eQuilter Blog

Maximalism on the Horizon

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Luana

We are excited to finally have Kathy Wylie’s new “Birth Flowers” Applique Patterns in stock! These patterns are inspired by her multi-award winning quilt “For Such a Time As This” that many of you have seen at quilt festivals. We could make you wait for them a month at a time, but where’s the fun in that? All 12 months plus the pattern for the border are in stock now. Buy one, buy all 12. We love them all!

Today I finally got to spend time with quilt artist and teacher Sue Benner. We’ve been trying to get together since 2015 in New Zealand. I signed up for her class there just so I could spend some time with her, but I had to cancel at the last minute. That was a 7 year wait for ‘let’s have lunch!’ – but it was worth the wait. I have admired her work for…decades. I think I first met her 20 years ago at Art Quilt Tahoe. When I think about how far fiber art has come in the last 20 years, my mind is blown.

Are you aware that there is a new trend on the horizon? The last 10 years of Minimalism have been a cleansing of the aesthetic palate, but now the pendulum is swinging the other way and Maximalism is making a return, along with the popularity of shows like The Gilded Age and Bridgerton. In reality the most fertile place for new ideas and creativity will be somewhere in the middle…as usual.

For information on donating Ukraine Refugee Quilts:
Mission of Love is receiving your quilts in the mail every day, and we are raising money to help pay for the Mission of Love shipping expenses to Poland. Thank you for all of your quilts and financial donations to comfort and support the refugees in Ukraine.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter, Happy Passover, and Happy Springtime!

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:
May 21 – CQC Zoom Lecture from IQM
June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC
July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC
August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Little Darlings Safari

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Luana

This charming little quilt has a collection of watercolor portraits of baby animals – delightfully whimsical vignettes of cute creatures crowned with floral garlands.
This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern is a great gift for the Future Zookeeper or animal lover in your life!

To make this 65″ x 68″ Lap/Nap quilt, you will cut up and piece 3 different panels, combining with a coordinating stripe and blender to make the overall pieced quilt. Includes Lion Cubs, Hippos, Giraffes, Rhinos, Zebras, Orangutans, Elephants, and Lemur. Wrap someone in this adorable menagerie and you’ll be gifting them with sweet wild dreams at naptime.

…from the ‘Little Darlings Safari’ collection by Sillier than Sally Designs for P&B Textiles.

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

Don’t miss the ‘She Who Sews‘ and ‘Sun Valley Desert‘ 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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A Day at the Coast

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Luana

Sunday I returned home from my trip to New England. The last day of our exhibit at the New England Quilt Museum was very beautiful, with friends visiting, and lovely comments from the docents and viewers. Thanks again to the artists who loaned their powerful artwork for this environmental activist exhibit.

Last week I was touring New England for a few days, and was able to see the exhibit of Quilt National at the Mystic Art Museum. I also visited the historic quilt exhibit at the Florence Griswold Museum, and admired the quilted petticoats that had been converted into quilted bedcovers.

It was wonderful to visit the coastline of New Hampshire, even though it was a chilly windy day. Just to be breathing the salty air, and hearing the waves crashing, was good for my soul. Here is a photo of the place we stopped for lunch, where we watched locals running their dogs along the beach. Sometimes the most healing and energizing thing one can do is simply sit and watch the ebb and flow of the ocean.

I have just heard we still have a couple spaces left in my polar bear trip this Fall, so if you’d like to experience the wild tundra of the far North of Canada (and the BEARS!) follow the link below, and call Aly to snag those last couple seats on the Polar Rover.

Sophie is coming with me to the Sacred Threads/SAQA event this summer. She is hoping to see lots of our quilter friends there. (Me too!)

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

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:
June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC
July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC
August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Call of the Wild Raccoon Den

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Luana

In the Springtime we start to see the woodland creatures emerging from their dens, and
this week’s eQuilter Exclusive Free Quilt Pattern captures that moment perfectly!

To make this 53″ x 65″ quilt design, you will start with this charming 32″ x 44″ raccoon portrait panel from Hoffman. You will piece the “mountain” border with stone and wood prints, and 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes. We love the twinkle in the eyes of this furry masked bandit who is peering out at the big wide world.

…from the ‘Call of the Wild’ collection by Hoffman Fabrics.

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

Don’t miss the ‘Jungle Friends‘ and ‘Sun Valley Desert‘ quilt patterns!

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One Adventure is Ending…

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Luana

Hello from Lowell Massachusetts where my curated exhibit “For the Love of Gaia” is closing in 30 minutes, and I’ve just finished giving a power point lecture at the New England Quilt Museum. This exhibit has traveled to 3 venues during the pandemic, and I finally got to see it hanging in person, on the last day. It is bittersweet. However it was also gratifying because I got to meet the docents and hear about the impact this group of Environmental-themed quilts has had on the viewers since January. Our talented group of artist-activists has been able to make a statement about what is happening to our planet, and the wild things that live in those disparate habitats that are being destroyed by climate change and pollution. I am honored to have collaborated with these talented individuals. I hope we can work together again in the future.

My thanks to the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln NE, the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham UK, and NEQM for collaborating and hosting. Together we have brought this important message to a wide audience.

I flew in a few days early so I could do some museum-hopping and New England touring with the curator Pam Weeks. Yesterday we saw the Quilt National (Group B) exhibit at the Mystic Art Museum, which was absolutely wonderful. One of the artists was there, and some more quilters wandered in (including some eQuilter customers) so it was great to share another moment with a group of fellow quilters!

The museum closes in a few minutes and we’ll be taking down the quilts and packing them up, to go home to the artists after 2 1/2 years. I spent some quiet moments in the gallery soaking up the moment. Now it is time to move on to the next project!

Mission of Love is receiving your quilts in the mail every day, and we are raising money to help pay for the shipping expenses to Poland. Thank you for all of your quilts and financial donations to comfort and support the refugees in Ukraine.

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:
June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC
July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC
August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Butterfly Bliss

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Luana

Joy, Hope, and Beauty.

3 things that the world needs right now.

Tonight we are sending out a special Free Quilt Pattern to lift your spirits and send a prayer for peace and healing. Many thanks to those of you who have already sent comfort quilts to Mission of Love for Ukrainian refugees. They mean so much to the volunteers who are packing up containers of relief supplies to ship to their loved ones in Poland. “These will keep the children warm!” they exclaim, with tears in their yes. We are also sending money to help purchase supplies and pay for shipping expenses.

To make this inspiring 63″ x 76″ quilt design, you will start with the dazzling 36″ x 44″ pastel Butterfly panel. Cut up a block panel to make the top and bottom vignette rows. Then piece with the coordinates and the eye-popping stripe to make the jewel-toned border.

Butterflies are a symbol of freedom, renewal and rebirth. A visit from a butterfly may be telling you it is time to spread your wings and explore something new. When delicate butterflies land in our garden or on our quilts, we know we’ve been blessed with butterfly magic.

…from the ‘Butterfly Bliss’ collection by Elizabeth Isles for Studio E Fabrics.

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

Don’t miss the ‘She Who Sews‘ and ‘Sun Valley Desert‘ quilt patterns!

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Painted Peacock

Posted on April 8, 2022 by Luana

Enter a vibrant garden of peacocks, flowers and butterflies in this week’s
exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, featuring an opulent central panel with fine digital-printed details.

To make this 60″ x 65″ quilt design, you will start with a pair of 24″ x 44″ panels, with the second panel framing the central focus panel. Then add the mitered, magnificent Sunset Stripe coordinate from the collection, plus a Kona Solid Black. The collection and this quilt give the impression of an opulent Jewel Box, with spirited motion and rich hues.

…from the ‘Painted Peacock’ collection by Timeless Treasures.

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

Don’t miss the ‘She Who Sews‘ and ‘Sun Valley Desert‘ quilt patterns!

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From Boulder to Manchester

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Luana

Today I flew from Denver to Boston, after being up most of the night because of a windstorm. After the 2 recent Boulder fires during windstorms, we are all on edge when the wind is howling. But I woke up on time, made my flight, and snapped a photo of a magical rainbow over the Boulder Flatirons as I rode to the airport.

After arriving in Boston, I got to see some of the coast and countryside on the way up to Manchester New Hampshire. My hotel room has a view of what’s left of the textile factory buildings, built in the 1800s on the Merrimack River, now renovated and repurposed. Manchester originally aspired to be like its namesake – Manchester the textile center in England. For awhile, Manchester NH was the largest industrial city in the world, powered by textile mills. One customer was Levi Strauss, whose riveted blue jeans were made with the indigo twill from the Amoskeag Mills.

The history of the textile industry stretches from one end of the globe to the other, and I am often delighted to find yet another historic remnant of spinning, weaving, dyeing and stitching, that I never knew existed. History is full of textile design and manufacturing, and I’ve enjoyed visiting textile museums and factories around the world. I love the art, design and color…but the technical execution of those ideas is what fascinates and inspires me. The 18th century silk looms in Lyon, France…the 400 yr old velvet looms in Venice…the 19th century hand looms for traditional obi wraps in Kyoto…the traditional spaced thread dyeing and ikat looms of Bali…the simple lap looms where Guatemalan artisans weave their colorful zigzag and geometric stripes…the vegetable-dyed embroidery threads stitched into wild floral patterns in Oaxaca Mexico…all of these beautiful historic fabric traditions continue to inform us as we investigate and explore the techniques that might inspire our next project.

This is my first business trip in over two years. I had mixed feelings about flying, and being around airport crowds. I am speaking at the closing reception of my curated exhibit “For the Love of Gaia” this Saturday afternoon at 1 pm, at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell Mass. I am spending the next few days touring the area with the museum curator Pam Weeks. We share a love for textile history so we have much to discuss. The history of fabric and quilts are woven into the history of our country, and the history of the world. Where there are textiles, there are always stories to tell.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

Sat April 9 at 1 pm – Intl Quilt Trends lecture – New England Quilt Museum –
(Closing reception for Luana’s curated exhibit – “For the Love of Gaia“

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Sun Valley Desert

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Luana

The Sun peeks over a rocky skyline and spreads its warmth over a glowing landscape, in
this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern. Is this a Desert Sunrise or Sunset? It is whatever you want it to be….but it is depicting the Golden Hour when a soft light illuminates the valley with sweet rays of Honey-Gold sunshine.

To make this 54″ x 70″ quilt design, you will start with the 28″ x 44″ central scenic panel. Then piece a Blanket Stripe, Blanket Geometric, 2 tonal coordinates and a Hoffman Hand-Dye to make the border. The complementary color-play of Teal and Molten-Copper is what gives this quilt design a real eye-popping effect. Imagine you are on the porch of your hacienda somewhere in the Southwest, and enjoy the view!

…from the ‘Stonehenge Sun Valley’ collection by Linda Ludovico for Northcott Fabrics.

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

Don’t miss the ‘She Who Sews‘ and ‘All You Need is Love and a Cat‘ quilt patterns!

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Early Springtime in the Rockies

Posted on April 4, 2022 by Luana

The seasons’ first clumps of early Spring flowers burst up out of the ground this week. There is nothing like the first crocuses and hyacinth blossoms to lift one’s spirits!

Today is Sophie’s Gotcha Day. 19 years ago she was placed into my arms in China. She was 8 months old, but the size and development of a 4 month old. Once we got ahold of her, her development took off. Those of you in the adoption community are very familiar with the Gotcha Day. Many adopted kids do not know their actual birthdays so the Gotcha Day is the next best thing. It is a date you can mark on the calendar with confidence. Sophie is lucky – she was found at 2 days old so we also know her birthdate.

Many of you have followed Sophie’s story from the beginning, but if you are new to eQuilter and are curious, you can find our adoption story here, and our 2019 Heritage Tour story here. We are so grateful we were able to visit China and her orphanage before the pandemic hit! Anyway Sophie Quinn will turn 20 in June, and she is finishing her sophomore year at CU Boulder as a Music Education major. She is driven by the knowledge that music is a healing force for stressed-out teens and those with mental health struggles.

The fire in Boulder last weekend did not spread into the city, but for awhile there was a big evacuation and it was scary for everyone on that end of town. I did finally make it to see the Mens Quilt exhibit at the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden. As always, it was a delight to see what the guys have created, and of course this time the quilts were extra special, having been made during the lockdown.

This is the last weekend to see my painted bear sculpture at Chautauqua Park, and bid on any of the bears in the online fundraiser auction. I attended a lunch for the 15 artists on Friday, and it was great to hear them talk about their inspirations. I hope my Mama Bear goes to live somewhere where she will be loved for many years to come.

This coming week I am taking my first trip of the year! My curated exhibit “For the Love of Gaia” is winding down, and I am giving a power point lecture on International Quilt Trends at the closing reception – 1 pm Saturday April 9, at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Massachusetts. If you are in the area please come to my free lecture!

The donated comfort quilts are pouring in at Mission of Love, and also being dropped off here at eQuilter. If you would like to donate a comfort quilt for Ukrainian refugees, or donate money to help ship food and medical supplies to refugees in Europe, please read the details here. Thank you so much.

Praying for Peace,
Luana and Paul

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:
June 15-18 – Quilt Canada, Vancouver BC
July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC
August 4 – Long Beach Quilt Festival
Aug 17-20 – Festival of Quilts – Birmingham UK
October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada

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Maximalism on the Horizon

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Little Darlings Safari

A Day at the Coast

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Call of the Wild Raccoon Den

One Adventure is Ending…

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Butterfly Bliss

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Painted Peacock

From Boulder to Manchester

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Sun Valley Desert

Early Springtime in the Rockies

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