Polar Bear Love

Posted on October 18, 2022 by Luana
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Why Do I Love Polar Bears So Much?
You know that old saying, Time Flies When You Are Having Fun….? Well you add the time-warping effect of the pandemic years and all the other madness going on in the world…and suddenly after so many months of waiting and planning, I am on the cusp of my 6th Polar Bear trip to Churchill. About every other trip I have taken a group of quilters up with me, and this year we are going to have a Polar Rover full of quilters and crafters! Wow I am so excited!

I’ve had a quilter friend up in remote Churchill all these years, and usually I bring her things like replacement rotary blades and sewing machine needles. She got married and got a new job and is off at a conference, so I will miss seeing her this time.

Why do I keep going back to Churchill? It is hard to explain. Yes I finally realized that I have a thing for bears. (Last Fall I went to photograph the Grizzly/Brown Bears in Katmai National Park) But there is something about being out on the tundra that is so remote and wild, so raw yet so silent, that fills my soul with an energy I can’t describe. When we spot a polar bear in the distance, in the midst of that frozen expanse, and I get out my camera, my love for the wild things on our planet comes bursting out of my chest like a Snowy Owl. Sadly, I have been documenting the decline of the polar bears since 2013, which is why I am going ‘peak season’ this time. I hope that my group will also catch polar bear fever and become part of the growing voices calling for action to save this habitat and its inhabitants.

There are no longer direct flights to Winnipeg from Denver, so on Monday I have to fly through Toronto to get to Winnipeg. It will be a long day. I am meeting at least one local quilter there on Tuesday for lunch. On Weds morning our group flies up to Churchill on a charter plane.

My Polar Bear quilt is still traveling with the Endangered Species exhibit. It was inspired by a photo I took on my first visit to Churchill. It was made with fabrics from the eQuilter Scrap Hamper, which means you guys get first crack at the fabrics and then I make art from the leftovers.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterestor Twitter 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.

October 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
Nov 3-4 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE
Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library – Artist Reception
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta

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Free Quilt Pattern – Fox in the Forest

Posted on October 14, 2022 by Luana
On a beautiful Autumn morning, a bushy-tailed fox eyes a busy squirrel perched on a rustic stone wall, with the fiery colors of Fall in the forest backdrop.

To make this 62″ x 70″ quilt design, you will start with the central 36″ x 44″ scenic panel, digital-printed and full of artistic details. We’ve added stone textures and a sherpa digital blender to create the pieced corners and coordinating borders.

Our little fox is so adorable, and seems to have a smile on his furry face. This charming quilt design will bring a smile to someone with its delightful woodland theme.

…from the ‘Cherished Animals’ collection by Bridget Voth for David Textiles.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this rather eccentric quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Don’t miss the ‘Butterflies of Australia‘ and ‘Spirits Of The Wind‘ quilt patterns!

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Fox in the Forest – Free Shipping
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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Pineapple & Teacups

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Luana
One of the great joys of quilting is taking something old and making it new again. Grandma’s collection of vintage teacups becomes a digital-printed fabric. A traditional pineapple block is re-colored or re-scaled so it is ‘not your grandmother’s quilt anymore’… which is a tired old cliche that is still dredged up by non-quilters. (*cue the giggles*)

I went to our state guild’s fall retreat over the weekend, and we had a one-day Pineapple Paper-Piecing class with Carolyn McCormick. I consider myself an art quilter but I like to brush up on my various traditional quilt techniques because so many of them are being re-invented by contemporary and modern quilters. Long ago I made paper-pieced and foundation-pieced quilts, but I figured I was rusty and needed to dive into the deep end to grease up those creaky paper-piecing joints. You know – like when Dorothy takes an oil can to the Tin Man?

Here is the result of that one day class, made from scraps I grabbed from the eQuilter cutting department as I ran out the door to drive to the retreat. I used Jewelscape Ombre strips and a Black-on-Black music print that I dug out of my stash. I am really addicted to using Ombre strips because you get several different colors or values out of each ombre strip. I also like using these Black/Charcoal prints to make those colors ‘pop’ – like using a Solid Black but with a little more texture interest.

How do you re-make and re-imagine traditional quilt ideas to make something new…and make it your own?

eQuilter.com and Mission of Love are teaming up again to deliver comfort quilts to those who lost their homes due to the hurricane in Florida.

If you wish to contribute, Ship to:
Mission of Love
Marta Ockuly
1280 Tree Bay Lane
Sarasota, FL 34242

If you are local to eQuilter, you may *drop off* donated quilts at our office in Boulder. (Please do not ship to us. Ship directly to Florida.) If you have a question, please CALL US.

As always, thank you so much for your generosity for those in need. We will ship a few batches of quilts to Florida as they accumulate, but we do encourage you to ship asap to the Sarasota address if you are not local to us here in Boulder.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar:
October 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
Nov 3-4 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE
Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta

See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, watch our videos, or follow us on Facebook.

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter pages for Color and Design ideas.
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Free Quilt Pattern – Color Play

Posted on October 13, 2022 by Luana
This psychedelic fantasy is a rainbow of color and movement, which may lead to Sixties music and expressive dancing. Our exclusive Free Quilt Pattern is inspired by this chromatic undulating wave that is captured in a digital-printed panel. Groovy Baby!

To make this 46″ x 66″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ Swirl panel. This quick and easy quilt pattern uses Rainbow Dots, a Rainbow Stripe, and Kona Solid Black to create the eye-popping border.

Turn on the groovy music, pull on your go-go boots, flip the switch on the Lava Lamp, and start sewing this cool rainbow quilt! Makes a great conversation piece as a wall hanging, but little kids love the rainbow colors for a nap quilt too! (Read “How to be a Cool Grandma”)

…from the ‘Color Play’ collection by Pattie Carey for Northcott Fabrics.

Don’t miss the ‘Fantastic Foxes‘ and ‘Steampunk Express‘ quilt patterns!

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Color Play
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 – Polar Frost

Posted on October 10, 2022 by Luana

This absolutely gorgeous Free Quilt Pattern is inspired by the artwork of one of our favorite wildlife artists, and is in anticipation of Luana’s trip up to Churchill in one week. The majestic Polar Bears are overlords of the Arctic landscape, framed by swirling snow and distant Northern Lights, perched on an iceberg and surveying their frozen kingdom.

To make this stunning 58″ x 70″ quilt design, you will start with the 34″ x 44″ digital printed panel. Our exclusive quilt design includes a Rubin Design Studio Snowflake panel for the corners, and blue stone textures, pieced with the coordinating stripe to make the scenic border.

This Blue and White quilt makes a great conversation piece as a wall hanging, or consider using a flannel backing for a cozy wintertime nap quilt. For a wall hanging you might consider silver or blue metallic thread to add a crystalline sparkle!

…from the ‘Polar Frost’ collection by Jody Bergsma for Northcott Fabrics.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this rather eccentric quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Don’t miss the ‘Aurora Polaris‘ and ‘Steampunk Express‘ 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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Quilting for Mental Health

Posted on October 8, 2022 by Luana
This weekend I am at a Fall Quilt Retreat with our state guild – CQC – the Colorado Quilting Council. I have always wanted to take a class on Pineapple Quilt Blocks so I would not have to start from scratch to figure out how to make them. So I’ll be paper-piecing itsy bitsy fabric strips this weekend, and probably coming up with my own version of the technique, just because…

My very first quilt class in 1991 was a Log Cabin class on a Saturday. Of course my degree and job experience was in the garment industry, so I picked it up pretty fast. At the end of the day the other students were barely finishing their 2nd block, and I had finished a small quilt. The teacher came over, looked at my work, and said “I think you are a quilter!”

“I know!” I said. I was so excited to have found quilting. I am still excited to be part of this wonderful community of makers. The day I found the quilting tribe was the day I knew I had come home. As the pandemic ebbs, and we begin to gather in person again, there is nothing like getting and giving hugs with fellow quilters. Last night we had a trunk show from the visiting Pineapple instructor, and we all oohed and aahed at her tiny paper-pieced blocks that were set into her larger pieced quilts. She explained that when she finishes a big quilt, she saves all the little scraps, and makes another smaller scrappy quilt with the leftovers. Her miniature scrappy leftover quilts were little masterpieces!

This is a great idea as we move closer to the holiday season. Maybe you would like to make table runners and pieced placemats for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners? Make each one different, and then invite your guests to take them home. One woman’s placemat is another one’s decorative mat on a dresser or side table. I have vintage textiles from my grandmother in my bedroom and living room, under objets d’art and other collectibles. I try to place a precious collectible textile under my travel tchotchkes around the house. If you are not sure if someone would appreciate a quilt for a gift, this is a way to test the waters to see if they appreciate your handmade gifts.

But in the end, we make quilts for ourselves. Yes they may go to someone precious as a gift of love, but we crave the process of choosing the fabric, organizing our stash, cutting and sewing, and the supreme pleasure of taking that final stitch on the binding. That process is a contemplative exercise that leads us to a place of peace and focus, which is so needed in today’s chaotic world, right? I have always made art, and stitched quilts, for my mental health. I am a better person by the time I finish a quilt.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter 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.

October 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta
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Hope for a Cure

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Luana
In 2023 eQuilter will reach an important milestone:
We have raised over $1.9 million for charity in our 23 years, and next year we will reach $2 million total raised. We could not do it without you, and we humbly thank you for your support over the years.

One of our most popular charities is raising money for research to fight Breast Cancer. Both of our mothers were breast cancer survivors. My mother is now in a nursing home, and we lost Paul’s mom a few years ago. In addition to our mothers, we of course have so many friends who have fought this disease over the years. Some won the fight, some did not, and some are still engaged in the battle. For those of you still fighting for your health, we re-dedicate ourselves to finding a cure.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. eQuilter has donated $330K to breast cancer research over the years, with your help.

In case you missed the Wednesday e-newsletter, we are starting a comfort quilt drive for those who lost their homes in Florida due to the the hurricane. eQuilter and Mission of Love have now collected and distributed over 17,000 of your donated quilts to those in need over the years. If you wish to contribute for this quilt drive…..

Ship to:
Mission of Love
Marta Ockuly
1280 Tree Bay Lane
Sarasota, FL 34242

If you are local to eQuilter, you may *drop off* donated quilts at our office in Boulder. (Please do not ship to us. This will delay distribution.) Ship directly to the Florida address above.

Please do not call Mission of Love. If you have a question, call us. We will answer any questions.

Thank you for supporting our family-owned business. Your support allows us to make a difference together, from disaster relief to medical research. Together, with your help, we are a force for Good in the world.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul
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Free Quilt Pattern – Butterflies of Australia

Posted on October 7, 2022 by Luana
Colorful butterflies inspired by the Australian outback, are the focus of this week’s exclusive Free Quilt Pattern, blending the colors of sky and water, with colors of earth and stone.

To make this 62″ x 62″ patchwork quilt design, we’ve combined 4 multi-color prints with 2 tonal prints and a Hoffman hand-dye, to make this Teal and Sepia color story.

…from the ‘Pannotia’ collection by Oasis Fabrics.

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this rather eccentric quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Don’t miss the ‘Spirits Of The Wind‘ and ‘Steampunk Express‘ 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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Autumn Leaves & Moose

Posted on October 6, 2022 by Luana
This week I took a photo trip up to the Colorado Rocky Mountains, to capture the turning colors of our alpine forests. The shimmering golden aspen leaves against our cobalt blue skies is an annual celebration of color, deepening our appreciation of Nature. On our day at Rocky Mountain National Park, we had sunshine, rain, lightning, hail, and snow. We saw elk, and at the end of the day a magical gift – this young bull moose curled up and taking a nap in a meadow just off the road. When he lifted his head to glance at us for a moment, I snapped this image. What a gift.

Our hearts are breaking as we see photos of the destruction in Florida. Yes we are starting a comfort quilt drive for those who have lost their homes there, in partnership with Mission of Love. Please ship your donated quilts directly to this Mission of Love coordinator in Florida. Kathy Price will be taking a truck of relief supplies down to Florida to distribute supplies and your donated quilts, so please send them off sooner rather than later.

Please do not call Mission of Love. If you have a question, call us. We will answer any questions.

We encourage you to put a label on the quilt with your name, and a message of encouragement and love for the recipients.

Ship to:
Mission of Love
Marta Ockuly
1280 Tree Bay Lane
Sarasota, FL 34242

If you are local to eQuilter, you may *drop off* donated quilts at our office in Boulder. (Please do not ship to us. This will delay distribution.) Ship directly to the Sarasota address. If you drop at eQuilter, we ship to Florida.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. eQuilter has donated $330K to breast cancer research over the years, with your help. In memory of those we’ve lost to BC, with love and hope for our friends and family who are current patients, and survivors, we re-dedicate ourselves to finding a cure.

Thank you for supporting our family-owned business. Your support allows us to make a difference together, from disaster relief to medical research. Together, with your help, we are a force for Good in the world.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul


See Luana’s Flickr Photo Pages for travel images, watch our videos, or follow us on Facebook.

Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter pages for Color and Design ideas.

Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar:
October 17-24 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
Nov 4 – Intl Quilt Museum – Lincoln NE
Dec 1-2 – Clinton Presidential Library
Feb 22-25 – QuiltCon – Atlanta
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Free Quilt Pattern – Obi-Wan and Darth Vader

Posted on October 4, 2022 by Luana
Today’s eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features the iconic Star Wars scene from Episode IV, a New Hope. Obi-Wan faces off with Darth Vader as heroes Luke, Leia, Han, and Chewbacca battle to reach the Millennium Falcon.

To make this 60″ x 52″ quilt design, you will start with the stunning 36″ x 44″ digital printed panel. Our exclusive space prints and a delicate white-on-white make up the borders, along with pieced, swirling starry corners.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make a fabulous Star Wars themed wall quilt with classic artwork for the Sci-Fi nerds in your family!

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

PLUS – you’ll receive Free USA / 50% off INTL shipping
when you order the fabrics for this rather eccentric quilt pattern
(orders $100 and over, no coupon needed).

Don’t miss the ‘Bejeweled Butterflies‘ and ‘Steampunk Express‘ 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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