This sassy kitty is stylin’ – with a satin bow to match her pretty green eyes – and an orange-trimmed witch’s hat to give her a higher profile on Halloween Eve. She’ the Queen of the Night – the chic Black Cat with her plaid pumpkins and a golden Full Moon rising.
To make this 47″ x 53″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ panel, then piece the Blue Speckles print with Kona Solid Black to make the clever Flying Bats side panels. Finish the border with a Yellow Speckle, Black Cat Faces, and a Hoffman Orange Hand-Dye.
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.
We have a new baby in the house. Today we picked up our 9 week old little girl puppy. After losing our beloved 10 yr old Ruby, our other dog Leo was so sad, and we decided we need 2 dogs in our house. We don’t have a name yet, but I posted a photo on my Facebook page.
I wanted to let you know that we have made our first donation the United Nations agency that helps women, girls and newborns affected by the devastating earthquake in Morocco. We have only begun to know the destruction caused by this earthquake. Thank you for supporting our family-owned business, so we can make immediate donations when these kinds of natural disasters hit.
So I am going to ask this question one more time: Would you like me to create some applique patterns to download? Would you like me to design a Mystery Quilt or Block of the Month for eQuilter customers? Is there something else you’ve been hoping I’d apply my designer brain to, for your future enjoyment?
Please write to me at [email protected] and give me your ideas, your requests, and I’ll use your feedback in making a choice for my next Creative Time Pod. Many thanks to those of you who have already sent in your suggestions. You’ll be hearing from me!
I was in a 3 day Photoshop conference this last week, and now I am back to work editing photos from the Birmingham Festival of Quilts, and of course my recent trip to Bear Camp in Alaska. You will see more photos popping up on my photo pages this week.
Sept 14 I am giving a presentation at the University of Boulder on ‘Art and Activism’ in collaboration with the Endangered Species Coalition and Sierra Club. There are still a few free tickets left. Contact customer service for the link. As you know this is a passion of mine, and I am honored to be given this opportunity to reach the wider environmental/activist community.
Travel/Quilt Calendar: Sept 14, 5:30 pm – “Art & Activism” lecture at CU Boulder. (Contact us for a link to free tickets.) Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX (Artist Speaker in “Women’s Voices” exhibit on Thurs Nov 2)
As we wait for Fall’s first breeze, that first chilly night that brings the promise of changing seasons….we bring you this lovely exclusive Free Quilt Pattern that captures the turning colors of the autumnal season.
To make this quick-and-easy 55″ x 72″ nap/couch quilt, you will start with the gentle aesthetic of this Northcott 24″ x 44″ Maple Leaf panel. You will use the gorgeous Ombre Marble print plus 2 coordinating Stonehenge textures, to create the framing borders.
If you are up North and Jack Frost is right behind Lady Autumn, you can back this seasonal sewing project with Flannel for an extra cozy quilt, anticipating snuggles with a cup of hot tea by a roaring fireplace.
Or…just hang it on the wall and enjoy the compliments!
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.
After a week in Alaska, and 10 days recovering from Covid, I am finally able to come downstairs and start to look at my Bear photos again.
I wanted to share this photo, and the story of this moment. On our last full day we were gifted with the antics of 2 cubs and their watchful mom, as the sun sank low in the sky. Mom had been running back and forth trying to catch salmon in the river, until other bears wandered over, attracted by her splashing. Then she spent a lot of time and energy chasing the other bears away from her cubs. She would charge at the other bears, sending up a spray of droplets from the river, and her cubs would be galloping right behind her as if they were part of the chase. “Go Mom, go!”
Finally they were all tired out, and they sat on a little sandy island in the middle of the river. The cubs were gazing out into the distance at the big wide world…and Mum was looking over her shoulder making sure there were no other dangers lurking. Isn’t that the way of all moms? Our young cubs are blissfully aware of all the things in the world that are scary or unpleasant, and Mom places herself as a boundary or in this case, a guardian.
They sat quietly as the sun hovered over the horizon on a late summer long afternoon that was slipping into evening. We sat on a viewing platform, quietly, watching them view their domain. All was still, all was right with the world, in those precious peaceful moments. I hope by sharing this image and this story with you, that you can also take the magic of this moment, and carry it in your heart.
She never did catch a fish, but a few minutes after I took this photo, they ambled into the golden meadow and she lay down to nurse her cubs. All we could see were her paws stretching and waving with the ripples of glowing light that spread across the whispering waves of sedge grasslands. The breeze carried the cubs’ satisfied grunts to our ears as they snuggled in to nurse, and we knew it was just one voice in the great symphony of the Alaskan wilderness.
May we always protect and cherish these irreplaceable wild lands.
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 free tickets.) Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
This weekend we celebrate the American worker, as we take a day of rest on Labor Day.
Today’s exclusive Free Quilt Pattern captures the spirit of freedom with a wild Bald Eagle in flight, set on a backdrop of the American flag. This Hoffman panel is a favorite for those making Quilts of Valor, so we offer this pattern idea to inspire your quiltmaking efforts.
To make this 66″ x 54″ quilt design, you will create diagonal wide Red and Cream stripes to frame the Eagle panel, which represent the rippling stripes of a flag in the wind. Using the same Northcott Stonehenge blender, frame the quilt with a Navy Blue border, and Red binding. Note: the Cream blender has silhouettes of flying Eagles, to complement the main panel.
We hope you are having a relaxing holiday weekend with loved ones, and yes we are closed on Monday to give our staff the holiday off as well. *Happy Labor Day!*
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.
We hope you are enjoying the unofficial end of Summer, and maybe even sneaking in some sewing time over the long weekend.
This week I am just over the moon with the Paris Panel and Poppy collection that we are featuring at the top of the newsletter. Jason Yenter’s Halcyon II is a stunner, and we got in a precious shipment of 10 new Cream/Natural Batiks that are in such high demand. Be sure to check them out.
The next couple weeks I am playing catchup, after being gone to Alaska for a week, and down with Covid for another week. Today is the first day I got totally dressed and got out of the house. It was good to come to the office and work on my list of things to do. I have a couple deadlines to nail down, plus prep for my lecture at CU Boulder. Then I have some time and energy to devote to a new creative project.
So I have a question for you. Would you like me to create some applique patterns to download? Would you like me to design a Mystery Quilt or Block of the Month for eQuilter customers? Is there something else you’ve been hoping I’d apply my designer brain to, for your future enjoyment?
I am also starting some projects that hopefully will lead to resuming my textile design work, but that is a longterm project.
Please write to me at [email protected] and give me your ideas, your requests, and I’ll use your feedback in making a choice for my next Creative Time Pod.
In the meantime I am also working on editing more photos from the Birmingham Festival of Quilts, and of course my recent trip to Bear Camp in Alaska. You will see more photos popping up on my photo pages this week.
Travel/Quilt Calendar: Sept 14, 5:30 pm – “Art & Activism” lecture at CU Boulder. (Contact us for a link to free tickets.) Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
This fabulous Free Quilt Design captures that breathtaking magical moment as baby turtles are scrambling to the water and taking their first swim, to life in the wild. The artist has included colorful seashells, coral, and cool clear waters to set off neutral colors of sand and hatchlings.
To make this 53″ x 62″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ panel which captures an overhead view of this flurry of tiny-turtle action. This exclusive eQuilter quilt design uses fabrics from 4 different manufacturers to create a dazzling piece of quilt art that will amaze your friends! You will enjoy cutting into these fabrics – this is one of the most beautiful combinations of ocean prints and blenders that we’ve ever created!
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.
As you probably know I have recently returned from Bear Camp in a remote area of Alaska. Unfortunately the day I got home I had symptoms and then tested positive for Covid. After all this time, it finally got me – ugh! I went on Paxlovid Friday night and I am starting to feel human again today. I am in isolation so I don’t pass it to anyone else.
Last week I shared a bear photo with you, but this week I want to share another kind of wildlife photo with you, that was a daily part of our experience. Baby Foxes! There was a family of SIX foxes living in and around our camp. 4 kits and the 2 parents. It was a circle of life. The voles would hang around hoping for crumbs. The foxes would catch the voles, and then bring them to the teenager kits (fox cubs) who basically ran around tumbling and playing all day, delighting us all.
This beautiful fabric panel (top) really captures the beauty and lush wilderness that I experienced on this trip. There is of course a huge richness of wildlife in Alaska, thanks to so much preserved National Park and State Park land. We have to thank those who had the vision and foresight to set aside these pristine wildlife sanctuaries, despite continuing pressure to invade and disrupt these habitats. Everyone I met who lived there expressed relief that it looks like the Pebble Mine has been stopped. We must thank those who continue to fight, to protect these wild and irreplaceable lands.
Another treasure of our National Parks is the opportunity to view the starry sky in all its glory, in a super dark sky area. The further you are from ‘civilization’ the more you will see in the sky. I have not seen the Milky Way with the naked eye so vibrant and densely full of stars, for at least 10 years, maybe since my childhood, and maybe never…until now. It is worth going to a place like this just to see the sky, but of course I went to see the bears.
Because the late Summer sun was still setting late and rising early (due to the Northern latitude), I had to set my alarm for 2 am, climb out of my tent, and then stand alone in the dark looking up in amazement. The Milky Way filled the sky! I felt like I could reach out and touch the dazzling streams of stardust. Every shooting star was vivid and left a long trail. Hooting owls called to each other across the forest around us. We only had 2 clear nights of star viewing, but it was…one of those experiences I will never forget.
Once I get out of quarantine and can start editing photos on my big computer, I will start posting photos on my photo pages. I am anxious to see the images that came home with me too!
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 free tickets.) Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY Oct 27 – Nov 3 – Quilt Market/Festival – Houston TX
This glowing Tree image has ignited our creative juices! Is it a Family Tree? (YOUR family tree?) Is it an impressionistic Autumn portrait from the Forest? A statement about Climate Change? The inside of a Poet’s brain? What do you think??
To make this 50″ x 64″ quilt design, you will start with the luminous “Electric Tree of Life” – a radiant 24″ x 44″ panel digitally printed with a full spectrum of COLOR. You will love the collection’s coordinates – a dazzling leaf print in 2 colorways – and an allover floral. Piece them with Kona Solid Black to make those zingy colors really POP!
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’ve just come home from my trip to Alaska, photographing the Brown Bears (Coastal Grizzly Bears) and also visiting with the Homer Quilt Guild. I had a fantastic time in Bear Camp, and besides amazing viewing of the bears, it was the first time in 10 years since I was in a dark sky environment and was able to see the Milky Way in all its majesty. It was a much-needed deep embrace with Nature, and I know it will nurture and inspire me for a long time.
You may not know that there are a lot of serious quilters in Alaska! The Homer Quilt Guild is no exception. They get together and sew once a week! I imagine they don’t get together as often in the winter, but it was fun to learn that Homer is considered the ‘banana belt’ of Alaska because of its warmer coastal temperatures. Homer was our jumping-off point to take a 1953 Beaver prop plane across the bay to the park. Our pilot gave us a swooping close-up tour of an icy volcano on the way to the park, which I only need to do once in life, thank you very much.
Now that I have visited both Katmai and Lake Clark National Parks, I have a greater appreciation for the work that goes into preserving and protecting these priceless pieces of land. We met a park ranger named Diane who comes out for 4 months a year and lives alone on the coastline of the park, with bears wandering past all day and night. She lives here in Colorado the rest of the year.
I will be working on my bear photos to share with you, and I am still catching up on my photos from the Festival of Quilts. (Birmingham UK) Thanks for your patience. There is another reason why it will take me a little while to edit and upload these photos: on the way back home I started feeling funny so I took a Covid test and found out that I finally had succumbed to the virus. Ugh! But I got on Paxlovid immediately and that took the edge off in 4-5 hours. Now I am isolating in my bedroom for a week, and hopefully, due to my vaccinations and the Paxlovid, I’ll be bouncing back soon.
Happy National Dog Day! You may have read that we lost our beloved dog Ruby recently. It didn’t take us long to realize that we (and our remaining dog Leo) need a 2nd dog in the house. So two weeks from today we’ll be welcoming a new puppy into our home. No name yet – we’ll have to meet her first – but we are super excited and that anticipation will get me through the next several days of isolation.
