Happy Monday!! Welcome back to Moda Mondays, a super fun series designed to showcase a stunning lineup of thread collections by our treasured Moda Designers. Check in here every Monday to learn more!
Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill’s Sugar Plum Christmas for Moda is a sweet new Christmas collection featuring fabric colors like Candy Cane Red, Sugar Plum Pink, Icicle White, Gingerbread Brown, Gumdrop Green and Mouse Grey. It is shipping to stores now, giving us time to plan out our holiday sewing for this year! Anne’s coordinating thread kit is a small, 10-spool collection of Aurifil’s new 80wt + 3 spools of Aurifloss embroidery thread for perfect hand-stitched details.
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Sugar Plum Christmas
10 Small Spools, 100% Aurifil Cotton
2021 – 2250 – 2372 – 2423 – 2600 – 2870 – 2880 (80wt, 300yds/spool)
2630 – 2360 – 2250 (Floss, 18yds/spool)
THE INTERVIEW
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you first got started in the world of sewing and quilting?
I grew up loving to craft and sew and for many years, I made all of my own clothes. But when I walked into my first quilt store, I fell in love with everything in the shop and I was hooked. I became a quilter!
Do you remember the process of making your first quilt and how you felt once it was complete?
I remember it like it was yesterday! I made a sampler quilt with pieced blocks and an appliqué heart. It was the applique heart that took me the longest to complete, but I was so excited when I finished.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
Bunnies of course! I’ve never owned a real bunny, but there was one that frequented our bird feeder almost every day. He became the inspiration for my business name, and you’ll find him on many of my quilts. Who can resist a bunny?
How did you first connect with Moda and what do you love most about working with them?
Kimberly at Fat Quarter Shop helped me connect with Moda. I’d dreamed of designing for Moda for years, and Kimberly kept encouraging me to approach them. Then one market I was on the phone with her and she said to me “I’m not hanging up until you go talk to them” so I did it! I’m so glad I did.
Working for Moda guarantees quality fabric and a support team like no other. It’s a family filled with people who love what they do and it shows. They are just the best.
What did you love most about putting your latest collection, Sugar Plum Christmas, together for them? What inspired the collection?
A little mouse was the inspiration for this collection. You won’t find her in any of the prints, but you’ll find a Mouse Grey Christmas dot and a Mouse Grey Twinkle Stars fabric. I designed The Christmas Mouse quilt first and then designed the collection around the quilt.
Do you have a favorite project made with the collection?
I’m in love with Maya Mouse! I had fun drafting this pattern but it took 4 attempts to get her right. On my fourth try I added her nose and then her eyes. She came to life and I knew she was a mouse to love.
What is your favorite thing to make?
I love to applique and if I had my way I’d never do anything else.
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
I saw the Aurifil 50wt thread display at our local quilt store. The colors were so beautiful I was automatically drawn to them and the thread is so yummy you can’t help but fall in love.
I use the 50wt for piecing, but I’m really enjoying using Aurifil 12wt for embroidery. I love how my stitches look in this heavier thread, and I love how easy it is to embroider with. I bought the Aurifil collection of the small 12wt threads from Moda, but I’d love for them to also carry the small spools individually.
Do you have a favorite color/weight and why?
Aurifil 50wt 2000 is my go to color and you’ll find it on my machine almost all the time. It blends with almost every fabric I use.
How did you go about selecting threads for your latest Aurifil collection?
I started with the Aurifil Color Card and laid my fabrics next to it. Then I prayed they would have the colors I selected in the new 80wt thread. Of course, Aurifil did such a good job of selecting colors for this new thread, I didn’t have to worry. There was a color for every fabric in the line! You’ll also find three spools of Aurifloss in my collection. I used it for the embroidery in The Christmas Mouse.
What top thread tip would you want to share with our readers?
Always thread your applique needle with the end of thread that comes off the spool. If you start with the other end it will tangle more. If your thread keeps tangling as you applique, you’ve probably started with the wrong end of the thread. Tie it off and start again with the opposite end of the thread.
Where can we find you this year?
I’ll be in Houston in October for Quilt Market, but I’m staying close to home this year. You can probably find me in my studio. It’s my favorite place to be!
FREE PATTERN
We first launched Sugar Plum Christmas along with Anne and Moda Fabrics back at Fall Quilt Market 2016 in Houston. Anne was kind enough to share a free pattern with us for giveaway at our schoolhouse! We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to share it with you here.
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CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ‘A Merry Little Christmas’
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THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win 1 Small Sugar Plum Christmas Thread Collection and one Jelly Roll of Sugar Plum Christmas by Anne Sutton for Moda, 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 Sunday, May 7! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Monday, May 8. Good luck!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Karen McMahon!
ABOUT ANNE
Website — Blog — Facebook — Instagram — Pinterest — Twitter
Anne lives with her husband in Northern California surrounded by pets; a few cats and two wonderful dogs. She is always busy rearranging their home, adding flea market finds, and bargains she can’t resist. She loves cottage style decorating mixed with a simplified shabby chic, a style that influences many of her designs. She combines vintage with new, dark woods with whites, velvet with chenille.
ABOUT MODA
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