| I must start by sending our deepest sympathies to the community of Highland Park. From our mass shooting in Boulder 15 months ago, to Uvalde, and now this…when it has happened in your own community you feel the pain very personally. This week I would like to share the work of an extraordinary Canadian quilt artist. I finally met Faiza Elmayergi a few weeks ago, and discovered that we have a mutual admiration club. Faiza buys much of her fabric from eQuilter. I am delighted to show you this quilt – “My Garden Gate” – which I photographed in Vancouver at Quilt Canada. And her other quilt “Majestic” won 1st place in the Traditional category. Several years ago I was at the award ceremony when Faiza won her very first award. Her intricate applique work is inspired by Islamic architecture and Mosaic design from previous centuries. So her work has a timeless quality and beautiful symmetry. You can see this and her other quilt on my photo pages. This quilt in the above collage (left side) features machine applique using one piece of rainbow ombre fabric (see category link below) for the filigree gate design. Hand embroidery, crystals and beads add embellishment. It was quilted by Barbara Bettles. When Faiza stepped up to the microphone several years ago, to receive her first award, she told the story of entering her quilt for the very first time. She didn’t think her work was worthy, but friends insisted that she fill out the application and send in the registration. Not only did she get in, but she won a big award her very first time! I have seen this happen many times over the years, so the moral of the story is….do you best work and then enter it in a show or contest. You never know what might happen! On Thursday Sophie and I are driving down to Santa Fe, and we’ll be meeting up with some quilt artist friends there…and going to the opera. We’ll be visiting art exhibits and museums, and the International Folk Art Market. I’ll share some photos with you when I return next week! Thanks for telling your friends about our family-owned business. We appreciate you! 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. Visit eQuilter’s Instagram, Pinterest or Twitter pages for Color and Design ideas. Quilt/Travel/Sponsor Calendar: July 7-11 – Santa Fe July 19 – Quilting Arts TV July 22-26 – Sacred Threads Weekend, Dulles/Wash DC 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 Sept 21-24 – SAQA Conference – San Diego CA October 2022 – Luana’s Polar Bear Tour – Churchill Manitoba Canada |
