2022 is Winding Down

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Luana

One thing about the Quilting World that I love, is making strong friendships that last for life. Many of my mentors and friends from 20 years ago, have retired in the last several years, so it is always a treat to see them again. Today I had lunch with 2 of them. Donna Wilder was the original founder of Free Spirit Fabrics, and Beth Hayes was the longtime editor of McCalls Quilting Magazine. We had a 3 hour lunch and it was like no time had passed. I love those kinds of friendships!

Here’s a little sneak peek for a 2023 Bear Trip that I am officially announcing next week. I have a draft of the trip overview online now…just waiting for Aly my NatHab agent to proofread for me….so take a sneak peek or watch for more info in the Wednesday e-newsletter next week.

The only thing better than fabric as a Christmas gift, is an eQuilter Gift Certificate, which can be delivered via snail mail or email. We’ve restocked our Chocolate department one last time for the holidays, so don’t forget to throw a chocolate bar and extra spool of thread in your next order!

I am happy to announce that my 2 segments from the new season of Quilting Arts TV, are now released, and we have those video clips on our eQuilter video pages. The topics of these 2 segments are “Art & Activism”, and “Canadian Quilts”. Please have a look and enjoy over a hot cup of tea this weekend.

We have a few copies of the “Women’s Voices” exhibit book, from the Clinton Presidential Center where I attended an artist reception and Women’s Rights summit in early December. We have signed copies in house now. Contact Customer Service if you would like me to add a personalized inscription for you or someone special who is passionate about this topic.

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, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 15 – Virtual lecture for Victoria BC Quilt Guild
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Free Quilt Pattern – Untamed Beauty

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Luana
Celebrate the New Year with a glowing burst of color, in this eye-popping floral Free Quilt Pattern. The luminous hues explode from the black background like a fantastic fireworks show!

To make this 52″ x 68″ exclusive quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ panel. Then use the coordinating Floral large stripe, plus the paint-drip mini-stripes and paint-drip spatter dots, to finish the dazzling border.

…the ‘Untamed Beauty’ 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 ‘Child of the Force‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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 Creative Heart

Posted on December 14, 2022 by Luana
Tonight we watched the first half of ‘The Fabelmans’, and Judd Hirsch’s “Uncle Boris” scene has left me gutted, giddy, my heart bursting out of my chest. I think all of us who identify as Artists (in the broadest terms, as in the movie) can relate because we had a mentor who gave us a speech like that when we were a kid, and it left an indelible mark on our psyche. I was very lucky. I had several mentors give me that speech, and it left me wanting to grow up and someday give that speech to other young people. When you have the soul of an artist, it is invisible to most people around you, but painfully obvious to other artists. Whether you are a musician, a dancer, a writer, a painter, a photographer, a baker, a quilter, a costumer or cosplayer, an actor or a filmmaker, you just have to create and there is no way to explain it to somebody who doesn’t get it.

But sadly most young artists have that flash of genius covered up by those who want to ‘help’ us to be more practical, more grounded, more responsible. They don’t understand that a creative heart has to keep opening up every day, because when it is covered up it simply becomes a festering wound. I think the greatest gift we can give ourselves, our friends and family, and our fellow artists, is permission to open up the sluice gates and let it flow. It is a Life Force, and it is our gift to the world. I encourage you to watch this movie and see how it speaks to you. Being a creative person doesn’t have to be all or nothing, black or white. We don’t have to choose between being an accountant or being a creative genius. There is a place in-between where we can live our life, pay our bills, raise a family, and still find a way to express that creative energy (as a form of love) on a regular basis.

And that’s what quilters do, right?

I’ve been fortunate to visit many masterpieces in great art museums of the world, and one of my habits is to take a photo of the signature of the artist in works that I admire. I have also visited many homes and studios of great masters, and it is a lifelong pilgrimage to commune with the vibes of these great creative forces of nature. If you have stood in the presence of a Master work, you know what I mean. We don’t casually saunter past these pieces (whether they are paintings, sculptures, or quilts) We pause to ponder, to soak in, to peel back the layers with our eyes and perhaps our intuition.

Then we carry it home in our hearts.

May you have a full heart and a creative outlet in this season of celebration.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

* The photo in the lower left corner is from the Monet 2020 exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. All other images are fabrics currently in stock.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 15 – Virtual lecture for Victoria BC Quilt Guild
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia


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.
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Free Quilt Pattern – Child of the Force

Posted on December 13, 2022 by Luana
Attention Star Wars Fans – Back in Stock by popular demand –
We wanted to make sure you all had a chance to snag this panel and quilt pattern before it runs out again.

This week we are featuring the adorable and much beloved Baby Yoda….otherwise known as Grogu…in our exclusive Free Quilt Pattern. Some special nerdy person is going to be thrilled to receive this as a gift!

To make this 61″ x 54″ quilt design, you will start with the central Star Wars-themed panel. Notice that Grogu is hungrily eyeing an unsuspecting frog. You will use 3 Stonehenge texture prints to piece the border. This makes a great conversation piece on your wall, or at ComicCon.

Season 3 of The Mandalorian comes out in February 2023, at which point it will be impossible to keep this in stock. Stock up on this collectible panel NOW so you are not crying Yoda tears next year. *wink*

……from the ‘Epic Lucas Films’ collection by Thomas Kinkade Studios & Lucasfilm Ltd. for David 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 ‘Polar Bear Majesty‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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 – Santa Express

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Luana
All Aboard the Santa Express!

Santa Claus is checking his list and loading a final Christmas Eve delivery in the cargo car of this magical train, headed from the North Pole to Points South.

To make this 61″ x 61″ holiday quilt design, you will start with the central 37″ x 44″ digital-printed panel. You will piece the top and bottom panel (echoing the triangle shapes of the snowy mountains and treetops) with a snowflake print and Kona Solid Black, then add Railroad Track Stripes for the border, and finish with an Ombre Snowflake print that gives a dimensional effect.

This colorful quilt has an old-fashioned ambiance, and is sure to become a Christmastime heirloom for holidays to come. Sew up this quick-and-easy design for now, and for future Yuletide celebrations! We will prioritize getting these Free Quilt Pattern orders out the door to you as fast as possible this week.

…from the ‘Ol St. Nick – All Aboard!’ 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 ‘Polar Bear Majesty‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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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Countdown To Christmas

Posted on December 10, 2022 by Luana
The clock is winding down on 2022, and the Christmas holiday is only 2 weeks away. If you want to get an order on the way to be received for the holiday, we suggest you place your order this weekend so our elves have a couple days to pack it up and ship it out to you.

The Pantone Color of the Year and the Kaufman Kona Color of the Year were both announced this week, and they are both shades of RED. (One cool, one warm) We love these juicy colors and can’t wait to see how they show up in 2023 quilts.

We have just announced a new drawing for your Holiday-themed quilt projects on our eQuilter.com Facebook page. Share your photo of this year’s holiday quilt project and you just might be a lucky winner!

As we celebrate the amazing Kaffe Fassett’s 85th birthday with a celebratory collection of fabric, I also want to point out that there is a group of colorful Kaffe notions that have been released as well. If you are a true Kaffe groupie, don’t miss his ’85 & Fabulous’ Thread Set!

The only thing better than fabric as a Christmas gift, is an eQuilter Gift Certificate, which can be delivered via snail mail or email. We’ve restocked our Chocolate department one last time for the holidays, so don’t forget to throw a chocolate bar and extra spool of thread in your next order!

I am happy to announce that my 2 segments from the new season of Quilting Arts TV, are now released, and we have those video clips on our eQuilter video pages. The topics of these 2 segments are “Art & Activism”, and “Canadian Quilts”. Please have a look and enjoy over a hot cup of tea this weekend.

We also have a limited amount of copies of the “Women’s Voices” exhibit book, from the Clinton Presidential Center where I attended an artist reception and Women’s Rights summit last weekend. We have signed copies in house now. Contact Customer Service if you would like me to add a personalized inscription for you or someone special who is passionate about this topic.

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, comment on our blog, or follow us on Facebook.

Check out our Video pages for interviews and show reviews.

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 15 – Virtual lecture for Victoria BC Quilt Guild
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia
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Free Quilt Pattern – Mother and Cub Otters

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Luana
Tonight we bring you another adorable “Mother Love” Free Quilt Pattern, with a sweet Mama and Baby Otter. You have probably noticed that Otters are a trending theme this year. We especially love this realistic detailed portrait of a sweet otter pup curled up on his mother who is floating amongst the sea kelp. Just look at that contented smile on that cute little furry face!

To make this 64″ x 56″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ central panel. Then use a Hoffman Hand-Dye and 4 Kona Solids to create the border, and pieced corners.

Sea Otter Fun Facts:
A female sea otter carries and nurses her pup on her belly as she floats on her back. She holds her pup belly -down so it can nurse. Sea otter milk is 20% to 25% fat, and pups nurse for 6 to 8 months. When she dives for food, the mother often wraps her pup in strands of kelp to keep it from drifting. (As seen in this artwork.) She will grab the pup by the scruff of the neck and dive if she senses danger. She is fiercely protective of her baby!

…from the ‘Endangered’ collection by Cathy Morrison for David Textiles.

Don’t miss the ‘Gustav Klimt Expectation‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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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It Takes a Village

Posted on December 7, 2022 by Luana
Last week I attended a conference on Women’s Rights at the Clinton Presidential Center. This weekend I attended a Global Climate Summit virtually. (CU Boulder) What I got out of both of them, is that young women are going to save the world. No kidding. And right now making sure every girl is educated, around the world, is our sacred duty. Communities and countries with educated women are more successful and more healthy. Women in leadership positions tend to make decisions for health, education and peace. The young women who gathered to share their fierce vision for healing the world, at these conferences I attended, absolutely blew me away. Our boys and young men are vital as well, but the point is to make sure girls are not left out of education and leadership.

We have a very long-term partnership with the non-profit Mission of Love. Kathy Price – the director – took this photo when visiting a school for girls in Guatemala where the grandmothers are teaching the girls the traditional weaving and embroidery techniques of the Mayan people. This is a project which eQuilter has supported, thanks to our charity program that you have supported when you make a purchase here. Education looks both to the past and the future. We learn and respect our traditions, such as quilting and weaving and embroidery, but we also look to the future with STEAM education. (STEAM = STEM + A for Arts)

One of the buzziest topics in the art world and the non-profit world, is the collaboration of Art and Activism as a tool for inspiration, education, and fund-raising. So many quilters and textile artists I have met this year, are putting messages (both direct, and indirect) in their work….hoping to inspire their viewers to think about the topic represented. Whether that topic is conservation, endangered species, toxic pollution, social justice, human rights, healthcare or education…we have a unique platform to gently or directly ask our viewers to give these topics some thought.

Today on a SAQA zoom talk, I heard artist-extraordinaire Janine Heschl speak about her work, including an exquisitely sensitive chimpanzee portrait made for a Jane Goodall anniversary fundraiser. Here are some of her comments:

Art has the power to change.
We have an obligation to do good, through our creative work.
Janine donates many of her thread-painted artworks or puts them up for auction – to make this world a better place – to create the change that we need to see.
We all have a gift we can use to make a difference. Be a Force for Good!

Thank you Janine. Keep up the good work!

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

Travel/Quilt Calendar:
Feb 15 – Virtual lecture for Victoria BC Quilt Guild
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – GOLD SPONSOR – Atlanta
April 18-26 – Pour l’Amour du Fil – Nantes, France
June 8-10 – Quilt Canada – Halifax, Nova Scotia


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.
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Free Quilt Pattern – Gustav Klimt Expectation

Posted on December 6, 2022 by Luana
This week we are featuring an exclusive Free Quilt Pattern based on a reproduction of an iconic Gustav Klimt artwork – the “Expectation” frieze from the Palais Stoclet in Brussels. This Art Nouveau style artwork was from his “Golden Phase”, with gold and bronze flourishes to accentuate this Egyptian-inspired painting.

To make this 45″ x 59″ quilt design, you will start with the golden 24″ x 44″ panel, then use 5 of the collection’s coordinates to create the opulent border. The coordinating blenders are drawn from the geometric shapes and gold leaf embellishment of Klimt’s paintings and mosaics.

Don’t forget to add some golden-yellow threads for your project, or Gold Metallic threads for an extra shimmering embellishment. Metallica needles and Sewers Aid (thread lubricant) are your friends if you are sewing with metallic machine threads!

…from the ‘Gustav Klimt’ collection by Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Don’t miss the ‘All You Need is Love and a Cat‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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 – Panda Mother and Cub

Posted on December 4, 2022 by Luana
To a baby, a mother’s love is everything, and that includes the animal kingdom. This beautiful mother-and-baby portrait features a realistic Mama Panda and her adorable cub in a warm snuggle so sweet, you can almost feel that hug yourself. This is a “Warm Fuzzy” quilt that looks and feels like a furry embrace.

To make this 54″ x 64″ quilt design, you will start with the central 36″ x 44″ portrait panel, with exquisite digital-printed details on high quality cotton. You will use the exclusive Bamboo print plus four Hoffman Hand-Dyes to piece the overlapping-diamonds border in shades of Kiwi, Willow, Malachite and Sherwood Green.

Be sure to pick up a couple shades of green thread to complete this Nature-themed quilt design!

…from the ‘Endangered’ collection by Beth Hoselton for David 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 ‘Kitty Tea by the Sea‘ and ‘Sea Turtle Bay‘ 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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