Free Quilt Pattern – Wild Kitty

Tonight’s Free eQuilter Pattern features Chong-A Hwang’s magical kitty, with captivating cascades of color and shadow. This adorable feline is embellished with mandalas and scrolls, with multi-color medallions on a black background.

To make this 50″ wide x 68″ high quilt design, you will start with the exquisite 24″ x 44″ digital-printed panel. We have used three coordinates to piece the borders and diamond blocks, combined with a Sea Breeze Hoffman Hand Dye.

As a wall hanging, this is a real conversation piece for the true Cat lover. Or use this as a Nap quilt or small bed coverlet for fantastical feline dreams. This just might be your cat’s favorite new quilt!

…from the ‘Wildcat’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of 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.

Sharing your passion for fabric and color,
Luana and Paul Rubin

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Late Summer Glow

This week I am sharing a quilt from Quilt Canada, which was held in June, in Edmonton. This quilt captures the feeling of the end of summer vacation…as sunset falls and shimmering colors reflect on the lake, we light a fire and don our jackets. The crackle of the campfire, the lapping of the water on the pebbled shore, and the sounds of the night rising up from the forest. These are my memories growing up in Colorado, and going to music camp in the Rocky Mountains. This time of year when the sun drops behind the horizon up at elevation, you give a little shiver and opt for a cup of hot tea by the dancing flames.

The Labor Day weekend is almost upon us, the college kids have all returned here in Boulder, and mothers are heaving a sign of relief that their children are back in school. The long weekend ahead is one last chance to spend by the lake, in the forest, or on the road, before Autumn begins to creep across the landscape.

Canadian quilter Wanda Lumsden (from Chilliwack, British Columbia) has captured this moment in her quilt “Time for Togetherness”. This art quilt uses machine piecing, machine applique, fused applique, freemotion embroidery and some painted areas, to render this beautiful atmospheric landscape. The silhouette figures against the glowing sky, and the sparks flying up from the fire, are what give this scene special ambiance. And of course, we love the dog chasing the stick!

I’ve added a couple fabrics from our “Northwoods” category, in case you are inspired to make your own End-of-Summer quilt. Now is a good time to review your Thread Stash, and stock up on seasonal colors for your Fall and Winter sewing.

You can find details of this quilt, and others from Quilt Canada, on my photo pages.

I have plans to sew and write over the long weekend. How about you?

Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

Follow Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for quilt & travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Subscribe to Luana’s Artist Website blog for more creative inspiration.

Travel/Quilt Dates:
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Sept 15-25 – Painting Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
Nov 13 – Canada (CQA) Zoom Lecture
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Italy Tour. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.
Jan 21 – Visions Museum Zoom Lecture

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Scheduling Blocks of Creative Time

It is always fun to have a group of quilters come and visit us on an eQuilter tour. Yesterday we had 25 visitors from a local guild, and their ‘wait list’ of 20 more is coming next week. We sent them home inspired and excited to get onto their sewing machines! And in the group was a familiar face from Sophie’s past – her kindergarten teacher!

It has been a rough month in the quilting world. This last week we learned we lost 2 more shining lights – Carole Lyles Shaw and Sarah Bond. We honor and remember their generous creativity as artists and teachers.

Are your kids back to school now? When my kids were back into the school year, I had to be very disciplined to not fill up my extra time, with ‘busy’ work. Once the kids were at school, I scheduled in my sewing/creative time, otherwise it wouldn’t happen. Now that my kids are grown and I am no longer caretaking elders, I have chunks of time that are dedicated as studio time. Whether it is kitchen table sewing late at night, or dedicated art-making in a studio, it helps to fill in your calendar with blocks of time – committed as creative time. Kind of like scheduling in gym time. But more colorful.

I use my Google calendar, and have one special color to designate my blocks of creative time. What color would you assign to your Creative Time on your calendar?

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Dates:
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Sept 15-25 – Painting Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Drinkers of the Wind

Tonight we are featuring the stunning artwork of Romantz Art as the centerpiece of
our exclusive Free Quilt Pattern – with the dramatic imagery of three galloping horses running through a colorful landscape, accented by dancing manes rushing through the wind.

To make this generous 78″ x 69″ quilt design, you will start with the finely detailed 36″ x 44″ panel. Combine the coordinating horse portrait frames in the corners and the allover prints to create the diamond block borders. This is a quick and easy project and makes a great gift for someone who will love this powerful horse themed quilt.

…from the ‘Drinkers Of The Wind’ collection by Romantz Art for 3 Wishes Fabric.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of 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.

Sharing your passion for fabric and color,
Luana and Paul Rubin

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Preserving Traditions & Culture

Here is another quilt that I admired from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK. This portrait is based on a historic archival photo of the IS PAN, from a rural area of Poland. A young woman is mending a garment, while wearing an ornately embroidered traditional folk costume. Vintage photos of women sewing seem to capture our imagination and take us time-traveling. This piece invites us to step into this intimate scene with atmospheric natural light, in another place and time.

Artist: Magdalena Gasowska
“Forgotten Stories- Women from Urzecze”

Technique: Raw-edge applique, freemotion embroidery, acrylic & alcohol markers for fabric.

“Urzecze is a suburban micro-region neara Warsaw, whose material culture has almost completely disappeared. My family has lived here for generations. I decided to immortalize on a quilt, a girl in traditional folk costume from this region. I hope this will help preserve the heritage of my ancestors.”

I have uploaded this quilt image, and more quilts from the Birmingham show, on my photo pages. Enjoy!

(Floral border is from the ‘Regalia’ collection by Aaron Martin)

Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

Follow Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for quilt & travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Subscribe to Luana’s Artist Website blog for more creative inspiration.

Travel/Quilt Dates:
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Sept 15-25 – Painting Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Italy Tour. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Every Child Matters

In light of the traumatic events that have unfolded at former Residential Schools across Canada and the US, we have designed this quilt ‘Every Child Matters’ out of reverence to those grieving. This painting depicts two siblings who were finally set free after being grimly discovered at a Residential School. The children who are shown holding hands were torn apart from each other, but now reunited as they make their way back home. Canadian artist Karen Erickson included beautiful imagery such as a moon and feathers to represent the First Nations, Inuit, and indigenous people joining together to guide the two siblings home.

Northcott donates 100% of the net proceeds from the sales to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Orange Shirt Society.

In this exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, we have combined the central panel with 4 Hoffman Hand-Dyes – and a digital starry sky, pulling out the colors of Teal, Green and Marigold from the main panel.

…from the ‘Southwest’ collection by Karen Erickson for Northcott Fabrics. Karen is a Metis, Cree artist, currently living in Prince George, Canada.

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of 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.

Sharing your passion for fabric and color,
Luana and Paul Rubin

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Another Page Turns…In the Story of Quilting

This week we lost 2 important matriarchs in the quilting world. Freddy Moran was 94 when she went to the big rainbow in the sky. She was an early advocate of bright colors and whimsical art quilt design, when others were stuck on ditsy dark calico fabrics. Freddy considered Red a Neutral!

Thanks to Mel Beach for this Freddy quote: “Quilting is my passion. I feel everyone needs a passion in their life. I think having a passion keeps us active, alive, and interesting, and interested in other people and places. Quilting has led me to meet a fabulous group of people and to travel to wonderful parts of the world. Quilting keeps our minds creative.”

It was shocking to lose Laurie Harsh, the founder of Fabshopnet. Laurie was a mentor and advisor when I was preparing to open our business in 1998 and 1999. She was a pioneer in our industry, and has advised countless quilt shop owners in their retail adventures. We shared a passion for quilting and fabric, and had a mutual appreciation. Everyone in the industry knew her, and her influence will continue to ripple out to the community.

So what does this mean? Appreciate and absorb inspiration from your precious elder mentors, and pass it on to those younger makers who are discovering our beloved quilting art and craft! We all have something to share with a younger maker. Teach someone to sew. Share your passion for quilting by volunteering in a classroom. Donate the lonely parts of your stash to those who are learning to make blocks, and learning to hand-stitch.

There is nothing more joyful than sharing one’s passion with a young person who is drawn to the Light of Creativity. When life is a roller coaster, we find our balance with a needle and thread.

I have added more photos from the Festival of Quilts on my photo pages – please enjoy and share!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Dates:
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Sept 15-25 – Painting Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Sunny Day

Bursting with Sunshine, our re-stocked exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern features a dazzling 60″ x 60″ Sunflower panel that will fill your bedroom with cheerful sunshine.

This radiant 83″ x 83″ quilt design makes an enchanting sunny bed quilt, bringing calming dreams to the lucky floral lover who sleeps beneath its cover.

The vivid floral panel is bordered with delicate Hoffman Hand Dye stripes that are pieced at the corners to give a woven basket impression.

…from the ‘Sunny Day’ collection by Oasis Fabrics.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of 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.

Sharing your passion for fabric and color,
Luana and Paul Rubin

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This One’s for Jane

Today I am sharing another gorgeous quilt from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK. (You can see a detail photo of this quilt, plus others from the FOQ on my photo pages.)

This stunning vertical banner quilt is absolutely electric with its complementary colors and modern construction. It was made by Aitch Bee and Helen Howes – named “Blue Moon” with a Bee theme. It was pieced and appliqued – a true collaboration between two makers.

I have set it against a yellow Sunflower and Honeycomb backdrop. This email is a tribute to my friend Jane S. who I have known for many years through the Color Marketing Group. She lived in Hong Kong working in the design business, as I did. Her specialty over time became silk flowers, and she always looked forward to the Chelsea Flower Show each Spring in London. She has been bugging me to come spend time at her home in Sydney Australia, but I learned a few days ago that we lost her to a sudden illness. Jane loved Bees and Flowers, and she was a champion for the bees and other pollinators in the garden. We shared a love of quilts and beautiful fabrics, flowers and bees.

This one’s for Jane.

Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or TikTok pages for Color and Design ideas.

Follow Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for quilt & travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Subscribe to Luana’s Artist Website blog for more creative inspiration.

Travel/Quilt Dates:
Sept 4-8 – AQSG Seminar, Tarrytown NY
Sept 15-25 – Painting Retreat
Oct 31 – Nov 3 – Houston Quilt Festival
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Italy Tour. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Mysterious Rainbow Owl

Gaze deep into the eyes of the all-knowing Cosmic Owl, with this week’s Free Quilt Pattern. The powerful image captures the magic and wisdom of this nocturnal raptor, in vivid kaleidoscopic colors.

To make this 70″ wide x 55″ high quilt design, you will start with our exclusive 28″ x 44″ digital-printed panel. Highlight with a harvest gold Kaufman Kona solid; then add our complementary Vibrant Feathers Stripe for the striking borders.

As a wall hanging, this is a real conversation piece for Owl lovers. Or use this as a Nap quilt or small bed coverlet for soaring raptor dreams.

…from the ‘Mysterious Animal’ collection by the Rubin Design Studio, designed exclusively for eQuilter.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this exquisite quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Order the pattern as configured, or customize it to your liking with any of our thousands of 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.

Sharing your passion for fabric and color,
Luana and Paul Rubin

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