Jill Finley of Jillily Studio debuted Meadow Sweets, her first collection as a designer for Penny Rose Fabrics (a division of Riley Blake) at Spring Quilt Market. The fabrics are in stores now, available alongside her coordinating Large and Small Aurifil Thread Collections. We just love the range of colors and have simply fallen for the feature quilts!
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Meadow Sweets
12 Large Spools, 50wt (1422yds/spool)
2425 – 2265 – 1103 – 1135 – 2140 – 1147
2887 – 6720 – 2775 – 2710 – 2024 – 2692
10 Small Spools, 50wt (220yds/spool)
2425 – 2265 – 1135 – 2140 – 1147
2887 – 6720 – 2775 – 2024 – 2692
To view this info on our website, click on any of the images above. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
THE INTERVIEW
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got started in the world of sewing and quilting?
I was always a sewer, and mostly did garment and home dec sewing. Then about 20 years ago I was asked to teach a quilting class at my church. I said OK. (How hard could that be?) So, long story short—I learned a lot and then fell in love with quilting!
Do you remember the process of making your first quilt and how you felt once it was complete?
It was awesome! I loved the idea of doing something old–that women had been doing for centuries. It was something that was important to keep in the tradition of things, and to use my own creativity.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
I think that life in general has been an inspiration to me creatively. When I have an experience or see something beautiful, I want to create to share that.
How did you first connect with the lovely folks at Riley Blake and what have you loved most about the process of creating this latest fabric collection?
I have known many of the people a Riley Blake for many years. When I finally decided to make the move over to the Penny Rose company, it was like coming home. I love working with these people—we are on the same wave-length!
Meadow Sweets is your latest collection, available in stores now. Can you tell us a bit more about what inspired the line and what excites you most about it?
I live near the mountains and in a matter of minutes I can be up one of our beautiful canyons enjoying nature. In the spring and summer these mountain canyons are filled with colorful wildflowers—it looks like a candy store—with so many colors and textures!
Do you have a favorite project made with the collection?
Oh, I have made so many—and there are more coming, too. But one of my favorites has to be the Meadow Weaver quilt because the piecing is so unusual and intricate. And I love that it comes in 2 colorways. I can say that I LOVED piecing that, and watching it come together. The applique was so much fun to do—very simple shapes with big impact!
What is your favorite thing to make? Do you prefer quilting over creating smaller projects like home accessories or handbags, or vice versa?
I think I probably prefer quilt-making, but it sure is fun to whip up a small project like a bag or pin cushion for a change of scenery!
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
I always tell Alex and Elena that I am their oldest US customer! The first Market that they came to—to introduce Aurifil threads to the US market, my booth was across from them. They didn’t speak much English, and I didn’t speak Italian, but we managed to get some thread to take home and try. Of course, after using it, I became a fan for life. I ran out and had to call Italy to get more because when I went back to my previous thread, I felt like I was sewing with string! At the time they didn’t have a US distributor, so it was hard to get but worth it! I have not sewn with anything else since!
Do you have a favorite color/weight and why?
I love the 50 wt for all my piecing, by machine or by hand. I also use 50 wt. for my hand applique. On my machine I use a neutral color as I am piecing, but when I applique, I like to match the thread color to my applique piece. So, I have TONS of colors, and love them all!
I also use the 28 wt for making yo-yos, some hand stitching, etc. I have all the weights, too. You never know what you are going to need.
How did you go about selecting threads for your latest Aurifil collection?
That’s easy. I just picked colors that matched the fabrics in the collection so I can applique and top-stitch with confidence that the thread will be perfect.
JILL’S AURIFIL THREAD REVIEW
THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win 1 Fat Quarter Bundle of Meadow Sweets by Jill Finley for Penny Rose Fabrics, a division of Riley Blake AND 1 Large Meadow Sweets Thread Collection by Jill Finely for Aurifil, click here to head to the Rafflecopter entry page, or simply click on the image above. You do not have to complete all the options to be entered but the more options you choose, the more entries you have! Entries will be accepted from now through 11:59pm Eastern Time on Thursday, December 22! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Friday, December 23. Good luck!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Judy Rianprakaisang!
ABOUT JILL
Website — Blog — Facebook — Instagram — YouTube
She is a Master Designer for Aurifil Threads and is also a BERNINA Ambassador. Her designs have been featured in several magazines including American Patchwork and Quilting, Quilter’s Home and McCall’s Quilting. Jill stays busy traveling and teaching about her quilt designs and applique methods. Jill designs fabric with Penny Rose fabrics, part of Riley Blake designs. Creating fabric collections for quilting has been one of Jill’s favorite projects. Jill loves to spend time with her family; eating, reading, gardening, sewing, cooking, and learning. She and her husband Randy live in Herriman, Utah and are the parents of seven children and eleven grandchildren.