New Hoffman, Northcott, Australian Fabric – Batik, Blender Clearance

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Luana
Save on Batiks & Premium & Blender & Tonal Sales
Over 270 Premium Clearance products at 40% Off!

Sunday’s our last chance Designer Fabric Clearance at 40% off.

The magical Australian art of Chern’ee Sutton comes alive!

Dream Big Rose 43″ panels are the latest from Jeanie Sumrall-Ajero.

Northcott’s ‘Spirited’ depicts horses in bold painterly style.

Tea Time awaits you in ‘Sweet Tea’ from Quilting Treasures.

‘Tropicolor Birds‘ features Parrots, Mccaws, Parakeets & Flamingos.
You’ll love the new Cardinals, Bluejays & Chickadees.

Your farm friends await you in ‘Out to Pasture‘.

Celebrate Winter with Flurry Friends & Christmas critters.
Stitch up a 12 Days of Christmas fabric book panel.
There are new Advent & Lyrical Christmas fabrics, along with
Merry Memories – Letters to Santa and Opening Presents.

Jungle Flowers match with Tropical Island Fantasies.

Keiko Goke fans will love her new ‘Oh Happy Day’.

Enjoy Spirited & Rose Color Palette Coordinates and
Multicolor Artisan Trucks and Tracks Batiks.

Check out this week’s *Rubin Design Studio* Digital Exclusives!

The Joy of Quilt Shows

I hope that many of you are enjoying the Long Beach Quilt Festival this weekend. eQuilter is the sponsor for the Color exhibit and contest. If you are there, take some photos of the exhibit and send to us!

With “Back to School” looming on the horizon, many of you will be counting the days until the kiddos are back in the classroom, and maybe you can sneak in a little more sewing time. Sophie will be starting her junior year of college in a few weeks, but right now she is a summer camp counselor at the YMCA. She got smacked in the eye with a beanbag this week, but she is taking it in stride.

Here at eQuilter we are enjoying our air-conditioned warehouse on these last couple weeks of intense heat. (Hopefully) It was 100 degrees outside here on Friday.

If you’ve had quilts hanging in shows or festivals this summer, you know what a thrill it is to see your work on public display. Today I went to the Legacies exhibit in Fort Collins and admired the work of many familiar artists, including the stitching magic of grand prize winner Shinhee Chin. There are many quilt exhibits happening now, so I encourage you to get out and have some fresh ‘in-person’ quilt inspiration if possible!

If you are coming to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK, please note that you’ll get a discount on your ticket by using the code EQUILTER22 at registration.

My quilt “Stardust Mothers” will be hanging in Birmingham also. (Fresh from Sacred Threads.)

Also be sure to register for my power point lecture “International Quilt Trends” with over 200 images of quilts from around the world over the last year. Search for “Luana” on the class registration page. My lecture is Friday at 10 am. Class code #512.

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
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Free Quilt Pattern – Father Christmas

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Luana

Snowflakes tickle our face and arctic winds whisper as we are drawn into this charming Winter scene. Father Christmas (Kris Kringle, or Northern Santa) carries an Arctic Hare, Ermine, Arctic Fox, Snowy Owl and Snow Goose, with Polar Bears and an Arctic Wolf sniffing the breeze. This is the North Pole version of the Peaceable Kingdom!

To make this week’s 49″ x 55″ Free Quilt Pattern, you will start with the 24″ x 44″ digital printed central panel. Then cut and piece the border, imitating snowy peaks, with snow-themed coordinates.

This exclusive eQuilter design is one of our favorites, with the Arctic/Scandinavian Blue and White color story. Something unique for your upcoming holiday celebrations!

…from the ‘Father Christmas’ collection by Liz Goodrick-Dillon for Northcott Fabrics.

Don’t miss the ‘Sun and Sea‘ and ‘Fantastic Foxes‘ 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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Whale Watching

Posted on August 3, 2022 by Luana

This week I want to share one of the quilts at Sacred Threads that really captured my imagination. This Orca Whale portrait (above, on the left) is a snapshot of the moment when the whale is breaching the water, but shows the whole whale above and below the water. It is by artist Suzette Coppage. No photo can do justice to her beautiful machine stitching, but I hope you will get an idea from this photo.

From the NOAA website page on fisheries:

Orcas are also known as Killer Whales, and they are the top predators in the ocean. Overfishing and habitat loss have decreased the amount of prey available to some killer whales. Without enough prey, killer whales can experience decreased reproductive rates and increased mortality rates.

Toxins enter ocean waters and sediments from many sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, sewer outfalls, and pesticide application. Once in the environment, these contaminants move up the food web and accumulate in top predators, such as killer whales because of their long lifespan. These contaminants can harm killer whales’ immune and reproductive systems. Oil spills can also have an indirect impact on killer whales by affecting the abundance of prey species.

There has been a sustained effort to free captive Orcas that were held for our entertainment. Remember the movie “Free Willy”? I think most people now understand that a creature this big should not be held captive. I hope some day to see Orcas in the wild. Over the years I have seen other whales, dolphins and porpoises off the coasts of Hawaii, Washington State, and Canada. It is always a thrill to see these beautiful intelligent sea mammals coming up for air and then diving again.

Are you coming to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK? Register now for my power point lecture “International Quilt Trends” on Friday at 10 am, lecture code #512. You will be inspired!

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

** The photo collage above features the Orca quilt by Suzette Coppage, photographed at Sacred Threads exhibit.

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:
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK – Quilt Trends Lecture & SAQA Forced to Flee
(Register for Luana’s trend lecture – Friday 10 am.)
Sept 21-24 – SAQA Conference – San Diego CA
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada

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Free Quilt Pattern – Fantastic Foxes

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Luana

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Fantastic Foxes – Free Shipping

Happy August!
Kids will soon be going back to school, in a few weeks you’ll feel that first chill in the air, and the glorious colors of Autumn can’t be too far behind….

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern features the beautiful artwork of one of our favorite artists – Kayomi Harai who is known for her sensitive animal portraits. These beautiful foxes are surrounded by fiery maple leaves, set in a complementary color story of Blue/Orange and Red/Green.

To make this 64″ x 64″ quilt design, you will start with the central 24″ x 44″ panel, then cut up and piece the block panels to make the side sections. Finish the border with the Fox Stripe and coordinates from the collection.

Do you know what a bunch of fox cubs are called? A Skulk of Kits! This Mama Fox has tenderness in her eyes, as she is surrounded by her own skulk of adorable kits. This is a great gift for the Fox Lovers among us, including those who say Foxes are their spirit animal. We have a beautiful fox who lives behind the eQuilter building, who comes out at dusk….so we are fans!

…from the ‘Auburn Fox’ collection by Kayomi Harai for Studio E 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 ‘Sun and Sea‘ and ‘Midnight Run‘ quilt patterns!

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Fantastic Foxes – 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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Free Quilt Pattern – Midnight Run

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Luana

Wild horses gallop in the surf at sunset, in this spectacular Free Quilt Pattern. White horses splash through gleaming waves, reflecting the colors in the sky.

To make this 48″ x 67″ quilt design, you will start with the 24″ x 44″ scenic panel, then piece Solid Kona Black with Purple Leaves and Turquoise Marbled Waves to create the jewel-like border. This eQuilter exclusive pattern captures the amethyst and blue topaz hues of luminous water, and the free spirit of these majestic creatures.

…from the ‘Midnight Run’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for Timeless Treasures.

Don’t miss the ‘Sun and Sea‘ and ‘Spirit Animals‘ 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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New Quilting Treasures, 3 Wishes, Oasis

Posted on August 2, 2022 by Luana

Don’t miss our new Designer Fabric Clearance.
Over 285 Premium Clearance products at 40% Off!

Sunday’s our last chance Animal & Bird Clearance, 45% off.

* This Week’s Hot Picks *

Australian ‘Pannotia’ features butterflies & dragonflies in vibrant color.

‘Power of the Elements‘ depicts Mother Nature’s vital spirit.

‘Wolf Song‘ is a celebration of wolves with Dreamcatchers.

Bear cubs grace the Autumn Forest in ‘Nature Walk’.

Horses gallop through the ‘Snowfall On The Range‘.

Graffiti artists spray paint pup portraits in ‘Dogs in the City‘.

Australian artist De Gillett Cox illustrates brilliant cockatoos.

African themed prints celebrate with bright color & geometrics.

Don’t miss New Halloween prints: Carving Pumpkins & Ghostly Greetings.

Plus Christmas selections continue to pour into the eQuilter warehouse!

Enjoy 26 bright new Batiks from Island Batik,
and 22 fabulous new Precuts, from Celebrate Fall to Winter Sparkle.

Check out this week’s *Rubin Design Studio* Digital Exclusives!

Yes You Can Make a Difference
Today was International Friendship Day, and I’ve been thinking about how lucky I was to find my way to the quilting community in 1992. As you probably know, when we join this community and call ourselves Quilters, we join a worldwide tribe of makers and stitchers, who are some of the most generous and compassionate people I have ever known. I assume that is why our charity program has resonated with loyal customers for over 20 years, as we have raised (together!) over $1.9 million to help those whose voices are not being heard.

Among those voices are the wildlife with whom we share this planet. We have a special relationship with our non-profit partners, and when I travel, I meet with them whenever possible. In the midweek newsletter I told you about my meeting with Ocean Conservancy while in Washington DC. I would also like to share with you my meeting with Leda Huta, the executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition. We met with her before heading to the airport on Wednesday.

My inbox is full of emails from non-profits asking for help. However, in my personal life as well as in our business, I am extremely careful about choosing where I may donate funds. I want to know that the money is going directly to where it is most needed, and not into the pockets of a fatcat CEO of a non-profit. This is more common than you can imagine. This is why before you donate, you should always meet those running the organization in person, or vet the recipients on a watchdog site like Charity Navigator.

For many years I felt like these non-profits were competing with each other. I would meet with them and encourage them to band together so their combined voices and efforts would be more powerful. When it comes to issues like endangered species, poisoned waters, and climate change…we just can’t waste any more time.

The Endangered Species Coalition is an umbrella organization that does just what I dreamed about. The ESC is one of several non-profits to whom we are giving monthly donations, in addition to the 7 charities you see when you check out with an eQuilter order.

In my lunch meeting with Leda, we discussed a joint project on Art and Activism. Lately I’ve been asked to write and speak on this topic more and more, as it is a huge trend that is connecting the art world with the nonprofit world. How can you as an artist make a difference in the world? Stay tuned!

If you are going to the Long Beach Quilt Festival next weekend, be sure to check out the “Celebration of Color” contest exhibit – sponsored by eQuilter.com!

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


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Free Quilt Pattern – Spirit Animals

Posted on July 29, 2022 by Luana

There’s nothing like a Winter Wildlife scene, to get through a Summer heatwave!

This week’s exclusive Free Quilt Pattern features 4 enigmatic animal portraits set in a chilly wintertime backdrop. A beautiful Snow Leopard, Red Fox, Snowy Owl and Wolf are all featured in detailed vignettes.

To make this 65″ x 65″ quilt design, you will start with two panels (each have 2 large portrait blocks), then piece together and make the pieced border with 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes and 2 Stonehenge textures, in soft neutral colors of Stone and Wood.

…from the ‘Spirit Animals’ collection by Collin Bogle for P&B 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 ‘Sun and Sea‘ and ‘Neon Nature‘ 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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African Design Prints

Posted on July 28, 2022 by Luana

eQuilter – 45% OFF Animal and Birds Fabric Clearance

I am writing to you from Washington DC tonight, after spending a few days in Herndon Virginia for the Sacred Threads exhibit. Sophie Quinn is with me so I am letting her interests guide our museum time here. Monday we spent at the African American Museum, avoiding the sweltering heat, humidity and a monsoon squall later in the day. Today we spent at the National Art Gallery and the American Indian Museum. I have lots of photos from Sacred Threads and Wash DC that I’ll be sharing in the next couple weeks.

My brother is a Washington DC architect and his firm has worked on several high profile projects. They were involved in some of the display fabrication at the NMAAHC, which makes it even more interesting to visit. It is the hot ticket in DC now. (The hot ticket used to be the Holocaust Museum.) You need to subscribe to their newsletter and/or be a member, to grab the timed tickets that are released a month in advance. It is a very somber journey, as you travel back in time to the 3rd basement level, to the beginning of the story of slavery from West Africa.

This time, as last time, I witnessed a heartbreaking scene as a young boy asked about a brutal image and his father tried to explain to him what it meant. It is experiences such as this, and the visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, that strengthen my resolve to stand up and speak out against racism. When I attended the quilt festival in Nantes France (April 2019) I also visited the Musée d’histoire de Nantes located in the castle of the Dukes of Brittany, and housing displays about the history of slavery in Europe.

As we ran out of time at the NMAAHC, we found ourselves alone in a gallery of contemporary art, and to my delight and surprise I found a large art quilt by Bisa Butler which was recently acquired by the museum. It is a colorful portrait of Harriet Tubman, based on the carte-de-visite photograph portrait of Tubman by Benjamin F. Powelson, made with imported West African printed cotton, silk and velvet. I was thrilled to finally see one of Bisa’s works in person!

You can read more about her beautiful textile art here:
“I Go to Prepare a Place for You”, 2021 by Bisa Butler

My other priority while here is to visit with our non-profit partners and curator friends. Today I met with a staffer from the Ocean Conservancy (one of our 7 main charities) and we discovered a serendipitous connection. She mentioned she has a relative who is a quilter. Well that is not uncommon. But as we chatted I discovered it is the talented wildlife artist Sophie Standing, who is moving from Kenya to the UK soon. A further connection? Susan de Vanny – Australian artist who made the Gorilla portrait in my “For the Love of Gaia” exhibit – just finished a fiber art portrait of Sophie Standing’s two young sons. Sometimes it is just crazy how small our quilting world is, when we start comparing notes!

Tomorrow I am meeting with Leda Huta, executive director of the Endangered Species Coalition. Then we fly home!

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

** The photo collage above includes a detail photo of Bisa Butler’s quilt in the Smithsonian, and similar African-design prints carried by eQuilter.

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:
August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival – Awards “Celebration of Color”
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK – Quilt Trends Lecture & SAQA Forced to Flee
(Register for Luana’s trend lecture – Friday 10 am.)
Sept 21-24 – SAQA Conference – San Diego CA
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada
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Free Quilt Pattern – Sun and Sea

Posted on July 26, 2022 by Luana

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Sun and Sea – Free Shipping

The extraordinary artwork of David Galchutt comes alive in today’s Free eQuilter Pattern. An elegant Sun peaks into the ocean, watching sea creatures swim beneath the surface.

The main ‘Sun and Sea’ panel is surrounded by Sun face frames and coordinating Celestial Chevron Stripes. Rich tonal prism and petal flowers in yellow and teal complete the borders.

This easy to make 53″ x 53″ sunshine inspired quilt is the perfect gift for summer sunshine and seashore lovers.

…from the ‘Sun & Sea’ collection by David Galchutt for Quilting Treasures.

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 ‘Steampunk Christmas‘ and ‘Neon Nature‘ quilt patterns!

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Sun and Sea – 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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Free Quilt Pattern – Neon Nature

Posted on July 25, 2022 by Luana

Today’s Free eQuilter pattern features the rich and vibrant hues of ‘Neon Nature’ by Timeless Treasures.

The central Leaf Mandala panel provides the rainbow-colored foundation, while the coordinating Luminescent Flora prints are pieced to provide dramatic accents. The delicate, whisper purple hand dye and amethyst purple tonal complete the background and outer borders.

Make this marvelous 63″ x 71″ quilt to add pizazz and brighten up your day!

…from the ‘Neon Nature’ collection by Timeless Treasures.

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 ‘Steampunk Christmas‘ and ‘Halloween Countdown‘ quilt patterns!
Your Free Quilt Pattern – Neon Nature – 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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