Mister Domestic (aka Mathew Boudreaux) exploded onto the sewing and quilting scene with a burst of talent, drive, and exuberance and has commanded our attention ever since. Whether he’s sewing some fabulous new item of clothing for his daughter, working on a new set of pillow covers, piecing a quilty masterpiece, or schooling us in EPP, his projects inspire and generally make us feel like anything is possible. He has an incredible ability to make us all feel like we can conquer the quilty world, one stitch at a time.
With that in mind, we are honored to partner with him on Mister Domestic’s Toolbox, his brand new collection featuring 12 of his absolute go-to threads… the ones that he would take with him to a deserted island, where creativity rules and thread reigns. <3
Read on to learn all about how Mister Domestic came to be, and where he is headed!
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Mister Domestic’s Toolbox
100% Aurifil Cotton, 12 Large Spools
50wt: 2024, 2692, 2312, 2600, 1147, 2410 (1422yds/spool)
28wt: 2140, 2785, 2311 (820yds/spool)
40wt: 2810, 2560, 1126 (1094yds/spool)
To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
THE INTERVIEW
What first drew you to to the world of sewing and quilting?
Sewing has weirdly always been a peripheral part of my creative journey. Growing up, I watched my mom sew dresses for my sisters and constantly alter her own clothes. I think I learned the ins and outs of a sewing machine through osmosis during those years even without even participating. Then, when I was in theater, it was always amazing to watch what the costumers could magically create will their small budgets. When I modeled professionally, it was an entirely different beast of magic that I was able to witness. And then, when I was a photographer, I became fascinated with artistic fashion photography and I started making the creative outfits for the models I worked with. After a few years of this, I realized that I enjoyed the garment creation more than the actual photography.
But it wasn’t until my daughter Helena was born in 2013 that I dove feet first into the deep end of sewing. Without even knowing whether I could do it, I envisioned that it would be really rad if I could make clothes for her that she really liked and what an awesome journey that would be together. I had sewn prior, but having her as my muse and inspiration exponentially improved my skillset and attention to detail. It’s like I wanted to make something that showed her exactly how much I loved her. This was a natural transition into the quilting world, because that’s exactly what a quilt is: love is in every stitch.
Where does the name Mister Domestic come from?
This is so funny because no one has ever asked me this before. So after a couple years of sewing apparel, I recognized that I was doing something pretty special from the feedback I was getting and that there was a potential for a business there. At that time, I envisioned like a boutique or something somewhere. So I decided to turn my business brain on and I created a business plan and a mission and a vision that 100% represented me. Since I have a day job, I was able to totally idealize what this other business would be and I needed a name to fit. I was also really into making jam at the time, so I wanted a name that could scale to like Martha Stewart epic proportions. Mister Domestic was an evolution of Domestic Diva going from Domestic Mister to Mister Domestic. I had a few options that I tested out and that one won hands down. And then once I had a name, I entered social media with my plan in tow and the rest is history.
We’ve been following along with you for a while and have seen you make stunning clothing for your daughter, combine fabric weaving with quilting, create home decor items, craft amazing quilts, and so much more. What is your favorite thing to sew?
I don’t know that I have a favorite really. Like I started this journey wanting to make clothes for my kid and I definitely wish I were doing more of that, but I’m really enjoying the skill set I’m acquiring and the artistry in the quilting world. Now the thing that surprises me the most is that I’m able to make clothes for myself that I want to wear. Like that’s bananas to me. Ask me this again in like 20 years or so. I feel like I’m a kid in a candy store honestly and everything is shiny and new still.
What inspires you to try new techniques?
This is actually one of my primary drivers for picking projects. I’m not a fan of doing the same thing over and over. Once I’ve learned something I’m like okay what can I learn next. Like the whole fabric weaving thing. Woooow. When I first started that, I had no idea that I’d be making apparel and quilts with the technique. That’s wild to me. You never know when you’re going to come across something that you can run with for a while and create something innovative and new. This year that happened with English Paper Piecing. This whole journey has been a crazy adventure and I’m so enjoying the ride.
What drives your creative process?
Intuition. I live my life so fully and am generally so busy that I don’t have time to second guess or doubt myself, which forces me to get into a purely intuitive space. Okay this is a funny story and kinda a sidebar, but it’s funny. So when I first started sewing, part of my plan was to get on Project Runway, so I committed to sewing at least two hours a night to build my skillset and endurance. It was purely strategic. Even though I couldn’t imagine ever being away from Helena for the time to shoot the show, this has pretty much stuck with me because I love that time with myself each day. And what this did was allow me to continually flex my creative muscle to a point where it’s now unconscious for me to get into that headspace of intuition and presence.
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
I discovered it at Fabric Depot during one of my first sewing projects. I don’t remember what it was for, but I remember it was one of the pale yellows and I was in a hurry and I grabbed it because it was the perfect match for what I needed. As I was checking out, the check out person asked me if I was aware of the price because it was the best and I was all like I don’t care it’s perfection. Then I took it home and used it and discovered it actually was. I probably could’ve done with the small spool of that shade, but ever since I’ve been hooked on Aurifil.
Tell us about your Toolbox and how you put it all together.
I approached this box with the mentality that if I were allowed to only use 12 Aurifil threads for the rest of my life, what would they be? The box would need to match the diversity of my projects, the color stories that I gravitated to, and the diversity of attributes that I need in thread. Two thirds of the box I’d already had in my heavy rotation and the other third were chosen because the the specific pigments in each of those threads have chameleon-like properties that literally go with any color. So the box landed on my six 50 wt, three 40 wt, and three 28 wt with the weight being just as critical as the actual color. And since I was approached back in October, I’ve been using primarily only these threads in my projects and am even more confident that this is indeed Mister Domestic’s Tool Box.
[note: for more on these color tests and more detailed images, keep an eye on the Mister Domestic Instagram and blog!]
What tips can you share with our readers for what threads to use where?
Apparel — I sure do love me a contrast thread with clothing. And this is for two reasons. One, it just adds so much character to the garment. And two, it’s a challenge to myself to make sure that my stitches are on point. Most fabric has a dominant color. Whether it’s dark or light, I’ll find the color that is it’s most extreme contrast within the fabric and pick the thread that goes with it.
Quilt — I was petrified when I first started quilting. This is an area where I doubted myself when picking a color to quilt with and I often times would pick a neutral or something that would be hidden. What got me out of this rut was the 80 wt. It was fine enough that the added pigment of the thread to my quilts didn’t make a super strong impact. After a couple times doing this, I got over my fear and went for it.
Pillow — There are no rules here. It’s small. This is your opportunity to be funky and let your Aurifil animal out. All of those colors that you couldn’t commit to on a quilt you can play with now. Yaaay!
We always love seeing what you’re up to with Art Gallery Fabrics — what’s up next for you there?
With the EPP Party in its final months and the Mister Domestic Sewing Party just concluding, this is a great question. I guess you’ll just have to stay tuned to find out, huh? I’m betting there’s a party involved.
Where else can we find you this year?
In addition to being an Aurifil Designer and Art Gallery Fabrics Sewcialite, I’m also a Brother Advocate/Sewing Specialist, so you’ll see me over there. I’m teaching Violet Craft’s Elevated Abstractions Pattern at Fabric Depot a couple times this year and will be teaching my Improv Flower pattern for a couple guilds this year and speaking at a couple other ones. I’ll be doing an ornament-along with Tara of Wefty Needle starting in October. We’ll share a new ornament each week for 12 weeks. I’m doing a few blog/book tours yet this year and you’ll be able to hear me on Modern Sewciety’s podcast in early October. And then as always, you can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
MISTER DOMESTIC’S TOOLBOX in ACTION!
When Mathew says that these threads are his go-to threads, he’s not joking! He uses them in countless projects and was kind enough to share a few. Each image is marked with the thread used! <3
GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win Mister Domestic’s Toolbox, 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 Wednesday, September 13! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Thursday, September 14. Good luck!
ABOUT MATHEW
Website — Facebook — Instagram — Pinterest — YouTube
Find some of his quilts, patterns, & other goodies on Etsy and Craftsy.
** Images, biographical text, and interview text by Mathew Boudreaux
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