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

DSC_4682

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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Creative Nudge – Narita Temple

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Luana

NaritaFlower_550b

Our creative inspirations are often serendipitous – a combinations of motifs or colors that catches our eye by chance.

Sometimes, when we are really lucky, we are inspired by the work of another artist whose work points us in a new direction.

While I was in Japan for the Tokyo Quilt Festival, I couldn't get the adjacent hotel for all the nights I had planned. I would have to spend my last night at a hotel near Narita Airport. 

I saw this as a chance to tour the town and Buddhist temple nearby. I like to make lemonade from lemons, or in this case I made green tea from dried leaves.

I took a lot of photos on my daylong tour of the Narita countryside, but this is one that captured my imagination. Inside one of the temple buildings, were intricately painted multicolor decorations on the massive pillars that held up the ceiling. The mandala flower motif was so exquisitely rendered, it reminded me of applique flowers. 

You can see one mandala from the pillars, in the center of this image. All around you see a fabric collage that was inspired by the beauty of this temple decoration. If you would like to see these fabrics, just click here.

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Melbourne, Moscow and Manawatu

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Luana

PokeyLuana1

Today Pokey Bolton announced that she is stepping down from her position at Quilts Inc, to pursue an Eat Pray Love personal adventure…as a civilian.

Pokey has been a great friend and supporter to eQuilter (on Quilting Arts TV) and the quilting community in general, and we wish her much happiness as she moves on to the next chapter of her creative life.

This week is the Moscow Quilt Festival, and the Australasian Quilt Convention in Melbourne. I wish I could be in both places at once! My Australian friend Lynette Anderson is in Moscow, and is posting on her blog.

I am looking at going to the Quilt Symposium in Manawatu, New Zealand in January 2015. I hope to meet my Kiwi friends and customers there.

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 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC
May 16-18 Quilt Market
June 11-14 Quilt Canada, Ontario
July 15 Quilt Colorado
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

See my Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, 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 – Birds of Paradise

Posted on April 12, 2014 by Luana

This week's eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern is inspired by the lush artwork of designer Rennie Marquez, whose "Los Cabos" collection has been selling like hot tortillas!

Rennie spent 22 years at Walt Disney Imagineering as a senior concept designer, creating and visualizing ideas for Disney theme parks around the world. Her career evolved as a painter, and now her work has been shown in galleries, and the Armand Hammer Museum. Her fantastical paintings hang in private art collections in the US, Mexico and abroad.

With this quilt, you can have your own view of Rennie's flowers, birds and Southwest architecture, as seen through this inventive Attic Window pattern!

Rennie

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 56" x 64" Bird friendly 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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Creative Nudge – Artisan Whispers

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Luana

ManSingh_550

As you may have guessed, I have not shared ALL of my photos from my trip to India last Fall. Every once in awhile I'll pull out an image that tells a story, and inspires a quilt.

On the 8th day of our 2 week trip, we arrived in a city called Gwalior, which is known for its ancient fort called Man Singh Palace, built around 1500 on the top of a cliff.

Some traces of the blue and yellow tiles remain on the carved stones which represent elephants, peacocks, crocodiles, tigers, lions and yellow ducks. Nearby are ancient ponds filled with lotus flowers. Wild dogs and sacred cows roam the grounds, and at night there is a light show projected onto the palace's outer wall. A sheer 300 foot drop overlooks the lights of the city below.

As I looked at the 500 year old tiles and stone embellishments, I thought about the artisans who created the masterpiece of architecture. Did they bathe and drink from the lotus ponds? Did they ride the elephants through the massive doors built specifically for the pachyderms? Did wild peacocks call from the palace gardens?

I imagine the many bright colors of the saris, worn by the ladies of the palace. The traditional textile arts of woodblock printing, embroidery and beading are with us still today. The fragments of blue and yellow tile, on the carved red rock, still whisper the secrets of the royal artisans who gazed out from the heights of the palace walls. Click here to see the fabrics inspired by the Man Singh Palace of Gwalior.

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Important Dates to Note

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Luana

FBKIT5DM

There are two very important days coming up this week.

The first one is on Monday April 7 –
No Housework Day.

I am not making this up!

All you quilters and sewing fans know what to do now – get ready to stitch like crazy in all your extra free time on Monday!

Monday is also Coffee Cake Day & National Beer Day, just in case you need to think of another way to avoid housework.

The other important day is Tuesday.

It is Paul's mother's 90th birthday.

We want to wish Grandma Frieda a wonderful birthday, and many more!

I want to mention a couple details about upcoming trips – hoping to see some of you in my travels:

If you are going to the SAQA Conference in the DC area May 1-4, I will be giving a presentation on the first evening, about the Urban Textures collection and contest, which was developed with Andover Fabrics. eQuilter is also sponsoring the Artist Speed-Dating event that night!

If you are going to Quilt Canada in St Catherine's near Niagara Falls, I will be at the award ceremony on Tuesday night June 10, and tentatively giving an eye candy power point on international quilt shows, at lunchtime Weds June 11… details to follow!

(If anyone wants to get together on that Mon or Tues to tour the local area, send me an email!)

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 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC
May 16-18 Quilt Market
June 11-14 Quilt Canada, Ontario
July 15 Quilt Colorado
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

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 – Cat and Dog Lovers

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Luana

Quilters LOVE their pets, and the quantity of dog and cat fabrics that we ship out the door is evidence of that ongoing Furry Lovefest!

This week's eQuilter Free Pattern is based on either a Dog panel or a Cat panel, set into an easy pieced design which can be used as a 43" x 59" wallhanging or a lap quilt.

We also have a special price on 60" wide organic batting that would work perfectly with this design! (Order 2 yards for this pattern)

PamperedPortraits

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.

Check out our Dog/Puppy and Cat/Kitten fabric categories for some ideas of how you can personalize this pattern with your own fabrics. You can add fancy quilting to the squares on point, or perhaps an applique of a pawprint?

For the cat panel, try adding allover pawprints, a comfy couch, or a few mice.

For the dog panel, add a green park with chipmunks to chase, and shady trees, perhaps some bicycles, or some dogbones.

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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