Tonight’s Free eQuilter Pattern features the man, the myth, the legend … Bigfoot! He has been sighted in Yosemite National Park in illustrative detail on this mysterious quilt pattern.
To make this magical 55″ x 63″ wall hanging, you’ll start with the 36″ x 44″ ‘Bigfoot in Yosemite’ panel. Then add borders using the coordinating allover Legends posters and woodland creature footprint tonal.
Don’t miss the opportunity to make this mystifying quilt, displaying these elusive National Park creatures. Fans of Sasquatch will love it!
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.
I know many of you are fans of Australian pattern designer Kim McLean, who uses Kaffe Fassett Collective fabric to create her colorful contemporary “Album” applique quilts. I was delighted to see an interpretation of her quilt design “Roseville Album” at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK last month. This quilt was made by Megan Gibson, and quilted by Janette Chilver. It is all needle-turned applique using 80 weight thread. It is definitely a labor of love!
We are fans of Kim’s patterns and Kaffe Fassett’s Collective fabrics, so I am tickled to share this interpretation with you. It certainly attracted a lot of attention at the quilt festival. It is very effective because Megan used a lot of busy hot brights in the applique album motifs, against a muted cool solid background. The contrast of hot vs cool, and busy vs solid, effective makes this into an eye-popping quilt!
One way to quickly expand your Kaffe stash for a project like this, is to pick up a couple 10″ square Kaffe Precuts. They are fun to pet and spread out in your workspace while you audition them for your next colorful project. You’ll find a huge selection of Solids and Blenders on this page, for potential background fabrics. Plump up your colorful thread stash with some wild hues, and scoop up some fresh sharp needles for those Fall sewing projects.
I am continuing to upload more photos from the Festival of Quilts on my photo pages. If you’d like to be notified when I upload the next batch, be sure to hit the “Follow” button on my Flickr page. The next album uploaded after the Birmingham quilts, will be my photos from Bear Camp in Alaska.
If you missed my lecture on ‘Art and Activism’ last week, the recording is now online. It is one hour long, so grab a cup of tea or glass of wine along with a notepad because there are lots of ideas for those who want to use their art to make the world a better place.
I am attending the AQSG seminar (American Quilt Study Group) for the first time this week. eQuilter is a sponsor for the event, and I look forward to learning more about the history of quilting at this gathering in Louisville Kentucky. I hope to share some stories and nuggets of inspiration with you next week, after I get back home.
Sharing your love of fabric… Luana and Paul
* The quilt photo above was taken by Luana Rubin at the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK in August 2023. It is framed in a collage of Kaffe Fassett fabrics currently in stock.
The intense gaze of a Bald Eagle emerges from the misty forest on a rocky peak, in today’s Free Quilt Pattern. This week we had a Bald Eagle circling and swooping a few blocks from the eQuilter warehouse, so we wanted to share the thrill of this majestic national bird, a previously-endangered raptor that made a comeback due to the protection of the Endangered Species Act. Bald Eagles were removed from the list of threatened species on June 28 2007.
To make this 59″ x 73″ quilt design, you will start with the 30″ x 44″ digital-printed Hoffman scenic panel. Piece the Feather corner blocks, and construct the rest of the border with an atmospheric Cloud print, and 4 colors of Hoffman Hand-Dyes.
Our Founding Fathers chose the bald eagle as the emblem of the nation because of the fierce beauty and proud independence of this great bird, symbolizing the strength and freedom of America. Eagles are considered sacred by Native Americans. They are honored with the deepest respect… representing courage, wisdom, honesty, majesty and strength. The gift of an Eagle feather is worn with pride and dignity.
Fun Fact: The Bald Eagle was chosen as the US National Symbol by the 2nd Continental Congress on June 20, 1782.
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.
Today is the Fall Equinox, when the length of the day and night are equal, before the days grow shorter and the nights are longer. Today is when the Sun crosses the celestial equator. As the Northern Hemisphere enters the Autumn season, the Southern Hemisphere is entering the Spring season. Both are my favorite seasons.
You may have heard about Boulder recently. Our CU football team is in the National News. Our team mascot is the Buffalo (Bison) so we are featuring that icon at the top of this newsletter, to honor the CU Buffs.
Our puppy Rosie has been with us 2 weeks now. House-training is going well, but we had a gnarly week, with our refrigerator dying last weekend (just got a new one yesterday) and internet issues at home. 6 days without a fridge, lots of food thrown out, but now we are back in the groove.
My butterfly quilt is at the Boulder Library’s Canyon Gallery in the Little Creatures exhibit for one more week. The recording of my talk on Art & Activism, sponsored by Endangered Species Coalition, Sierra Club and Cool Boulder, is available online now. It is one hour long, and I’ve had a big response to my presentation!
Next week I am going to the AQSG Seminar in Louisville KY. (American Quilt Study Group) We are a sponsor for the event. I have focused mostly on contemporary/art/modern quilting, but since I’ve been quilting for over 30 years, I am increasingly crossing paths with quilt historians. The quilters I studied and admired in the 90s are increasingly becoming part of Quilt History. I am involved with an exhibit at the DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) Museum next year, with a module on Craftivism. More about that later….
We are also an ongoing sponsor of the FREE Textile Talks, and recently they featured the work of Annamaria Brenti, whose gorgeous intricate silk quilts are now on display at the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. The work of this genius Italian quilter is just beyond words. I hope you can watch the recording of her talk, and then go see the exhibit at IQM – of which we are also a sponsor!
I am busy editing and uploading a big batch of photos from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. If you follow my photo pages, you know that I take my documentation of quilt exhibits very seriously. I edit the photos in Photoshop, and make sure the name of the maker is included in all the photos I upload. My hope is that these photos are a source of inspiration for you, and all our eQuilter fans.
We thank you for supporting our family-owned business, so we are able to sponsor these exhibits and online resources for your inspiration and edu-tainment!
Snap up this wildly creative collection before it runs out again – and we hope you enjoy this Free Quilt Pattern full of spooky whimsy and clever Steampunk details.
To make this 63″ x 68″ quilt design, you will start with the 24″ x 44″ panel. Sew the side panels with set-in Steampunk character diamonds and a Steampunk gear blender. Use the coordinating Steampunk stripe to finish the engineered border. There are so many things to look at in this quilt, it will keep your little Trick-or-Treaters entranced and delighted on Halloween Night!
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.
If you missed my lecture on ‘Art and Activism’ last week, the recording is now online. It is one hour long, so grab a cup of tea or glass of wine along with a notepad because there are lots of ideas for those who want to use their art to make the world a better place.
One of our most popular motifs is the category full of Alphabet, Calligraphy, and Library prints. The exclusive print that eQuilter carries, that thousands of you have discovered, is the official Scrabble Letters panel. You keep ordering, and we keep reprinting. Thanks to Ms Jean Truelove, we have a very large fan club of Scrabble quilters who use the letters to create all kinds of clever quilts, spelling family names and inspirational messages.
There are lots of reasons to love alphabet fabrics. Whether you are a bookworm, a teacher, or a parent of a young reader…these ABC panels and letter prints give us the ability to include messages or monograms/initials on our quilt projects.
You may thrill a young person by stitching in the letters of their name, honor a dear friend with words of praise, or remember someone special with a quote. We can piece, embroider, or sew in letter blocks to embed these words and phrases into our sewing projects.
Because I have studied Calligraphy, collected antique letters, and love to write with a Fountain Pen….these beautiful fabrics have a special meaning to me. Writing with pen and ink is a way of slowing down and being in the moment, similar to hand-quilting and embroidery. I love the loopy letters and flourishing script found in vintage love letters…when the yearnings of lonely hearts were poured out onto a page and surrendered to a mailbox, hope it would reach a beloved somewhere far away. Our quilts have a similar ability to travel through time and deliver a message to someone in the future. You never know when the words you stitch today, will touch someone’s heart in another time and place.
As the seasons begin to turn, we tend to see more of the wildlife in the forests and mountains here in Colorado. They are transitioning from higher elevations to lower wintering elevations, the Elk are in the Fall rut, and the Bears are loading up calories before their hibernation.
Our Free Quilt Pattern captures that Wild Spirit, in a group portrait of these Northwoods wild creatures. From Alaska and Canada, to Montana and Wyoming, down the Rocky Mountains into Colorado, these are the precious wildlife that define ‘freedom’ as they roam the woods, the peaks, and the tundra.
To make this 51″ x 64″ quilt design, you will start with the stunningly detailed Hoffman group portrait, a digital-printed 29″ x 44″ panel. You will use a Hoffman coordinate print, plus a Hoffman Hand-dye and Northcott Stonehenge to complete the quick-and-easy border on this evocative quilt design.
Iconic wildlife in this scenic panel: Grizzly Bear, Bison, Bighorn Sheep, Bull Elk, Golden Eagle, Mule Deer Buck, Bull Moose and Mountain Lion.
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.
It’s been a week since we brought home our new puppy. She is 10 weeks old and we are in the deep end of housetraining. We’ve named her Rosie, and she has bonded with our 7 yr old boy Leo. Nothing like a new baby in the house to bring lots of joy and laughter!
If you are wanting to help those affected by the flooding in Libya, we know that Doctors Without Borders is on the ground there. They are one of our 7 non-profit choices when you check out with an eQuilter purchase.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in with suggestions for my upcoming design project – re Block of the Month vs Mystery Quilt, and Applique downloads. Now that things are settling down here I have the time and space to start on a new project. Between my last 2 trips, Covid, prepping for my lecture, and a new puppy…I’ve been pretty busy! We will have a link to the recording of my Art and Activism presentation soon.
I have identified as being an artist since I was a little girl, and after being nudged towards a design degree so I could make a living with my talents, I found my way to the garment industry, the textile industry, and then the quilt industry. I am hoping to find my way back to being a full time artist in the future. As my 65th birthday approaches, and my Medicare card is in the mail, I am still trying to figure out who I want to be when I grow up. Having eQuilter as a creative base for the last 24 years has been such a blessing. Having a supportive spouse and brilliant business partner is priceless! Yay for Paul!
Sophie Quinn has started the school year at MSU Denver/Auraria, and has also started a part time job working for the Colorado Symphony at Boettcher Hall in the DCPA. She has started out in Patron Services, which means if you go for a concert you may see her in the ticket booth.
Fall is in the air here in Colorado. We’ve had our first few chilly nights and milder days, which is very welcome. Next weekend our predicted lows are in the mid-Forties. Ladies and Gentlemen, start your sewing machine engines! It’s Sewing Season!
Our favorite Steampunk collection returns with a cortege of critters, decked out in goggles and gears.
To make this 65″ x 65″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ pachyderm panel, then use a second block panel to make the side sections with an ostrich, giraffe, galloping horse, bear in bathtub, and more elephants. Solid Kona Black sashing makes those vintage colors pop! Use the Steampunk Express Stripe and Gear coordinate to finish the border.
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.
Today we were delighted to host the board meeting for the Colorado Quilt Council – the CQC. They are busy planning a yearly event (Quilt-a-Fair) and the future of quilting in our state. Isn’t it great to know we still have dedicated leaders forging a path for our beloved sewing passion?
I am getting ready for my lecture on ‘Art and Activism’ at CU Boulder Thursday at 5:30 pm MDT. If you can’t make it in person and would like a link to the streaming lecture, please contact Customer Service.
Well we got our new puppy Saturday, and just decided on a name after we got to know her a little better. We decided she is a “Rosie” and boy is she a sweetie-pie snuggler. Our 7 year old boy Leo has been showing her the ropes in the house, and with the cats. Sophie Quinn has been over several times now to cuddle and photograph our new little pupper. Rosie is helping to mend our broken hearts, after losing our beloved dog Ruby.
This week I wanted to highlight this beautiful quilt from the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham. Margaret Woodside has captured a pastoral scene with a beautiful sense of perspective, and innovative piecing. She won a Judge’s Choice award for this quilt, and the judge’s comments said: “This quilt is a complete medley of techniques masterfully combined to make a unified piece. There is nothing missing in this quintessential country scene.”
I certainly agree! And I must admit that when I go to the UK I love to go for a drive in the countryside to see the rolling green hills dotted with white sheep. (I am also a huge fan of the BBC show “All Creatures Great and Small” for a similar reason.)
I love how this quilt draws you into the scene, and invites the eye to wander among all the peaceful countryside themes. Brava to Margaret!
Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.
Travel/Quilt Calendar: Sept 14, 5:30 pm – “Art & Activism” lecture at CU Boulder. (Contact us for a link to streaming lecture.) Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
