Every time we think about Susan Emory’s sassy new collection for Michael Miller Fabrics, we immediately have a soundtrack of Lionel Richie & Adele running through our heads;). Silly? Perhaps. But Hello is just fabulous enough to make it all work! Born out of a moment of workday inspiration, Hello combines bright colors and B&Ws with vintage phones and a super fab text print that just screams for creative appliqué. Susan’s coordinating thread collection is a rainbow of color, with black, white, and gray included for maximum versatility.
We’ve been honored to be such an active part of Susan’s collection launch, taking part in a super fun booth hop at Spring Market in St. Louis a few months back, and in her blog hop which finished up just last week. Today, it’s all about the thread, the fabrics, and the patterns that Susan created to showcase both.
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Hello
100% Aurifil Cotton, 12 Large Spools, 50wt (1422yds/spool)
Colors included:
2588 – 1148 – 4093 – 2735 – 2582 – 2145
5015 – 2865 – 2250 – 2625 – 2692 – 2024
To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
THE INTERVIEW
What first drew you to the world of sewing and quilting?
I’m from a quilting family, my mother and grandmother taught me how to sew and quilt. As quilting tools and technology evolved, I began to try new techniques and find my own style.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
I’m inspired by mid-century design. Most of my fabric lines and my personal decor both have a vintage feel. I’ve also been inspired by my family. My mother was a very crafty, creative person and encouraged me to express my creative side. My sister is a talented seamstress and has always been a great source for brainstorming and looking at things a little differently.
Tell us a little more about Hello — what inspired the designs and what excites you most about the collection?
The large letters came to mind when I was sitting in a meeting and considering if I could send a ransom note to my friend so she would save me – ha ha. I ran with that theme and the scissors and telephones seemed like a natural fit. This lead to the Hashtag Texture blenders and other punctuation prints.
You pulled together a pretty fantastic group of makers to help celebrate and market this collection. The process started months ago, culminated at Spring Market with the collection launch, and carried through to the Hello Blog Tour that just completed. What was the process of putting that all together like?
I definitely have a lot going on with this line. It takes serious organization to keep the projects and deadlines straight. After artwork is submitted I wait for strike-offs to come. Strike-offs are a small sample of the printed fabric showing exactly how the colors print. The fabrics are then adjusted or approved and the mill adds them to their production schedule. This time the colors needed no adjusting, I loved them! While I’m waiting to get my hands on actual fabric, I design projects to feature the prints. We have a short window of time from receiving sample yardage to needing quilts photographed for marketing purposes, so I need to be ready to roll when the sample yardage comes in. While I’m working on the new line, I’m also marketing the previous line and designing the next line. There is an overlap of fabric line design due to the length of time it takes to get from idea to fabric, six months to a year.
The Hello Blog Tour was months in the making. Because this fabric line has a lot of opportunity to personal expression, I decided to ask some of my favorite bloggers to make a project to inspire others. I contacted them well before the sample yardage was available and they began to plan their projects using digital images of the fabric. There were twelve blogs to visit during the tour from July 14-21. Some of the blogs gave away prizes and free patterns. The free pattern for “For A Good Time Quilt 24/7” is available on my Hello Blog Hop post.
Do you have any favorite projects from the tour?
There are a variety of projects that were on the tour. Some of the highlights were Cheryl’s ruffle pillow, and the amazing quilting done by Teri and Geta . Really, every blog had a great project, I couldn’t pick just one!
What is your favorite piece that you’ve made with Hello?
I love my new Happy Place quilt. This was a fun one to make with several different techniques. I love paper piecing and applique, so this quilt is right up my alley. I also love the scrappy look and bright colors. I plan to hang it in my sewing studio.
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them? One year at Quilt Market (2009?) my booth was next to Aurifil’s booth. I learned a lot about thread that week! Not only did I learn the value of Aurifil thread, but their history and business practices impressed me. I use 40wt and 50wt for applique, piecing and quilting. I buy white and light gray on very large cones, I go through a lot of thread. My favorite is the 12wt. I love to do hand embroidery and working with the single strand is easy and efficient. I also use 12wt on my machine for decorative stitching.
How did you go about selecting colors for Hello and what excites you most about releasing the collection to the world?
I knew I wanted a “rainbow” thread collection and Hello was the perfect fabric line for it! I used my fabric strike-offs to select the colors. I knew people could use the entire color range of this thread because my DC7659 Cut It Out print calls for a lot of applique. I also designed new patterns, including Happy Place, that use machine applique. This entire process has been very exciting. I love when the fabric and thread become available and I can see what everyone makes with them. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing quilters create with my art 😊.
GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win Susan’s Hello thread collection AND a bundle of Hello by Susan Emory for Michael Miller Fabrics, 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 Tuesday, August 1! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Wednesday, August 2. Good luck!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Christi Scheffel!
ABOUT SUSAN
Website — Blog — Facebook — Instagram — Pinterest — Twitter
** Images, biographical text and interview text by Susan Emory
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