To make this 49″ x 49″ quilt design, you will start with the 24″ Garden Fairy panel, add the allover Fairy blocks with night sky print and Hoffman Hand Dye, and then add the eQuilter exclusive night sky outer border. This makes a fabulous a Nap/Lap Quilt, or a dreamy, magical wall hanging for a children’s room.
“If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumbered here While these visions did appear….” – William Shakespeare
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.
Tonight I am sharing with you one of my favorite whimsical quilts from QuiltCon, by Australian maker Molli Sparkles. (Quilted by Leanne Harvey) I have set her “Lava Lamps” in a collage of fabrics currently in stock, to show how her quilt imitates a huge trend in fabric design. Abstract digital prints, which includes Marbled swirls and artwork created by Acrylic Paint pouring, is a huge category that is wildly popular among contemporary quilters. As Molli says in her artist statement – “It really is groovy baby.”
I have uploaded over 300 quilt photos from QuiltCon now, so it is a good time to check out this online album to study Molli’s Seventies-themed quilt, and many others that caught my eye at the exhibit.
Did you have a Lava Lamp as a teenager? I did. Oh man, I loved that iconic accessory SO much. I would put on Pink Floyd and watch the lava blobs slowly bubble up, and then tumble back down. It was cosmic, dude. Now my kids go to Seventies parties and dress up in Seventies flowered shirts, bell bottoms and giant glasses. If only I could still fit into those embroidered bell bottoms….
Speaking of the Seventies, have you noticed how many of the QuiltCon quilts have ORANGE as a color theme? Not just an accent, but a major hue in the color story. The color combos I liked the most were kind of a Creamsicle Orange, Hot Pink, and Crocus Purple. Take a stroll through these photos and see what color trends jump out at you!
Sharing your love of fabric, Luana and Paul
Travel/Quilt Calendar: Mar 21-24 – Washington DC April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
This is the ultimate Puppy Therapy quilt, with adorable vignettes of sassy pups captured in each block! These expressive little furry faces are rocking bandanas, sunglasses, and other accessories for fancy canine babies.
To make this 59″ x 75″ quilt design, you will start by cutting up two Puppy Block Panels, then add frames. The pieced background is set on point, using little paw prints and a Hoffman Hand-Dye. This is a great size for a Couch Quilt or a Youth Bed, or hang it up in your vet or groomer’s reception area as a conversation piece. Woof!
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’s delightful Free Quilt Pattern is a walk among the wild flowers and songbirds, in a dense forest…with a riot of floral and avian colors against the white bark and blue sky of the woodland.
To make this 66″ x 66″ exclusive quilt design, you will start with 2 scenic panels, divided to fit into the ‘window’ setting. Use pastel and mid-tone Hoffman Hand-Dyes set into Solid Black sashing to create the windowpanes. Finish the binding with the tree trunk coordinate stripe. Hang on the wall where you wish you had a view onto a forest garden!
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.
Today Saturday March 18 is “National Quilting Day” which I hope you all were able to celebrate by working on your next quilt project! This is every year on the 3rd Saturday of March. Having been a quilter for over 30 years, I look back over the arc of contemporary quilting history, and I marvel at how much our art and craft can change…and evolve…in just ten years. (The first QuiltCon was just ten years ago!)
There are several categories at quilt festivals today, that simply did not exist 20 to 30 years ago. As creative quilters invented new ways to stitch, embellish, piece and paint quilt tops…there were clashes between the old and new definitions of ‘what is a quilt?’…but creative makers continue to re-invent Quilting and nothing can stop the progress and expansion of our beloved textile arts.
Our love of fabric, color, and sewing is what binds us together. These temporary bumps and conflicts dissolve over time, and become part of the larger tapestry of quilt history. As we look back to simpler times when quilts were just patchwork, embroidery and applique…we can re-frame recent decades as chapters in the ongoing story of quiltmaking. Isn’t it glorious to be part of a story that has been a page-turner not just for decades, but for centuries?! eQuilter is proud to have been a part of that story for 24 years.
I’ve uploaded many photos from QuiltCon now, so please take a look and…enjoy!
Monday is the Spring Equinox – the first day of Spring! (Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere) It is still a snowy season here in Colorado, but the tulips and daffodils are already poking their heads up and having a look around. Next week I’ll be in Washington DC meeting with curators and non-profits, and hopefully enjoying the cherry blossoms.
Travel/Quilt Calendar: March 21-24 – Washington DC April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
Snow Leopards are the mysterious beautiful ‘Ghost Cats’ of the Himalayas, living as stealth predators on the high Tibetan Plateau…seldom seen but the subject of legends. Their wide paws act like snowshoes, and their huge fluffy tail is a counter-balance as they leap across treacherous mountain rocks, used like a blanket to protect its face when sleeping.
Our Free Quilt Pattern features this solitary big cat, set in a snowy alpine setting. To make this 59″ x 51″ quilt design, you will start with the central 36″ x 44″ panel. Use 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes, a Stonehenge texture, and a Kona Solid Black to piece the mosaic-like border, which mimics the leopard’s spots.
The Snow Leopard represents stillness, a solitary existence, self-reliance and super sensitive perception. Remind you of somebody you know?
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).
The perfection of a lotus blossom is a miracle, emerging from muddy waters as a pure pink bud, then opening into a faceted jewel that takes our breath away. In my travels throughout Asia I saw many lotus buds, lotus flowers, and lotus ponds….but nothing compared to the Lotus Festival which takes place every July at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington DC. You can see my photos on this page, from when I visited a few years ago. Arrive early to beat the heat, then watch as the park slowly fills up with like-minded individuals who are celebrating this miraculous beauty.
Cherry Blossom season is another magical time…in Japan and also in Washington DC. I have traveled to DC in Sakura season a few times over the decades, and next week I will be there again just in time for what’s known as ‘peak blossom’. I highly recommend that you experience this, in Japan or DC, at some point in your life. Strolling among the fragrant trees, dripping heavily with blushing blossoms, a flurry of airborne petals with each passing breeze….it is absolutely enchanting. Everyone strolling through a botanic garden, a lotus park, or cherry blossom grove….has the mostly peaceful look on their face, and the most joyful countenance. Flowers make us happy.
Last June I finally made it to Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. I had literally been hearing about these gardens for over 40 years, so finally visiting was the answer to a promise I had made to an elder, decades earlier.
Quilters have a love affair with flowers and floral prints. It has always been so. From the little calico blossoms on vintage feedsacks, to lush paisley blossoms in woodblock prints….to metallic screen-printed Asian florals, to the latest explosions of color in digital flower prints….we embrace every new wave of floral fabrics that new technology brings to us. One of my great joys in this business, is previewing the botanic artwork that I know we make you gasp with delight 4-6 months later when it lands in our warehouse. Welcome to my garden!
Sharing your love of fabric, Luana and Paul
Travel/Quilt Calendar: Mar 21-24 – Washington DC April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
Nothing beats the thrill of seeing a Bald Eagle in the wild, a symbol of freedom as the American National Bird. The American Bald Eagle is an Endangered Species comeback story, and to many of us it also represents not only patriotism, but also our commitment to save those species who are still on the brink.
In this week’s Free Quilt Pattern we’ve captured the moment of an Eagle about to take flight, set against a dramatic Sunrise/Sunset sky. To make this 65″ x 65″ quilt design, you will start with the central 40″ x 44″ panel. Then piece the “Feather” corner blocks, and use the coordinating Eagle stripe to make the border.
By 1963, with only 417 nesting pairs of bald eagles remaining in the country, and fewer than 30 nesting pairs remaining in California, the species was in danger of extinction. Following enactment of the Endangered Species Act, we listed the species in 1978 as endangered throughout the lower 48 states. Although the Bald Eagle was de-listed in 2007, the raptor is still protected by a federal law passed by Congress. Visit eagle.org for more history on this iconic bird.
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.
These wide-eyed whimsical kitties have been a sleeper hit. We were taken by surprise, at the popularity of this collection! It is back in stock now, and we’ve put together an exclusive Free Quilt Pattern so you too can dream with these charismatic cat characters.
To make this 61″ x 75″ quilt design, you will start by cutting up 2 of the 24″ x 44″ block panels, then piecing together with a Lavender Hoffman Hand-Dye and fussy-cut Black Cat diamond joiner pieces. Finish the border with Kitty Stripes and White-on-White Butterflies. Our feline friends are set in a Springtime backdrop of Aqua/Teal, Lavender and White…a fresh color story for the upcoming floral season. Meow!
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.
Don’t forget to roll your clocks forward an hour when you go to bed tonight – Daylight Savings Time is upon most of us in the US.
It is Oscar Weekend here in the US, and so many of my favorite classic movies are playing on cable. I just made the connection (duh) that Robert Preston played not only Harold Hill in The Music Man, but also Toddy in Victor/Victoria. How did I miss that he played both of these roles, after all this time? (Love the the cockroach-in-the-cafe scene!) I am also watching Gandhi again. Every time I watch, I catch something new. This time I spotted a very young Daniel Day Lewis in a 2-line role. Blink and you’ll miss it. After visiting the place where Gandhi was shot in New Delhi, I will always watch this movie when it plays. It is still a story for our time.
Hopefully you’ve taken a peek at our feature collection this week – the gorgeously lush Florence by Christiane Marques for Kaufman. Her “Venice” collection 2 years ago was a customer favorite and one of our biggest selling designer collections. Florence is a riot of joyful color!..and coordinates beautifully with Venice, and new “Ombre Lace“.
Gnome Mania has reached a peak, so we’ve gathered all of our Gnome designs into one category for your convenience and amusement.
Every March we present our seasonal Springtime curated collection of Early Spring flowers, Baby Animals, and Easter novelties. This always helps us to get into the mood for warmer weather and budding blossoms.
I’ve uploaded many photos from QuiltCon now, so please take a look and…enjoy!
Travel/Quilt Calendar: March 21-24 – Washington DC April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France May 27 – Dairy Barn, Athens OH – Quilt National June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia August 18-24 – Bear Camp in Alaska
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