Free Pattern – Animal Spirits

Posted on May 13, 2016 by Luana

5.12

Now is the time to snap up your ‘Animal Spirits’ eQuilter Exclusive free pattern, which combines two of our favorite panels: Pacific Northwest Animal Guides and Beloved Marine Animals.

Each animal is intricately detailed with colorful and majestic Northwood totem scenes.

Your 53″ x 57″ quilt features Dolphins, Orca and Sperm Whales, Flounder, Salmon and Crabs, along with Bald Eagles, Bears, Elk, Moose, Ravens and Wolves.

…from the ‘Animal Spirits’ collection by Sue Coccia for Robert Kaufman 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 – Hello from Cuba!

Posted on May 11, 2016 by Luana

Cuba!

I am writing to you from the historic Hotel Nacional in Havana Cuba, where I am spending my 3rd day with my intrepid group of travelers. Tonight after dinner I thought I was going to bed, when I heard a salsa beat coming from underneath my window. At first I was annoyed but then I realized I wanted to get up and dance, so I got dressed and went downstairs.

After following my nose past a smaller band, I walked to the other side of the hotel under my room, and found a concert hall with the Buena Vista Social Club rocking out with an irresistible cha-cha beat! The band leader was playing the haunting melody of Oye Como Va on a saxophone, a lady trombone player dazzled us with her sequins and her sassy riffs, and a pair of dancers were putting on a show. Wow! I decided it was much better to join the party than try to go to sleep.

As you may remember, I took a trip to Cuba last September, and due to popular demand, decided to lead a tour to Cuba this month. The excitement in the air is palpable, but the numbers of American tourists planning to come here when travel restrictions are lifted is a little scary. I will lead one more tour here in September, and then I just want to get out of the way as the hordes descend.

In the meantime I am taking photos like crazy, trying to capture the pure essence of Cuban culture before American culture washes over the island. The classic colorful cars from the 50’s are probably best known, but for me it is the Cuban Jazz that is most delightful. I just know these Cuban Caribbean colors are going to be a big trend influence going into the next year, and so many things about Cuban art and music and culture are going to wash back over the US.

We’ve had lectures every morning from experts – a retired Cuban ambassador, a Reuters journalist, an architect…helping us to understand what is happening on this island nation. Today we went to some art galleries run by young artists, expressing the diaspora of the Cuban people. We’re eating Cuban black beans and rice and plantains, driving past the old mansions built by sugar dynasties, hoping that the Cuban passion for living will sustain this unique culture.

This is a collage of photos I’ve taken in the last couple days, plus some tropical fabrics in stock at eQuilter.com

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
~Luana

2016 Calendar:
May 8-15 – Luana’s CUBA ARTS TOUR – Now Playing!
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 – Northern Lights

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Luana

Polar bear

This week’s free eQuilter pattern features our remarkable Polar Bear panel with a radiant Aurora Borealis backdrop.

Snuggle up with your 50″ x 56″ Northern Lights / Polar Bear lap quilt, and you’ll be the envy of nature lovers everywhere!
…from the ‘Northern Lights’ 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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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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