Come and join us in this beautiful coastal scene that is beckoning to you, with a pair of empty chairs and a view to the horizon. This idyllic beach image invites you to come and dig your toes into the sand, smell the salty air, and listen to the waves crashing on the shoreline.
To make this 51″ x 61″ quilt design, you will start with the scenic central panel, and splice in pieces of a 2nd panel to extend the shoreline view. Fussy cut the allover beach print for the corners, and piece the sand and weathered wood prints for the border. Finish the binding with a seashell print.
This quilt makes a great wall hanging for a beach house, but it also may recall a fond memory of a vacation by the seaside. Those coastal vacation memories are always embedded deeply in our hearts….
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.
You have 4 1/2 months to whip up your next Halloween masterpiece, and here’s a fun Free Quilt Pattern that documents the special relationship between a Witch and her precious Black Cats, set in a spooky neighborhood under a Full Moon. We love the bright color contrast of Purple and Orange, mixed with the Black and White illustrations!
To make this 59″ x 59″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ scenic panel. Then cut up a second block panel to make the side sections. Piece together with Black and Purple spiderweb blenders, and finish with the Black Cat border. Take a close look at the ‘memes’ in the blocks. “Paw Readings” and “Yes I Can Drive a Stick” are some of our favorites.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this wonderful quilt pattern (orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).
Your Free Quilt Pattern – Halloween Spirit – Free Shipping 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.
Today it was 98 degrees. That is just too hot for early June! I still don’t have my tomato plants in the ground, and it is too hot to garden today. However the Peonies and the Japanese Lilac Tree are blooming, so it is pleasant to sit outside in the shade of the trees, with a cool drink, and take in a little floral aromatherapy. I try to spot some of the more exotic birds migrating through our yard now.
On Tuesday I am taking my first international trip since I went to the Tokyo Quilt Festival in January 2020. (Which was to be – sadly – the last time for that event.) I am excited to be attending Quilt Canada in Vancouver BC, one of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever visited. I’ll be at the awards Weds night, and walking the show on Thursday. I am going as a corporate sponsor, and photographer. On Friday I am going to Victoria to see Butchart Gardens – finally! I’ll be sharing my photos when I get back.
Covid continues to writhe through our communities. I am planning more travel, but if Covid has a serious spike I remain flexible in my plans. You can see my planned trips below. Perhaps I will see you in person later this year? Paul and I got our boosters 10 days ago, and although I had a couple days horizontal, I am now feeling better about upcoming travel plans.
If you come to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK, I’ll be giving my trend lecture on Friday morning, and participating in a panel discussion on the SAQA exhibit “Forced to Flee” on the timely topic of REFUGEES and activist art. We are sponsoring this SAQA exhibit because I believe it is an urgent topic.
With gas prices going up for the summer driving season, it may seem like a good time to stay home and sew. I will remind you that compared to many other countries, our gas prices are still comparatively low in the US. Looking at prices now in Europe and Hong Kong for instance, gas ranges from $8 to $10, even up to $12/gallon. Of course the war in Ukraine is not helping. So…you know I always like to look on the bright side…I am driving my car less and driving my Bernina more. It’s better for the environment!
Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK Sept 21-24 – SAQA conference in San Diego Oct 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada Oct 28 – Nov 5 – Quilt Market & Festival – Houston Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta GA
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Posted inTravel|Comments Off on New Northcott, Loralie, Quilting Treasures – Quilt Backing Bonanza
I have found when I need a hug, the best thing to do is give a hug. Find somebody who needs it more than I do, and spend time with them.
Today I had lunch on an outdoor patio, under these hanging flower baskets, with a friend who has been going through cancer treatment during the pandemic. It was her first time going out with a friend for lunch, since the pandemic started. At one point it started to shower through the rays of sunlight, sprinkling raindrops like diamonds on her shoulders. I asked if she wanted to switch places. She smiled , shook her head, and closed her eyes, as if the rain was a holy baptismal blessing.
Sophie took a meal to a family friend who just had a baby, and Sophie had the honor of holding the tiny newborn. She sent me a photo of the moment, wearing the biggest smile. We have another friend who is home recovering from surgery. In fact we have 2 friends home from the hospital. So we drop off meals and keep them company. There but for the grace of God, go I….
When I was home in bed for a month, my friends dropped off meals. These days there are apps where you can sign up to bring a meal on a certain date. Back then our friends just signed up via a phone tree. Compassion? There’s an app for that.
Quilters tend to bring both food and quilts to someone who needs a hug. (This time of year, we might also bring flowers from our garden.) We often hand-embroider a message of love and encouragement. For awhile we put these messages on the back, on a label. 150 years ago the community would embroider messages on blocks, sew them together, and give them to a new bride, or a grieving widow, as a Friendship quilt. I think it is time to start stitching our messages of love and support on the fronts of quilts again. This is the quilters’ version of wearing your heart on your sleeve….but in this case it is stitching your love on the topside of the comfort quilt. (However we still need a label with the date, and name of the maker!)
We know that many of you are doing this already, because our hand-embroidery suppliesand specialty needles have been selling out. And of course, you can easily stitch messages on a quilt by machine, with freemotion quilting. (One of my most favorite quilting activities, on my Bernina machine.)
I have connected with a retired teacher from the Robb Elementary in Uvalde. Diana and I spoke at length several times to organize a comfort quilt drive to support the traumatized community in Uvalde. Go this page for all the details.
Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK Sept 21-24 – SAQA Conference – San Diego CA October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
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Posted inCharity, Quilts|Comments Off on Heart on our Sleeve
To make this 56″ x 56″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ digital-printed panel. Fussy cut the bright animal allover print to create the on-point blocks. Set these diamond shapes into a pale hand-dye for contrast, then use 4 more Hoffman hand-dyes to create the Earthtone border and Aqua binding.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this wonderful 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.
To make this 53″ x 53″ quilt design, you will start by cutting up a 24″ x 44″ block panel. Then piece together with the Fruit Mix and Footprints in the Sand, plus 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes to tie it all together.
Strawberries, apples, and pears, oh my! Delectable fruit finds itself in the oddest places in this hysterical design of fruit figured ladies, relaxing on the beach in plump attire. And what ever shape these women are, they are all perfect, beautiful, and juicy!
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this wonderful 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.
I got another booster shot this week. (That makes 1 J&J, and 3 boosters so far.) Between the short holiday week, and a couple days resting post-vax, I am running behind. However the garden is fragrant, I’ve managed to work at my sewing machine almost every day this week, and I feel safe to travel to Quilt Canada in 10 days. We have also received some incredibly inspiring magazines in the last 2 weeks, and they always lift my spirits and get those creative juices pumping. My goal for this weekend – 2 chunks of time in the studio – and planting tomatoes.
The quilts are starting to arrive in Uvalde. Many heartfelt thanks for those of you who rushed to get them shipped. Our contact there (Diana is a retired teacher from Robb Elementary) is going to be working with the entire community with comfort quilts, love and mental health support. She is so excited by the first wave of your quilts, and we hope to get some photos from her in the future.
I know I have told you this before, but my art quilts are made 90% from the scraps I gather from the eQuilter leftovers. That means you guys have first crack at everything, before I go dumpster diving (so to speak) for my stash. It is kind of like going out to the chicken coop to gather the eggs. We are clearing out lots of really beautiful fabrics at the tail end of our Memorial Sale, and trust me I am right behind you picking out the last small pieces of these bolt ends and discontinued items.
Sophie Quinn worked the first 18 months of the pandemic at eQuilter so she could buy a car for her student teaching. She has been working as an usher at Macky Auditorium and CU Music this year, and now she has a summer job at the YMCA, and will be moving to be a summer camp counselor starting this week. She just finished her sophomore year as a Music Ed major, with a minor in Art Practices. She has a side gig as a portrait photographer, doing head shots of her friends in the arts. She’ll be at the Sacred Threads weekend in July with me, and has signed up for Lyric’s classes on Friday. She just gifted me with her first painting from her first college art class. You can just imagine how happy I feel when I look at that painting.
By the way, the RBG Tea Towels blew out last week. We’ve restocked, so if you missed out before, try again! Along with my Love Your Mother panel, they make a great banner for attending a peaceful protest. I just like having Ruth in the kitchen with me, to stay focused on what’s important in these challenging times. Keep stitching, and we’ll get through this together.
Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK Sept 21-24 – SAQA conference in San Diego October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
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Posted inCOVID|Comments Off on Boosted and Basted!
Now is the time when we need each others’ friendship and support more than ever. I know many of you are tired, sad, wondering what is happening to humanity. But I still believe in the basic goodness of the vast majority of people, and I invite you to join me in finding that spark of beauty and love in whoever you meet this week. When we see that basic goodness and humanity in everyone we meet, and we reflect that beauty back to whoever we are speaking too, we encourage more love, more empathy, more thoughtfulness in others.
In Saturday’s newsletter I shared that we have connected with a retired teacher from the Robb Elementary in Uvalde. Diana and I spoke at length and we are working together to organize a comfort quilt drive to support the traumatized community there ASAP. Go to this page for all the details.
Today my interview with Brandy Maslowski came out on her podcast “Quilter On Fire”. We had a nice long talk about a variety of subjects, and I invite you to sit down with a cuppa and join us. It was like a nice long ladies lunch and we really enjoyed sharing stories and some laughs.
Brandy is also a kindred soul – from firefighter to fibre artist much of her art explores the theme of healing through stitch. Her studio is located in Summerland, BC, Canada and she now travels to quilt destinations around the world to ignite creativity in quilters and share her story. I’ll be meeting up with her again in Vancouver BC in a couple weeks, and at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK in August.
In preparation for my first international trip this year, I got another booster shot today. My last one was in December, so I figured it was time. I am keeping my elderly mom safe, my employees and their families safe, and my own family safe. Covid is not done with us yet. I know somebody who was in the hospital just last week, so I am not taking any chances.
I really hope to see many of our Canadian friends and customers while in Vancouver. I am thinking about taking a tour to Victoria and Butchart Gardens on that Friday. That has been on my photographer bucket list for a long time! If you would like to connect in Vancouver, send us an email! I’ll be saying a few words at the awards ceremony Wednesday night. (We are a PLATINUM sponsor for the event, and very proud to be a longtime sponsor to support our Canadian quilter friends!)
To make this generous 71″ x 83″ quilt design, you will start with the huge 56″ x 44″ panel, then add the Stonehenge stone texture and Dinosaur Stripe to make the border, and the Dino allover to fussy cut the corners.
PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping when you order the fabrics for this wonderful 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.
The heart of the forest beats in the chest of a majestic owl, in this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern. Look closely and you’ll see a waterfall, forest foliage, and a cool mountain stream reflected on the breast feathers of this alert raptor.
To make this 47″ x 59″ quilt design, you will start with the 31″ x 44″ digital-printed panel, with exquisite detailing in the feathers and landscape. Then piece 5 colors of Neutral & Earthtone Hoffman Hand-Dyes to make the eye-catching border.
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.
