Pretty Things

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Luana

Sometimes I just want to look at pretty things. It makes me happy to see lovely art, clever design, delicious colors, and sometimes vintage items that were made with a tender hand for a different era. So besides walking through eQuilter and seeing all the beautiful new fabrics and fancies each week, I also love to visit antique stores, galleries, gift shops and art museums when I travel. Over the decades, I’ve brought home many delightful remembrances of my adventures. I imagine you are the same – when you are on vacation, it is the handmade items and the traditional crafts that capture my imagination. Because those of us who appreciate eye candy all over the world, have the same appreciation in common. We make these things for each other, I’ve come to believe. When you have a Maker’s Hand, you also have a Maker’s Eye.

And what is a Maker’s Eye? You see things that others do not see. You see that something has been sewn by hand, painted by hand, carved by hand. You appreciate the exquisite little touches that the maker put there, not expecting anyone else to really see those details…just doing it for the pure Joy of Beauty. But yes, we Makers, we see.

This is why when we sew and quilt, we take the time on the details, embellishments, and secret flourishes that have the most meaning for us. We long for a time that was simpler…more quiet…deeper and more gentle. We find those moments with a needle and thread. As we take those stitches, we are embroidering the poetry of our soul, on our heart.

Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul

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

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
July 4-12 – Helsinki & Savonlinna, Finland
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska (via Homer)
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY

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Time Passes….

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Luana

Today was our daughter’s 21st birthday. For those of you who have followed our family’s story, including our adoption story in 2003, you are probably as surprised as I am! How did the years pass by so fast? Sophie Quinn is staying with us for the summer, but is moving to Denver soon to attend MSU Denver. She is working as the assistant house manager for the Colorado Music Festival at Chautauqua Arts Center this summer, plus working as a summer camp counselor at the YMCA several mornings a week. She is a busy young lady. Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from?

I am working on a quilt for an exhibit on endangered pollinators, that will open at the Boulder Museum in August. I am very happy to be back in the studio, working against a deadline.

The baby blue jays in the nest at our back door, seem to have fledged and flown on to their lives in the big wild world. Sophie and I were musing today that this is a metaphor for her life now. Yesterday the mama blue jay sat on the babies, pushing them down after they perched on the edge of the nest looking at the big wide world. But they peeked out from under her feathers…their curiosity was irrepressible. Good luck little birdies. We will miss hearing your squeaky high-pitched cries when Mama came to feed you.

Thanks to all the friends and quilters and aunties in our community who have been part of the village that helped to support our daughter. As our youngest child leaves the nest soon, Paul and I also will be moving on to a new chapter in our lives. More time in the studio!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

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.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
July 4-12 – Helsinki & Savonlinna, Finland
August 18-24 – Bear Camp – Homer Alaska
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY

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Free Quilt Pattern – Morning Light Delight

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Luana

We’re keeping COOL in the shade of this dreamy quilt, capturing a moment of reverie under hanging gardens. This artist Melanie Samra is one of our most popular designers, because of her mastery of this unique painterly technique!

To make this 62″ x 76″ quilt design, you will start with a panel cut from a large scale border print, with leaves and branches hanging down from selvedge to selvedge. You will use 5 coordinates from this alcohol ink collection, plus 1 Hoffman Hand-Dye, to create the pieced border with diamonds on-point.

This quilt reminds us of a Summer’s day, under a weeping willow, with leaves trailing in a slow-moving cool river. What memory does this bring up for you?

…from the ‘Morning Light’ collection by Deborah Edwards and Melanie Samra for Northcott Fabrics.

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).

Don’t miss the ‘Full Moon in the Night Sky‘ and ‘American National Parks‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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Free Quilt Pattern – Sleeping Under the Stars

Posted on June 25, 2023 by Luana

This breathtaking scene takes you to a camping wilderness, looking out through the opening in your tent flap. You can almost smell the pristine mountain air in this pine-tree covered landscape.

To make this 64 x 51″ quilt design, you will start with the detailed 30″ x 44″ scenic panel. Use three earth-tone Hoffman Hand-Dyes, a walnut-hued texture, and solid black to piece the borders. Whether this quilt hangs in your cabin or your city apartment, it brings the calmness of a Summer at the lake, into your living space.

…from the ‘Sleeping Under The Stars’ collection by Hoffman Fabrics.

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).

Don’t miss the ‘Full Moon in the Night Sky‘ and ‘American National Parks‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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Free Quilt Pattern – American National Parks

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Luana

Summer is a great time to visit our glorious National Parks, and check them off the travel bucket list. This fantastic digital panel has 63 parks represented in postcard size…to remember past vacations, and plan your future trips around our beautiful country.

To make this 63″ x 81″ quilt design, you will start with the large 54″ x 72″ Park Postcard panel, which is essentially a cheater quilt! Add a Kona Solid, 2 stone textures, and a Hoffman Hand-dye to create the borders. Stitch the central panel on the lines, as you would “stitch in the ditch” on a pieced quilt.

…from the ‘National Parks’ collection, by the Anderson Design Group for Riley Blake Designs.

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).

Don’t miss the ‘Full Moon in the Night Sky‘ and ‘African Sunset‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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Happy Summer Solstice!

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Luana

Today I have lots of eye candy and inspiration for you! Several photos are up on my photo pages, from my trip to Quilt Canada in Halifax Nova Scotia. Here is a a detail shot (above) of Megan Harper’s “Spring Iridescence” which was created with a Quiltworx pattern. Her color sense and attention to detail is magnificent! You can see this commercial pattern-inspired quilt, plus many other original quilt designs in my Quilt Canada 2023 folder now.

In addition we have just uploaded a video interview with the Best of Show winner – Sue Sherman. She is an artist-activist (like me) ….making art quilts using a thickened dye technique. Her artistry and machine stitching are simply masterful.

We’ve had many requests for a specialty wool/rayon felt product, which is being used by art quilters (SAQA textile artists) for the batting layer of their fiber artworks. Many of you have tried out the 36″ wide (by the yard) and sample packs. Now, due to special request, we are carrying the 72″ wide felt for art quilt batting layers. I am making a quilt right now with this new product and I am thrilled!

Another product category we’ve expanded by popular request, is Solid By-the-Bolt products. You can see what we have in stock here. If there is another product you’d like us to carry By-the-Bolt, please do let us know!

Our baby Blue Jays have hatched in the nest at our back door, hiding in our Japanese Lilac Tree which has burst into fragrant clouds of creamy blossoms. My collection of climbing rose bushes out front are full of buds and about to blaze into ambrosial bloom. Summertime is a time of joyful inspiration, vibrant colors, outdoor celebrations, and a wonderful time to collect floral fabrics…to keep us sewing and smiling when the cold weather comes in a few months.

Sharing your love of fabric…
Luana and Paul

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

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, review our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
July 4-12 – Helsinki & Savonlinna, Finland
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska (via Homer)
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY

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Free Quilt Pattern – Full Moon in the Night Sky

Posted on June 20, 2023 by Luana

Capture the magic of a Full Moon rising on a wild horizon, in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern, featuring one of our most beloved exclusive eQuilter scenic panels.

To make this 71″ x 55″ quilt design, you will start with the stunning nighttime Moonrise panel, which captures a luminous moon, the Milky Way, against a forest silhouette. Then use a Blue Nebula and Starry Sky print, with Kona Solid Black, to create the pieced border panels that suggest a silhouette of a mountain range.

This reminds us of Summertime camping trips…sleeping under a velvet black sky and watching falling stars shoot across the Milky Way Galaxy on the Southern horizon. What memories might this spark for you, or a fellow star-gazer?

…from the ‘Celestial’ 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).

Don’t miss the ‘Couple in Paris‘ and ‘African Sunset‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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Free Quilt Pattern – Mediterranean Escape

Posted on June 18, 2023 by Luana

Take a relaxing stroll along a quaint village waterfront, with this week’s Free Quilt Pattern. This enchanting scene is filled with beautiful details that will take you right to that cobbled pathway among the boats, tumbling bougainvillea and colorful houses reflected in the azure Mediterranean waters.

To make this 65″ x 53″ quilt design, you will start with the 33″ x 44″ scenic panel, which invites you to step into this rustic seaside view…you can almost hear the waves curling across the bay and lapping along the shoreline at your feet. We’ve set the Mediterranean village in a weathered wood frame, and a pieced border of tonal seashells and starfish in soothing cool and neutral hues.

Whether this sparks a favorite memory, or keeps a romantic dream alive for a future trip, this setting will transport you to an escapist reverie that perhaps calls for a loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Enjoy!

…from the ‘Mediterranean Escape’ collection by Hoffman Fabrics.

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).

Don’t miss the ‘Couple in Paris‘ and ‘African Sunset‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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The Ubiquity of Needle and Thread

Posted on June 17, 2023 by Luana

As you know, many years ago I made the transition from the garment industry, to the quilting industry. (with a bookstore, and jewelry design for a few years in between) When I found the quilting tribe, I never looked back. The first time I stumbled across a quilting magazine at a grocery store in 1992, I knew I had found what I was looking for, and it only got better from there.

It is amazing to me that no matter where I travel, I meet quilters, or I meet people with a quilter or crafty person in the family. On my last flight, I almost spit out my drink when the lady next to me pulled out the book “The Golden Thread” which is a book about the history of textiles. (I have at least 2 copies.) In my deep dives into genealogy, I have found ancestors who worked in the textile world, one way or another. Not surprising at all.

Most of us have a relative, like a grandmother or aunt, who introduced us to the wonderful world of sewing…which often included embroidery, garment sewing, and adventures in textile design. When we have a needle and thread in hand, and we have the chance to make something that is more than just a utilitarian article, we can’t resist adding an embellishment, a spark of color, or an unexpected design detail.

I have loved watching the embellishment trends rising up again, with detailed embroidery, buttons and beads, being added to gift quilts, wall hangings, garments and artsy handbags. So we continue to add these fun decorative doodads to our product offerings. We hope they make you smile!

sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul

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.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
July 4-12 – Helsinki & Savonlinna, Finland
August 18-24 – Bear Camp – Homer Alaska
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY

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Free Quilt Pattern – African Sunset

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Luana

Regal beauty exudes from this portrait…one of our most popular eQuilter exclusive digital panels. A new shipment has arrived this week, so we wanted to offer this Free Quilt Pattern before it sells out again!

To make this 60″ x 70″ quilt design, you will start with the opulent 34″ x 44″ central portrait panel. We’ve set it in a frame of dancing African Women (with Gold Metallic accents), a Kente-inspired geometric, and Kona Solid Black.

…from the ‘African’ 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).

Don’t miss the ‘Couple in Paris‘ and ‘Steampunk Jewels‘ quilt patterns!

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.

Luana and Paul Rubin

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