Creative Nudge – Venice, Tokyo and Cairo

Posted on February 20, 2013 by Luana

Octopus1_550

This
last week I've been very distracted looking at all the fabulous masks and costumes at Carnivale in Venice. You may recall
that in September I gave 2 presentations at the US
Embassy in Rome, thanks to my American friend Susan Fiorentino who was the
curator of the quilt show there. I was extended an invitation to go to Carnivale
in Feb 2014 – to dress up in period costume and go to private events with some
residents of Venezia. Now that the 2013 holiday is past, Carnivale 2014 seems
like more of a reality! Very exciting!

I am also rummaging through my
files of photos from the Tokyo
Quilt Festival, and I wanted to share another viruoso quilt that is a mixture of
piecing with vintage silks, and intricate appliqued dots. This large octopus
quilt was very eye-catching at the show: it was impossible to walk by without
gasping!

One thing that always catches one's eye at this show are the
incredible quilts with hundreds of appliqued circles and dots. I met one
award-winning quilter whose spiral quilt design had over 2000 appliqued dots!
The mind boggles… but the quilt is exquisite.

Do you remember in August
2011 when I did a
video at the Birmingham show of the Tentmakers of Cairo? There is a fundraiser for a documentary about
these amazing men and their beautiful applique work in Cairo, but time for
fundraising is running out. This documentary will
bring their work to a much
bigger audience and, for one of the higher donation levels, gives you an
opportunity to own a small sample of their
intricate applique
work.

You may have read about my Color Marketing Group conferences, and
wished that you could go. Guess what? There are several regional
CMG ChromaZone meetings coming up – the Denver-area ChromaZone is March 8 at
the Hunter Douglas campus in Broomfield, and you don't have to be a member to
attend. However you DO have to prepare a color forecast presentation with color
swatches, for this working color-forecasting workshop.

A reminder that I
will be giving a power point presentation on Modern Color Trends at QuiltCon –
this Sun Feb 24, at 11 am at the Austin Convention Center.

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Serendipity and Collaboration

Posted on February 16, 2013 by Luana

Sometimes you have to throw all the pieces up in the air and start fresh to have
a creative breakthrough. Sometimes you have to throw the dice… or the
colors….on the table and then let someone else play around with the random
results. This is why a Round Robin quilt project is great for beginners: because
they get to see how different people can interpret the same set of colors,
fabrics or guidelines.

For 15 years I belonged to a weekly figure
painting group. It was truly fascinating. We would come and set up our easels
and paints around a live model, and then we'd paint for 3 hours with one 15
minute break. I was always amazed after an hour and a half, how we all had
interpreted the model in completely different ways. If I saw something I liked,
I could try to incorporate that idea into my work in the second half of the
painting session. It was a great learning experience.

Today I had an
experience that made me think about this as a part of the creative process –
i.e. interacting with others as a work is in progress. The work in process was –
Sophie's hair! That girl has the thickest hair I have ever seen – and it is
curly! Since I have straight hair, it is a learning curve for me. (but it is
fun, because I always wished I had wavy hair as a kid)

Every few months
we start struggling with brushing her hair, and we realize it is time for a
trim. Today she ended up with a new stylist, and I gave my usual explanation of
how we wanted Sophie's hair cut. Instead of being the helicopter hair mommie, I
went and sat in the waiting area and worked on editing my photos on my iPhone. I
noticed the stylist was layering Sophie's hair and thinning it out pretty
aggressively, but I decided to just let her go and see how it turned out. Wow!
Sophie and I were so happy with the results! She has this really cute layered
haircut and it is a brand new look for her. I had to throw the pieces and step
back, so something new could happen. It really got me thinking about my own
creative process: how much do I stifle innovation by having expectations and
trying to control the outcome?

Hey, I know that this may sound very
familiar to many of you, but it is always worth a reminder to throw the dice and
let the random results stimulate a new way of thinking. One way to play around
with this in a small quilt group is to take a photograph, blow it up, and cut it
into several pieces. Each person takes one segment or strip of the image and
makes a segment representing that image, and then they are all joined
together to make one big quilt. (This one is Jennings Homestead by Suzanne
Mouton Riggio and 26 members of the Milwaukee Art Quilters, Wisconsin)

I
love seeing these quilts win in the Group Quilt category in Houston, because you
can see the personality of each quiltmaker shining through each segment, and yet
they come together in a harmonious composition.

********

Hurricane Sandy
Quilt Relief Info *

* Sandyhook Elementary Memorial
Quilt Project *

********
Check out our new eQuilter Facebook
page!
(Sneak peeks of new collections throughout the week)

See my photo page for travel
images, comment on my blog, follow me on
Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter for more color and design
ideas. Quilt show reviews on the eQuilter Video
page.

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Creative Nudge – The Yin and Yang of Quilting

Posted on February 13, 2013 by Luana

 SwingJazz_2A_550

 

Dear Fabric-Loving Friends,

First of all, I want to wish you a beautiful Valentine's Day, full of fabric, chocolate, old movies, or whatever it is that makes your heart go pitty-pat!

If your sweetie is at a loss for last minute Valentines Day gift ideas, you can always drop a hint with our Wish List, or ask for an eQuilter Gift Certificate.
*smile*

Above is a detail shot of one of my favorite quilts at the Tokyo show – "Swing Jazz".
Please check out my photo page for more photos of this and other quilts.

Some thoughts, as I anticipate QuiltCon next week:

No trend exists all by itself.
There is always a counterbalance – either an
opposite trend – or an established norm against which the new trend stands
in contrast.
There is no yin without a yang.
They need each other.

Our quilting industry is still trying to figure out the Modern Quilt
movement.
In some way, the Modern Quilt movement is still trying to figure
itself out, in that it has unfolded so rapidly and continues to have
incredible momentum…sometimes away from its origins.

What an exciting time to be a quilter!

We live in a world full of polarities.
Groups of people tend to separate
into polarized groups, even though we all know it is better to work
together, rather than stand on opposite sides of the gym and throw balls at
each other!

For many years in the quilting world, it was the traditional patchwork
quilters vs.
the contemporary art quilters.
Not everyone participated in
this polarization.
Many of us like to go both ways – somewhere in the
middle – or perhaps spread out from one side to the other.
(That would be me: I want to do it ALL! *grin* )

Now we have several potential ways to become polarized amongst ourselves:
Mature quilters vs.
youthful quilters.

Embellished layered complex quilts vs.
the modern design aesthetic.

Experienced quilters vs.
newbies.

Complex art statements vs.
clean simple lines.
Handmade vs.
machine-quilted.

The problem is – creativity is just not that black and white! There are older
creative quilters who want to start their own Modern Quilt guilds.
There
are younger quilters who are recreating their grandmothers' complex paper
pieced quilts.
There are modern quilters who don't care for negative space.

Some of us are tired of the super-layered-embellished trend, but find modern
quilts too simple.

What's a trendspotter to do?!?

The good news is…
our beloved art and craft has exploded into such exquisite variety that
there is truly something for everyone! If you get bored with one
creative doctrine or quilting creed …
there's always something completely different to pursue with equal
passion!

Whenever I see a group of people polarizing, I see it as an opportunity for
us to redefine and redirect.
Every art or design movement that ever existed,
had to change and morph with time.
It is just human nature.

So just about the time we quantify the Modern Quilt movement, it is
organically changing and growing, and moving forward….
with or without the
rules or founding principles.

What an exciting time to be a quilter!

In the end we all come back to what unites us: our love of color and fabric.

I hope we all get to sew something that makes us happy on Valentine's Day.

*correction from Keiko Goke re last week's newsletter:
Her
house survived the tsunami because it is located far from the seaside
areas, and she can live there, after fixing outer wall and roof.

* Hurricane Sandy Quilt Relief Info *

* Sandyhook Elementary Memorial Quilt Project *

 

********************
Would you like to share your enthusiasm for eQuilter ?
Send us your own Testimonial!

See my photo page for travel images, comment on my blog, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter for more color and design ideas.
Quilt show reviews on the eQuilter Video page.

Click Here to See ALL our Newest Products This Week!

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Busy Busy Busy – Spring is Coming!

Posted on February 9, 2013 by Luana

This last week has been spent
trying to catch up after my trip to the Tokyo Quilt Festival.
I came back to 5 different project deadlines looming over the next few
months, so after a stress meltdown earlier in the week, I got back on
track by just taking it one day at a time, and one project at a time.
(That was besides editing my quilt photos from the Tokyo show for you all to enjoy!) These deadlines will be here in no time, so that means…Spring is coming soon!

A couple of these projects are secret for now, but I'll be excited to share them over the next month or two.
The NEXT deadline is that I am creating an all new Color and Trend presentation for Quilt Con which is the premiere Modern Quilt Guild conference in Austin in 2 weeks! I hope that those of you attending can come to my trend presentation on Sunday Feb 24 at 11 am.
I am having SO much fun putting this together for you!

I also have a fabulous local fundraiser event for our local quilting
friends: on the weekend of May 5th I will be giving a presentation for
the Longmont Historical Society, to help raise funds for the victorian-era Hover Home.
I am going to do a show-and-tell with quilts and my textile collection,
we'll have tea afterward, and the event will be an unforgettable
experience to benefit this beautiful old historic estate.
With docents/servers in period costume, antique teacups, and live music
on the baby grand piano…we'll have quite a lovely time.
(Details and links coming soon!)

P1310491


This weekend we are celebrating Chinese New Year, and welcoming in the Year of the Water Snake.
I read that the pollution is so bad in Beijing, that they are asking celebrants to cut back on firecrackers this year!

If your sweetie is at a loss for Valentines Day gift ideas, you can always drop a hint with the eQuilter Wish List, or ask for an eQuilter Gift Certificate.
*smile*

We've been watching the news and following the big storm in the
Northeast, and we are especially concerned about those who are still
recovering from Hurricane Sandy.
We are grateful to all of you who have sent comfort quilts so far:
as soon as the quilts arrive at the Timeless Treasures warehouse, we
are having them distributed asap to those in need of a warm quilt.
Be sure to read our guidelines carefully if you are working on a quilt to keep someone warm.

I hand-carried several copies each of the two show books from the Tokyo Quilt Festival, and they will go FAST, so if you are a collector and want to see all the best quilts from this show, place your order right now!

* Hurricane Sandy Quilt Relief Info *

* Sandyhook Elementary Memorial Quilt Project *

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Creative Nudge – Hexagon Madness!

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Luana

HexInHex_3

In case you haven't noticed, there's a new quilt trend exploding all around the globe: Hexagon Madness!

It's been slowly creeping back – we've seen those English paper-pieced hexagons in 30's reproduction prints – then they started to show up in Modern quilts.

However, hexagon quilts have been popular in Japan since the 90's!

This year you are going to see so many hexagon quilts at shows and in magazines, I predict we'll all be sick of them by this time next year.

However, when you see a hexagon quilt as fascinating as this one…
how can you resist?

I have a nice batch of photos posted now from the Tokyo Quilt Show: so far I've edited images of indigo quilts and featured artist booths from the exhibits.(more to come – Taupe, Contemporary and Traditional Applique!)

When the Romaji name
(transliteration from Japanese Kanji to Latin script) is not available,
I have pasted the name in Kanji characters in the lower corner of the
image.
We want to make sure credit goes to these fabulous quilters!

One of my contacts at the Tokyo is Keiko Goke, who is a quilt artist, author and textile designer living in Sendai.
(the community hardest hit by the tsunami) Her featured artist exhibit space was a tribute to those lost in the tsunami and earthquake.

Here she is holding a photo of a poem and pinwheels someone planted on the devastated coastline.
My friend Akemi translated the poem for us, so I could share the words that moved Keiko to create her exhibit:

*

People who became the wind in the sky

Turn windmills and let us know your messages

Blowing across the sky

Higher and higher,

Further and further

Blowing from a high place as the west wind

Let us hear your voice from far away.

* * *

People who became the bird on the wind

Turn windmills and let us know your messages

When the spring wind is shining

When the fresh wind is fragrant in the young leaves? season

Let us hear your voice from far away.

* * *

Akemi writes:
An 82 year old man in Fukushima made the
little windmills and the poem, and placed them at tsunami-affected
seaside in Fukushima for the repose of soul.

Goke-san was very impressed with this scene, and made a series of quilts inspired by the poem, and the pinwheels spinning in the ocean breezes.

* * *

Keiko's house survived the tsunami because it was up on a hill, but they
cannot live there because there are no utility services available
anymore.
2000 residents are still missing in her community alone…and the tsunami debris is still piled deep along the coastline.

She sends her sincere thanks to all of the quilters who made and donated quilts to the residents of Kesennuma.

Please feel free to share your thoughts on my blog.

Best wishes and Happy sewing,
Paul and Luana Rubin

* Hurricane Sandy Quilt Relief Info *

* Sandyhook Elementary Memorial Quilt Project *

********************
Would you like to share your enthusiasm for eQuilter ?
Send us your own Testimonial!

See my photo page for travel images, comment on my blog, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram or Twitter for more color and design ideas.
Quilt show reviews on the eQuilter Video page.

Click Here to See ALL our Newest Products This Week!

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Creative Nudge – A Japanese Perspective

Posted on January 30, 2013 by Luana

BlueJade1A_550

Today I am writing to you from
Tokyo, where I've spent the last few days at the quilt festival.
One of the great things about attending quilt shows in other countries,
is that it completely reshapes one's ideas about what is possible in
this art and craft.

If you've ever seen the quilt show in Houston, you have probably noticed that the Japanese quilts really stand out.
This is because they are intricately handmade, with points and details made to absolute perfection.

Here in Japan, in order to be a quilt teacher you must first pass a
certification.
Most quilters study with just one master teacher their entire life – not
like in the US where we study with as many teachers as possible!

In the US we've been working to develop young quilters for several
years, but in Japan the quilters are still overwhelmingly middle-age to
elderly.
It is a challenge to get all of these older ladies down the stairs of
the baseball stadium, and onto the show floor which is on top of the
baseball field! The show has over 35,000 attendees per day, with a total
of 250K visitors in one week.
And yes, it is crowded!

About 4 pm the crowds dissipate.
I am told that all the ladies have to go home and make dinner for their
husbands at this time! They stream out of the stadium by the thousands –
headed back to the nearby train station.

I have been very fortunate to make several good friends here over the
years.
Thanks to them, I've been able to meet many of the artists.
The most popular colors used in quilts here are muted and traditional
colors: Indigo Blue, Taupe, and muted colors of Grey, Mauve, Sage, etc.

However there are several quilt artists who work in bright colors, often inspired by other cultures.
One of my favorites is Fumiko Nakayama who specializes in Mola quilts.
She has recreated The Tales of Genji in bright colors with the Mola reverse applique technique.
Her work is mind-blowingly intricate, and she is unbelievably prolific.

Because most of the name cards here are only in Japanese, I have decided
to paste in the image of the name card on my images this year.
Please bear with me as I edit these quilts so credit is given where it
is due.
This striking quilt "Blue Jade" (200cm x 200cm) has the name written in
Japanese characters, in the lower right corner of the image.

Tomorrow is the last day of the show, but I am going to Mt.
Fuji tomorrow.
I was able to rebook my flight off of the Dreamliner, and instead I am
flying back via Hawaii to drop in on Paul's parents there for one night.
I leave Tokyo Thursday night, and arrive in Honolulu early Thursday
morning! (crossing the Date Line)

Watch for show photos on my photo page. Sayonara!

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Message from Doctors Without Borders, USA

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Luana

Dear
Mrs. Rubin,

I
can't thank you and everyone at eQuilter.com enough for your support of Doctors
Without Borders' lifesaving work in 2012.

As
crisis after crisis unfolded across the world, you helped provide emergency
medical care for men, women, and children in need in more than 60 countries.

To
let you know how much your generosity means to our patients and staff,
I
want to share this video from Jordan Wiley, our Deputy Head of
Mission in Haiti, expressing his thanks on our behalf.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/page2.cfm?id=6501&cat=pages

Thank
you again for your continued support, and all the best in the new
year!

Sophie Delaunay, Executive Director

Sophie
Delaunay
Executive Director

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Relief Quilt Deliveries to Hurricane Sandy Victims – Last Weekend

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Luana
letter from Joy at Quilt Magazine, to eQuilter and Timeless Treasures:
Thank you so much for your swift action on friday organizing the quilt
pickup. I know I gave you very little notice, but it was really great to be able
to distribute those quilts in time for a very cold weekend. The love, talent and
generosity behind each and every one of those quilts is amazing. In particular I
noticed a label sewn on one of them that was dated 1/23 and to think by 1/26 it
was already destined to be warming someone in the projects of Far Rockaway,
where heat and hot water has not been working since Sandy hit on 10/29. 
Friday's pickup was delivered to Fire Departments, Community Center and
Churches in the following towns: Breezy Point, Queens; Far Rockaway, Queens and
Island Park, LI. 
I've attached some pics I've taken over the last few days. 
There are several images of some of the devastation in Breezy Point,
pictures don't do justice to the enormity of it all.  I simply could not believe
my eyes seeing blocks and blocks where 50 homes burned to the ground the night
Sandy hit due to a transformer fire. Also a pic of 3 volunteer firemen who were
happy to receive their donated quilts as they have been living in the nearly
gutted firehouse having lost their own homes. 
I've also included a pic of the lovely people that run the Community Center
in the Edgemere section of Far Rockaway. (pic: Robbie and Mr. & Mrs. Sem and
Aria Doe) This center has been open every day since the storm to provide food,
shelter and warmth (if their heat is working…which is wasn't this weekend).
I
was there at 11am and there was still a line outside…which began at 5am when
ppl begin locking their shopping carts to the fence to save a place in line.
Most of the stores in the surrounding area are also out of business due to storm
damage so for many their livelihoods and main resources for food and household
supplies are lost. This location received the majority of the donated
quilts…it was hard to look away knowing  it will be along time coming before
this area regains a sense of normalcy. 
Lastly is a pic of two men, volunteers themselves, who have travelled up
north to Island Park, LI from Florida and S. Carolina to help rebuild homes,
businesses and churches. They are standing in the vestibule of a church that
that have gutted and begun rebuilding. These men have both only been home only 1
week each in the last 3 mos. They will be distributing the several dozen quilts
I left with them to the neediest locals since they're in touch with Sandy
victims daily.  
All of you at eQuilter and Timeless Treasure should be so proud and honored
to have brought so much happiness and hope to these suffering strangers. I would
be honored to continue to help distribute quilts as they come in. Please just
let me know and I will come by for another carful. I suspect you will be
receiving even more once the Quilt Magazine article on your Charity Quilts is
out on 2/5. Keep up the good work!!
Sincerely, 
Joy
McKeon
Managing Editor
QUILT Magazine
Simple Quilts &
Sewing
Quilt Almanac 
 [email protected]
Photo-3
Photo-5
Photo-7
Photo-12
Photo-16
Note from Luana: See all photos at –
http://www.flickr.com/photos/luanarubin/sets/72157632121717400/
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2013 Tokyo Quilt Festival

Posted on January 26, 2013 by Luana

 KeikoGokePoem_W
Greetings from Tokyo!
I've just arrived in my room at the Tokyo Dome Hotel on
Saturday night, and Sunday I'll be at the Tokyo Quilt Festival walking
the show and taking photos.

I know many of you are anxious to see photos
of this year's beautiful Japanese quilts, so I'll get those posted on my photo page as soon as
possible!

As you may recall, last year
I had a quick 3 day trip to Tokyo planned, and I was going to visit the coastal
community devastated by the tsunami, which received our 2155 quilts. However
my 3 day trip turned into only 2 days in Japan, because of a freak snowstorm in
Seattle. This time, I am happy to report, there were no delays and I caught my
connection across the Pacific with time to spare. I will be meeting with some
residents who lost their homes in the tsunami, and hopefully getting an update
about how the community is doing now.

Originally I used my miles to book
a round trip ticket on an ANA Dreamliner. 2 weeks ago I decided to rebook my
outbound flight on something besides a 787. Yesterday at the airport in Denver,
I decided to change my return flight also, since the Dreamliner woes don't seem
to have any end in sight. On my international flight today, I sat next to a
Boeing employee and we agreed that we were glad we weren't booked on a
787!

When I checked in at the hotel here, I had preview copies of the 2
show books waiting at the front desk. I have several quilts picked out from the
books, that I'll be looking for tomorrow! The show opened 2 days ago, and there
was a pleasant buzz of excitement in the lobby tonight. (The Tokyo Dome Hotel is
adjacent to the Tokyo Dome where the show is held – a baseball stadium that sees
250,000 visitors to this awesome show!)

Every year I meet up with my
Japanese friend, and she arranges for me to see a private showing of antique
"boro" quilts. These are the 50-100 year old peasant quilts that were dyed with
the indigo plant, with yarn-dyed shima or ikats, and Katazome stenciled
motifs, often made from old Noragi work clothes, and sometimes stuffed with hemp
straw instead of batting. They were loosely stitched with thick floss to hold
the 3 layers together – the precursor to today's fancy sashiko
stitching.

The Japanese quilters collect antique
indigo fabrics and vintage silk kimonos, then cut and stitch them into contemporary
quilts with a distinctive style that is immediately recognizable as Japanese
quilting!

The day before I left, my neighbor and her quilter friend came
to my door with the first memorial quilt for Sandy Hook Elementary. I told
them to get their group together and we'll take a group photo with the quilt. If
your group is interested in participating, check out our Piecing for Peace
page.

We are up to 1323 quilts for Hurricane Sandy
survivors, but it is COLD this weekend, and if you are following this story
you know things are only getting worse for those who lost possessions and/or
homes in the storm. If you are wondering if we are still accepting quilts for
this project, the answer is YES!… Thank you!!!

p.s. the photo above is of the quilt and textile artist Keiko Goke (whose fabrics we carry at eQuilter) in her exhibit about the tsunami. Keiko had a house in Sendai but from what I can understand, because the community was wiped out 2 years ago, her house became uninhabitable. She is holding a photo of one of the memorials on the coast – with tiny pinwheels – and a beautiful poem which I will have translated for you soon.

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Creative Nudge – Message from 1883

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Luana

LyonDecouvertes550

I collect books.

I can hear my family snorting as they read this.
Tonight as we celebrated Sam's 16th birthday (and he got a book on the
Musee D'Orsay in Paris) they joked that since I have too many books, now
I am buying them and giving them to family members.

I also love old movies.
When I was a kid, I loved the scenes in the classic movies, that showed a
huge library on an estate, with wood panelling and bookshelves a couple
stories high, filled with antique clothbound books decorated with gilt
graphics.
I imagined myself having a library such as this, full of illuminated
manuscripts, photography portfolios, and costume illustrations.

As the decades rolled by and I collected books in my travels, I enjoyed
looking for out-of-print books with beautiful graphics and
illustrations.
I pored over books with early 20th century photos of life in other
countries 100 years ago.
I hyperventilated when I found a vintage book with costumes of the Ballet Russe.
I never got into high-priced first editions of novels, but rather, I
enjoyed books that gave some insight about art, travel and creativity
when international travel was a great adventure and a badge of courage.

In time, I developed a true appreciation for the Decorative Arts that
were expressed in gold-stamped book covers, and also for the beautiful
illustrations between the covers.
I began to troll eBay, looking for online photos of vintage books, and
saving the images on my laptop for future admiration and design
reference.

While in France, I noticed several antique book shops.
It seems to be a national passion, and I can appreciate all the books
that have been saved, loved, and then passed on to new owners.
I took photos of vintage covers when I could, but got chased out of a
couple shops because of my camera.

This is a book I saw on a card table in front of a shop in the Medieval part of Lyon.
This book was published in 1883, and the gilt graphics still glisten against the red cloth cover.
I have always been fascinated by the Japanese woodblock illustration "The Wave" by Hokusai, but this was an image that I haven't seen before …also a huge stylized wave but this time with a ship…
about which I could imagine a tale of a global journey.

Because I found this book in Lyon, close to the the area of the silk
weaving industry, perhaps it was originally purchased by someone who
also came there to purchase silk for a gown?

130 years have passed, and still the cover can capture the imagination of a passer-by.

What can we create in 2013, that might inspire someone 130 years from now?

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