eQuilter Blog

Does it feel like the world is on fire? The only way I am keeping a clear head is by going into the studio and working on my quilts every day.

(And…I’ve been binge-watching all 5 seasons of Emily in Paris. I am halfway through season 4.)

Today I am sharing this blazing quilt from the Taiwan Quilt Festival, because it seems to match the mood.

This powerful work of fiery textile art is by Zhuang Xiu Hui.
“Flaming Light”
190 x 155 cm (74″ x 61″)

Artist Statement:
“This quilt work’s idea is based on a fairytale about the existence of nine suns in ancient times. I use the round shape of kaleidoscope to represent the sun and the extension of the flames to form the fire ring. I hope the patterns could recreate the blazing heat of those images.”

***

You will notice this is not a simple rectangle shape. The sphere representing the Earth in the lower left corner, is full of kaleidoscopes, which I assume are inspired by Paula Nadelstern‘s designs. This bottom left corner binding follows the curve of the sphere.

The background is pieced tiny squares – mostly Indigo – and the dynamic flames explode across the checkerboard background. The flames are full of a variety of quilt stitching patterns as well. The complementary colors and wild undulating shapes of the flames give this quilt so much ENERGY! The large size gave this piece so much visual IMPACT in the gallery.

Think about how you can bring energy and impact to your quilts in 2026!

Sharing your passion for fabric…
Luana & Paul

Subscribe to my artist website and blog!
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Jan 21-22 – Road to California
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Apr 26 – May 1 – Alegre Retreat, Gateway CO
May 16 – New England Quilt Museum, Soul Stories Artist Reception
May 18-26 – Montpellier, France

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.

This week everyone is talking about the Buddhist monks who are walking from Texas to Washington DC. You can find them on Facebook on the “Walk for Peace” page. Their golden saffron robes are patched and worn, and their leader wears a sash with the pins given to them by the police departments of the towns they have passed through. Their patchwork robes, and their humble message of peace, have captured my heart. They are sharing a message that the world needs to hear.

“Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me….”

This was also one of Rosalynn Carter’s favorite songs, and it was sung at her memorial service. As you may know, my fiber art portrait of her now hangs at the Carter Center in Atlanta.

My art quilt “Prayer for Peace” traveled to Taiwan in November, and is now back in my studio. Perhaps you will also be moved to make a quilt that is a prayer for peace in 2026.

Every stitch is a prayer, when made with intention.

Sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here. Most recent article – 2025 – Annual Review

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Jan 22-23 – Road to California
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Apr 26 – May 1 – Alegre Retreat, Gateway CO
May 16 – New England Quilt Museum, Soul Stories Artist Reception


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

See Luana’s Artist Blog, 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.

The Peace of Wild Things
by Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

Sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here. Most recent article – Taiwan Quilt Festival – Taipei – Intro

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Jan 16 – “Balance” opening at The Collective Community Arts Center in Lafayette, CO. 6-8 pm.
Jan 22-23 – Road to California
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Apr 26 – May 1 – Alegre Retreat, Gateway CO
May 16 – New England Quilt Museum, Soul Stories Artist Reception
May 18-26 – Montpellier, France


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

See Luana’s Artist Blog, 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.

The clock is winding down on 2025, as we aim our hopes and dreams towards 2026.

I always say – I get more done in a year if I have a plan on New Years Day – and if I have written out a list of goals. My eyes are usually bigger than my stomach when it comes to making a list of projects, so setting priorities is the next part of this annual ritual.

However you spend New Years Eve and New Years Day, we hope to be of service to you as your own creative path unfurls in the coming weeks and months.

We wish you health, joy, love, and an abundance of creative juice in 2026.

Sharing your passion for fabric…
Luana & Paul

Subscribe to my artist website and blog!
www.luanarubin.com

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Apr 26 – May 1 – Alegre Retreat, Gateway CO
May 16 – New England Quilt Museum, Soul Stories Artist Reception
May 18-26 – Montpellier, France

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.

I bet a lot of you enjoy not only quilting, but also genealogy. Often those 2 activities go together!

Ever since Sophie Quinn and I went to Sweden, I’ve been following up on my Scandinavian roots, which are about 1/3 of my ancestry.com DNA profile.

Iceland also has Nordic roots, so I have been delighted to page through this new book –
“Quilts of Iceland”, by Gudrun Erla, full of beautiful Scandi-Icelandic style.

“Stitching Sashiko” by Shannon Roudhán and Jason Bowlsby is a new title for those of you who love the beautiful art of Japanese hand-stitching. Please note that we do stock sashiko needles and many sashiko threads and specialty embroidery threads for those of you who love this beautiful handwork.

If you need some inspiration for your studio space, the latest issue of “What Women Create” has beautiful creative spaces and several textile artists featured, including Fiber Artist Svetlana Turov.

As the year winds down, I invite you to make a list of all you accomplished as a creative person in 2025. Then do some brainstorming and write a list of things you’d love to learn and produce in 2026. Pick the top 3 and schedule them on your calendar now. Writing down goals and blocking out creative time are two of my rituals as one year ends and another begins.

What will you create in 2026?

Sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

Subscribe to my artist blog here. Most recent article – 2025 – Annual Review

Travel/Lecture Dates:
Feb 2 – SAQA Europe/Middle East – Zoom Lecture
Feb 18-21 – QuiltCon – Raleigh NC
Apr 26 – May 1 – Alegre Retreat, Gateway CO
May 16 – New England Quilt Museum, Soul Stories Artist Reception


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

See Luana’s Artist Blog, 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.