| All Our Finest Quilt Backing is on now sale at 20% off! Sunday is the last day of our Fabulous Fabric CLEARANCE! Don’t miss these savings at 40% to 50% off. ‘Spirits of the Wind‘ inspires with a powerful stallion & eagle. Tula Pink’s new ‘Parisville’ is elegant and mysterious. ‘Reflections of Autumn‘ captures the forest in deep fall hues. Four Seasons are portrayed in Carol Cavalaris’s Seasons panel. There’s Waterlily Magic in scenic panels and coordinates. David Galchutt illustrates Country Roosters with floral borders. Enjoy a celebration of fashion in Dan Morris’s ‘All Dolled Up‘. Charley Harper’s new ‘Holiday Best’ features winter wildlife. Satin Moon says, ‘Let’s Partea!‘ with stacked Teacups & Tea Bags. Enjoy a ‘Sweet Holiday’ filled with cupcakes & confections, and a string of Christmas Tree Lights in bright colors. Farm fresh goods await you in Cherry Pie & Homemade Happiness. And there are 18 new Batiks from Anthology Fabrics and Northcott. Check out this week’s *Rubin Design Studio* Digital Exclusives! New Quilting Treasures, Tula Pink – Quilt Backing Bonanza Greetings from Birmingham UK My visit to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham England is drawing to a close, and it has been a confirmation of my love of quilting, and quilters. It has been so enriching to see old friends and have real hugs. In fact there was some teary-eyed reunions. The quilt exhibition is an explosion of creative energy, and it got crowded enough that I had a little late-pandemic-anxiety. However I am happy to put on a mask in the crowd, and enjoy not only the quilts, but also the reactions of the viewers! Right now I am just having a spot of tea before I meet a friend from the Bernina-verse, to drive down to Stratford Upon Avon. We’ll be having a pub dinner and then a proper Shakespeare play at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre on the River Avon. I like seeing the flocks of Swans in residence there. Lately I’ve been doing deeper research on ancestry.com and have traced several branches back to the 1400s in England, so returning to the UK carries an extra layer of interest. I am finishing Hilary Mantel’s 3rd and final book from the Wolf Hall trilogy, about Cromwell and the court of Henry VIII. There is always something else going on at our hotel, in all the years I’ve been coming here, and at the moment it is overrun with elves, wizards, witches and nondescript costumed characters from another time and place (The Discworld convention). Everyone is very friendly and many smiles have been exchanged with the costumed characters. I just now shared an elevator with The Positive Affirmation Fairy and she gave me a card with this positive affirmation: “I have the power to achieve my goals.” “Today you are overflowing with power. Use this power to energize and promote your day.” Well OK then! *smile* I enjoyed being one of the speakers at the SAQA “Forced to Flee” presentation today, on the topic of Refugees. I spoke about being an artist activist, and activist curator and sponsor, an activist collector and retailer. We all have a voice, and we can all make a difference when we stand up and speak up for those with no voice and no power. Tomorrow my old friend from London is picking me up and I am spending a few days in the countryside. After so many years of travel here, I’ve seen most of the major tourist attractions, so now we are visiting the places that the locals like in the summertime. We’ve been friends since 1987, and on this trip I get to meet her new 77 year old ‘boyfriend’. They have planned out a very busy few days together. I am mindful of the fact that September and cooler weather are just around the corner, and the students have returned to their classrooms. It’s a good time to be a quilter! 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. Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK – Quilt Trends Lecture & SAQA Forced to Flee Sept 21-24 – SAQA Conference – San Diego CA October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada |
