The Creative Journey

Posted on July 6, 2024 by Luana

As many of you know, I lost my mother in November after her long slow decline. This weekend my brother came to visit and we went through my mother’s and my grandparent’s photos and records. This weekend my brother went up into the mountains with my kids to scatter her ashes. My mother was such a huge part of my creative life, and so we are honoring her in this last chapter of farewells.

My large art quilt “The Children of War” is being shipped out to the Sacred Threads exhibit on Monday, which will premier in Houston this fall, and travel for 3 years. My butterfly quilt “Uncompahgre Fritillary” will also be in Houston, in the SAQA Camouflage exhibit. And I am back in the studio working on my next deadline. That would have made my mother very happy, and proud.

She gave me permission to pursue my artistic talents and goals, as a musician, artist and designer. I was able to follow my heart and that is also what I wish for my children. I hope that you all can at least give yourself permission to follow your creative dreams, and see where they may take you on that long winding Path of Life. Sewing, Quilting, and making art is my solace and my joy. And now, my work is to encourage, inspire and support others in their creative journey. We are all so lucky to be in this place together.

As always, we thank you for supporting our family business.

Hoping you are staying cool and having a creative weekend!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Dates:
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
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 – Steampunk Owls

Posted on July 4, 2024 by Luana

Steampunk fans are snapping up these exquisitely detailed owl fabrics like clockwork, so we are offering a Free Quilt Pattern for this exclusive Neo-Victorian design.

To make this 72″ x 72″ quilt design, you will start with the wildly creative 43″ x 44″ central panel, featuring four wise owls dressed in mechanical timepiece gear. Then piece the borders using the coordinating engineered border stripe & allover print, along with an amber Hoffman hand dye, all set against a dramatic Kona Solid black.

The retro-futurist artwork in this quilt will add a dynamic and whimsical character to your home. The quilt design will also make a fabulous gift for Steampunk fans and engineers!

…from the ‘Steampunk’ 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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Alice’s Butterflies

Posted on July 3, 2024 by Luana

“Happiness is like a butterfly, the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around you, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder.” ? Henry David Thoreau

Sunday I returned from Lincoln Nebraska, where I attended a board event at the International Quilt Museum. The founders Robert and Ardis James were remembered at an evening event, and we also had the opportunity to review the museum’s new acquisitions. There are always several exhibits filling the galleries, and one of those rooms featured Nebraska State Fair quilts.

This quilt (above) won Best of Show in 1991!
Alice Torpin made this machine pieced, hand appliqued and hand quilted work.
“Begin With Butterflies”

I have featured a detail from the quilt, so you can appreciate the fine detail of her hand applique.
(The frame is an ombre/border floral print by Michael Miller, from the “Wisteria Lane” collection.)

Tonight when I got home after work, I went out to do a little weeding in my vegetable garden. A small orange butterfly came and landed next to me. We had a little chat. Actually I did all of the talking. It is good to be able to pause, and receive the blessing of a visiting butterfly. Perhaps Alice was inspired by a summer visitor. 33 years later, we can still enjoy her inspiration.

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:
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

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Free Quilt Pattern – Mysterious Tiger Eyes

Posted on June 30, 2024 by Luana

Our Mysterious Tiger Eyes panel is the feature of this week’s Free Quilt Pattern. This mesmerizing portrait captures the courage, wisdom & intensity of the big cat’s gaze, emerging from a wild, mystical forest.

To make this 65″ wide x 52″ high quilt design, you will start with our exclusive 29″ x 44″ digital-printed panel. Piece the wild paw-print blocks and borders with our rich and vibrant forest leaves coordinate and sea-breeze hand dye. Aqua and jade hand dyes frame the outer border and binding.

As a wall hanging, this is a real conversation piece for the true wildlife lover. Or use this as a Nap quilt for fantastical feline dreams.

…from from the ‘Inspiration’ 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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International Quilt Museum arrival

Posted on June 29, 2024 by Luana

Yesterday, after a 4.5 hour delay at the Denver Airport, I flew to Lincoln Nebraska to attend an event at the International Quilt Museum this weekend. One thing that never ceases to amaze me is that when you gather with quilters and start comparing notes, you immediately find so many friends and experiences and quilty interests in common! The sense of community in the quilting world is my favorite part of this creative tribe. In a time of divisive topics in the outer world, our insider world of sewing and making feels safe, familiar and welcoming. I always find my happy place among quilters, and I am so grateful to have found this world 34 years ago.

No matter where I go, my eyes are always open for interesting local textiles. My hotel room has a Cowgirl tapestry pillow on the bed, and barkcloth curtains printed with 14″ corn cobs on floor-to-ceiling cornstalks. A cute rectangle pillow uses blue gingham and red stripes to make an American flag. Those of you who have stayed at The Graduate will recognize this flavor of decor, no doubt! I’ll call it Corny Vintage. It’s a hoot.

Hoping you are staying cool and having a creative weekend!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Dates:
June 27-28 – Intl Quilt Museum, Lincoln NE
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
August 27-31 – Speaker at World Wilderness Congress, Rapid City SD
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 – Baby African Animals

Posted on June 27, 2024 by Luana

Here is an exclusive Free Quilt Pattern to delight young and old alike.
Realistic baby animals capture the innocence and…let’s be honest….the adorable cuteness of African baby animals who are gazing right at you and engaging us with their sweet faces.

To make this 60″ x 71″ quilt design, you will start with our own 33″ x 44″ portrait block panel, featuring a tender little leopard cub, elephant, giraffe, zebra, cheetah, chimp, rhino, and hippo. You will finish with the coordinating stripe and 2 safari blenders. The delightful artwork will make somebody squeal with delight and make you a quilting star!

…from the ‘Baby Animals’ 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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Carbuncles from Canada

Posted on June 26, 2024 by Luana

Today I am sharing the Best of Show from Quilt Canada in Edmonton last week:

“Weir Fishing” by Debora Barlow, Saskatoon

This wildlife scenic quilt was inspired by a photo by Jeff Lyons, who gave Debora permission to use his image. The quilt is collaged and layered using Debora’s hand-dyes and organza to create the shimmering textural background. Then she layered light gray organza and solid navy to achieve the impression of depth in the water, and the imagery of the birds’ feet.

This piece has a little bit of everything!
Hand applique, fused applique and raw edge applique. Cotton, linen, silk, organza, wool batting, and glass bead collage. It was machine-quilted. You can go to my photo page to see detail shots of this stunning quilt.

As I have mentioned before, I really enjoy the wildlife and landscape quilts at the shows in Canada. This is a great example and it happens to depict the American White Pelican. 10% of the world’s population of this bird live in Ontario, but live and breed across Canada including British Columbia. These large (heavy) water birds are listed as a threatened species in some areas of North America. They migrate south in the winter, and we enjoy flocks of these great birds as they travel through Colorado in the spring and fall. I appreciate that Debora included the distinctive carbuncle (bump on the bill) which grows anew each year during mating season. Apparently this is an attractive physical trait for a prospective pelican partner. *wink* Who knew?

The backdrop on the collage image above shows beach and shell prints currently in stock at eQuilter.com. A reminder that we have silk habotai, charmeuse, chiffon and silk gauze in stock for those of you who love to paint and print on these dreamy fabrics. Textile artists will find tulle and cheesecloth in this other category…great for layering and creating unique textures!

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:
June 27-28 – Intl Quilt Museum, Lincoln NE
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
August 27-31 – Speaker at World Wilderness Congress, Rapid City SD
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

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Returning from Quilt Canada

Posted on June 22, 2024 by Luana

As you read this newsletter, I am flying back home from Quilt Canada in Edmonton. The convention center sits on the side of a steep hill, and it has long steep escalators and a funicular instead of an elevator. It is a fun ride down the escalators under the crystal structure, surrounded by tropical plants, with a stunning view of the river. As an added bit of fun, the town was full of Oilers fans for the Stanley cup final!

Coming to Quilt Canada is always such a pleasure. There is so much talent up here, and in particular I love the themes of the Arctic lifestyle, the indigenous people, the northern wildlife, and the Aurora Borealis. I photographed the show, and I’ll be editing those photos in the next week and sharing them soon. It is also wonderful to meet so many of our customers here as I walk around the show floor, plus old friends in the industry and some of the incredible talented artists in Canada. There was a Modern Quilt Guild gathering, I had dinner with the founder of Quilts for Survivors, and lunch with a previous ‘Best of Show’ artist. I’ll tell you more about this in my Wednesday Creative Nudge newsletter.

Next weekend I am taking a very short trip up to the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. I am anxious to see the shows in their galleries now!

Now it is time for me to close my laptop and head for the airport. I hope you are having a wonderful creative weekend. I’ll be sewing tomorrow!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Dates:
June 27-28 – Intl Quilt Museum, Lincoln NE
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
August 27-31 – Speaker at World Wilderness Congress, Rapid City SD
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 – Egyptian Cleo and Tut

Posted on June 20, 2024 by Luana

Even though Queen Cleopatra & King Tut lived over a millennia apart, they’re lovingly joined together here at eQuilter in our exclusive fantasy panel.
Tonight’s Free eQuilter Pattern features this spectacular panel along with coordinating Egyptian Gods fabrics, all meticulously detailed in hues of topaz, jade & ginger gold.

To make this generous 73″ x 73 quilt pattern, you’ll frame the majestic panel with the Egyptian Gods panel and engineered border stripe. The colors really shine against the solid Kona black borders. This picturesque quilt makes a wonderful gift for world travelers and admirers of Egyptian Art.

…from the ‘Egyptian’ 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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Happy Days

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Luana

I read an interesting article today about inheriting generational or genetic memories. Not sure if they have ‘proved’ this yet, but I am pretty sure it exists in my family tree. At the very least, I know that the summertime memories of my mother overlapped with my childhood memories, and then my kids’ summer time explorations.

My mom lived on a farm as a little girl, rode her horse bareback to school, jumped in a gentle river from a tire swing to stay cool, and picked berries to make money. Her love of horses, swimming and berries definitely became part of my own childhood memories. Some version of that got passed on to my kids too. My grandmother had a huge organic vegetable garden, and planted flowering bushes outside of bedroom windows. My mom did that too…I had a lilac bush outside my bedroom window as a kid. When we moved into this house, I planted perennials, bushes and trees that would flower year-round. My grandma also grew rhubarb and made the most fabulous strawberry-rhubarb pies. I haven’t learned how to make them, but I love a slice of rhubarb or berry pie in the summertime!

Perhaps you are indulging in the nostalgic equivalent of summer comfort food as well. Repeating those summer rituals brings us closer to our mothers, grandmothers, and others who helped to create those precious memories. The climbing roses I planted years ago on the stone wall next to our front door, are also a memory of my grandmother. Their fragrance greets me in the summertime, and it is almost like my grandma is there to wrap me in a perfumed hug…just like a quilt. I love to choose fabrics that bring back those memories, and then put them in a quilt. You too?

Last week on Textile Talks, Teri Walker gave an excellent lecture on activist quilts. She included a few of my quilts, and a few of my quotes. If you have time, I hope you will enjoy this recording. These weekly talks are FREE, and the recordings are all online.

When you read this, I’ll be on my way up to Quilt Canada in Edmonton, Alberta.

Hope to see many of you in Edmonton this week. If you see me, please do come up and say hello! I am there to photograph the show, and I will share photos with all of you when I return.

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:
June 19-22 – Quilt Canada, Edmonton
June 27-28 – Intl Quilt Museum, Lincoln NE
July 29 – Aug 5 – Festival of Quilts, Birmingham UK
August 27-31 – Speaker at World Wilderness Congress, Rapid City SD
December 5-13 – Textile & Costume Tour – Italy. Alpine Xmas Market Extension Dec 13-15.

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