Creative Nudge – Summer Jazz

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Luana

MusicCollage_550

Summertime is often a time for outdoor music festivals, a musician playing on a street corner, and music wafting through an open window at night.

One of my great inspirations is music, and all of our children have become musicians and music lovers. We often are going out to hear them perform, or going to hear live music in the community.

One of my favorite ways to get creative is to load up my multi-CD player with several hours worth of music of a particular genre, to evoke a certain mood that I want to express in my creative work. Jazz, classical and world music are all favorites, plus a few pop favs like Sting!

I like to play around with the settings on my camera when I have a chance to photograph an interesting subject, as I did last week at a jazz club. Here is a black and white mood photo, with a collage of eQuilter fabrics.

You can put fabrics in your shopping cart and then dump them onto our Design Board to play around with color combinations, as I have above. We know your favorite part of starting a new project is auditioning fabrics, i.e. playing around with your real or imaginary stash! Me too!

I wanted to let you know that Dana's heart surgery today was a success, with the best possible outcome, so thank you for all your prayers and good wishes. We are starting her Healing Quilt shortly so if you are still sending an 8" purple/green Heart Block for our project, drop us an email so we can save a spot for your block!

My new studio's flooring goes in Thursday, and then we start moving on the weekend!

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Creativity, Music, Travel | Comments Off on Creative Nudge – Summer Jazz

Quilts for Africa

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Luana

July 19 I am departing for South Africa with Carolyn Mazloomi's tour group. I still have room in my large 2nd suitcase for donated lap quilts for the kids in need there, if you'd like to participate. See last week's newsletter for details, or contact eQuilter customer service.

VPCHHSBC

The next month is going to be pretty crazy, because the new floor of my new studio is going in on this Friday, I have to move my studio next Monday, shoot a video there Weds, and leave on my 2 week trip to South Africa that Saturday!

This is going to be my first trip to the continent of Africa, and you can imagine it is a big checkmark on my Bucket List, especially because of all the charitable organizations/projects we have supported in Africa. (Doctors Without Borders, Engineers Without Borders, and Mission of Love.)

One of the product groups we carry is an Eco-Friendly line of Hand-Dyes, Sun Prints and Hand-Stamped Panels that are made in South Africa. Langa Lapu keeps the women in the local village employed, and also contributes to a local AIDS orphanage. Pru and I have had a mutual appreciation society for many years, and hers is a great example of the kind of socially responsible company we love to support!

TTOAFEAD

We maintain 2 categories of African-made or African-themed fabrics, (African batiks, and African prints) plus categories of African wild animals and African patterns…in case you want to sew along with my journey later this month!

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Charity, Quilts, Travel | 1 Comment

eQuilter Exclusive Free Pattern – Spirited Magic

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Luana

Castles, Fairies and Unicorns… Oh My!

This dreamy fantasy land will appeal to all ages of magical thinkers, set in celestial sashing with vintage map coordinates.

Should the question of matching pillows and curtains come up, we have lots of these novelty prints, or you can add wizards and dragons for your own version of this Fantasy Kingdom.

Magical

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 of The Quilted Button for this Fantasy themed 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.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Free Quilt Patterns, Quilt Pattern | Comments Off on eQuilter Exclusive Free Pattern – Spirited Magic

Creative Nudge – Cowgirl Americana

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Luana

Cowgirls_550

As we approach the Fourth of July holiday here in the US, I thought it would be fun to do a collage of Cowgirls and Americana. Between these 3 categories – Americana, Old West and Horses – there are enough flags, cowgirl boots and galloping horses to keep you busy sewing until Thanksgiving!

When I was a girl growing up in Longmont Colorado, on the 4th of July we would pack a picnic, stake out a spot for our blanket at Roosevelt Park, eat watermelon and wait for dusk to watch the fireworks overhead. A month later I would ride my pinto Quarter Horse at the Boulder County Fair, barrel racing in my boots and cowgirl hat. Do you have special memories of summer and Independence Day?

I have a very special memory from my visit to the Carter Center Retreat in Vail last week. A friend who is part of their Ambassador Circle invited me as her guest, and I then received a special invite to a semi-private breakfast with President Jimmy Carter and Rossalyn Carter. (About 20 people got to introduce themselves to the Carters in a private room, and listen to him speak informally over breakfast.)

Very quickly I realized that I have had a lot of misconceptions about the Carters' post-presidency work. Politics aside, they have dedicated their later years to eradicating disease, waging peace by monitoring democratic elections, and more recently focusing on ending violence against women and girls. I thought Habitat for Humanity was their organization, but it is not. The Carter Center is their foundation doing this good work around the globe. They have worked in 145 countries and that includes many places I would not want to visit.

Anyway, I wanted to share some of my photos from the retreat, which included a visit to the Betty Ford Alpine Garden, and the Beaver Creek Rodeo. The collage above has a variety of fabrics from eQuilter, and the photo in the center is the Rodeo Queen carrying the American flag while galloping around the arena. Jimmy Carter was sitting a few rows in front of me when I snapped this photo.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Charity, Travel | Comments Off on Creative Nudge – Cowgirl Americana

Dr Dana, the Carters & South Africa

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Luana

DanaChapman

Over the years many of you have called and written to tell us about our wonderful customer service, and your interactions with our CS manager Dana Chapman. Since Dana has a PhD in Textiles, we like to refer to her as Dr Dana, ready to handle all of your fabric questions.

Dr Dana has her own date with a doctor soon – she is having heart surgery on July 8th and will be on medical leave for 6 weeks. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers on July 8th.

If you would like to send an 8" Heart Block to Dana at eQuilter, we are planning to make a comfort quilt for her recovery time. (Send blocks this week to hopefully arrive by July 7) You can of course send her cards at our address too. Please use some combination of Purple and Green – beautiful healing colors. If they arrive during her leave, we will make sure she gets the cards right away. We are organizing food to be delivered to her home so someone will be visiting her every few days.

Thursday and Friday I was at the Vail Retreat for The Carter Center, and met President Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter. I was invited by a friend who is in their Ambassador Circle, because of eQuilter's charitable programs. I have posted photos on Facebook, and I am posting them on my photo page tonight. I will tell you more about it in the midweek Creative Nudge in a few days!

DSCN7906

In case you missed this note a few days ago…

July 19 I am departing for South Africa. I am traveling with Carolyn Mazloomi's tour group. We will have opportunities to visit an orphanage and groups in need of support.

I'd like to put out a call for lap-sized quilts for the children. If you would like to donate a colorful happy quilt to a child in need in South Africa, I will personally take the quilts in my 2nd suitcase, and make sure they are given to a special child there. I will take photos and share them on my photo page as well. eQuilter will also donate needles, thread and sewing supplies to a women's collective there.

If you'd like to donate a quilt for South Africa, please mail so we will receive them here at eQuilter in Boulder by July 15th. Please also call or email before shipping, especially if you are sending out close to the deadline. If the suitcase is full then we will advise you to hold the quilt for a future quilt project, or we will send additional quilts to the Mission of Love's next airlift to Guatemala. However if you contact us before shipping, we can confirm if your quilt will fit in my suitcase.

DSC_2130

I am told that we still have a couple spots in our Polar Bear tour to Churchill! If you've dreamed of seeing the bears in their environment, please join our small band of quilters on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to the edge of the Arctic! This trip sells out every year because there is such limited space in Churchill, so don't delay! We will meet fellow quilters in Winnipeg, and I'll give a presentation on the last day, to the Manitoba Prairie Quilters guild.

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

********
2014 Quilty/Design Travel:
July 16 Quilt Colorado, 6 pm Award Ceremony
July 24 IQCAfrica, Joburg South Africa, 11 am
Sept 20  Quilters Take Manhattan
Sept 29 Quilt Exhibit, US Embassy, Rome
Oct 13-19 Polar Bear Tour, Churchill
Nov 14-16 Color Marketing Group, Orlando
Jan 2015 – Quilt Symposium in Manawatu, New Zealand

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Charity, Quilts, Travel | 3 Comments

eQuilter Free Pattern – Crayon Box

Posted on June 28, 2014 by Luana

CrayonBox

Do you know a special kindergartener with that big first day looming in a couple months?

Do you know a classroom that could use a bright cheerful wallhanging this fall?

Check out the fun school-themed fabrics in this week's eQuilter Exclusive Free Pattern, and you'll be signing up for Teacher's Pet!

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 of The Quilted Button for this School themed 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.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Free Quilt Patterns, Quilt Pattern | Comments Off on eQuilter Free Pattern – Crayon Box

Creative Nudge – Fashion & Fabrics

Posted on June 25, 2014 by Luana

Victoria_550

This week's photo/fabric collage celebrates Fashion and Fabrics – two of our great loves that go hand in hand.

The photo is a statue of Queen Victoria, in Glasgow Scotland. If you look closely you'll see her flowered dress and lace trimmed sleeves. Like most women, she loved her accessories… in this case a crown, orb and scepter. The rest of us have to make do with handbags, hats, watches and shoes.

What's even more fun is to make pillows, totebags, garments or even curtains from these fashion-themed fabric designs! There are so many ways to express our love of fabric.

Sophie is away at music camp this week, and she celebrated her 12th birthday with her musician friends. I am on my way to a very special private event in Vail Thursday and Friday… I'll tell you about it in the Saturday night newsletter!

July 19 I am departing for South Africa. I am traveling with Carolyn Mazloomi's tour group. We will have opportunities to visit an orphanage and groups in need of support.

I'd like to put out a call for lap-sized quilts for the children. If you would like to donate a colorful happy quilt to a child in need in South Africa, I will personally take the quilts in my 2nd suitcase, and make sure they are given to a special child there. I will take photos and share them on my photo page as well. eQuilter will also donate needles, thread and sewing supplies to a women's collective there.

If you'd like to donate a quilt for South Africa, please mail so we will receive them here at eQuilter in Boulder by July 15th. Please also call or email before shipping, especially if you are sending out close to the deadline. If the suitcase is full then we will advise you to hold the quilt for a future quilt project, or we will send additional quilts to the Mission of Love's next airlift to Guatemala. However if you contact us before shipping, we can confirm if your quilt will fit in my suitcase.

I am told that we still have a couple spots in our Polar Bear tour to Churchill! If you've dreamed of seeing the bears in their environment, please join our small band of quilters on this once-in-a-lifetime journey to the edge of the Arctic! This trip sells out every year because there is such limited space in Churchill, so don't delay! We will meet fellow quilters in Winnipeg, and I'll give a presentation on the last day, to the Manitoba Prairie Quilters guild.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Charity, Travel | Comments Off on Creative Nudge – Fashion & Fabrics

Kalinka Collection – Canada, Comics & Costumes

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Luana

Kalinka

*
I've just posted a large group of photos from Quilt Canada in Niagara/St Catherines, and I know you'll enjoy seeing what our neighbors to the north are doing with their quilts! There are quite a few talented Canadian quilt artists whose work we've seen in Houston over the last few years, so it is great to see more of their creativity on their home turf.

We especially enjoy the Canadian quilt art that is distinctly Canadian (!) – expressing the culture, wildlife and landscape of their northern folk art and wilderness. At the bottom of this photo page you'll also see quilts from last year's Quilt Canada in British Columbia, with more Pacific Northwest influences.

If you missed my photos from Niagara Falls, I have an album for those images as well.

Attention Fellow Geeks:
Last weekend I was at the Denver Comic Con with Sophie, and we met (briefly) William Shatner/Captain Kirk, Denise Crosby/Tasha Yar, and Marina Sirtis/Deanna Troi. They had a Star Trek Next Generation cast reunion, which also included Jonathan Frakes, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn (Worf), and LeVar Burton. (Reading Rainbow) Wil Wheaton did not make it – he is too busy being Wesley Crusher on Big Bang Theory.

Anyway, we went to several lectures and the most fun was "Making Crazy Wigs" which is another kind of Fiber Art! We also went to the Costume Contest and you can see those photos here, along with photos of the Star Trek cast.

This week my new studio space on the ground floor is being painted and refloored. My plan is to have classes and events here starting in the next year.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Creativity | Comments Off on Kalinka Collection – Canada, Comics & Costumes

Creative Nudge – Mardi Gras Quilt from Quilt Canada

Posted on June 19, 2014 by Luana

GerriSmit2_550

We have a new Free Shipping Policy up now, just in time for the Summer Solstice this week!

Just order $100 or more, and you get free USA Shipping, or half price International Shipping by our most economical shipping method.

This beautiful large quilt won 2nd place in the "Bed or Wallquilt Longarm/Midarm Quilted" category at Quilt Canada last week.

This is just a section of the quilt, but it shows much of the amazing detail. Artist Gerri Smit gives us a roadmap to creativity in her artist statement that was hanging with the quilt:

"The idea for this came together pretty much all at the same time. First a series of technique demonstrations, Sarah Vedeler's Sedona Star pattern (used with permission), the colors from a TV commercial for New Orleans and a Mardi Gras mask purchased in Italy. I digitized the mask and used it on my longarm. Two layers of batting (one wool and a silk/bamboo/cotton blend) give it a trapunto look. It is paper pieced, embroidered, appliqued."

What is really great about this artist statement is that it helps you to understand what you are looking at in this quilt. We quilters love to go and examine award-winning quilts up close, so we can borrow a technique or detail, and create our own unique version made up of many diverse ideas.

I am editing the photos from Quilt Canada now, and will post them on my photo page in a couple days. You can take a peek there in the meantime, and see the costume photos I took at this last weekend's Comic Con in Denver.

You can also have a look at the winning quilts from the National Juried Show at Quilt Canada.

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Color, Design, Quilts, Travel | Comments Off on Creative Nudge – Mardi Gras Quilt from Quilt Canada

Timing is Everything!

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Luana

This last week I was in the Niagara Falls area, at my 2nd Quilt Canada. I saw old and new friends, many eQuilter customers, including one who came from Ireland!

Canada's quilting movement is growing fast, and the introduction of the Modern Quilt Guild has added to the rapid spread of quilting there.

eQuilter sponsored the top prize for their first-ever Modern Quilt category, in the juried quilt show. There was an additional exhibit of Modern Quilts that was sponsored by a local quilt shop. Next door was a contemporary art quilt exhibit which paired up artists for a unique double theme: two banner quilts hung side by side – one realistic and one abstract – both explorations of the same theme.

I am waiting for the show to end today, and then I will post photos for those of you who couldn't make the show.

Yesterday while Sam had a music class in Denver, I had lunch nearby. At the end they handed me a dessert list with "Vidal Inniskillin". A week ago I wouldn't have know what that meant, but it just so happens I was sampling that Ice Wine at that exact winery last Monday!

Seeing Niagara Falls in person was just awesome. I'd like to go back and just spend a day alone experiencing the falls up close. The photos of the falls frozen solid, are very intriguing to me. I guess it is like the Cherry Blossom Festival – you have to be lucky and hit the timing just right. Here are some photos from this year's frozen falls.

I am at Denver's Comic Con this weekend, and will be photographing the costume contest tonight. Watch for these, and the Canada quilt photos on my photo page!

Our dear friend Libby Lehman is having a very tough time now. If you have a moment, please send her a card of encouragement. You can read about her current challenge on Caring Bridge, and please send your card to:

Libby Lehman
7618 East Jordon Cove, Houston, TX 77055

Share Post:
Facebooktwitterpinterestlinkedin
Posted in Travel | Comments Off on Timing is Everything!