A Week of Transitions

Posted on January 24, 2022 by Luana

Yesterday I heard that Zen Master and peace activist Thich Nhat Hahn had passed from this world into the next, at 95 years old. I had to drop everything and meditate on the wisdom I have absorbed from him over the years. I feel very fortunate to have heard him speak in person twice. In fact I find that in the most challenging times, I return to those lessons full of so much deep insight. Teachers who speak of compassion, love, and mindfulness have helped me to form a solid foundation in this life. So I am taking this weekend to meditate on my gratitude for the Light he shared with our world.

This week the Art Quilt world lost one of our matriarchs. Judith Trager was active locally and nationally, and she was one of the first people I met when I discovered Art Quilts before eQuilter was hatched. She achieved the last thing on her bucket list though – her latest fiber art piece got into the Visions Art Museum show. She will be sorely missed by our creative community.

This weekend I am finally starting to recover from a badly sprained ankle and a fall on the ice. I know many people who have fallen or struggled with icy conditions the last couple weeks – so here’s hoping we’ll have more crunchy snow and less slipping and sliding! Those of you who live in areas of Black Ice know that feeling of dread when the tires go silent because the wet roads have frozen into a solid sheet of glassy ice. Be careful out there! We are not used to Black Ice storms here in Colorado.

Sending our deepest gratitude to those of you who have dropped off quilts or are making comfort quilts for the 1000+ families who lost everything in the December 30th #MarshallFire.

We have posted guidelines for donation here, and this effort will run for many months, for the thousands of people affected. This has hit our community hard and we are still trying to comprehend the depth of destruction and the many layers of recovery that will be required.

My curated exhibit “For the Love of Gaia” opens Jan 28 at the New England Quilt Museum in Lowell, Mass. It will run through April 9th. This will be the final stop for this exhibit, and we thank all the artists for their beautiful and thoughtful works of textile art.

…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Dahlia Dazzle

Posted on January 21, 2022 by Luana

Believe it or not, Spring is just around the corner and about halfway down the block, so we are preparing for those halcyon days with this gorgeous floral Free Quilt Pattern, featuring a spliced huge floral panel that gives a shimmering effect.

To make this exclusive eQuilter quilt design, you will splice together two 60″ x 60″ digital panels (one Blue, one Purple), then add 3 Hoffman Hand-Dyes to make the border for this 68″ x 68″ finished quilt.

This Bees-Eye-View of a luscious Dahlia bloom will keep your creative juices flowing through the remainder of Winter, so you can dream and plan for your garden in a few months. Enjoy!

…from the ‘Dahlia Dazzle’ collection by Oasis 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 ‘Gnomie Love‘ and ‘Bunny Tails‘ 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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Water Your Garden

Posted on January 19, 2022 by Luana

One of the great thrills for wildlife photographers is being able to capture a great shot. It is as thrilling as the experience of an avid birder, spotting that one bird they’ve been searching for all their life. Whether we are a photographer or a birder, sometimes we have traveled great distances to capture that moment that can never be repeated but will always be in our heart.

But in order to get that beautiful shot or spot that rare bird in your binoculars and get that rush of adrenaline, you have to prepare, sometimes for years. You buy the right equipment, you spend time with those fellow fans who are more experienced to absorb their wisdom, and you practice taking photos or learning to spot birds in the wild. This is what I call watering the garden of the creative soul. It is the same as a musician practicing scales for years and years so someday they can play in the orchestra.

These days out West we have to plant a xeriscape garden that will still attract the birds, or pollinators. (We are in a drought.) We prepare our soil, we plant the seeds or young seedlings, we water carefully, and in time we are rewarded with that moment of magic when the stars line up, the flower blooms, and the migrating hummingbirds stop to feed right outside your window, and your camera is within reach.

Creativity is much the same. We plant the seeds, we water the garden, we wait for the ripening fruit and seasonal migration to coincide. We collect fabric & notions, we invest in a good sewing machine, we learn and practice our skills, we find our local quilting tribe (guild), we have a creative brainwave, we set a goal to make something in time for an exhibit deadline or an event like a wedding or a birth….and the thrill we feel from this accomplishment is something we never forget. But it is more about the journey than the destination. We are always thinking of our next creative project!

For those of you avid birders, I want to remind you that we are constantly collecting 3 categories of bird fabrics for you, so you can put those avian dreams and bird-watching memories into your own quilts. (See the 3 small images/links above.)

In times such as these, we need to constantly water the Creative Soul. What can you do to water your Creative Garden now, so you can harvest the sweet juices later this year?

…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

* The Owl photo at the center of the collage was taken by Luana in June 2021.

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Gnomie Love

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Luana

Love is in the air, and if you know a couple of Gnomies who are truly madly in love or getting married soon, this panel quilt with pieced hearts could be the perfect gift!

To make this week’s 62″ x 80″ Free Quilt Pattern, you will start with the adorable 24″ x 44″ Hugs & Kisses Gnome panel, then add the Gnome stripe, a border of pieced Hearts, and another stripe border. We’ve added a dark Wine Red Hoffman Hand-Dye to set off the different border layers.

…from the ‘Gnomie Love’ collection by Shelly Comiskey for Henry Glass & Co.

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 ‘Joyful Days‘ and ‘Bunny Tails‘ 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 – Joyful Days

Posted on January 14, 2022 by Luana

Celebrate Joyful Days and the return of artist Julia Cairns, with this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern, with scenes of abundance from an African village.

To make this 49″ x 61″ quilt design, you will start with Julia’s image of a family on its way to Market, balancing baskets of chickens, fish and flowers on their heads. This easy quilt adds the African Beauty Stripe, and a stone texture, to create a quick project filled with exuberance and movement.

…from the ‘Joyful Days’ collection by Julia Cairns for Quilting Treasures and the ‘Kenya’ collection by Michael Miller Fabrics.

Don’t miss the ‘National Parks‘ and ‘Rescued and Loved at Home‘ 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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Celebrate Creativity

Posted on January 12, 2022 by Luana

As I mentioned in the Saturday e-newsletter, we are launching a quilt drive for the fire victims in Boulder. Please visit this link for details if you are interested in contributing. Thank you.

There is a short list of things that can restore my joy for life, when stress or exhaustion seem to have sapped the lifeblood out of me. I am sure you can relate. Every couple months of the last 2 years of the pandemic, I hit the wall and have to find a way to crawl out of the hole.

Our community has had some terrible traumas in the last year, but for sure there are plenty of other communities around the world that have suffered worse – things like war, famine, typhoons, etc. With this new year I am just giving up my desire for a return to ‘normal’ any time soon, and meditating on finding a place of balance amidst the fray.

I know that being creative is one of those things that bring me joy. And no it is not a Kondo kind of ‘sparking of joy’. Rather, it is making a big colorful mess and wallowing in the deep end. That’s what I am doing right now, since I was finally able to get back into my studio. I am finishing a big project in the next 2 weeks, and then continuing and finishing another important project for another show. Any time I go spend a few hours with fabric, I come out with a calm smile and a singing heart.

Over the past 2 years I’ve been kind of beating myself up about not being more creatively productive, which was kind of dumb. I’ve been working long hours the whole pandemic, and I am just now coming up for air. I decided to give myself a break and focus on what I accomplished, rather than all the things I wish I could have done. Can you relate?

So here is my celebration of creativity, in collaboration with several other artists:

“For the Love of Gaia” opened in Lincoln NE (never got to see it), then traveled to Birmingham UK (never got to see it), and on Jan 27 is scheduled to open at the New England Quilt Museum. (I hope to go to the closing reception April 9th) I curated this environmental-themed exhibit, and my quilt “Rocky Mountain Poison” has been acquired by the Intl Quilt Museum, where it will go to live when this show closes.

“A Better World” is opening in a few days at the Visions Art Museum, after traveling to 5 other venues. My quilt celebrating Kathy Price and the Mission of Love is hanging in this show.

My quilt “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” will be in the “Womens Voices, Womens Votes” exhibit opening at the Clinton Presidential Library in late March.

And as you may know, my painted 54″ fiberglass bear “If Mama Bears Ruled the Earth” is in a public art display in Chautauqua Park in Boulder now.

So if you are in San Diego, Lowell Mass, or Boulder, I invite you to see my work along with the beautiful artwork by other talented passionate artists. I’ll let you know the details when the next show opens at the presidential library.

I guess I will cut myself a break and then get back to that short list of things that make me calm and happy. I am going to update that list and tape it up on the wall. That is my list of New Year Resolutions.

…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Utopian Forest

Posted on January 11, 2022 by Luana

The image of a strong beautiful tree can represent so many things…a family tree, a magical forest, an old wise soul. This week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Quilt Pattern captures an iconic image in soothing cool colors of twilight, with a swirling confetti of leaves to indicate the passing of time.

To make this 51″ x 56″ quilt design, you will start with the Cobalt Blue 24″ x 44″ Tree panel, which is sparkling with Gold Metallic. Piece luscious coordinates in Blue, Violet, and more Gold Metallic, to make the diamond side panels and border.

This would make a lovely contemplative wall-hanging, or a comforting Lap/Nap quilt. For those who love the healing power of a walk in the forest, this quilt will have special meaning.

…from the ‘Utopia’ collection by Chong-A Hwang for 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 ‘Bunny Tails‘ and ‘Rescued and Loved at Home‘ 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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Quilts for #MarshallFire

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Luana

Our community is still reeling from the wildfire that destroyed over 1000 homes in a Boulder suburb on December 30. We have had many queries about donating comfort quilts, and we are ready to start this process of receiving and distributing quilts for the #MarshallFire.

As you may know, helping those in need is part of the mission of eQuilter. In addition to raising $1.88 million for charity and non-profits over the last 22 years, we have collected and distributed over 15K donated comfort quilts to those who have suffered a grave loss. Our partnership with Mission of Love and Engineers Without Borders, and locally with the Boulder Emergency Taskforce, has ensured that the quilts are personally distributed to those most in need. We take this responsibility very seriously, which is why generous quilters know they can trust us with their donated quilts.

If you wish to help those who have lost their homes, we first encourage you to donate to the Boulder Wildfire Fund, (listed on this blog post as our #1 choice) because right now the needs of these families are more basic and urgent. For the long term, if you wish to make a BED-sized quilt for a family who has lost everything in the fire, we ask that you donate a Twin, Full or Queen size quilt. We will accept Lap Quilts but again, we encourage you to think about those who lost the contents of their homes including their beds.

We also encourage you to put a LABEL on the back with your name, the year, and a message of encouragement to the recipient. We will accept quilts through June 1st, and then we will re-evaluate the project. We know our community’s recovery will take a very long time.

As always, we request that these are new/un-used quilts, odor free (no perfume, catbox or cigarette odors please) and pet hair free. (for those who are allergic) This is a quilt drive only, so please do not send blankets or other non-quilt items. Thank you for helping us with these guidelines.

Our offices are still not open to the public due to Covid, (we are trying so hard to keep our staff safe) but you can deliver any donated quilts to our front door during business hours (Mon-Sat, 8 am to 5 pm) and we safely store them until they are distributed. If you ship quilts to us, please get a TRACKING number so you can confirm it was received. We will not have time to confirm receipt of every package. If you need to drop off outside of business hours, contact us and we can make alternative arrangements.

Attn: Marshall Fire
eQuilter.com
6201 Spine Rd, Suite A
Boulder, CO 80301

Call 303-527-0856 or email [email protected]

Many of you who have pets may have realized that many cats, dogs, and other pets were lost in this fast-moving fire. So if you wish to acknowledge this, you may include a cat or dog fabric in the comfort quilt. For some, the pet was all they could save as they fled the fire. For those who were at work, the loss of the beloved pet is especially difficult.

We thank you for your generosity and your caring. If you have had a disaster such as this in your local area, we encourage you to support your local community through your local quilt shop. If your area has suffered a disaster due to Climate Change, we urge you to speak out and demand leadership on this issue, that is not going away.

…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul


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Your Free Quilt Pattern – Express Tracks

Posted on January 7, 2022 by Luana

All Aboard for a bracing mountain ride on this vintage Steam Train – this week’s exclusive eQuilter Free Pattern Design! If you have a train buff in your life, now is a great time to start sewing this fantastic large quilt for the ultimate gift.

To make this 60″ x 74″ quilt design you will start with the large 36″ x 44″ scenic panel and the 24″ x 44″ Mountain Passes panel, then add in the Tossed Trains for the corners and rustic railroad tracks for the border. We’ve added touches of Solid Kona Black to set off the brilliant colors and digital-printed details of this beautiful quilt design.

…from the ‘Express Tracks’ collection by Marc Desobeau for Blank 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 ‘Bunny Tails‘ and ‘Rescued and Loved at Home‘ 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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Looking for Silver Linings

Posted on January 5, 2022 by Luana

By now you have probably heard that last Thursday a wildfire raced through a suburb of Boulder, destroying over 1000 homes. We are on the North side of town, and the Marshall Fire was on the South side of Boulder, taking out homes in Superior and Louisville. It happened so fast, we are still reeling from the shock. Many of us have not been able to sleep, even if we live far away from the fire. But 35K were evacuated and are just now returning to homes without heat. For those who lost everything, there are no words to describe the trauma. But for those of you who have gone through similar events, like floods, tornadoes or hurricanes, I am sure you can relate.

In the Saturday newsletter I linked to a blog post with information about how to help, or how to get help. If you want to learn more, I am sharing this link again.

At times like this it is tempting to dream of just hopping in the car and leaving on a roadtrip. That’s what my grandparents did after Grandpa retired. They had an Airstream Silver Bullet trailer in the 70s, and they drove all over the Western United States. That’s what I’ve been doing in my dreams lately – traveling to beautiful places that I miss. So I thought I’d give you some escapist travel images in this newsletter so we can dream together – about past and future travels.

We have had queries about a quilt drive, and yes we will announce this soon, but right now I am sure you understand those who have lost everything need more urgent basic needs. I have a call out to my contact at the Boulder Emergency Taskforce (who I’ve worked with during the pandemic, floods and previous fires) and have not heard a peep from her, so I know she is up to her eyeballs on the ground right now. If you feel the urge to make a quilt for a family who has lost their home, we suggest you make a bed size quilt. Whatever size you wish to make – Twin, Full or Queen – will be appreciated. Be sure to put a label with your name, date, and perhaps a message of support.

We are so grateful that none of our staff were affected by this event, but we do know many people who lost their homes. eQuilter has made a donation to the Boulder Wildfire Fund, and we invite you to do the same if you wish to help. I spoke to a fellow quilter this morning who has lost her home, her studio, her machine…everything. However she was still able to look for the silver lining, and counted herself more fortunate than others because she had a place to go.

Thank you for keeping our community in your thoughts and prayers at this time. We feel fortunate to be able to continue our work, and to be able to help those in need. After months of abnormal warm temperatures and drought, we are keenly aware of how Climate Change is causing these weather anomalies, and we ask you to keep this in mind as we venture into this New Year. Together we must speak up, and demand action and solutions to this destruction…for our children’s sake.

…sharing your love of fabric,
Luana and Paul

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