Free Pattern – Orchid Beauty

Orchid_Beauty

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern has realistic pink and lavender orchid blossoms in an engineered stripe for the border and diamond inset….set off with a checkerboard of flowers and a tonal Hoffman hand-dye.

Featuring the ‘Orchid’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

To help with this quilt construction, we’ve prepared a special ‘eQuilter Quick Tips’ video titled, Pressing Seams for Perfect Squares featuring Dana Chapman, our Customer Service manager.

And you’ll receive free US 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 – China Blue and Hidden Meanings

Untitled-1

A couple weeks ago I shared a beautiful Imperial Yellow dress from the China exhibit at the Metropolitan Art Museum’s Costume Institute. (New York City)

This week I am sharing a dress from another section of the exhibit – the blue and white dresses that were inspired by blue and white “Willow” and other Chinese porcelain.

This dress shown is also featured in the Museum’s marketing materials – and rightly so – because it is such a rich expression of the blue and white porcelain artform… reinterpreted into fabric.

In the photo collage above, I’ve mixed 2 views of the dress, with some of our favorite Asian (Japanese) designs.

Many motifs in Chinese art and design, have close counterparts in Japanese art and design: stylized waves, cranes, dragons, koi fish, peonies, chrysanthemums and wisterias for instance. The ubiquitous shades of Blue Indigo are deeply ingrained in the textile traditions of both cultures.

We have many fabrics which are distinctly Japanese (geishas, kimonos, sushi, etc.) but many Asian fabrics have symbolic meanings in several Asian cultures. Chrysanthemums for instance represent life and rebirth, so they are popular themes for baby showers and birthdays.

Dragons are a powerful symbol, and many of you have used hand-painted dragon batik panels for your quilts and wearable art projects.

A quilt full of Asian symbols can carry a wealth of hidden meanings for your intended recipient. You can put this information on a label on the back of your quilt, decoding the secret message for your beloved!

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Free Pattern – Kyoto Blossoms

Kyoto_Blossoms

Last week we introduced the ‘Kyoto Blossoms‘ collection by Chong-a Hwang (Timeless Treasures) and the reaction has been HUGE!

This gorgeous collectible panel features graceful geishas and parasols in a Japanese garden, with peonies, wisteria, and flying cranes. The panel, engineered stripe and floral/geometric coordinates sparkle with luxurious gold metallic overprint.

This is an EXTRA free pattern for the week, because it was just too good not to share!

And you’ll receive free US 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.

Many thanks to Toby Lischko for this Asian-themed quilt pattern.

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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Disaster Relief for Nepal and Tibet

Thursday night I went to a local fundraiser for Doctors Without Borders, and Nepal/Tibet earthquake survivors. I attended as a corporate sponsor for the event, but also to network regarding possible comfort quilt donations for Nepal.

So many of you have contacted us, asking if we will do a quilt drive for Nepal earthquake disaster relief. My usual partner for a project like this would be Kathy Price at Mission of Love, but she has been in hospital and recovery (please keep her in your prayers) so I’ve been researching other options.

The headliner was local Tibetan flutist Nawang Khechog, former monk and student of Dalai Lama. My musician friend Sandra Wong also performed which is always a treat…she plays a traditional Swedish 16-stringed instrument called the Nyckelharpa.

I am still networking but I think I will have at least one partner to help us get donated quilts to earthquake survivors, so if you have a quilt ready to go, it is ok to send it to our warehouse here in Boulder. I will pursue these connections in the next week so watch our Midweek and Saturday newsletters for more details! Thank you so much for all of you have have reached out to us, hoping to partner in sending relief to those living in such desperate post-earthquake conditions.

As you may know, they continue to have more earthquakes in Nepal! I learned Thursday night that there was similar devastation in Tibet, but the Chinese government is blocking this news from the rest of the world. Our local Tibetan community is in contact with those still in Tibet, and the reported destruction is also huge. I don’t know that we can get any relief in to Tibet, but we do have 3 potential contacts already on the ground in Nepal… so stay tuned!

Sophie and I will be attending the Not Fade Away Conference in mid-July, and also going on the bus tour to the museums and Sacred Threads on Friday. We are excited to hear the 100 Good Wishes lecture about quilts made for Chinese adoptees. We’ll be bringing a couple of our special quilts related to Sophie’s adoption in China.

eQuilter is also a corporate sponsor for the Quilt National exhibit at the Dairy Barn, and I’m working with them to possibly schedule a visit there to give a lecture this summer.

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Free Pattern – Night at the Opera

Night_Opera

If you are a dedicated opera fan, or classical music patron, you will want to *jump* on this fabulous quilt design!

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features the ‘Night at the Opera‘ collection by Maria Kalinowski

Famous opera houses from around the world such as the Sydney Opera House in Australia, the Palais Garnier in Paris, France and many other famous stages are pictured in the magnificent main print. Gilded filigree, elegant text, drama masks, sheet music, violins, harps and opera glasses give this highly detailed collection an irresistible twist for serious opera aficionados!

And you’ll receive free US 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.

Many thanks to Larene Smith for this Opera themed quilt pattern.

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 – Goldfinches in the Garden

nudge

This time of year we know many of you are out in the garden, planting perennials and fertilizing rosebushes, filling bird feeders and hoping your blossoming little patch of heaven will attract colorful birds and butterflies.

We also know that you serious bird-watchers love to collect realistic bird prints, for your sewing projects for the cold winter months. With our wide array of butterfly and flower prints, you can recreate your ultimate fantasy flower garden that will be blooming on your wall or bed, for years to come!

After being in this house for 20 years (which includes the year that we started eQuilter in our basement!) I have a nice birdwatching setup out my big picture window in back. I fill the birdfeeder and hang it in the crabapple tree that we planted 19 years ago. I sit in my comfy couch and open the curtains part way, and wait with my camera to see who will show up.

The last few weeks we’ve had more Goldfinches than I can ever remember. They buzz around the tree and alight on the squirrel-proof birdfeeder. When the finches are gone, the squirrels come to see what they can scavenge. The dogs like to watch the birds come and go, from the back patio door.

The yellow and black of the finches, along with my pink peonies about to burst into bloom, has me thinking about some new color combinations.

Here is a collage of my goldfinch and squirrel photos, with bird and butterfly fabrics.

What colors are inspiring you from Nature this season?

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Quilt Market Previews – Part 2

SUMMER/FALL 2015: Part 2
Here are some more exciting designer collections that we saw (and bought!) last weekend at Quilt Market. Watch the newsletters for their arrival over the next several months, or contact eQuilter Customer Service to be notified when they first hit the warehouse!

Kona Bay: Torii Gate Panels & Peony Prairie
Maria Kalinowski: Renaissance Man, That’s Jazz & Art Class
Balinesia by Dover Hill Studios
Lakeshore Batiks by Judy & Judel Niemeyer
Vintage Boating – Wooden Motor Boats
Kabuki by Deborah Edwards
Zodiak by Linda Ludovico
Indigo Essence & Everything but The Kitchen Sink – by Yuko Hasegawa
New Jinny Beyer Batiks
Enchanted Pines by McKenna Ryan
Butterflies are Free by Ro Gregg
Route 66 by Dina Donovan
Cherry Blossom Love by Christine Adolph
Snowscapes by Camilla Cates – fox owls, wolves, deer
Quilt Gate: Hyaka Ryoran – Obi and Sakura collections
New Digital Prints from Hoffman
Birds & Bees by Tamara Kate
Mille Colores by 3 Sisters
Purebred by Erin Michael (paint by number designs)
Maple Island by Holly Taylor (Provence)
Laurel Land by Laurel Burch (children designs)
Digital Garden – highly detailed floral panels

*****************

Today we watched our middle child Sam graduate from high school, with honors in the Arts. (Music) He practiced hard, went out and auditioned, and won a full merit scholarship to the CU Boulder School of Music, and we couldn’t be more proud of our talented boy. From a young age his private teachers told us he had more raw talent than any kid they had ever taught, but he turned it into gold with his hard work. For awhile he was second-guessing himself, thinking that he couldn’t be a music major, but when he got 1st chair in All State Band, then 1st chair in the CU Honor Band..and then won the scholarship…he knew he was on the right path.

We all start out as artists as children – as painters, musicians, storytellers, dancers – but many of us lose the Inner Artist as time goes by. Then we spend our adult life trying to find it again! I like to think that our business, in a way, is helping many of you rediscover and develop the joy of that Inner Artist.

Sam comes from a long line of musicians. He has relatives who won music scholarships on both sides of the family. (Me, and Paul’s father.) My grandpa was a self-taught saxophone player and he played his C-Melody sax in Southern California dance bands in the 1920’s. Sadly, that C-Melody horn has disappeared since Grandpa died, but the passion for music lives on in Sam, and you can just imagine the joy it brings to us, to see Sam carrying on this family tradition.

When we raise our children to embrace their Inner Artist, anything can happen. I got a music performance scholarship in the 70’s, and now I help with fundraising for the Boulder Philharmonic. Then I got a scholarship to design school, and now we sponsor art exhibits and festivals around the world. I had great art, music and design mentors, and now I love to “pay it forward”.

How were you supported in developing your Inner Artist? How do you pass it on to others on the same path? When we support and mentor other artists, sometimes we get more out of it than we could imagine!

Wishing you a creative and relaxing holiday weekend with your loved ones, and with your own Inner Artist.

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Free Pattern – Imperial Bouquet

Imperial_Bouquet

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern has one of the most luscious floral panels that we’ve ever seen – just dripping with gold metallic details – and set like a jewel in the center of this carefully engineered border.

Large-scale gilded peony, chrysanthemum, wisteria and lotus blossoms grace this opulent Asian floral collection.

Featuring the ‘Imperial Garden‘ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

And you receive free shipping when you order the fabrics for this gorgeous pattern!

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.

Many thanks to Sue Harvey for this Imperial themed quilt pattern.

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 – China Costume Exhibit

nudge

I am writing to you from New York City, after a very inspiring weekend of Quilt Market, a New York design show, and the costume exhibit on China at the Metropolitan Museum.

It was also one of those travel weeks that leaves one wondering… why do I travel? My first night I arrived at my hotel and they had no room for me. When I flew from Minneapolis to Newark, my flight was delayed and I didn’t get to my NYC hotel room until 3 am. Ouch. Then my laptop mouse died.

However I did get lots of great photos and the China costume exhibit is stunning! In the room shown above (in the Met’s basement) a contemporary garment is paired with a historic embroidered robe in the same color story. In this case the theme is the Imperial Golden Yellow with Blue embroidery and lots of Metallic Gold embroidered details. I have added some blue and white Asian eQuilter fabrics to this photo collage, and perhaps this will inspire you as well.

Our 18 year old Sam is graduating from high school Saturday which is hard to believe!
2 down, 1 to go.

I’m flying home Weds afternoon to prepare for the festivities.

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Quilt Market Previews – Part 1

Twice a year when we go to Quilt Market, I am asked by so many people “Did you see anything new and exciting?”

Of course there is *always* lots of great fabric that we know you’ll love, but the ultimate litmus test is – does it make us SMILE?!?

We’re smiling dreamily at the wedding collection from Downton Abbey, and smiling wistfully at the Little House on the Prairie collection.

We giggle with silly pleasure at the GIANT Caterpillar panel, Horton Hears a Who, and Laurel Burch’s delightful Doggies.

We squeal with delight at Lonni Rossi’s gold metallic on shot cotton, but then we ooh and aah at Dan Morris’ latest classical music collection.

The best part is we know how much you will love these upcoming fabrics, and we cherry-picked them just for YOU!

SUMMER/FALL 2015: Part 1

In Bloom, It’s a Ruff Life and Thimble Pleasures collections by Dan Morris
Sweetie by Loralie Designs
Yoriko (new Kimmidoll fabrics)- new version of Nobuko
Horton Hears a Who – Dr. Seuss
Tuscan Wildflowers 3 by Peggy Toole
Naptime 2 by Darlene Zimmerman
Little House on the Prairie
Handcrafted II Batiks by Alison Glass
Geishas & Ginkgos by Lonni Rossi
Downton Abbey Celebrations (pearlescent)
Mandalay and Bombay collections by Kathy Hall
The Very Hungry Caterpillar – The Big Wiggle (Giant Scale!) by Eric Carle
Perfect Pitch by Dan Morris (musical collection)
Picnic by Melody Miller
Dogs & Doggies by Laurel Burch
Painters Palette by Judy & Judel Niemeyer
Kaleidoscope by Chong-A Hwang
Happi Horses by Dena Designs
More Eclectic Elements by Tim Holtz
Eden by Tula Pink
Bright Heart by Amy Butler

 

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