Quilt Market Previews – Part 1

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Luana

After a 5 hour delay, we finally made it to Houston before the remnants of Hurricane Patricia arrived in Texas. Today has been a whirlwind, visiting 10 of our top suppliers, ordering fantastic fabrics that will arrive in our warehouse through the end of the year, and into early 2016.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the collections we’ve ordered so far. Tune in next week for Part 2!

Chroma Zone by Paula Nadelstern
New Wave by Caryl Bryer Fallert Gentry
Grand Majolica from Robert Kaufman (William Morris inspired)
Sewing Seeds II by Janet Wecker Frisch
Minions ‘Bite Me’ – Dracula costumed Minions
Heavenly Collection – Angels by Dan Morris
Northern Lights by Liz Dillon (polar bears and northern lights)
Heartfelt – a new Gorjuss collection by Santoro
Dolphin Island – Digitally printed collection by Jeff Wilkie
Through the Ages – Knights and Castles
Cats in the Garden by Anita Jeram
Carmen (inspired by the Opera) – by Kanvas Studio
Rhapsody in Blue by Kanvas Studio
Dowager Countess – Downton Abbey
Barkingham Palace by Suite 1500
Neutral Ground – Pearlescent (Pearl Essence)
123 Menagerie 100% organic cotton from Clothworks
New Doctor Who, The Walking Dead, The Good Dinosaur
Avengers Guardians of the Galaxy
New Cars, Micky Mouse, Spongebob Squarepants and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

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Free Pattern – Minion Mania

Posted on October 23, 2015 by Luana

Minion Mania

Is it possible to have too many Minions?

No!

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern has Big Minions, Little Minions, Packed Minions, Tossed Minions, and Stacked Minions.

For those who collect Minion Memes, perhaps you can add a Minion quote to this 57″ x 65″ quilt, as the ultimate Minion holiday gift?

(Kevin: “Ahhh! Huh? Hehe…”)

…featuring the ‘Despicable Me – 1 in a Minion’ collection from 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 – Flamenco Colors

Posted on October 21, 2015 by Luana

Untitled-1

This week, as I prepare to head off for Quilt Market in Houston, I have one more travel story from Cuba.

On the last day of our week in Havana, we were treated to a performance at the Lizt Alfonso Dance School. We were treated to several dance numbers, each one a different group of students, in different colorful costumes. Most of the choreography was inspired by Flamenco music, although a couple were performed with Michael Jackson songs! Here is one of my favorite photos from that performance, with some colorful fabrics that capture the essence of that experience.

One of the reasons I love to travel (there are so many!) is because I can take photos of costumes and dancers in other countries, that we could not photograph in the US. I had a blast taking photographs of this performance (no flash, of course) because it is such a challenge and a novelty for me. I am sending the whole set of photos back to the school for their marketing purposes: it will be hand-carried on a flash drive on the next Cuba tour.

Another reason I enjoy overseas travel is because every culture has a different perspective on color, and so each trip is experienced with the smells, tastes and sounds of that country, but what I bring home is the Color story of the people there, including the colors of their history. When I refer to Parisian Pink, Terra Cotta Red, Caribbean Blue, Navajo Turquoise, and Provence Sunflower Yellow, it evokes images of very specific colors. When you come home from a trip, you bring home those colors and integrate them into your life. You have opened yourself up to a new color palette, and it brings you joy to integrate those color stories into your ongoing personal color story.

By the way, I mentioned last week that I am putting together a group trip to Cuba next year, and many of you responded immediately. When the details are nailed down, we will notify you first. Anyone who is interested, please do send us an email and we’ll put you on that priority list!

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Free Pattern – Aurora Borealis Wild Creatures

Posted on October 20, 2015 by Luana

Aurora-Borealis-Wild-Creatures

This dramatic (Free!) pattern celebrates the wildlife of Alaska and the Pacific Northwest, highlighting the pristine environment in which they live.

Bald Eagles, Orcas, Owls, Bears, Wolves and Loons are set in swirling marbled colors on a Black background, like the Northern Lights dancing in the dark velvet skies.

We love Teresa Ascone’s artwork of her beloved Alaska – her fabric designs always blow out of here when they come back in stock! Teresa’s distinctive, romanticized style captures the rugged beauty of the northern landscape, and the crystalline colors of the sky and water.

If you’d like to swap out the solid black, for some starry sky fabrics, check out our Celestial/Astronomy department!

…featuring the ‘Creatures of the Wild’ collection by Teresa Ascone for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

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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eQuilter’s Charity Story

Posted on October 19, 2015 by Luana

We finally have the Australian Patchwork and Quilting issue in stock, with a lovely article about eQuilter’s charity work for Mission of Love and other organizations around the world.

A special thanks to Stephanie Squadrito and APQ staff for featuring this story about our efforts to help others in need.

The timing could not be better! – since I will be meeting with Engineers Without Borders at NASA in Houston November 2-4, (about a new project in Kenya) and also because I am traveling with Kathy Price and her team of volunteer Mission of Love surgeons to Guatemala Nov 27-Dec 1, to support and photograph cleft palate/lip surgeries.

Sometimes I get so busy that I don’t have time to be creative, so I sign up for quilt challenges to make sure I am always working on something no matter how busy I am with travel, etc. This last year I have been very busy as a parent activist regarding the toxic school that made Sophie sick. We pulled her out in February but other kids are still sick, so I continue to push for transparency on that issue. It is time-consuming!

However I did manage to make a quilt for the National Park exhibit which will premier at the Houston Quilt Festival. (I did the Bobcat in Arches National Park) I am also part of the Fly Me To The Moon challenge.

So I am busy, but not too busy to quilt and make art! How about you?

Right now our family is running out the door to a wedding. Our kids’ music teachers of 8 years, are getting married today at Chautauqua, which is where Paul and I got married 20+ years ago. It is another gorgeous sunny day here in Boulder Colorado – a perfect day for a wedding!

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Free Pattern – Animal Alphabet Friends

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Luana

Animal-Alphabet-Friends

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features a delightful Alphabet panel, pieced into a 59″ x 72″ quilt with a fresh palette of midtone hand-dyes. White Pearlescent Fairy Frost in the sashing gives this a shimmering effect, setting off the blocks in a crisp white frame.

This quilt can be used as a lap quilt, a youth-sized bed quilt, or a wall-hanging for that special little person who is learning their ABCs!

…featuring the ‘Animal Alphabet Friends’ collection by John Butler for Elizabeth’s Studio.

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 Colors of Cuba

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Luana

Untitled-1

It has been 10 days since I returned from Cuba, and the colors are still haunting me. I keep playing salsa music in my studio, and I am still craving black beans and rice.

Art is alive and well in Cuba, despite their economic problems. Artists there make do with what is available, whether it is refurbishing a 1950s Chevy, or taking broken ceramics and making colorful mosaics.

One artist has created a mosaic that extends past his studio, beyond his home, fills his yard and has covered his neighborhood! His name is Jose Fuster and his magical creation is Fusterlandia. His work is inspired by a combination of Gaudi and Picasso – whole landscapes filled with mosaic-covered undulating sculptures – with the abstract eye of Picasso.

Here in this photo collage, you can see his neighbor’s house on the upper left, and a neighborhood wall on the lower right. If you go to my photo page you will see I have just uploaded some more photos including many from his home, studio and neighborhood. He has literally turned his neighborhood into a tourist attraction!

The top right photo is the historic Hotel Nacional and the bay beyond, with a stunning sunset over the water. On the far side of the bay is the Castle Morro which has been featured in many movies.

The 3 Blue-Green cars illustrate one of the ubiquitous colors of Cuba, a Greenish-Teal or an Aqua-Jade that I will forevermore think of as Cuban Green. The houses are painted a pastel version of this color, and all shades appear throughout the city of Havana, with more shades of Aqua-Green in the water and waves.

If you missed my story about Ernest Hemingway’s house last week, be sure to have a look on our blog. You can always review our newsletters on this page.

Are you interested in traveling to Cuba with me next year? If so send us an email and we’ll keep you updated on any developments.

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Free Pattern – Pansy Parade

Posted on October 13, 2015 by Luana

Pansy-Parade

Pansies are a beloved flower of late fall and early spring, and this Free Quilt Pattern celebrates the bright faces of these late bloomers. Giant Pansy blocks are combined with smaller scale violas, and butterfly wings, for a lively palette of floral fantasies.

Like many of us, pansies, johnny-jumpups and violas suffer in the heat of summer, but perk up as the weather becomes cooler.

Celebrate cooler Fall days with this delightful 50″ x 50″ project featuring a highly-detailed panel of Pansy blocks!

…featuring the ‘Lovely Pansies’ collection by Elizabeth’s Studio.

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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Babysitting, Braces, Tours and Houston

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Luana

We are so excited! A special package was delivered at our house a few minutes ago, with preview copies of the Nov/Dec issue of Machine Quilting Magazine. The cover story of “Kids Who Create” features our very own Sophie Rubin! We are so proud of her! We hope to receive our eQuilter copies to sell online next week – if you are a subscriber check out page 52.

Sophie is at the YMCA getting her Red Cross babysitting certification today. We are about to enter a whole new era in our household: we have one kid left at home, who is now a teenager and a dyed-in-the-wool entrepreneur! *smile* She is planning to get babysitting business cards printed up. Her summer experience as a CIT (counselor in training) at a mountain camp, made her realize she loves to work with kids. Sweet!

The big news at our house this week was that Sophie is getting her braces off while I am in Houston, after over 2 years of metal and rubber bands in her mouth. Whew!

We had two lovely groups of ladies visit us this last week – the Interfaith Quilters from Longmont (who raised over $40K for charity with their quilt sale this year) and Judy Mendelson’s US quilt tour visiting from the UK. It was great to meet all of you!

We do schedule group tours on Friday afternoons if you are planning to visit Boulder. Just contact Dana in Customer Service to schedule a visit!

Lea McComas came here to give a presentation to the UK quilters, explaining how she creates her Thread-Painted quilts, and there was a lot of oohing and aaaaahing when she pulled out her amazing stitched portraits.

My studio was flooded this summer and I lost a month of work while they were ripping out drywall and tearing apart my bathroom, so I am now working hard against a couple deadlines. I do have one quilt that will be in a group exhibit in Houston – my Bobcat for Arches National Park will be in the National Parks Centennial exhibit. I look forward to meeting all the other artists who participated in this quilt challenge!

By the way we do have the magazine preview of the Houston Quilt Festival, if you want a sneak peek! I’ll be filming some video reviews of the show, and those will start to pop up mid-November.

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Free Pattern – Skyline Fireworks

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Luana

Capture

This stunning quilt is the exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern of the Week, featuring the richly detailed and intensely saturated colors of a Hoffman digital print.

Imagine the penthouse view of a brilliant skyline at twilight, with fireworks overhead. This clever quilt creates the illusion of an urban landscape, seen through graceful arched windows, with faux 3-D blocks supporting from below. As always, feel free to change the colors of the tonal sashing or blocks, to customize for your home’s color palette.

This quilt makes a great gift for someone living in a metropolis, who dreams of gazing out at their own skyline view!

…featuring the ‘Skylines’ collection, an exquisite Digitally Printed fabric by Hoffman 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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