International Quilt Museum 25th Anniversary

Posted on May 25, 2022 by Luana

eQuilter – Holiday and Novelty Fabric Clearance

Tonight we are shocked and absolutely heartbroken at what happened at an elementary school in Uvalde Texas. There are just no words. At times like this we have to hug our children, and do some soul-searching about where our society is headed. This is a moral issue, not a political issue.

Over the weekend I was honored to attend the 25th Anniversary celebration at the International Quilt Museum (IQM) in Lincoln Nebraska, celebrating the vision of the founders Ardis and Robert James. Many of the luminaries of the quilting world gathered at the museum to hear stories about the founding of the organization, and I was thrilled to catch up with friends who I have not seen for 2 1/2 years…or more.

A fundraiser event for Ukraine is happening there now, with the submission deadline May 30, and a fundraiser auction on June 8-10. I was delighted to see the blue and yellow sunflower quilts hanging in the hallways and offices.

The Joanna Rose ‘Red & White’ Collection hanging in the back gallery is a luminous experience, and all I can say is, when you enter the gallery with these quilts you enter another dimension.

Our friend MJ Kinman has her stunning gemstone quilts hanging in the entry room of the 2nd floor, and there was a grand piano (and a pianist!) in the center of this room for the anniversary party.

The image above is a detail of a 1918 Red Cross Friendship Quilt, from the Red & White exhibit. Members of the New York chapter of the American Red Cross made this embroidered quilt as a fundraiser to support soldiers fighting in World War I. We are still stitching and quilting to support others today. When the world does not make sense and we want to find a way to help, we pick up needle and thread.

Thoughts and prayers and quilts are not enough for the families who lost children today.
I encourage you to speak up and call for action on gun violence in America. Again.

Sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

P.S. The Hoffman Sunflower batiks shown in the collage above, can be found here.
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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Steam in the Spring

Posted on May 24, 2022 by Luana
Your Free Quilt Pattern – Steam in the Spring

Your Free Quilt Pattern – Steam in the Spring – Free Shipping

If vintage steam engines are a passion for you or somebody you know, this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern is a collector’s dream, featuring some of our favorite artwork for antique train buffs. Set in colorful Springtime landscapes, it is an eye-catching conversation starter!

To make this generous 72″ x 82″ quilt design, you will start with the 36″ x 44″ scenic panel, then cut up a second 36″ x 44″ block panel. Piece together with Solid Black, a Springtime Meadow print, and then use our exclusive Railroad Track Stripe to make the clever border. So much fun!

…from the ‘Steam In The Spring’ collection by Michael Shelton for 3 Wishes Fabric.

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 ‘Little Darlings Safari‘ and ‘Mystic Mountain‘ 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.
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Free Quilt Pattern – Mystic Mountain

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Luana
This Week’s Free Quilt Pattern features a misty mountain overlook, filled with a majestic deer, birds and forest trees in rich, cool hues. Hoffman’s Mystic Mountain collection is exquisitely illustrated with an artistic interplay of watercolor mist and shadow.

To make this 63″ x 71″ quilt, you’ll combine a pair of central panels with coordinating triangles of Hilltop Foliage in lavender and emerald green together with a delicate, whisper purple Hoffman hand dye.

The dynamic light and color in this remarkable quilt will be a welcome addition to you and your family’s cabin or living room.

…from the ‘Mystic Mountain’ 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 ‘Little Darlings Safari‘ and ‘Joy of Sewing‘ 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 – National Parks

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Luana
So many of you were able to go out and visit our glorious National Parks this Summer, and now you are back home dreaming of your days in the forest and mountains and lakes. Perhaps you have a bucket list of more National Parks to visit, and this week’s Free Quilt Pattern will help you to keep track of that list!

To make this 63″ x 80″ quilt design, you will start with the amazing 54″ x 72″ digital-printed panel. (With 62 National Park posters.) This quick and easy quilt design uses 3 colors of Stonehenge textures to create the border. The central panel can be treated like a ‘cheater panel’ – i.e. you can stitch around the park posters as you would stitch around blocks on a cheater quilt panel.

This is a great gift idea for a friend or family member who has a bad case of wanderlust in what are hopefully the waning days of pandemic travel restrictions. Whoever sleeps under this quilt will also be dreaming of sleeping under the stars in the precious wild lands of our National Parks system.

…from the ‘National Parks’ collection, by the Anderson Design Group for Riley Blake Designs.

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 ‘Rescued and Loved at Home‘ and ‘Rainbow Dragon‘ 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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Salsa in the Studio

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Luana

eQuilter – Floral Fabric Clearance

Can I tell you a secret? There is no such thing as Creative Block. Somewhere in our journey we are told that this is a ‘thing’ and many of us believe it. But…do you remember the joy you felt in elementary school when it was time for art class? That is our natural state of being. Expressing Joy, Life, and Creativity from our heart and soul. With a giggle and lots of smiles. Think of Finger Painting.

Yes we have times when we are exhausted, when we are sad or stressed, when we are between creative cycles and we might be tempted to call it Creative Block. But don’t let it stop you. The creative cycle is like the Circle of Life. It just keeps flowing, turning, just like rising and setting of the Sun each day. Just take a breath. That next inspiration is always right around the corner.

I have called myself an artist since I was a little kid, and I am so lucky nobody ever tried to talk me out of it as I grew to adulthood. It is never too late to see yourself as a creative person, as an artist, as a maker. Maybe you need to keep a notebook to write down the things that jump-start your creative juices. Maybe you just push those buttons automatically, without even thinking. Either way, it is all valid. We all have a creative Inner Child that wants to come out to play. And you know what? That playful child is also capable of healing us on a very deep level. So I am just reminding you…this is your Truth. Don’t let anybody take that away from you.

One of my sure-fire creative warm-ups is putting on some favorite music. Usually it is music that I have heard while traveling somewhere magical. The Salsa music (Buena Vista Social Club) takes me back to Cuba. The Opera (Puccini) takes me back to Italy. The Spanish guitar – to Andalusia. Ladysmith Black Mombazo and Miriam Makeba – South Africa. The fiddle music takes me back to several countries! (Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, Czech Republic, Cape Breton/Nova Scotia…)

What is your big Creative Button that you can push when you get back into your studio or sewing space?

Speaking of Cuba, that seems to be the theme of the week. I have printed out some of my photos from Cuba on stretched canvas, and added some acrylic paint pen flourishes, for a fundraiser at our local Boulder Philharmonic this week. (See the 3 figure images above.) Then the reprint of my Cuban Cars fabric came back into stock (from photos of Retro Cars that I took in Cuba). And then…it was announced that Americans can start to travel to Cuba again. Yay! (Should I lead one more trip to Cuba?)

This Saturday I am giving a trend presentation for the Colorado Quilt Council. (CQC – our state guild) I’ll be giving that lecture via Zoom from the International Quilt Museum in Lincoln Nebraska. If you are a Colorado quilter, be sure to watch for the Zoom link on the CQC website or newsletter, and join us at 10 am MDT.

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.
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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Library Kitty Tales

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Luana

If you love Books and Cats (that would be 99% of you, right?) – this is the Free Quilt Pattern you’ve been waiting for. We’ve this new comical Kitty and Literary fabric design and put them into an eQuilter exclusive quilt design that you can hang in your Library, snuggle under while reading, or just fold it up and give it to your cats…ha!

Book titles in the main Kitty print include “The Cat of Monte Cristo,” “A Tale of Two Kitties,” “The Great Catsby,” “Wizard of Paws” and other silly puns for bibliophiles.

To make this 55″ x 60″ quilt design, you will start with our New ‘Cat Tales’ panel, then add vintage book pages and antique book titles. Cut up Benartex‘s gorgeously illustrated cat block panel to make the corners, add 3 Stonehenge textures, and you have a Feline Heirloom that shows your status as a Crazy Cat Lady or Freaky Feline Fellow to all who visit your abode. Meow!

…from the ‘Cat Tales’ collection by Charles Wysocki & Deborah Edwards 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).

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Every Child Matters

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Luana

In light of the recent traumatic events that have unfolded at former Residential Schools across Canada and the US, we have designed this quilt ‘Every Child Matters’ out of reverence to those grieving. This painting depicts two siblings who were finally set free after being grimly discovered at a Residential School. The children who are shown holding hands were torn apart from each other, but now reunited as they make their way back home. Canadian artist Karen Erickson included beautiful imagery such as a moon and feathers to represent the First Nations, Inuit, and indigenous people joining together to guide the two siblings home.

Northcott is donating 100% of the net proceeds from the sales to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society and the Orange Shirt Society. When you check out, choose Mission of Love for your 2% eQuilter donation, for their work with the Lakota and other indigenous communities.

In this exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, we have combined the central panel with 4 Hoffman Hand-Dyes – and a digital starry sky, pulling out the colors of Teal, Green and Marigold from the main panel.

…from the ‘Southwest’ collection by Karen Erickson for Northcott Fabrics. Karen is a Metis, Cree artist, currently living in Prince George, Canada.

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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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Midnight Magic – Free Shipping

Posted on May 14, 2022 by equilter

This year we are laughing over the fact that our wedding anniversary is on Friday the 13th, so to celebrate the day (with tongue firmly planted in cheek) we bring you
this spooky Free Quilt Pattern with laughing Jack-o-Lanterns, Black Cats, and Ravens…and don’t forget those stylish striped Witchy Tights!

To make this 54″ x 59″ quilt design, you will start with the central panel, featuring 4 spooky vignettes. You will piece the Black Cat and Pumpkin prints with Kona Solid Black to make the set-in diamonds for the side panels. Then add the hilarious striped sock border.

We wish you a Happy Friday the 13th!

…from the ‘Midnight Magic’ collection by Grace Popp 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 ‘The Lion and the Lamb‘ & ‘All You Need is Love and a Cat‘ 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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Your Free Quilt Pattern – USA National Parks – Free Shipping

Posted on May 14, 2022 by equilter

Due to popular demand we are bringing back this fantastic Retro National Parks Poster, because we were lucky to score another shipment of this panel.

This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern is a generous 63″ x 80″, featuring the 54″ x 72″ digital-printed panel with a collection of National Park retro postcard images. We’ve added 4 stone textures to create the Teal border which sets off the warm Earthtones with a complementary color story.

Part of the popularity of this panel is the fact that it is like a cheater quilt – it is easy to sew between the postcards to create the impression that it is pieced. Once you add the border and start quilting, you are off and running on this vintage tour of our nation’s most beautiful wild places!

…from the ‘National Parks’ collection, by the Anderson Design Group for Riley Blake Designs.

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 ‘The Lion and the Lamb‘ and ‘Kittens in the Garden‘ 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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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Into the Meadow

Posted on May 14, 2022 by equilter

We hope that you had a lovely restful Mothers Day with loved ones, or perhaps in your sewing room….or both! For those days when you need a dose of Forest Bathing but just can’t get outside, we share this exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern.

Just gazing at this quilt on the wall, or maybe snuggling under this quilt for a nap or meditation time, brings a sense of peace. This quilt is like a window or doorway leading out into the woods….you can almost hear the birds twittering in the trees, feel the spongy damp grass under your feet, and smell the wildflowers.

To make this 52″ x 66″ quilt design, you will start with the central scenic large scale print. (which is also one of this year’s Hoffman Challenge fabrics by the way) We’ve added a stone texture, a bark texture, and 2 Hoffman Hand-Dyes to make the lovely border.

…from the ‘Into the Meadow’ 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 popular ‘Shawl Dancers‘ and ‘Library Dreams‘ 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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