Free Pattern – Kimmidoll Yoriko

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Luana

Kimmidoll Yoriko

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features a beautiful Nobuko Kokeshi panel, surrounded by smaller, decorative Kokeshi dolls. The 54″ x 60″ collectable quilt is sure to bring luck and good fortune to friends and family!

We’ve combined these new Kokeshi Doll figures with with a graphic floral and elegant Asian blender, in a rich red lacquer, black, and taupe color story.

…featuring the Kimmidoll ‘Yoriko-Dependable’ collection by Quilting Treasures

You may order the pattern as configured, (click through here to see the specifics!) 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 – The Power of Orange

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Luana

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Here is another collage of quilts from the Quilt Festival in Houston.

What is your first impression of these quilts?
Bright! But also, what they have in common is the color Orange.

Many of us have been trained not to like the color Orange. We learned that Orange was not a wearable color, and therefore it was a “bad” color. Sometimes these early color prejudices carry over into our artwork and quiltmaking, without us knowing.

However, these fiber artists have clearly harnessed the power of Orange in these pieces. By using complementary color schemes (Orange with Blue) they make the colors pop out. By using secondary color schemes (Orange with Purple and Green) they give their works a very creative and contemporary twist.

Here are the quiltmakers, starting at the top left and going clockwise:

Mary Ann Herndon – Rio Rosie
(top half of layered applique quilt)

Shirley Gisi – Technicolor Deco
(full quilt with ombre sections)

Betty Hahn – Birth of a Storm
(detail – abstract applique)

Leah Gravells – Look to the West
(detail – string piecing)

There are many ways to attract the eye to a quilt.
Color is of course very effective, but here we also see movement created by abstract swirling shapes, an effect of transparency using ombres, and a shimmering feeling with tight horizontal lines, and depth created by layers of appliques.

If your stash is lacking luscious Oranges, check out some contemporary blenders and beautiful batiks to add some juicy pizzazz to your color palette.

Thursday I am flying to San Diego for the Color Marketing Group‘s International Conference, where we will work together to identify color trends for our respective industries. As always, I’ll be applying what I learn to the fabrics I choose in the coming months, to make sure you can always find the perfect hue for your next project!

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Free Pattern – Loralie Sweetie

Posted on November 10, 2015 by Luana

Loralie Sweetie

What is Sugary Sweet but has no calories?

This Free Pattern featuring Loralie’s ‘Sweetie’ collection!

Designer Loralie’s whimsical and slightly goofy ladies are dressed in their favorite candies, posing in strategically placed Jelly Beans, Peppermint Stripes, Candy Corn, Lemon Drops and Lollipops!

The main Sweetie panel is set into sugary pastels of Grape, Lime and Strawberry, with a white pearlescent Fairy Frost to set off those frosted mid-tones. Mix in a delightful selection of Loralie’s coordinates and you have the perfect fix for that craving for sweets.

…featuring the ‘Sweetie’ collection by Loralie Harris for Loralie Designs.

And you’ll receive free USA / 50% off International shipping when you
order the fabrics for this gorgeous quilt pattern! (orders $100 and over).

You may order the pattern as configured, (click through here to see the specifics!) 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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Embracing the Season

Posted on November 9, 2015 by Luana

We’ve lived in our house for 20 years, and the trees we planted in the new yard have grown up now…producing lots of lovely shade in the summer, beautiful colors in the Fall, and now…tons of leaves on the ground!

However it is a sure sign that the holidays are just around the corner, and I am very sensitive to the fact that I am drawn to a whole new palette of colors this time of year. It is a good time to go through your stash and see if new color combinations jump out at you, that you might not have noticed in Summer’s splurge of bright colors.

Perhaps you are drawn to more muted earthy tones this time of year? I find I am drawn to deep golden metallics (copper and brass), and dark jeweltones like teal and eggplant. I am gathering up red and orange maple leaves, and pressing to dry in my stack of newspapers that piled up while I was on my last trip.

One of the fabric categories I am committed to stocking, is a large selection of flannels, especially this time of year. Be sure to check out our flannel categories now because they are stocked in their greatest depth this time of year. We make a great effort to stock elegant blenders, fun novelties, and yarn-dyed flannel plaids. Snuggly Basics, in my opinion!

I have a beautiful lap quilt that I made many years ago, that lives on our bed in the colder months. It is a combination of rich multi-colored earthtone hand-dyes, and flannel blenders in deep jeweltones. The rich colors and contrast of textures, with a snuggly wool batting, make this a favorite with my kids too. Do you have a flannel comfort quilt yet? They are just the BEST!

Bonnie McCaffery and I filmed several videos at Quilt Festival, and we are in the process of editing them now.

If you emailed your name to eQuilter Customer Service about the Cuba trip, then you should have received the itinerary and information in an email from me early this morning. I will have a link to all the trip information, in the midweek Creative Nudge newsletter on Weds morning.

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Free Pattern – Paws of Valor

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Luana

Capture

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features the dogs who serve in the military…those canine companions who sniff out bombs and keep their troops safe. You may have recently seen the movie “Max” which follows the life of one of these dogs after he returns home from Afghanistan.

This 58″ x 68″ quilt can be a wall hanging, or lap quilt, and is perfect for a veteran whose unit used these amazing canine companions. Special thanks to Sgt. Charles Shuck, whose heroic Labrador, Gabe was the inspiration for this special fabric.

…featuring the ‘Paws of Valor’ collection by Exclusively Quilters.

You may order the pattern as configured, (click through here to see the specifics!) 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 – NASA and Kenya

Posted on November 4, 2015 by Luana

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Tonight I am writing you from Houston – again!
After spending a week at Quilt Market and Festival, I flew home for a few days, then flew back to Houston for a conference on the NASA / Engineers Without Borders new project in Maua, Kenya. Because eQuilter’s charity program has been funding their projects in Africa (Rwanda, and now Kenya) I was invited to come to this meeting regarding a home and school that is going to be built for the street children of Maua, a small town in the center of Kenya.

In this town, when families have 4 or more kids, they keep the girls but they throw away the boys. These boys that are kicked out of their homes, end up living on the streets, sniffing glue as an opiate, and living in the garbage dump. Our meeting tonight brought together all of the parties who are involved with creating this home and starting the process of getting these kids off the glue-sniffing and giving them some semblance of family and home stability.

I got to hang out with a couple astronauts today too! I got the most super-deluxe VIP tour of NASA from an astronaut who is in line to go to the Space Station. (I was able to visit areas where visitors seldom enter – like the control room of the International Space Station with the live feed!) My quilter friend Pam Holland joined us today on the VIP tour and the meeting on the Kenya project. We were both so impressed at this project that is about to be kicked off by a small but determined group of volunteers from Houston.

So I wanted to let you know that this group of rocket scientists and astronauts send a big thank you to eQuilter and our customers, for supporting their work to help these abandoned children in Rwanda and Kenya. The director of the project is going to send me photos of the kids so you can see these young boys who will be helped. Who would ever imagine that Quilters, Rocket Scientists and Africa could all be mentioned in the same breath?

For your viewing pleasure, I also wanted to show these quilts from the Houston Quilt Festival. The four quilts and their makers are listed below, starting with the top left quilt and going clockwise:

Judy Coates Perez – Pink Bird
Karen Eckmeier – River Stones
Mihoko Tanaka – The Sun Rises in the Bougainvilleas
Brigitte Morganroth – Gebrochene Linien – Broken Lines

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Free Pattern – Thimble Pleasures

Posted on November 3, 2015 by Luana

Thimble-Pleasures

This lovely vintage Sewing Machine quilt reminds us of our beloved sewing companions. Spools of thread, embroidery scissors, thimbles, buttons and rulers accompany the machines to make your sewing room complete!

…featuring the ‘Thimble Pleasures’ collection by Dan Morris for Quilting Treasures.

And you’ll receive free USA / 50% off International shipping when you
order the fabrics for this gorgeous quilt pattern! (orders $100 and over).

You may order the pattern as configured, (click through here to see the specifics!) 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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Quilt Market Previews – Part 2

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Luana

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight, if you live in a Daylight Savings Time zone!

We go through 150,000 fabrics every year, to cherry-pick the most beautiful designs and colors for our discriminating customers.

Here are just *some* of the collections and trends we have coming to eQuilter.com in the coming months:

New digitally printed collections:
Wish You Were Here from Hoffman (travel – Paris and Rome)
Woodland Winter and Jolly Old St. Nick from Northcott
Orchids from Elizabeth’s Studio

RFID fabric – Shielding fabric to protect from identity theft – for wallets & purses

Dapper and Dapper wovens by Luke Haynes
Something Ghastlie This Way Comes – Alexander Henry
Nobu Fujiyama Dragon Moon, Flight of Colors (Dragonflies) from Kona Bay
Old Glory (Quilts of Valor) from Northcott
Casablanca by Jinny Beyer
Enchantment by Laurel Burch
Into the Deep by Patty Sloniger
New Flower Fairies from Michael Miller
Lazy Beach and Apronesque from Loralie Designs
Morris Earthly Paradise by Barbara Brackman (William Morris inspired)
Bee Creative by Deb Strain from Moda
Feedsack – 1930’s Christmas – from Windham Baum
Una’s Garden and If You Like from Frond Designs

Many amazing new fabrics to add to Robert Kaufman’s ongoing collections:
Holiday Flourish & Lumina by Peggy Toole
Imperial Collection, Winter’s Grandeur, more Van Gogh

2016 Fun Design Trends –

Batiks with abstract splatters & swirls
Scandinavian/Nordic style – lots of Red and White
Victorian & Steampunk Halloween
Castles and Knights – inspired by Game of Thrones
Scottish Themes & Tartan Plaids – inspired by Outlander
Advent Calendars and Apron Panels are plentiful once again

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Free Pattern – Peaceful Winter Animals

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Luana

Peaceful-Winter-Animals

Capture the magic of a silent snowy forest, with this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern, made with a wildlife panel, and carefully selected Hoffman hand-dyes.

Silver and gold metallic shimmers in the main prints, giving the impression of sparkling snowflakes. Snowshoe Hares, White-tailed Deer, Arctic Foxes, Snowy Owls and Caribou fill this 62″ x 70″ winter landscape.

…featuring the ‘Winter White’ collection by Lynnea Washburn for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

And you’ll receive free USA / 50% off International shipping when you
order the fabrics for this gorgeous quilt pattern! (orders $100 and over).

You may order the pattern as configured, (click through here to see the specifics!) 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 – Quilted Girls

Posted on October 28, 2015 by Luana

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Hello from the International Quilt Festival in Houston!

Last night I was at the IQA World of Beauty Award Ceremony, where over $94,000. in cash awards was handed out to 94 winners. The state of California had the highest number of winners (11) and Japan was the overseas country with the most amount of winners. (14)

eQuilter sponsored the Group Quilt category awards, and our congratulations go to the first prize winners – Mary Reinhardt, Page Johnson, Jan Malmquist and Dee Legvold from Rosemount Minnesota.

One of the big winners ($5000) was Peter Hayward from Spain. He made his amazing geometric quilt ‘White Holes’ with fabric from eQuilter, and he brought along his receipt for that fabric purchase to show me where he got his winning fabric! Wow, thanks Peter!

There were lots of girls in last night’s winning quilts. Here I show you a collage of 3 of those award-winning quilts: (from left to right)

‘Golden Girl’ by Hollis Chatelain

‘Toast to Toulouse-Lautrec’ (detail) by Katherine Donges and Susan Slaton

‘Eager to Learn – Afghanistan’ by Gillian Shearer

Congratulations also to the top prize winner – Janet Stone – who took home a $10,000 check!

The high point of the evening was the announcement that Libby Lehman was in the room. She got a standing ovation, and Ricky Tims announced that Libby had sewed yesterday, for the 1st time since her aneurysm and stroke 2 1/2 years ago. Go Libby!

Are you interested in traveling to Cuba with me next Spring? If so send us an email and we’ll send you registration details before it is opened to the public. I am putting together an arts-related tour special for our customers.

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