Our hearts go out to the community of Lahaina on Maui, where a wind-driven wildfire has taken dozens of lives and over 1000 homes. This is similar to what happened here in Boulder on December 30, 2021, when we lost 1100 homes in a few hours. We know all too well the trauma of that kind of loss, and the long road to recovery. eQuilter.com has made donations to the community-based Maui organization helping locals to deal with trauma and losses.
We are reading today about ‘mountains’ of donations in Honolulu, so for now we are advising all of you to donate any amount of money that you can, and save the quilt donations until the initial crisis passes. We have tried to reach out to a couple of our customers who live in the Lahaina area, and have not heard back. We know that power was out on Kauai due to the same winds from the hurricane passing to the South. As these types of freak weather events happen more often, there is hopefully a new level of urgency to deal with the issue of climate change. These escalating wildfire events are not normal.
Many thanks to Patchwork Professional Magazine (Germany) for making me a Cover Girl in the issue released this weekend. It features my “Stardust Mothers” quilt on the cover, and they have given me a new nickname on the cover. Take a look here.
My latest activist quilt is in a new exhibit raising awareness about endangered pollinators, and the opening reception is Monday at 4 pm at the Boulder Library Canyon Gallery. In collaboration with the Endangered Species Coalition based in Washington DC, they have asked me to speak about ‘Art and Activism’ at CU Boulder on Sept 14 in the evening. (details forthcoming)
This month we have achieved the goal of raising $2 million for non-profits, over the last 24 years, through the eQuilter Charity program. You are all a part of this story, and even now 2% of all sales go to our list of charities and currently to disaster relief for Maui.
When the world is on fire and the news seems to all be bad, the answer is to Be A Force for Good in the World. We can all participate in this effort, as global citizens and compassionate human beings. I have always loved the idea of practicing “Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Beauty”, and as quilters and makers we are in a unique position to share these gifts of kindness and beauty for those suffering loss. For ourselves, Stitch Therapy is a powerful antidote to the daily news.
sharing your love for fabric,
Luana and Paul
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Travel/Quilt Calendar:
August 18-24 – Bear Camp – Homer Alaska
Sept 28-30 – AQSG Seminar – Louisville, KY
