Creative Nudge – Magic Moment

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Luana

CrathesDahlia_550

For most of us in the Northern Hemisphere, May signals an explosion of color and fragrance in our flower gardens, filling us with inspiration that can be translated into future floral quilts and sewing projects.

Sometimes I meet a flower that has an effect on me for years. Here is a photo of one such flower. I photographed it last August in the gardens of Crathes Castle in Scotland. It was such a perfect shade of Salmon Pink, with a few dewdrops sparkled in the morning sun…and I was smitten!

If you look closely, you will see the tinges of Mauve on the outer tips of the petals, and the glow of sunny yellow towards the center of the blossom. The more I looked at this flower, the more inspiration was revealed. Sometimes a walk in the garden is not enough. We have to stop and focus on that one perfect blossom, and as we bring our consciousness completely into that moment, the secret of the flower will show itself.

This is a type of creative meditation that brings us into an empty inner space that allows us to see things that were otherwise hidden. Allowing ourselves to slow down and just "Be" is one of the secrets of the great artists. The more you gaze quietly, the more you see.

Then we take a deep breath and dive into the process of creating!

Do you have a favorite place in Nature that opens up your creative senses?

Be sure to check out our new videos filmed at the DAR Museum in Washington DC…. 2 out of 3 are now up on our video page.

Upcoming Quilty Travel:
May 16-18 Quilt Market
June 11 Quilt Canada, Ontario
July 15 Quilt Colorado
July 24 IQCAfrica, Johannesburg South Africa
Sept 19-21 Quilters Take Manhattan
Sept 27 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

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DAR Museum Video Tour

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Luana

AldenDAR

Last weekend I was in Arlington Virginia at the
annual SAQA conference, and one of those
days Bonnie McCaffery and I snuck out to Washington DC to do a video tour of
the DAR Museum, and interview the Textile, Quilt & Costume curator Alden
O'Brien.

We have a 3 part series of behind-the-scenes interviews with Alden, and Part 1
is up on our eQuilter video page
now. I'll have Part 2 up early next week, so in the meantime please enjoy this
behind the scenes glimpse of this beautiful building, and their collection of
19th century quilts!

As you may know, eQuilter sponsors many quilt contests, exhibits and festivals
around the world. One of our newer sponsorships has been the International
Quilt Convention in Johannesburg South Africa. I have been wishing I could
attend this show for awhile, and through a serendipitous connection at the SAQA conference, I am now going on Carolyn
Mazloomi's 10 day tour of South Africa. Woo hoo!

I will also be giving a lecture on International Quilt Trends at 11 am on July
24, at IQCAfrica. Hope all of you
quilters in South Africa can come to the convention and say hello at my
presentation!

My next international trip is to Quilt Canada
in St Catherines near Niagara Falls, and I'll be giving this same presentation
there at lunchtime on Weds June 11.

Next week I'll be at Quilt Market with our eQuilter staff, buying fabrics that
will ship to us over the next several months. Tune in a week from now for our
Quilt Market Trend Report!

POLAR BEAR TOUR:

There are still a few spots open in our group, but it is now open to the public
and will fill up fast. If you've been procrastinating – call our adventure agent Aly
NOW to snag one of the last spots on this Trip of a Lifetime!

Check out our 120 videos from international quilt festivals, Quilting Arts TV
and Quilters Newsletter TV on our eQuilter
Video Page.

********

2014 Quilty/Design Travel:

May 16-18 Quilt Market

June 11 Quilt Canada, Ontario

July 15 Quilt Colorado

July 24 IQCAfrica, Johannesburg South Africa

Sept 19-21 Quilters Take Manhattan

Sept 27 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

See my Flickr Photo Pages
for travel images, comment on my
blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Get your Daily Dose of Eye Candy on Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter for more Color and Design
ideas.

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eQuilter Free Pattern – The Golden Age

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Luana

This week's eQuilter Free Pattern is for New Yorkers, and all the rest of us who love the culture, sophistication, and elegance of the Cosmopolitan Life.

We are featuring the 'Renaissance Man' collection by Maria Kalinowski of Kanvas Studio for Benartex. This stunning collection features themes such as New York's skyline & iconic architecture, the Statue of Liberty, antique keys and library books, marble textures, chess sets, & vintage fountain pens.

It evokes an ambiance of dark wood-paneled rooms, velvet and tapestry, marble floors, and golden light streaming through tall windows.

GoldenAge

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.

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 – Monuments by Moonlight

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Luana

Lincoln_550

After spending 5 days in Washington DC, I thought it would be fun to share a collage of photos and patriotic fabrics. Recently we've received several digital printed fabrics with American themes, which are detailed photo albums of United States icons.

Whether you are a patriotic American, or making a quilt to commemorate your travels around the US, we have a number of novelty prints to capture every moment down Memory Lane…or Pacific Highway #1!

From Hawaii to New England Lighthouses, and from Route 66 to New York City, we carry fabrics to show your favorite vacation spots in the US.

A couple nights ago, on my last night in our nation's capitol, I had a long moonlit walk among the illuminated monuments. I passed the White House, and walked all the way down to the World War II Memorial, then walked in the dark all the way along the edge of the reflecting pool. It was quiet, 65 degrees, and the long pool reflected the Washington Monument on one end, and the Lincoln Memorial at the other end. I finished by climbing the stairs and sitting at Lincoln's feet, looking out across the National Mall.

While in Washington DC at the SAQA conference, I also spent a day at the DAR Museum to interview the textile/quilt curator, and tour the collections. You will see those 3 videos popping up soon.

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A Room With a View

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Luana

This week I am writing to you from Arlington Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington DC. I have a lovely view of the Capitol Building from my hotel window, and I can't stop thinking of that painting Washington Crossing the Delaware, for some reason.

I am here for the SAQA Annual Conference, as a sponsor but also to preview the "Urban Textures" fundraiser collection to the membership.

The 6 artists whose work was chosen for this collection are:
Janice Paine Dawes, Elizabeth Brandt, Linda Engstrom, Martha Ressler, Laura Wasilowski and Shandra Belknap. Congratulations to all of you!

My other very exciting news is that today Bonnie McCaffery and I spent part of the day filming at the DAR Museum in Washington DC, and we will have 3 videos about the DAR's quilt collections. I feel so fortunate to have had access to the curator Alden, and to the archives and exhibits that are not open to the public.

This opportunity came to me through my contact at the US Embassy in Rome. You may recall that I gave 2 presentations at the embassy in September 2012. (and I will be there again this September) That contact happened as a result of my longtime connection to Quilt Italia, which is the national quilt guild of Italy. You just never know where your quilty networking will take you!

We were also able to sit down and interview art quilt icon Yvonne Porcella, who is the founder and a past president of SAQA. What an amazing, courageous woman she is. She has a new book coming out soon which we will carry at eQuilter.

The best moment Friday night was when an eQuilter customer came up to tell me that while she was recovering from brain surgery, she passed the time by reading our blogs and looking at our fabrics at eQuilter. We got a little teary-eyed together and exchanged some quilty hugs.

My mom flew with me to DC, and my cousin flew up from Austin, so they are busy visiting with my brother who lives in Rockville MD, and works as an architect 2 blocks from the White House. He has worked on a lot of high profile projects over the years, including the Spy Museum and several embassies. We're having a little family reunion Sunday and Monday, then it's back home to prepare for my next trip to Quilt Market, and Design Week in NYC.

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eQuilter Free Pattern – Wild at Heart

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Luana

Are you a Horse Lover?

What is it about wild, galloping horses that captures our hearts and imagination?

This week's eQuilter Exclusive Free Pattern is built around a beautiful horse panel featuring eight dynamic scenes, alternating with pieced tree blocks. We've carefully selected a range of fabrics to coordinate with the horse panel.

WildHorses

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 lively horse quilt design.

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 – River of Blues

Posted on April 30, 2014 by Luana

BlueMed_550

Ahhhhh…. Is there anything more refreshing,
more classic, more calming, than a Blue and White color
palette?

Why do we feel so at ease with this cool and crisp color combination? It is the
color of Sea and Sky, of Snow and Ice, of Blossoms and
Puffy Clouds.

Quick, what culture do you think of, when you look at Blue and White?

Scandinavian?
Greek?
Mexican?
Japanese?
French?
Hawaiian?
California Surfer Dudes?

Today I am taking my inspiration from an ethereal pieced quilt from the Tokyo
Quilt Festival, where Indigo
is a river that flows through the entire exhibition. In Japan, as in many
countries, the color blue has a
history that goes back centuries, in traditions of Indigo-dyed fabrics.

I've surrounded a detail of this Japanese quilt, with Blue and White fabric
designs from our new category "Mediterranean Blues". You
can play around with these on our Design Board, or
with our Free Patterns, and make
your own version of "Ahhhhhh…."!

I hope to see many of you at the eQuilter-sponsored Artist Speed Dating event,
Thursday (tomorrow night!) at the SAQA Conference. We'll kick off the evening
with my presentation about the Urban Textures fundraiser collection, announcing
the names of the winning artists!

* The center of the Blue and White collage above, is a photo of a quilt from
the Tokyo Quilt Festival 2014. The artist's name is on the bottom, in Japanese
characters.

Upcoming Quilty Travel:
May 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC
May 16-22 Quilt Market, Design Week NYC
June 11-14 Quilt Canada, Ontario
Sept 19-21 Quilters Take Manhattan
Sept 27 Quilt Exhibit, Rome US Embassy
Oct 14-19 Polar Bear Tour, Churchill

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eQuilter Free Pattern – April in Paris

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Luana

Bonjour! Can't make it to the quilt show in Nantes France this weekend? We're bringing you a little taste of Francaise today, to fill that cup of longing for all things Parisian.

This exclusive quilt design is one of our favorite eQuilter Free Patterns! In this stunning wallhanging, you'll see French, Deco, Vintage Scrapbook and Botanic fabric designs, layered into an elegant collage effect.

AprilInParis

Take a closer look and you'll see that even the interlocking black border and sashing are filled with character – using a lovely Charcoal-on-Black print. Notice the charming potpourri of French icons and culture – from the Eiffel Tower and blushing roses – to vintage bicycles and postcards. Tr?s jolie!

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.

Many thanks to Larene Smith of The Quilted Button for this Contemporary Paris quilt design.

Stock up on THREAD and you are ready to quilt!

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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Color Gut

Posted on April 19, 2014 by Luana

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This last week I was visiting with one of our sales reps who we've known for over 15 years. We were discussing how the industry has changed so much, and speculating on what it might be like 10 years from now.

When we first opened eQuilter in the basement of our house 15 years ago, it was *very* difficult to find these types of fabrics all in one place. I would go looking for big bold contemporary fabrics in quilts shops local and national, and nobody carried the contemporary fabrics narrow and deep. Thus the idea for our business was born.

Now my job as the head buyer is totally different! Instead of hunting for rare fabrics, my job is to cherry-pick from an over-abundance of choices. As I have mentioned before, I figure I look at 150,000 fabrics a year, and buy about 14,000.

People often ask – how do you choose?!?

I do it the same way that you do. I can look at a bunch of fabrics and immediately know which ones our customers will want, because the winners jump out to me, just like they do to you.

Choosing fabrics for a quilt or other sewing project is not hard. You know what you like, and you know what looks good, or what touches your soul, the first time you look. What we sometimes lack is the confidence to trust our first impression. Some people call it intuition, but I call it Color Confidence.

If you look at a color, or a fabric with a particular combination of colors, and it calls to you, there is a reason! If you don't trust your gut feeling, then pick up a book on Color Psychology and maybe it will explain why you are drawn to certain colors.

My rule is … when I look at a fabric and I have to think about it more than 5 seconds…I am not following my gut instinct. Don't overthink your color choices. Sometimes mistakes turn into the most glorious innovations!

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eQuilter Free Pattern – Stars of Lumina

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Luana

This week's Free Pattern Design is an eQuilter exclusive, created especially to show off the stunning Lumina collection by Peggy Toole.

Lush feathers, faceted jewel images, flowing ribbons in a large scale panel, a Venetian glass mosaic, and glistening gold metallic create a luxurious ambiance before you even cut into the fabrics!

The kaleidoscope design floats on a blue/green watery background, giving the illusion of a marble, gold and semi-precious stone inlaid floor, floating in a cool garden pool.

LuminaStar

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.

Many thanks to Toby Lischko for this 63" x 63" intricate quilt design!

Stock up on THREAD and you are ready to quilt!

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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