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.
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 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).
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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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.
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 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!
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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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.
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.
The cheerful and brightly hued central panel makes this 57″ x 65″ quilt design a charming project for that special someone who delights in flower fairies. Magical fairy frames and flowery vines make up the coordinating borders, while the amethyst tonal foliage provides a peaceful & calming background. It’s pure loveliness!
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 we approach the $2 million mark for total raised by eQuilter.com for non-profits, today is a good time to let you know how eQuilter has been working to be a force for good on Planet Earth. There are many ways to be ‘sustainable’ and lessen your footprint. We recycle, use compostable products in our offices, and our building is up to date in all the recent technology mandated by Boulder for low energy and low water usage. We also have policies to minimize fabric waste which adds up to a lot of fabric, cardboard and shipping being saved in a year! However our commitment to giving back by supporting environmental non-profits probably has the biggest impact.
Over 24 years, out of the (almost) $2 million raised, we have raised over $300K for environmental and endangered species non-profits. This includes money raised for Ocean Conservancy, The Wild Foundation, Rainforest Action Network, but also Alaska Wilderness, Audubon Society, Beyond Pesticides, Earthworks, Defenders of Wildlife, Endangered Species Coalition, Earth Justice, Environmental Defense, Natural Resources Defense, Nature Conservancy, Oceana, Sierra Club, Turtle Island Restoration, Wild Earth Guardians, Wilderness Society, Wildlife Trust, World Wildlife Trust, and many others.
There has been a lot of talk about sustainability and fabric lately, and our quilt industry has been I think unfairly lumped in with the garment industry – whose fast fashion is one of the biggest polluters on the planet and certainly one of the most unsustainable. It is important to understand that as our industry moves towards all digital printing (in the near future) it means we are embracing one of the most sustainable textile processing methods in existence. The issues of worker exposure to toxicity, and water pollution in communities local to the textile factories, has been cut drastically by digital printing. Screen printing is a water hog of an industry – let’s face it. This is one of the reasons eQuilter has developed our own exclusive line of digital printed fabrics. We don’t produce huge quantities of fabric, and then dump or discount huge amounts of fabric later. Our production is lean so we avoid the huge dumping of discounted fabrics that is occurring in our industry.
Also, the high quality textile factories in Asia are geared for the stricter regulations for the European markets. I have been talking to our suppliers for years about this – long before it became trendy to worry about sustainability. The US regulations are so low, it is embarrassing, but the good news is that the majority of our suppliers stick to the cleaner European regulations even when they produce for the US markets. (It would be even more expensive for the factories to ‘dumb down’ their pollution settings for US customers, so they just keep them at a higher level for all production.) The factory where our exclusive Rubin Design Studios line is produced, operates at these higher sustainability levels, plus they are very protective of their workers’ health and safety policies. That was non-negotiable when we were sourcing for our exclusive line of fabric production.
You may recall that in my career in the garment industry, I worked in over 400 factories, and believe me…I’ve seen it all. Many of those factories I turned down for production, because of their dangerous policies and lack of safety and health protocols. If you want to know about these policies for other manufacturers, contact them directly and let them know this is important to you!
The bottom line is – Earth Day is EVERY day at eQuilter.com – and we appreciate the support of our like-minded fans and customers!
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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Today’s Free eQuilter pattern features the underwater world of the Sea Turtle. Sea turtles symbolize good luck and longevity, and are often thought of as guardian spirits.
This pattern features Quilting Treasures’ beautifully illustrated Sea Turtle fabric. To make the 56″ x 64″ quilt design, you will start with the central 36″ x 44″ scenic turtle digitally printed panel, and then use a Hoffman Hand-Dye and 4 Kona Solids to create the border and pieced corners. This quilt will delight anyone who loves and protects these endangered creatures.
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 am writing to you tonight from Nantes in France, after a long day of travel. Tomorrow morning I am going to take the tram across town early in the morning, to help jury the contest and photograph the exhibits at the Pour l’Amour du Fils quilt festival, which is organized by QuiltMania Magazine. I’ll be seeing so many friends from France, Netherlands, and other countries in Europe. The anticipation of these reunions is wonderful! The last time I was here was April 2019, right after Notre Dame burned. I stopped in Paris for a couple days on the way home, to see the fire damage for myself. However the good news is that the planned 5 year restoration is on track, and this historic building will return to its former glory. I have been visiting the cathedral since the late 80s, so the fire and the collapse was very shocking to me.
Over the last week I finished 3 magazine articles for publications in 3 countries, and also spent a lot of time with my mom who is in further decline at a local nursing home. Needless to say I am starting this trip with exhaustion, but I’ll take it easy and try to get lots of sleep tonight. I had a very interesting seatmate on Lufthansa – an American businessman and young father who was on his way to India for a construction trade show. He is starting a new job after this trip – as a church deacon. We had an interesting discussion about politics and religion. The two forbidden subjects! I got to tell him some stories about taking Pan Am from New York to Asia…back in the Old Days. Ha. We agreed that young people need to take the lead on bringing people together and healing the planet. His point of view was very refreshing and gave me hope.
Speaking of which, the subject of my power point talk here on Thursday is “Art and Activism”. I will be giving this same presentation at Quilt National (Dairy Barn in Athens Ohio) the end of May. It is such a huge trend in the arts today. Once you start paying attention to this trend, you will see people expressing their opinions and concerns everywhere in the arts…not just the visual or textile arts, but also music, dance, poetry, plays and new operas. When I express my concerns about climate change, toxic pollution, children’s issues, and human rights…I hope that my visual message gently invites my viewers to give some thought to the topic. (And perhaps take action.)
When I got here, I took a shower and then took a sunset walk around the Chateau next door. They are still protesting in the streets in France, about raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. It was a peaceful protest but there were lots of police. There were about 700-800 people singing, marching down the street, carrying flags. People were sitting in the outdoor cafes having a glass of wine and watching the protesters march past. An interesting way to start my trip!
Sharing your love of fabric…and color…. Luana and Paul
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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