Free Quilt Pattern – Hydrangea Bliss

Posted on May 7, 2023 by Luana

This is one of the most luscious floral collections we have ever seen – and if you love these cool lavender/sapphire/amethyst hues – this Free Quilt Pattern will be such a pleasure to sew!

To make this 71″ x 71″ quilt design, you will start with the stunning ‘Garden’ single border print, with large Hydrangea clusters in the foreground, fading to a misty atmospheric background. Using 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes and Kona Solid Black, you will create the window frame. Use the coordinating Hydrangea border and more Solid Black, to make the engineered border.

This visually stunning quilt design creates the impression of a view through a window out into a garden. Perhaps you know someone who could use such a view in their room this Summer?

…from the ‘Hydrangea Bliss’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

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 ‘Alaskan Quilters‘ and ‘Art Journal‘ 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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Coronation Weekend

Posted on May 6, 2023 by Luana

It is pretty hard to avoid the wall-to-wall media coverage of the coronation of King Charles III this weekend. If you’re a fan, we have 2 collectible tea towels and a King Charles Oven Mitt (!) to commemorate the event. If not….there’s everything else that’s new this week!

However if you’d like a little more classic British culture, you can dip into the latest iteration of William Morris design. Or…you can dip into the official coronation dish – the Coronation Quiche – also nicknamed as Quiche Le Reign. Made with spinach and beans. I am not making this up.

Whether you toast the coronation with a gin and tonic, or mark the day with tea and scones, it is certainly a historic day and a good excuse for a party. I have an old friend in London who was the flatmate of Princess Diana’s older sister (teenage Diana would come to visit) and I look forward to hearing how my British friend spent Coronation Day.

She has guided me to tour the Royal Mews and Buckingham Palace in my past visits to London, so there are many parts of this event that are familiar. You can see some of my photos from the Royal Mews (with the royal carriages) on this photo page. Over the decades of our friendship she has guided me to visit Kensington Palace, Windsor Palace, and Hampton Court…and of course Westminster Abbey where the coronation has taken place. The ancient and historic crown jewels are kept at the Tower of London, and you view them briefly as you pass by on a conveyor belt.

So crack open your stash of Earl Grey, fill up a teapot, and extend those pinkies! If you wish to make a commemorative quilt or wall hanging, you can combine the tea towel (as a central panel) and mix with other British-themed prints.

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:
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska

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Free Quilt Pattern – Star Wars Mandalorian & Grogu

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Luana

For Star Wars fans, today is a sacred Sci-Fi holiday:
May 4th…as in….May the Fourth Be With You.

The latest expansion of the Star Wars franchise has brought us many new movies and TV series, along with old and new characters in the Jedi-verse, including the Mandalorian and of course the adorable Baby Yoda. (Also known now as Grogu.) This exclusive eQuilter quilt design and licensed panel has been received in our warehouse just in time for May the 4th.

To make this 65″ x 57″ quilt design, you will start with the engaging 36″ x 44″ digital printed panel. You will fussy cut the corner vignettes of Grogu and Mando, and then piece 4 Hoffman Hand-Dyes to create the coordinating border.

This is a great gift for that true Star Wars nerd in your life, and of course we stock every Star Wars print we can get our hands on, so you can make Star Wars pillowcases, aprons, curtains, Comic Con garments, and pot holders. *grin*

Today’s advice for trying a new sewing technique:
“Remember, concentrate on the moment. Feel, don’t think. Trust your instincts.” – Qui-Gon Jinn

…the ‘Epic Lucas Films’ collection by Thomas Kinkade Studios, Lucasfilm Ltd. for David Textiles.

Don’t miss the ‘Alaskan Quilters‘ and ‘Art Journal‘ 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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A Bicycle Utopia

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Luana

Happy May!

When I returned to Amsterdam after 48 years, I was not prepared for the massive number of bicycles on the roads! The last time I saw such sheer numbers of bikes was in China, but this was a different kind of bike-riding population. It was a good thing my Dutch friends warned me about the bikes in Amsterdam, because as they told me, the bikes are fast and they do not stop for pedestrians! Add to that equation that my first full day there was a national holiday with a lot of Heineken consumption….I had to be on my toes when crossing a street or bridge.

However it is truly a bicycle utopia once you get used to the majority of city traffic being bikes. I was told that most residents have 2 bikes – a city bike and a country bike. I met an American textile artist who had lived there for 25 years, and she rode her bike 40 minutes into the city to meet up for dinner. Between the excellent tram system and the bicycle culture, and the lack of plastic bottles and bags, it was clear that Amsterdam is serious about a sustainable future.

Because my brief stay in the Netherlands was focused on art museums and a day at a textile production warehouse, I didn’t make it out to the tulip fields. In France I got to experience Peak-Wisteria-Bloom, and the tulips were just starting to bloom in the city when I arrived in Amsterdam. I arrived home just as our crabapples and lilacs are starting to blossom here in Boulder Colorado. It is a joyful time of year for those of us who live for Spring blossoms.

I’ve uploaded my first batch of photos from my trip – these are from Amsterdam Netherlands.

Many thanks to my quilter friends in France and the Netherlands who hosted, chaperoned, and guided me on this trip!

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:
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska

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Free Quilt Pattern – Art Journal

Posted on May 2, 2023 by Luana

We have just restocked the popular “Art Journal” collection by Janet Frisch, who creates unique vintage-flavored collections, reminding us of our grandmother’s scrapbooks. This striking quilt has an eclectic mix of illustrative styles, which has become the hallmark of J. Wecker Frisch’s work, and the foundation of her worldwide fan base.

The detailed sketchbooks and botanic illustrations were the foundation of 19th Century naturalists, and their precise drawings and paintings described the birds, flowers and insects before photographs took over documentation of species. In many ways these precise illustrations are more descriptive and accurate than photos, which is why we still love this style of rendering of an image.

To make this 65″ x 76″ quilt design, you will cut up 3 different panels, then piece together with Solid Black Kona sashing, to make the central patchwork section. Then add the delicate Butterfly/Moth Journal Stripe, to create the black and white border. We will try to keep this in stock but last time it blew out so snap it up if it strikes your fancy!

…from the ‘Art Journal’ collection by J. Wecker Frisch 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 ‘Alaskan Quilters‘ and ‘Halloween Kitty‘ 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 – Alaskan Quilters

Posted on April 30, 2023 by Luana

Today we bring you the charming Arctic artwork of Barbara Lavallee, in
this whimsical Free Quilt Pattern. She is the beloved illustrator of “Mama, Do You Love Me? – a children’s book which sold over one million copies. Perhaps you read this book to your children too?

Fans of Lavallee’s illustrations will delight in these illustrations of Inuit women gathering to dance and work together making quilts.

To make this 48″ x 60″ quilt design, you will begin with the 24″ x 44″ main panel, then add borders using our favorite Dancing Sisters stripe and Wildflower Dance allover, along with a coordinating blue floral and two Hoffman Hand Dyes.

…from the ‘Quilts and Kuspuks’ collection by Barbara Lavallee, author of “Mama Do You Love Me?”, for Northcott Fabrics.

Don’t miss the ‘Vintage Butterfly Collage‘ and ‘Halloween Kitty‘ 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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Party Time in Amsterdam

Posted on April 29, 2023 by Luana

I am writing this Saturday night before I pack and go to sleep – I am flying home from the Netherlands early Sunday morning. After attending the quilt festival in Nantes France ( and a few more days up the river in the Loire Valley), I finished this long trip with a few days in Amsterdam, corresponding with the wild annual festivities known as King’s Day. My impression is that every college student in the country came to Amsterdam to party. I posted a couple videos on my personal Facebook page if you are curious. There is a lot of singing, dancing, and cruising around the canals on party boats. And everyone is wearing orange. I managed to score a lovely orange scarf from a street vendor. I spent most of King’s Day at the Van Gogh Museum.

Friday I saw the Vermeer exhibit at the Rijksmuseum. Then we saw the Rembrandt wing, including the Night Watch which is encased in a giant glass cube. I saw the Night Watch in 1975, two weeks before it was slashed. Then it was out of view being repaired for several years, so I felt lucky to have seen it then. It is now being scanned on a microscopic level and that digital scanning machine was at work when we visited. New chemical imaging techniques are being used, that will show not only the surface, but underlying layers. A fascinating new chapter for this 380 year old masterpiece!

Today we drove 90 minutes out of Amsterdam to a warehouse for our new Dutch Wax Print source. I hand-picked some luscious and very colorful prints, to add to what we already have in stock. I tried to order some prints that had sold out but they informed me that they do not reprint – they just keep coming out with new designs. So if you see something that catches your fancy in the Holland line, don’t wait to snap it up! Next we visited the world famous Vlisco compound, where the very expensive Dutch Wax prints are produced mostly for the high end fashion market. I was excited to see the murals on their main office building – created by artist Simone Post. (The largest mural in the Netherlands).

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:
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska

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Free Quilt Pattern – Vintage Butterfly Collage

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Luana

This week’s Free Quilt Pattern features a vintage butterfly collage with flowers, scrollwork and cursive writing. The scrapbook styled artwork portrays delicate butterflies and garden blossoms in a teal, sapphire and lavender color story.

To make this 58″ x 66″ quilt design, you will cut up two different panels and a butterfly allover, then piece together with Solid Indigo Kona sashing and outerborder.

This is a rich, detailed quilt with an illustrative style and makes
an exquisite wall hanging or lap quilt.

…from the ‘Victoria’ collection by Lisabelle Art Studio for Blank Textiles.

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 ‘Solar System Adventure‘ and ‘The Cat’s Meow‘ 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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April in the Loire Valley

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Luana

After a wonderful reunion with European quilter friends at the Pour l’Amour du Fils quilt festival, I’ve taken a few days to travel up the Loire Valley from Nantes. Today I visited the beautiful formal gardens of the Villandry castle, and of course I saw them with a quilter’s eye. The boxwood squares were filled with shapes and colors, and I saw blocks and applique. There were 2 other Americans on my tour and when I told them I saw a quilt, they just laughed, and then agreed. April in France is always a luscious floral treat, and I am thrilled to be here while the wisteria and tulips are in full bloom.

My internet access is spotty at the moment, so this will be a short report. I’ve seen historic tapestries at several castles so I will be sharing those with you soon. I’ll have lots of photos to share once I get back. Tomorrow I am headed to Amsterdam for a short visit including a special textile appointment. I fly home Sunday and I’ll be back in the office Monday. Many thanks to Paul and the eQuilter staff for keeping things running smoothly while I am away!

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:
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France (Apr 20 – Art & Activism Lecture)
April 27-30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands
May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National – Art & Activism Lecture
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska

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Free Quilt Pattern – Halloween Kitty

Posted on April 25, 2023 by Luana

We love black kitties and we celebrate them in this week’s Free Quilt Pattern, with a sweet kitty in the pumpkin patch in front of a Full Moon, dressed in an adorable Halloween hat & bow.

To make this 62″ x 70″ Halloween-themed quilt, you will start with a 36″ x 44″ panel. Piece three coordinates from the collection along with a blue hand dye and solid black. The ‘Black Cat Moon’ allover kitty is set on point and adds an elegant touch.

This quilt will make a delightfully spooky lap quilt or wall hanging!

…from the ‘Abra-CAT-Dabra’ collection by Gina Jane Lee for Quilting Treasures.

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 ‘Solar System Adventure‘ and ‘The Cat’s Meow‘ 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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