eQuilter Blog

A Year of Changes

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Luana

Things are changing in the quilting industry, including many icons of the industry who are retiring this year.

One of my dearest friends is stepping down in the next few months – Beth Hayes who has been the editor-in-chief at McCalls Quilting Magazine for 20 years.

Her office is just 40 minutes away in Golden, but our friendship has taken me around the world. I traveled with her tours of China and Italy, we both led groups to Ireland, and we took a Girlfriend Tour (just the 2 of us) to Vienna, Budapest and Prague during the holiday season.

Many years ago, Beth gave me a generous introduction in McCalls when she published my quilt designs and the first several fabric collections that I designed. Our mutual love of fabric and quilting blossomed into a treasured friendship.

She has an eye for talent and success, and is one of the most gracious women I've ever known. Her shoes will be hard to fill, but the search is on for her replacement.

Our middle child Sam was only 2 when we started the business, and now he is a 17-year-old junior in high school. His Boulder High jazz band has been invited to do an exchange at a music school in Trondheim Norway, where they'll be performing in a week. He leaves Monday with his band for a 2-week Spring Break tour…and we are so excited for all the kids!

We are booking registrations for our fantastic Polar Bear Tour to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada!
We still have openings for this Once-In-A-Lifetime Adventure, but they will open up our spaces to the general public April 1st so please don't delay if you want to guarantee your spot!

This trip sells out every year due to limited space in Churchill, so if you'd like to travel with me, read through this information page and itinerary carefully, then contact our adventure specialist Aly at NatHab right away.

After going on this trip alone last fall, I was totally blown away by the experience, so this time I am going back with a group of quilters, and we'll be meeting up with my quilter friends in Winnipeg on the first and last day, before and after our time in Churchill with the Polar Bears. Please join us!

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Paula Nadelstern and Cosmic Jewels

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Luana

This eye-popping quilt is an eQuilter Exclusive Design, made from Paula Nadelstern's latest kaleidoscope-inspired collection "Palindromes".

Gazing into the symmetry of this 60" x 60" quilt design, you'll see exploding stars and cosmic galaxies…to boldly go where no quilter has gone before!

The contemporary color story boldly mixes fiery jeweltones with a detailed black and white contrast border. Precise kaleidoscope piecing means you will have 5 unique star patterns in this show-stopper, that will be a conversation piece wherever it is displayed.

Many thanks to Toby Lischko for this dramatic quilt design, which shows off Paula Nadelstern's Palindromes fabrics like bejeweled ornaments.

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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Happy Birthday to US!

Posted on March 9, 2014 by Luana

Monday is our 15 year anniversary, and I have to
admit I have made a lot of jokes over the years about having a Fabric-Eating
Dragon tied up in the back yard.

We started out in the basement of our home, which is next to the Celestial
Seasonings Tea Factory. In the beginning we had about 300 bolts of Japanese
fabrics, big bold contemporary prints, and colorful Batiks, but we grew very
quickly because we had identified a niche that was not being served at the
time.

9 months later we moved to a 4000 sq ft warehouse (much to our neighbors'
relief) which had been previously used by Celestial to store Mint and Chai tea.
Our first few months of shipments all smelled like mint when the packages were
opened!

After 18 months we expanded to 11,000 sq ft at our current location, and in
another 18 months we expanded to our current 15,000 sq ft, still in the same
part of town. (which means Paul can drive home for lunch)

We are so lucky to have such a great group of employees, several who have been
with us for so many years. As your orders are pulled and cut one at a time, we
still get a kick out of seeing the combinations of fabrics that you put
together from our huge selection. Your packing slip is signed by the person who
prepares your order (just as I did in the basement of our home) because we want
you to know that this is a family-owned business full of talented individuals,
just like you!

The cherry on top is the amount
of money we have raised for charity over the years, thanks to all of our
friends and customers. This year I will be bringing you more information about
the individuals on the ground with these organizations. They are so grateful
for the support they receive from eQuilter (and YOU!), but we are also in awe
of how far they can stretch the dollars we give to them. We are up to $1.16 million…and
counting.

We are booking registrations for our fantastic Polar Bear Tour to Churchill
in Manitoba, Canada!

We still have openings for this Once-In-A-Lifetime
Adventure, but they will open up our spaces to the general public after
March 15 so please don't delay if you want to hold your spot!

This trip sells out every year due to limited space in Churchill, so if you'd like to travel with me,
read through this information page and itinerary carefully, then contact our adventure
specialist Aly at NatHab asap.

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:

Mar 24 Quilting Arts TV

May 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC

May 16-18 Quilt Market

June 11-14 Quilt
Canada, Ontario

July 15 Quilt
Colorado

Oct 1 Quilt Exhibit, Rome

Oct 13-19 Polar Bear
Tour, Churchill

Nov 14-16 Color Marketing Group, Orlando

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Creative Nudge – Dreaming of Spring

Posted on March 4, 2014 by Luana

It is the time of year when lots of exciting things are percolating in the background, as we impatiently wait for signs of Spring. This year especially, with all the crazy weather and endless snowstorms, I can only imagine what all you quilters have created to deal with your cabin fever!

Here's what I am working on now, so you can enjoy the fruits of our labor in the coming months:

March 24th: I will be at the Quilting Arts TV studios, taping 2 segments to air on PBS later this year, with the new host Susan Brubaker Knapp.

May 1-4: For those of you SAQA members attending the national conference in Wash DC, I will give a sneak preview of the fundraiser fabric collection being developed with Andover Fabrics. This collection will preview to the industry at Quilt Market May 16-18.

June 11-14: eQuilter is sponsoring the very first Modern Quilt category at the Quilt Canada festival in Ontario. (Niagara area)

* I hope to see you and your quilts at one of these events! *

In development: This fall I will travel again to the US Embassy in Rome, as a sponsor for a quilt exhibit in conjunction with the UN on the topic of World Hunger.

And of course there is my Polar Bear Tour in Churchill, Manitoba in Canada. If you'd like to travel with me to see the greatest gathering of these iconic bears, a once-in-a-lifetime experience…please call and register today to reserve your space!

We are preparing for a very special celebration on Monday – our 15 year anniversary! It is hard to believe that 15 years have whizzed by, since we started our little business in the basement of our home here in Boulder Colorado.

We are developing some very big and wonderful things for eQuilter in the next year, so come along for the ride and we can celebrate together!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

p.s. You can find the floral fabrics in the photo collage above, in our Pop Mod & Folk Art Flowers category.

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Happy March!

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Luana

March is when we allow ourselves to believe that Spring is really just around the corner.

March is when we start looking for the green leaves of the crocus, tulips and daffodils, poking up through the cold dry winter dirt.

March is when we make plans for Spring Break with kids or grandkids, and start thinking about a summer garden.

March is also traditionally our snowiest month in Colorado. It is a heavy wet spring snow that waters our trees, but it is back-breaking work to shovel after a spring snow. Snow Days are QUILTING Days!

Registration is OPEN for our fantastic Polar Bear Tour to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada!
We still have openings for this Once-In-A-Lifetime Adventure, but they will open up our spaces to the general public after March 15 so please don't delay if you want to hold your spot!

These trips sell out every year because of the very limited season and accommodations in Churchill. Call early to secure your reservation! Payment plans are available.

Space is very limited for this exclusive adventure, so if you are interested, read through this information page and itinerary carefully, then contact our adventure specialist Aly at NatHab.

(Tulip Fabric shown above is eQuilter.com product #ANRES4HP)

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Creative Nudge – Party Time!

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Luana

It's Carnivale in Venice, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and Brazilian Carnival in Rio de Janiero!

You don't need a feathered headdress or sequin-covered costume to join the party!

Take a little trip to Venezia this week, with our Carnivale and Mardi Gras themed fabrics, in this collage of photos and fabrics from my trip to Italy a couple years ago.

Or check out my photos from New Orleans and the Mardi Gras Museum, for some Mardi Gras fun.

You can also see my photos from Venice for more color and design ideas!

Our eQuilter Design Board has some cool new features, and it now supports mobile devices! Just put some items into your shopping cart, and click on 'Design Board' to begin.

You may arrange images by clicking (tapping) and dragging. Double-click (or double-tap) on images to duplicate them. To remove duplicates, click (or tap), release, then click the red 'X'.

And your customized design board is now saved in your browser, so you can return to it later (for the most recent browsers: IE9+, FF, Chrome, Safari).

My Churchill Polar Bear tour group is set for Oct 14-19, and the very limited 14 slots are now open for registration. I know that a few spots have already been reserved, so visit our POLAR BEAR info and itinerary page for more details!

We are having a Downton Abbey FQ Fabric GIVEAWAY Contest on our eQuilter Facebook page:
Click "Like" on our Fan Page and you'll be automatically entered! Woo hoo!

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Olympic Patchwork

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Luana

I think by now every quilter in the world knows that the graphics for the Sochi Olympics in Russia are the image of a diamond patchwork quilt.

We've had many queries from quilters asking if this fabric is available, if the pattern is available, who is the designer, etc.

I've seen a lot of talk online, speculating on whose work this is. The diamond patchwork pattern is so ubiquitous that we could give a long list of quilters who have made this design, from the famous artist, to the unknown rural quilter.

What I have heard the most is that the design and colors remind people of Kaffe Fassett's work. The patchwork graphics are in multicolor, and also several tonal/monotone versions.

The patchwork graphics, developed by Bosco, were inspired by various textile, needlework, and craft traditions in Russia. When traveling in Russia in September 2012, I was entranced by the variety of Russian traditional artwork. You may enjoy looking at my photos from that trip, or watching the 2 video interviews that I did with Russian quilters at the last two Birmingham Quilt Festivals.

The Russian quilters I've been in touch with the last two weeks are understandably proud that their patchwork traditions are being shared with the world in this way. I was contacted by a group of Russian Quilters through Facebook, and through them I saw this Russian video that you may enjoy.

One of the reasons I left the Fashion Industry and came into the Quilting Industry is because I saw quilting as a way to express love and comfort, but also because I believe that quilting brings people together from around the world, to transcend political and cultural boundaries.

In this way, the Olympics and Quilting are the same. They bring people together to share their joy and passion, no matter what nationality, race or religion. We celebrate our differences, we compete peacefully, and we celebrate the talent and hard work of the champions!

Registration is OPEN for our fantastic Polar Bear Tour to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada!

Space is very limited for this exclusive adventure, so if you are interested, read through this information page and itinerary carefully, then contact our adventure specialist Aly at NatHab.

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Creative Nudge – Spike It Up

Posted on February 19, 2014 by Luana

I am writing to you from Las Vegas, where I am attending a fashion trade show, checking out the textile trends for 2015!

This week I am sharing some color inspiration with you from the Tokyo Quilt Festival. This is a detail from the quilt "Hanabi" from the Original Design category. The artist's name is Chieko AKADA in Japanese in the lower right hand corner.

Purple and Orange
have become a popular but somewhat wild color scheme. Only the bravest
of the brave will tackle a wild mix of colors including both Orange and Purple. When it is done well, it is brilliant. When it is not done so well, it is described in lurid terms.

Here we see 2 groups of analogous colors:

Lavender, purple and Orchid Pink

plus

Paprika, Tangerine and Marigold

with a few more accent colors to spike it up.

Do you remember when the combination of Red and Aqua first came out, and it looked SO different? Now it is an accepted, and desirable color combination in contemporary design. When those MidCentury Modern color stories first came out a few years ago, the Red and Aqua was exciting and scary at the same time. Now it is considered Hip, Cutting Edge, Acceptable.

So what will be the next crazy color combination to test our sensibilities?

Try playing around with color combinations that are just a little bit "off", and then spike it up with something crazy, and perhaps soften it with some added neutrals.

When a color combination catches your eye, snap a photo with your smartphone for future reference.

Color inspiration is all around us, every day.

Mix traditional with contemporary, neutral with acid brights, soft
grays with deep saturated jeweltones. When you find something that is
just a little crazy but somehow strikes a balance, make it your own!

My Churchill Polar Bear tour group
is set for Oct 14-19, and the very limited 14 slots are now open for
registration. I know that a few spots have already been reserved, so
visit our POLAR BEAR info and itinerary page for more details!

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Scandinavian Influences

Posted on February 15, 2014 by Luana

Sophie and I finally got out to see the movie "Frozen" this weekend, and I was so charged up by the beautiful winter imagery. Of course I realize that many of you are buried in snow and ice and might relate more to the frigid story line, than the gorgeous visuals of this movie…but I loved seeing the Scandinavian costumes and architectural details…even though it was animated! (like the wool applique designs on the princess' dresses)

The movie is (very!) loosely based on "The Snow Queen", a Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. We couldn't get out to see it until now, because of all the snow and ice we've had here!

I've been saying for awhile that we are due for a Scandinavian design trend to hit our industry, and I am starting to see more of this in the artwork previews for 2014. With the Viking influences that will come with "How to Train Your Dragon – 2" later this year, and the lingering design inspirations of "Frozen" and the Winter Olympics, I am hoping to see a fresh expression of Swedish, Norwegian, etc. art influences… beyond Ikea and Marimekko! I have been seeing that Scandinavian influence in Japanese quilts for awhile, so it is fun to see how these design influences start and grow.

Registration is OPEN for our fantastic Polar Bear Tour to Churchill in Manitoba, Canada!

Space is very limited for this exclusive adventure, so if you are interested, read through this information page and itinerary carefully, then contact our adventure specialist Aly at NatHab.

These tours all sell out in advance because there are just not enough hotel rooms for everyone who wants to come to Churchill during the brief Polar Bear viewing Season. With Quilt Market and Festival right in the middle of this season, I snagged reservations for us at the beginning of the season so as not to create a conflict for anyone else who is going to Houston. Last year I went the last week of the season as the bears were heading off across the ice, but this year I hope to also see the caribou before they head south.

October 1st I will be at the US Embassy in Rome again, attending the opening of a Hunger themed exhibit in conjunction with the UN. I will keep you informed about this exhibit as the date draws near.

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:
Feb 18-19 Las Vegas
Mar 24 Quilting Arts TV
May 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC
May 16-18 Quilt Market
July 15 Quilt Colorado
Oct 1 Quilt Exhibit, Rome
Oct 13-19 Polar Bear Tour, Churchill
Nov 14-16 Color Marketing Group, Orlando

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Creative Nudge – Star Power

Posted on February 11, 2014 by Luana

Above is a detail from the 3rd place quilt in the "WA" category, at the recent Tokyo Quilt Festival. I just love the interplay of colors in this piece, but I also love the contrast of the stripes and the colorful florals in the intricately pieced star blocks.

You can see more detail shots, and the overall quilt image, on my photo page. (Please note: the quiltmaker's name is in the lower right hand corner of the image.)

The eye-popping effect comes from not only a value contrast (light vs. dark) but also a complementary color juxtaposition, using a spread of warm analogous colors (Red–Orange-Gold) in contrast with the cool Blue-Teal.

To view my photos from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, or the colorful fabrics on our eQuilter.com site, be sure that your monitor is color-calibrated. If you are viewing on a laptop, the colors may be somewhat washed out. This is why we use very specific color names for our fabric descriptions, because we know that not everyone's computer monitor can show accurate color.

We have just uploaded the 2 latest Quilting Arts TV segments that Sophie and I did for this season.

Sophie shows handloomed Ikat Yarn-Dyes from around the world in Episode #1304, and in Episode #1313 I discuss the eQuilter charity programs, including the thousands of beautiful quilts that all of you have donated for our various disaster relief projects. Have a look – you just might see your quilt in the images in this clip!

In case you haven't heard, Pokey Bolton, the longtime host of Quilting Arts TV, is stepping down from that role. Susan Brubaker Knapp will be the new host, and we wish her the best! I'll be traveling to Ohio in March to film 2 more segments with Susan.

We'll miss Pokey, but we wish her good luck as she moves on to new creative endeavors!

sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana

Upcoming Quilty Travel:
Mar 24 Quilting Arts TV
May 1-4 SAQA Conference Wash DC
Oct 1 Quilt Exhibit, Rome
Oct 14-19 Polar Bear Tour, Churchill

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A Year of Changes

Paula Nadelstern and Cosmic Jewels

Happy Birthday to US!

Creative Nudge – Dreaming of Spring

Happy March!

Creative Nudge – Party Time!

Olympic Patchwork

Creative Nudge – Spike It Up

Scandinavian Influences

Creative Nudge – Star Power

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