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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To make this 62″ x 80″ quilt, you will start with the central stylized 24″ x 44″ panel. We’ve combined our favorite Halloween-themed prints from several different designers, for this exclusive quilt design…including more black cats, ravens, embellished pumpkins, and a spooky graveyard scene. Fussy cut diamonds and set on point for the inner border. Use the stripe to create the outer engineered 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.
Capture the fresh colors of Springtime with this delightful Free Quilt Pattern, featuring a lush scenic view of a Water Lily pond and dragonflies in flight. We love the pieced flower blocks in the corners of the quilt, echoing the colors and shapes of the central panel of this design.
To make this 49″ x 66″ exclusive eQuilter quilt design, you will start with the scenic yardage depicting large scale blossoms and lily pads. You will use 6 Hoffman Hand-Dyes and the charming Lily Stripe, to piece the floral corner blocks and engineered border. These uplifting colors will bring smiles and joy into any room. Makes a sweet Lap/Nap quilt, or a cheerful wall hanging.
These colors are good enough to eat with a spoon! Yum!
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.
This week we are delighted to share this intimate online interview with textile artist and designer, Paula Nadelstern. We are huge fans of Paula and her gorgeous fabrics from Benartex, but I also appreciate Paula on a personal level. I’ve known Paula for such a long time, and I’ve run into her at quilting events around the world over the decades. We share many things in common, including living in New York, but Paula has lived there all her life. She is one of the industry matriarchs who helped to lay a foundation for textile artists who followed.
I’ve visited the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln NE recently, and her Patternista exhibit just closed there. I saw this exhibit last year at Visions in San Diego, and again at IQM. Honestly I never get tired of studying and admiring her amazing kaleidoscope quilts. How lucky for us that she translated her kaleidoscopic visions into quilts, fabrics and patterns. Some of you may be lucky enough to have taken a class from Paula. One year in Winnipeg I sat with her classroom for a morning (the day before I left for a polar bear trip) while her delayed flight was en route. (As I recall, I gave a little lecture about fabric design and production, as we waited for her to show up from the airport.)
In this Part 1 of our long interview, Paula talks about her design process. We currently have over 60 of her products in stock, so you can click through here to see examples of her fabric designs. We have always been committed to stocking as many of Paula’s fabrics, as humanly possible…because we know you guys LOVE her fabrics! As fellow fabriholics, we have a shared love of William Morris fabrics which is part of our discussion.
Monday I fly to France, and I’ll be at the Nantes quilt festival on Wednesday. If you are coming to the show on Thursday, please come to my power point lecture on “Art and Activism” at 3 pm in the main exhibit hall. I have some exciting things happening on this long 2 week trip to France and Amsterdam – stay tuned for my updates in the Weds and Sat e-newsletters. I’ll be taking photos of the quilt exhibits, and other eye candy on the trip, which I will share with you.
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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Space may seem like a great black void, but the Solar System is a colorful place! This detailed eQuilter exclusive quilt design has so many interesting details, it will keep your astronomer busy for hours, not to mention the possibility of astronaut or sci-fi dreams if used as a bed quilt!
To make this 75″ x 67″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ Solar System Panel. Then use a gradient Starry Sky/Aurora Borealis print, plus Kona Solid Black and the coordinating Planetary Stripe, to create the border.
The central panel has so much educational material, this could also be used as a wall hanging and irresistible classroom tool, to illustrate the concepts of orbiting planets and moons to curious students.
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’ve had record-setting heat this week, so we are sadly saying good-bye to our Chocolate Category for another year.
Last year it all sold out in a couple days once we put it on sale, so if you want to snap up a selection of these Artisan chocolates, do it now!
We are putting a couple categories of Pre-Cut Fat Quarter collections on sale just to sweeten the pot. The chocolates are 30% off until they are out of stock.
Please do NOT order if you live in a climate that is already hot, or will be hot over the next week. These products can only be shipped to cool or mild temperature locales or they will melt. We do not accept returns for melted chocolate on our closeout sale, sorry!
The next 2 days are cool here in Boulder so it is the perfect time to get these shipped out to you!
The Two Pre-Cut fabric sales are just for 24 hours – until 11:59 pm Mountain Daylight Time on Thursday April 13.
Sharing your love of fabric…and CHOCOLATE….
Luana and Paul
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