Aurifil for AGF: Jeni Baker

We’re having so much fun with our Aurifil for AGF blog series! For the next 2 weeks, we’ll be introducing you to the talented designers of Art Gallery Fabrics, to herald their work, and shine a light on their fabulous thread collections. Back in 2015, we launched Aurifil thread boxes to match with the identity of each Art Gallery Fabrics designer. The best thing about this is that the threads aren’t specific to one fabric collection but rather were selected to match a designer’s signature palette. With that in mind, these collections work just as well with the brand new fabric collections as they did with those that released back in 2015. Pretty amazing, right? We hope you enjoy hearing more about these fabulous women AND don’t miss our super sweet giveaway!

Today, we meet Jeni Baker of In Color Order! Jeni’s Tid Bits collection comes in both Large and Small boxes, offering the sweetest selections of our 40wt thread. A wonderful lineup of neutral, warm, and cool tones, Tid Bits has everything you need to work with any of Jeni’s five collections for Art Gallery Fabrics – Color Me Retro, Nordika, Dreamin’ Vintage, Geometric Bliss, & Curiosities. We absolutely adore Jeni’s use of color and her amazing knack for mixing prints, and can’t get enough of the fabulous tips & tricks that she shares on her blog in addition to the super cute photos of her famous bunny George!

Tid Bits, LARGE
12 Large Spools, 40wt (1094yds/spool)
2830 – 5011 – 2600 – 2479 – 2000 – 2625
1148 – 5015 – 2692 – 2784 – 2220 – 2024

Tid Bits, SMALL
10 Small Spools, 40wt (164yds/spool)
2479 – 2220 – 5015 – 2000 – 5011
2625 – 2600 – 2784 – 1148 – 2830

INTERVIEW
What first drew you to to the world of sewing and quilting? 
I’ve always been crafty. As a kid I was constantly working on craft projects, from making friendship bracelets to magazine collages. I loved looking through my Mom’s fabric stash, and watching her sew. Around the time I was 11, my Mom taught me to use her sewing machine. For many years I sewed nothing but tote bags and barbie doll clothes. When I moved into my first apartment in college, I decided I wanted to try making a quilt. After I finished my first quilt, I immediately started another. It never crossed my mind to stop!

Can you tell us a bit about your background? 
I grew up in Northeast Ohio and attended college there for Marketing and Studio Art. I knew I wanted to use my degree in a different way. My Dad started his own business when I was a young child, and that had a big impact on me. Instead of getting a side job in college, I opened an Etsy shop selling vintage sheet fabric. When I graduated, I decided to try my hand at sewing pattern design. It has led me to a career in this industry, and I love the freedom of running my own business.

Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
I am really drawn to design from the 1950s-1970s. I love to collect kitchenware and fabrics from that time, and it’s a huge inspiration for my work.I am also really drawn to vintage quilts. I have a number in my collection, and I love re-imagining vintage designs in fresh modern colors and fabrics.

Do you have a favorite project or projects made with each collection? 
Of course!

Florette Quilt in Color Me Retro.
Sew Portable Featherweight Travel Set in Nordika.
Double Wedding Ring Quilt (in progress!) in Dreamin’ Vintage.
Fractal Quilt in Geometric Bliss.
Webbed Quilt in Curiosities.

When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
I discovered Aurifil threads about five years ago in my local quilt shop. I had been exclusively using polyester threads up until that point, that first spool of 50wt was my first experience with cotton thread. I love how smooth Aurifil threads are to stitch with. I find this especially important when sewing on my vintage singer featherweight, she loves Aurifil! I also find Aurifil has the most beautiful range of colors. You can find your typical colors, but it’s easy to find plenty of options within the Aurifil color family for more sophisticated colors too.

Do you have a favorite color/weight and why?
I can’t choose just one! My two favorites are 40wt and 50wt. I love the definition the 40wt has for top-stitching, and it has nice strength for garments and bags. For piecing quilts, I love using 50wt. It just disappears into the seams.

Can you tell us a bit more about your signature Aurifil collection — why did you select the colors and the weights that you did? 
My signature Aurifil collection is called Tidbits. I love to sew a wide variety of different projects, from quilts to bags to garments. For this reason, I chose 40wt threads for my collection. It’s such a nice weight for so many kinds of projects. Color-wise, I split the collection into two halves. The luxurious half features beautiful jewel tones that match all five of my fabric collections with Art Gallery Fabrics. The workhorse half is filled with practical colors you’ll pull for everyday. Colors that every quilter should have in their thread stash!

Your Aurifil showcase project is currently traveling with Alex Veronelli and is featured in his shops lecture series. What would you want to tell attendees about the project?
Small projects are a great opportunity to try out a time-consuming quilting style like the matchstick quilting on my pouch. And a great way to show off beautiful threads!

Where can we find you this year?
You can find me continuing to share my creative journey on my blog, Incolororder.com. I like to share progress on my projects and a bit of daily life on my instagram, @jenib320.

ABOUT JENI
Website – Instagram – Pinterest – Flickr

Jeni started sewing from a very young age, but didn’t start quilting until 2009. Finding ways to be creative every day is an important part of her life. She loves nothing more than to be surrounded by fabric. She also loves figuring out how to make things work and especially doing pattern math!

In Fall 2015, Jeni wrote her first book, Patchwork Essentials: The Half-Square Triangle, with Lucky Spool Media. She also self-publishes sewing and quilting patterns. In addition to sewing, she loves to bake, knit, and go thrifting.

 

 

AURIFIL FOR AGF GIVEAWAY

Today’s post marks the launch of a super fab giveaway featuring both Aurifil threads and Art Gallery Fabrics. One lucky Grand Prize winner will take home 1 LG Art Gallery thread collection of his or her choosing + 1 SM Art Gallery thread collection + a bundle of Art Gallery Fabrics. Two runners up will take home 2 SM Art Gallery thread collections each. All in all, SO much fabulous fabric & thread, so many fun new projects to plan! The giveaway is open from now through 11:59pm on Friday, June 30th, at which point we’ll select 3 random winners. We’ll email winners directly and will also announce on every post in the series. This giveaway is open to our International friends as well! Simply follow the link below or click on the image above!

UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to Allison Evrard, our Grand Prize Winner!! Congratulations also to Sarah Jasinski and Lynn Brown, our runners up! We had so much fun with this one — thanks to all who entered and followed along with us!

SCHEDULE
Sunday, June 11 — Intro
Tuesday, June 13 — Sharon Holland
Wednesday, June 14 — Katarina Roccella 
Thursday, June 15 — Jeni Baker (you are here!)
Friday, June 16 — Bonnie Forkner
Tuesday, June 20 — Caroline Hulse
Wednesday, June 21 — Maureen Cracknell
Thursday, June 22 — April Rhodes & Amy Sinibaldi
Friday, June 23 — Pat Bravo & Bari J

LOOKBOOK

ABOUT ART GALLERY
Website – Blog – Instagram – Pinterest – Facebook – Twitter – YouTube
Art Gallery Fabrics is a leading Manufacturer of Quilting & Sewing Textiles, and a Wholesale Supplier to Quilting, Home Decor, Sewing, and Apparel Industries. Many describe their style as “Contemporary Elegant” and it fits! They love to design fabrics that fit today’s modern lifestyle while adding a chic, sophisticated touch. Art Gallery works with a talented design team whose enticing color palettes & artful, intricate prints make the collections one of a kind.

[Photos courtesy of Jeni Baker & Art Gallery Fabrics]