eQuilter Blog

Free Quilt Pattern – Mardi Gras Magic

Posted on December 14, 2014 by Luana

This eye-popping eQuilter Free Pattern features the gorgeous Fabracadabra collection by quilt artist Paula Nadelstern.

Paula's bold Mardi Gras color story takes you to the street party in New Orleans, and you'll be hearing Samba rhythms as you sew together this kaleidoscope of jazzy hues.

Snap up 1 3/4 yards (1.75 yds) of this special purchase batting to go with this quilt project, and you'll be ready by Fat Tuesday!

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 spectacular star 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 – Kitties and Cookies

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Luana

Holiday shopping sure has changed!

I can go through almost my entire list, sitting in my jammies and slippers with the kitty on my lap and a cup of tea next to the keyboard.

This leaves more time for baking cookies and sewing last minute holiday projects. Who wants to be running all over town and standing in lines, when you could be sewing flannel pillowcases for the last batch of Very Special People on your short list?

It is also a lot easier to drop hints now. Sending links, images, and especially wish lists, means you will never have to re-gift a white elephant again!

If you are dropping hints via the eQuilter Wish List, don't forget that you can put one of our Gift Certificates on your Wish List!

This concludes our Holiday Public Service message. You may now return to your kitty, tea, cookies, and sewing machine. *smile*

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The Gift of Inspiration

Posted on December 6, 2014 by Luana

I have just returned from 3 days in Aurora Illinois, at the BERNINA Ambassadors Reunion.

First of all let me just say again that I am so honored and appreciative to be a part of this group. It brings together such a stellar gathering of talent in our industry, giving us a chance to network and share our enthusiasm for our art and craft. In addition, we are wined and dined and *intensely* educated on several of the top-of-the-line BERNINA machines…and we all go home filled with ideas and renewed passion.

My association with Bernina goes back to 2003, when my first of three Bernina Fashion Show entries was on the cover of the show book. I took a copy to the head of BERNINA USA and said "I want to be a Bernina Artisan!" and the rest is history. (The trip to Switzerland was the best part!)

You can see a video clip of my 2008 wearable art ensemble here, and you can see photos of my 2004 ensemble here. These were made on my 200 Artista, which by the way I will be selling soon, so I can update to one of the newer BERNINA machines.

All through design school and my fashion design career, my mentors and favorite teachers all sewed on Berninas. When I finally got my first Bernina it was an exhilarating moment. As I said in my recent BERNINA interview, once you sew on a Bernina, you are spoiled forever! My machines are bulletproof and have sewn through anything I can throw at them. The only thing that stopped them was when my studio was hit by a lightening bolt and their brains…er…their circuit boards were fried! This was on the eve of a fashion show deadline, but I got the part replaced and kept sewing…

Sophie has continued the family tradition starting on Quilting Arts TV, (here's her first of several appearances) and now she is hosting her own videos!

Check out our 137 videos from international quilt festivals, Quilting Arts TV and Quilters Newsletter TV on our eQuilter Video Page.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Poppies All Around

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Luana

Festive Red Poppies twirl on a dramatic Midnight Black background,
in this week's eQuilter Free Pattern.

This clever quilt design with 3 poppy prints by Chong-A Hwang, combines 6" (Large) and 11" (Huge!) floral prints, and a large scale Poppy Garland Stripe for the borders.

Best of all, this is a quick and easy pattern, so you can whip this out in time for an upcoming holiday or family event!

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 Jude Spero for this Poppy 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 – Japanese Quilts

Posted on December 5, 2014 by Luana

from the Dec 3 eQuilter newsletter:

Tonight I am writing from Aurora Illinois, near Chicago. I am attending the Bernina Ambassador Reunion, networking with Bernina national teachers, authors and designers, having fun learning and playing on Bernina top-of-the-line machines. Lucky me!

Since I am out of town, Sophie and Paul have been finishing up my videos from Houston. This latest one has Sophie dressed up in the very special kimono that I bought at Bonnie Leman's estate sale this last summer. The video features beautiful Japanese quilts from the Houston Quilt Festival. Of course it includes the amazing quilt by Kyoko Yamauchi, the winner of the eQuilter-sponsored "World of Beauty" cash award.

The collage above is centered on Masako Sakagami's quilt "Fuji and Sakura", plus several of our current favorite Asian fabric designs. (This quilt is also in the latest video)

As you probably know, one of my favorite travel inspirations is to attend the Tokyo Quilt Festival every January. This year instead I will be going to the quilt festival in New Zealand. (Speaking there on Jan 16) I just love seeing what those Kiwi quilters are doing when the New Zealand Magazines arrives every few months….now I'll see it in person!

Are you inspired by the quilts, the art, the culture, the colors, the food or music of another country? I find that I am most delighted when I see quilts from another country, that communicate the national heart and soul of that society. It is like taking a mini-vacation and seeing the world through a different pair of eyes. By sharing our humanity and our vision through our quilts, perhaps we can contribute just a little step toward more peace on this planet.

Bernina Ambassadors Reunion photo:

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Purple Sunday

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Luana

EXCITING BIG NEWS! – We just received the SAQA fundraiser collection "Urban Textures" from Andover – based on the fabulous work of 6 artists, and curated by Luana Rubin.

The other big news is that we are bringing in Aurifil Threads, due to popular demand. See the first batch of Solid and Variegated threads online now, with a yummy assortment of colors.

You may not have noticed, but while your Inbox was barraged with multiple blaring Black Friday emails, you did not receive one from eQuilter. *smile*

Paul and I are not the type to do something because it is what everyone else is doing, and we also appreciate our customers' refined sense of taste.

We really appreciate the idea of Small Business Saturday, to bring attention to locally-owned and family-owned businesses (like ours!), but we don't want to get lumped in with the giant Mega-Sites that fight over Black Friday scraps on Cyber Monday.

So hey! We are going to have eQuilter's Purple Sunday instead! Purple is a color of unity, creativity and spirituality…so it fits our business model better than Black Friday, etc. As usual, we are wrapping up our Thanksgiving Week Sale today….Purple Sunday...so I hope you enjoy a relaxing cup of tea or coffee…and have fun checking out the year-end bargains we offer annually. (And you don't have to stand in line or camp out overnight to get these deals – ha!)

I am very honored to be part of the BERNINA Ambassador program, and next week I am also honored to attend their Ambassador Reunion at their US headquarters in Aurora, Illinois. Hopefully the weather gods will allow me to arrive and depart through infamous O'Hare Airport without a hitch. Fingers crossed!

Word from New Zealand is that I have over 300 attendees so far, for my "International Quilt Trends" presentation Jan 16 at the Quilt Symposium in Manawatu. We are also a sponsor of the event, and I am going to hang out in Sue Benner's workshop for 4 days too. Can't wait to meet all our NZ customers at the festival!!!

I am still putting together my 2015 travel calendar, but it looks like I will be speaking at the quilt festival in Mexico City the end of February as well.

In case you missed it, we now have a fun new video of the Animal/Wildlife themed quilts from Houston Quilt Fest, which features our dog Ruby and my new (birthday present from Paul) puppy Alfie! Tonight Paul uploaded "Luana's Favorites" which includes award winners and fantasy-themed quilts.

This is now a total of 4 videos from Houston…Red & White Quilts, Luana's Favorites, SAQA Exhibit, and Pet/Wildlife Quilts. Enjoy!

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Free Quilt Pattern – Embracing Horses – Laurel Burch

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Luana

Welcome to the colorful world of Laurel Burch, in this week's exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern!

If you love horses, you'll be mesmerized by the colors and rich gold metallic of this "Embracing Horses" collection. Note that there are 3 color stories for this collection – Multicolor (as shown), Teal, and Earthtones.

Animal Lovers – want some more inspiration for your quilting projects? Check out our brand new video featuring Animal-themed quilts from the Houston Quilt Festival!

This pattern was designed in EQ7, which is available here at eQuilter.

Many thanks to Larene Smith for this Horse 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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Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Luana

from the Nov 26 eQuilter newsletter:

This gorgeous quilt "Renaissance" by Zena Thorpe richly illustrates the celebration of abundance and gratitude that we feel at Thanksgiving time.

Quilters seem to have a special sense of appreciation… they share their abundance with others throughout the year, in the form of quilts, food, and love. That feeling of gratitude at Thanksgiving is passed down through our families, as we share traditions of a certain tablecloth, a certain centerpiece, a certain way of preparing a special dish. When Grandma can't make the green beans and the yams anymore, someone else takes on the tradition.

I'd like to express my gratitude all the quilters who have generously donated quilts to those in need through eQuilter over the years. With the help of Mission of Love, we've collected and distributed over 10,000 quilts for disaster relief and comfort, around the world.

Our charity program continues to channel 2% of sales to our list of relief/research/environmental organizations, so I also wish to express gratitude to those organizations who are on the ground working, especially Doctors Without Borders who are on the front lines in Africa, and Mission of Love who are preparing for another trip to Guatemala. All of our customers are part of the success of this program, and we are truly grateful for your support and friendship.

From everyone at eQuilter, we wish you a joyful Thanksgiving full of warmth and precious memories.

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

* The collage above features "Renaissance" by Zena Thorpe, photographed at the Houston IQA 2014 exhibit. Fabric images on the right and bottom are available at eQuilter.com

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The Gift of Time

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Luana

from the Nov 22 eQuilter newsletter:

Every year I am shocked when the holidays are upon us. How is it possible that we've arrived at Thanksgiving Week again? It is a constant reminder that the years slip by faster and faster, and the most important thing is to make the most of Today.

I started quilting in 1991, after leaving the fashion industry. When I look at the fabrics from my 90's stash, it is obvious that the quality of our beautiful quilting fabrics has gone WAY up! I don't feel so bad about donating my older fabrics to charity quilt organizations, as I continue to collect the stunning textiles that are being produced by the industry today. Back then, things like panels and border prints, ombres and fine metallics were almost non-existent. Batiks were scarce and all similar in scale and color. The few licensed character fabrics were printed on horrible quality, and the overall color palette was dark and muddy, or pale and washed out.

There were only a handful of truly gifted designers, and you had to go to a lot of quilt shops to see a full representation of their talent. As you know, that is no longer the case!

So if you are bemoaning the passage of time and the approach of the holidays again, here is something to be thankful for: the fabrics available to us now are light years beyond what we had 20-30 years ago!

Our thoughts and prayers go out to those of you dealing with Lake Effect Snow and the Arctic Blast. You've been hurled into the deep end of Winter this last week!

Our oldest son Mason turns 25 today, so that is another reason to ponder the passage of time. We wish Mason a Happy Quarter Century Birthday!

My 1st two videos from the Houston Quilt Festival are up on our video page: the SAQA exhibit, and the Red and White "Ruby Jubilee" exhibit.

Check out our 127 videos from international quilt festivals, Quilting Arts TV and Quilters Newsletter TV on our eQuilter Video Page.

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