April Designer of the Month, Gail Pan

Hi I’m Pat Sloan the Aurifil Designer of the Month coordinator.

I’d like to introduce you to our April Aurifil Designer, Gail Pan of “Gail Pan Designs” . Gail love embroidery and patchwork together and executes the look in her own very soft and beautiful style. I was lucky enough to meet Gail at one of the trade shows and see a whole booth filled with her work!

Listen March 5, 2012 when I interviewed Gail for my radio show! CLICK HERE and look for the date in the player.

Remember to post your photo at our Flickr folder of a project given by one of the Aurifil Designers of the month (see tab on right for all the profiles). One quilter EACH MONTH will win a prize of Aurifil thread! Just post a photo of your completed block. Everyone in the Flickr folder is in the running! We have a new folder for the 2012 projects

Flickr folder –www.flickr.com/groups/2012_aurifil_featured_designerofthemonth/

Let’s get to know Gail!

When did you first start to do embroidery or stitching?

I remember stitching a doily at school, I think it was around grade 5 (11 years old), sadly I don’t have it anymore!

Favorite go to stitch?

Backstitch, it’s quick and easy!

Did you work at another career prior to this … what was it?

Don’t know if you would call it a career and a bit embarrassed to say that I worked at McDonald’s as a manager for a total of about 6 years. I met my hubby there, he was a manager also! Have been a bank teller and check out chick too!!

What does your studio look like?  

I have taken over a bedroom but I have so much fabric…..wonderful big windows though that let in lots of light..

What is your favorite storage tip or place? 

I like to use plastic boxes so I can see what is in them!!! I also have various tins I have collected for little bits and pieces, I keep my binding clips in one tin, quilting thread, tape and thimble in another..

How do you fill your soul?  What I mean by this is – what makes you SO HAPPY that you know that if you do this you are experiencing a little ‘Heaven on Earth’

I actually love walking, it is wonderful just to be out among nature. I am lucky to have a park near me where I walk every morning and most afternoons. (this is Gail’s backyard… divine!)

How do your ideas develop? Do you sketch, doodle, put ideas on a mood board?

I doodle a lot and have pieces of paper everywhere. I also get inspiration from fabric, but most of the time when i am walking I am tossing ideas around. sometimes what I start with is not what I end up with!

What are your Aurifil  ‘go to’ thread colors?

 Red is my favourite colour to stitch with, but my favourite colour is blue and i love the Aurifil 12wt 2775..

What is your favorite stitching tool?

I never used to use a hoop but now I don’t stitch without one, I must have at least a dozen.

If you could train with, or work with, or follow one person for a day.. who would it be and why?

I hope this doesn’t sound weird but I would love to spend a class with you! I was lucky enough to attend a class with Kim Diehl last year and that was a great experience.

(Gail I am blushing!! I’d love to spend a day with you too…. we’ll have to make that happen sometime!…. Pat)

Do you travel to teach?

I am lucky enough to travel throughout Australia for workshops as well as a few of my local shops. I am teaching in Europe also this year which is a wonderful opportunity to meet quilters from all over Europe. I usually teach at least once a month, sometimes a small class at my local shop but about 4 times a year I teach at workshops which can have up to 120 ladies .

Do you teach at Guilds, stores, retreats, big shows? Mostly stores but I am scheduled to teach at a few guilds this year also

Is there a schedule on your blog or website?Yes, there is a page on my blog of my teaching for this year.

anything else you’d like to share… new fabrics, books, teaching event?

Hopefully I will be able to meet a lot more people when I attend Spring Market in Kansas City this May.

And a few on the light side…

1. Favorite Expression – I find myself saying “no worries” a lot…Aussies say it all the time..
2. Your Favorite Movie – toss up between “the sound of music” and anything by Jane Austen, especially pride and prejudice
3. Dream Vacation spot – Norway, I have been lucky enough to have been 3 times and would never tire of going there…
4. The Color you have always LOVED.….Blue, ever since I can remember..

‘Why did you select the image you did for your block’

When I found out I was April, the first thing that popped into my head was “April showers bring May flowers” so since I am April i wanted to use rain….then birds..and finally an umbrella flower came to mind with a little bird sheltering underneath.

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12 Wt Aurifil Threads Used in Gail’s Block

• Red 2230
• Orange 1133
• Green 5012
• Brown 1285
• Blue 5005

Click HERE to Download the APRIL SHOWERS Pattern

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Visit Gail at http://gailpandesigns.typepad.com/

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/Gail-Pan-Designs

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Looking for Aurifil 12 wt?  There is store list HERE and Roseann is selling kits for all the designer months. Email or call  her from her website HERE

We would also love for you to ask your Local Quilt shop to carry Aurifil thread!

Bari J. is one of our Designers this year, and she has a website called “We Love French Knots” with loads of stitchery inspiration! If you need to freshen up your stitching skills, she has a series of videos http://www.welovefrenchknots.com/stitch-videos.html

EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a stitchery block.. that person will receive a special Aurifil thread prize! Winners are all contacted via Flickr email and posted at our flickr page in the winner topics.

You can make ANY of the 2012 blocks to be in the running (and we hope you make them all!). Share your photos at our Flickr Folder… we can’t WAIT to see what you do!

www.flickr.com/groups/2012_aurifil_featured_designerofthemonth/
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