkles of Stardust make up the delicate coordinates for this Asian collection.

…from the ‘Moon over Waterfall’ collection by Keiichi Nishimura for Red Rooster Fabrics.

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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Opera Rehearsal and Design Wall

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Luana

In my eternal quest for creative inspiration, today I managed to get myself invited to a closed technical rehearsal for the Colorado Opera’s ‘Scarlet Letter’ which is having its world premier in Denver in a week. I’ll be in Cuba for the whole week of performances, so I was thrilled to have a backstage tour of the wig room, and dressing rooms today…and then see the meticulous process of the cast and director rehearsing on the big stage for the first time.

It is kind of like when we design and envision a quilt in our head, cut out the pieces, and then do that final audition on a design wall. (or kitchen table!) You hope everything hangs together the way it is supposed to, but you often find that the things that don’t work out exactly, are opportunities for creative solutions that lead to a better overall final product.

Watching how the director went back over and over on certain segments – moving groups of people upstage or downstage – asking for a bigger gesture or a smaller ritualized gait – was a fascinating reminder of how we can polish details for emphasis but make it look easy in the end.

For those of you traveling to Cuba with me May 8, watch for an email Monday with final trip details.

(If you *wish* you were going to Cuba with me – sign up for our September trip!)

Our new classroom space has been cleared out so we are developing our business plan for creative retreats, workshops and events at eQuilter. If you have an idea or wish list you’d like to share with us for our event space, drop us an email! (Many thanks to those of you who have sent your ideas already!)

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Free Pattern – All Aboard

Posted on April 29, 2016 by Luana

All Aboard

Train Fanatics (you know who you are!) will get a kick out of this week’s Free Quilt Pattern, featuring super-realistic locomotives from a collectible Vintage Train panel.

Train vignettes alternate with wood paneling, set off with a Hoffman hand-dyed sashing. The clever border is made out of a colorful train track design, picking up on the bright accents in the train collection.

…from the ‘All Aboard’ collection by Elizabeth’s 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 – Juicy Florals & Glowing Ombres

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Luana

4.27

One of my greatest pleasures working in the textile industry is the endless garden of incredible floral designs. My background as a painter is classical portraiture and figurative work, but I spent a lot of time out in fields of blossoms, working plein air and marveling at how pure sunlight makes the colors sparkle in flower petals.

The recent trend of Ombre textiles has brought us a parallel pleasure – the ability to match up a gradient of hue and color, with these fabulous floral prints! The Ombre colors seem to glow from within, but when matched with vibrant garden designs, the flowers sparkle with a luminous intensity.

The fabric collage above is not necessarily a quilt pattern, but it is hopefully an inspiration for combining Ombres and Florals! (Fabrics currently in stock at eQuilter.com)

Mix in some Birds and Butterflies, and you have a Garden Party!

Think about how these color and design combinations can be translated into fashion, home dec, and craft sewing.

I am writing a business plan for our new classroom/event space, and hey! – I’d love to hear from you! If you could come and hang out in a big space adjacent to the eQuilter warehouse, and spend a few days at a workshop, or maybe a week in a creative retreat, what fabric fantasy could we make come true for you?

Drop us an email ([email protected]) and you never know, your wish just might come true! *wink*

Sharing your Passion for Fabric…
~Luana

2016 Calendar:
May 8-15 – Luana’s CUBA ARTS TOUR #1 – Sold Out
May 1-31 – The Golden Hour – SAQA Call for Entries
May 20-22 – Quilt Market
July 20-29 – Seville & Granada
Sept 18-25 – Cuba Arts Tour #2 – details here!
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – 3 spots left!

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Free Pattern – Dreamland

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Luana

canvas

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern features our delightful Unicorns & Fairies fantasy panel set in a array of graceful fairy blocks, feathery wings, and delicate, white tonal borders.

Your 41″ x 57″ quilt will be cherished by daughters and fantasy admirers everywhere! The exquisite detail achieved through digital printing creates incredible depth, and is accented by graceful twinkling stars and fairy dust.

…from the ‘Dreamland’ collection by Liz Dillon 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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Notes from the Back of the Bus

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Luana

The last few days I was a chaperone for 95 fourteen-year-olds attending a band and orchestra contest in Grand Junction Colorado. Wednesday I spent 4 1/2 hours in the back of a bus, crossing over the Rocky Mountains. Thursday Sophie had a little solo part in one of the 2 pieces her orchestra performed, and the orchestra came away with a perfect score! Yay!

Sophie is graduating from middle school in about a month so this means…. I will never have to go on a middle school field trip again. She starts high school in August and in 4 years we will be empty-nesters. Everyone tells you how fast your kids grow up but you just can’t comprehend it until you are almost done. Our boys are now 19 and 26.

I am a photographer but I am also usually the driver, so it was great to just sit back and enjoy the gorgeous Western landscape going by, snapping photos as desired! It is nice to have someone else drive. I had several hours to ponder my next creative project, inspired by the red rocks and the flowing waters of the Colorado River next to I-70.

Due to popular demand I have announced another Cuban Arts Tour for Sept 18-25, 2016! Click through to see details about this itinerary, which will be slightly different from the May trip to Cuba. For those of you on the May trip – woo hoo! – see you soon!

We still have a couple spots open on the Polar Bear Tour in November, so if you were waiting for the moment to sign up, this is it! *smile* This is my 3rd trip to see the Polar Bears and I am even MORE excited this time!

Calendar:
May 8-15 – Luana’s CUBA ARTS TOUR #1 – Sold Out
May 1-31 – The Golden Hour – SAQA Call for Entries
May 20-22 – Quilt Market
Sept 18-25 – Cuba Arts Tour #2 – details here!
Nov 15-20 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – almost full!

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Free Pattern – Orchid Garden

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Luana

Orchid Garden Pattern

Don’t miss this week’s Free Exclusive quilt pattern featuring a wonderfully realistic orchid garden panel, surrounded by coordinating orchid frames and brilliant rainbow skies.

Your breathtaking orchid quilt is printed with glorious, brilliant colors made possible only through digital printing, and will surely be the envy of orchid fanciers everywhere.

…from the ‘Digital Orchids’ collection by Elizabeth’s 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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