Our Mystical Elephant panel is the feature of this week’s Free Quilt Pattern. This mesmerizing portrait captures the wisdom, loyalty & intensity of the elephant’s gaze, emerging from a wild, mysterious forest.
To make this 47″ x 47″ quilt design, you will start with our exclusive, magical 29″ x 44″ elephant panel. Piece the borders with our rich and vibrant canopy curls coordinate, then finish with solid black, which makes the quilt colors really pop. A deep jade hand dye provides a spirited accent binding.
As a wall hanging, this is a real conversation piece for the true wildlife lover. Or use this as a Nap quilt for powerful and prosperous dreams.
Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.
Every new beginning gives us the opportunity to review the past and make new goals for the future. This is something I have done every New Year since I was a little girl. I make a list of the things I must do in the coming year, the things I want to do, and the things I hope to do. Within those 3 levels of priority, I make sure I accomplish at least one thing from each category. Do you have a system of goal setting also?
This coming year I want to be more mindful about doing things with intention. I don’t want to spend time just distracting myself from other things. I want to spend time focused with my attention on the process. This includes my time in the studio but also my time on the computer, on my phone, with my friends and family, and my time doing research for future projects. (I still need to go see the Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Denver Art Museum!)
So I give you this idea to chew on, for New Years Day:
Am I distracting myself during my creative time, procrastinating or avoiding other foundational tasks? I think of the Zen Buddhist concept of “Chop Wood Carry Water” or maybe even the parable of the Little Red Hen. When it is time to clean our sewing machine, re-organize our stash, and tidy up our work space…we can be focused on the task and make it a layer of mental and creative prep time…it is like sweeping the mind free of clutter.
Notice how the guts of your machine work while you clean and oil between sewing sessions. Give your machine a new needle for a new project so you have one less thing to worry about if your thread is breaking. Audition gutsy new color combos while you review your stash. (Don’t worry – that scary hue can just be an accent color!) Contemplate different techniques and using new media in unique ways, while you clean your working area. I often find when I do these basic tasks, I move things around to accommodate and discover new efficiencies in my workflow. Right now I am re-learning to use my Silhouette Cameo digital cutting machine, and I plan to set up a Marbling station in the Spring. It is good to have something to look forward to!
No matter what your 5th grade art teacher told you, EVERYONE is creative and everyone has the heart of an artist. We all had it as children it is always waiting for us to open the door again. Being creative and crafty is good for our mental and physical health. Making things with our hands helps us to be present in the moment…and it heals our hearts.
May your New Year be filled with courageous creativity and audacious experiments that lead to joy and wonder.
Sharing our passion for fabric….. Luana and Paul
Travel/Lecture Dates: www.luanarubin.com Jan 9 – Fraser Valley Modern Guild – Art & Activism Zoom Lecture Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture Feb 25 – Mar 5 – Kyoto Quilt Festival Apr 3-6 – SAQA Conference – St Pete, Florida April 27- May 3 – Alegre Retreat
The cheerful and brightly hued castle panel makes this 57″ x 71″ quilt design a charming project for that special someone who delights in flower fairies. Magical fairy frames make up the coordinating borders, while the raspberry Hoffman hand dye provides a peaceful & calming outer border. It’s pure loveliness!
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern (orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).
Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.
You may or may not be aware that our quilting community is very active on Facebook. Instagram is catching up but I find that more of the people (quilters, textile artists) I want to follow are posting frequently on Facebook. So this week I noticed my quilter friends in the the U.K. are referring to this as the ‘in-between days’ – i.e. between Christmas and New Year. But of course many of you are now celebrating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. One thing is clear – this is a fertile time for the creative mind.
I am taking this quiet time to learn some new creative software for my 2025 projects. I am still processing all the information and experiences absorbed on my textile & costume tour. I rearranged some furniture in my home office. I am cleaning and organizing in my studio. There is also a new spiral artsy notebook and I am determined to write in it every day in 2025. I have edited and reprinted my Deadline & Travel Schedule (with lots of question marks!) for the coming year, and pinned it up on the wall.
Have you set creative goals for 2025? I suggest that you write them down and pin them up on the wall.
Things to include for the coming year: Choose 3 new colors to include in your palette, that you’ve never used before. Find or start a group of local quilters for creative support and inspiration. Plan to take a class or workshop to learn a new technique or skill – online or in person.
What else would you add to this list? Confidence and an adventurous spirit are assumed, but if those are still issues, put them at the top of the list to be tackled in 2025!
Thank you for sharing this passion for quilting with us. We are sending ‘in-between’ holiday smiles and hugs to all of you.
sharing your love for fabric, Luana and Paul
Travel/Lecture Dates: www.luanarubin.com Jan 9 – Fraser Valley Modern Guild – Art & Activism Zoom Lecture Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture Feb 25 – Mar 5 – Kyoto Quilt Festival Apr 3-6 – SAQA Conference – St Pete, Florida April 27- May 3 – Alegre Retreat
This adorable kitty rests in the nook of a crescent moon, floating in the clouds, and illuminated by the soft, night sky. Tonight’s Free eQuilter Pattern features this exclusive design which will be cherished by your little ones (and grown-ups too!)
To make this 65″ x 52″ quilt design, you will start with the central 31″ x 44″ panel. Then piece the borders with four coordinating blue Solids and Snow White Pearlescent Fairy Frost.
Children will love napping beneath this delightful quilt, which also makes a welcome addition to any bedroom.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern (orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).
Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.
In this season of Hope and Light, we send you our warmest wishes for a holiday full of comfort and joy. It is a time for cherished traditions and precious moments with loved ones…making memories to fill our hearts in the years to come.
One of our most popular design motifs is Wolves – representing the wild free spirit of the Northwoods. This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features our new majestic Wolves panel, with a pack running through fresh powder snow under the Moon and Northern Lights.
To make this 59″ x 67″ quilt design, you will start with our Arctic Wolf Pack panel, then piece the borders with an Aurora Borealis print and Lavender Hoffman hand dye; then border with solid black.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern (orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).
Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.
Today (Saturday) is the Winter Solstice here in the Northern Hemisphere, and the Summer Solstice for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere. The Winter Solstice is a time of quiet contemplation for me, as I take stock of the year that has passed, prepare for the holidays, and plan for the coming year.
This year, more than ever, I spend this solstice praying for Peace on Earth. My quilting keeps me centered and sane when the world is in chaos. Today, every stitch is made with love and hope. I am completing prayer flags for the Toward 2050 labyrinth.
Now more than ever, the Quilting Community is so precious to me. To ALL of you with whom I have spent time with this year, from QuiltCon to Houston, from Allegre to my recent Textile tour in Italy, I thank you for being such a blessing in my life. We have gathered on Zoom across the miles, and when we are lucky we share a meal at a quilt event. When I left the garment industry and found my way to the world of quilting, I instantly knew I had arrived where I was supposed to be. If you are new to quilting, I urge you to find your local tribe and partake of the warmth and camaraderie we find together.
We seek common ground, upon which to build the New Year together. When we gather based on our shared passion for making things with our hands….when we creatively collaborate in a joyful community….it strengthens us for the challenges of our day to day lives.
Thank you for sharing this passion for quilting with us. We are sending holiday smiles and hugs to all of you.
sharing your love for fabric, Luana and Paul
Travel/Lecture Dates: Jan 9 – Fraser Valley Modern Guild – Art & Activism Zoom Lecture Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture Feb 25 – Mar 5 – Kyoto Quilt Festival
To make this 55″ x 62″ Free Quilt Pattern, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ digital printed central panel. Then piece the borders with three coordinating wintry-blue snowflake prints adjacent to some magical white tonal stars.
Make this quilt for friends and family, and rejoice in the magic of Santa and the Christmas spirit.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern (orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).
Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of fabrics. Just place your desired fabrics in your Wish List, and these fabrics will appear in the Fabric Selector below the pattern.
Monday night I returned home from our Textile & Costume tour in Italy. There so many special things in this trip. One of my favorites was our visit to the Fortuny Museum, which was the home and workshop of designer and polymath Mariano Fortuny y Madrazo.
In the 1980s when I was at my first fashion design job, I had the opportunity to design my first silk print collection. The dresses were being made from my prints, in the same factory making Oscar de la Renta’s silk dress collection.
My first silk print collection was inspired by one of my heroes – Fortuny! You may recall that in the late 70s there was a revival of his style – with the micro-pleated silk dresses that were figure-hugging columns. He had a vast library and also studied historic brocades and velvets, then producing his own line of Venetian-inspired textiles.
While in his home Palazzo Pesaro, which is now the museum, I was swooning over his reference library. (A small snippet in the image above.) His home was in this Venetian Palace, built around 1470. The museum opened in 1975. It was in a state of decay when he saw it for the first time in 1898. Over the following years he began the restoration, making it his home, and installing a textile workshop in 1907. Here they mixed dyes, printed silk and velvet fabrics, and created theatrical scenes…inspired by the splendor of the Italian Renaissance.
You can imagine how thrilled I was to find the original reference fabric in the display, that inspired my own collection in 1982. Up until that moment, I had only seen it in a reference book. It was 45 years from when I had first found a book about Fortuny’s work, and was inspired by his Venetian Renaissance patterns. Those moments when we come ‘full circle’ in our life, are momentous….and rare. My passion for Fortuny is part of my passion for textiles, and I finally completed my pilgrimage.
Sharing your love of fabric… Luana and Paul
Travel/Lecture Dates: Jan 9 – Fraser Valley Modern Guild – Art & Activism Zoom Lecture Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture Feb 25 – Mar 5 – Kyoto Quilt Festival
