We’re on day 5 of Moda + Aurifil and couldn’t be more excited! <3 Moda Fabrics has been a treasured and dedicated partner, a creative leader, and, above all, an inspiration for years. We so value the collaboration and relish the opportunity to work with such a wonderful team to promote a top-notch list of designers. Today, we’re please to highlight two amazing Moda & Aurifil Designers, Kate Spain & Brigitte Heitland.
KATE SPAIN
We absolutely adore working with Kate! If you’ve met her, you know that she is not just an amazing design talent, she’s also incredibly sweet, gracious, and caring. She is one who makes us feel lucky that we get to work in this fabulous industry of ours! Kate’s designs are always magnificent and range from sweet florals, to dreamy batiks, to perfectly illustrated holiday prints. She has two active collections with Aurifil — Merry Merry & Elements.
Merry Merry is available as a Large box of 12 Large Spools — 8 in 50wt and 4 in 40wt — and a Small box of 10 Small Spools of 50wt thread. You can learn more about Merry Merry right here.
Kate’s Elements Collections are also available as a Large box of 12 Large Spools — 8 in 50wt and 4 in 40wt — and a Small box of 10 Small Spools of 50wt thread. The color palette is perfect and works so well with a range of her collections, including Early Bird, Canyon, and Voyage.
Kate was kind enough to chat with us about why she loves working with both Moda & Aurifil so much:). Thank you Kate!
What do you love most about working with Aurifil Threads?
There’s a whole lot I love about Aurifil threads. Most of all is the quality. The threads are strong, smooth and almost lint-free. I also love the range of beautiful colors and the variety of weights. I use 50wt for piecing quilts and because it’s not so bulky, my piecing is more accurate and the thread nestles into the seams perfectly.
Why do you love Moda Fabrics?
I love…everything! Not only are they wonderful people to work with (lucky me!), they also make beautiful fabrics with quality cotton and vibrant colors that will last. I also love the wide variety of fabrics they offer. Not everyone is familiar with Moda’s batiks, crossweaves, denims and linens so I always encourage people to try them out in quilting projects to add texture and depth.
I guess you could narrow down why I love Aurifil and Moda to two things: quality…and so many options!
ABOUT KATE
Website — Blog — Facebook — Instagram — Pinterest
Kate Spain is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design and has been in the design and product development field for over 20 years. Her career began designing media tie-in books while working at Simon and Schuster Publishing in New York City. Her passion for art and design eventually led her to start her namesake business in 2008.
Her design collections aspire to bring the vitality of the outdoors into our homes to enrich and enliven them. Her style radiates with natural balance and freshness in palettes that offer a unique, sophisticated and widely appealing mix of
harmonious colors. The KD Spain® brand extends a bouquet of nature- inspired, quality products that celebrate and enhance our everyday.
[Bio and images courtesy of Kate Spain, LLC]
BRIGITTE HEITLAND / ZEN CHIC
We have been working with Brigitte for years and truly adore her. She has impeccable style, with cool colors, clean lines, and modern accents. She is an absolute sweetheart, hard-working, dedicated, and we pretty much just want to have her redesign our lives;). Brigitte has 3 active collections with us: True Blue, Paper & Ink, and Flow.
These 3 collections are almost all you need to complete any possible project. True Blue was inspired by traditional blue jeans and features shades of blue and white with the perfect yellow and gold hues thrown in. To check out the fabric collection with Moda, head here.
Paper & Ink is a wonderful box of greys, creams, white & black and it is consistently one of our top-sellers. It was designed to coordinate with Brigitte’s Modern Background collections for Moda — Paper & Ink.
Flow is a collection of sweet colors, perfectly matched to Brigitte’s more colorful fabric collections, including, of course… Flow!
Brigitte shared her love of Aurifil Threads and Moda with us — thank you Brigitte!
What do you love most about working with Aurifil Threads?
I love the quality and also the reliability of these wonderful threads. They are fine, and they have a certain shimmer, which looks wonderful on the quilted surface.
I love the wide color range to choose from, and those colors are just yummy. So in each case, I can find a matching vibrant color for my project. I also love the fact that I can get four different thread weights in each color. It means I can do top-stitching with a heavier thread in the same color as my seams are sewn.
For quilting itself, I love the variegated options: nice color schemes in a rhythm of color change which looks very well on a solid backing of my quilt and makes that backside like the front of a whole cloth quilt.
Why do you love Moda Fabrics?
Again here: for their quality. If I compare a Moda fabric with any other brand, Moda is far ahead in terms of drape, in terms of the perfect thickness for quilts, quality fibers used, color durability. And I said this before I even worked for Moda. I am a shop owner, and have carried a couple of brands and Moda was always best to piece with. That’s what my quilt buddies are telling me too.
And second: For their wide range of collections! There is something for everybody. When I teach a class and I gather 25 people for a workshop, I see all kinds of tastes: Batik lovers, country style, bright sunny colors, muted and traditional fabrics – all these styles can be served by Moda. Not to forget that I have a couple of my favorite designers as my colleagues – like Vanessa Christenson or Sweetwater, whose style pairs well with mine.
ABOUT BRIGITTE
Website — Blog — Facebook — Instagram — Pinterest — YouTube — Twitter
Brigitte Heitland was born in Germany and grew up with her three siblings. They were a funny “gang” and her grandma sewed a lot of clothes for the children. Brigitte often sat down next to her old PFAFF and felt so comfortable. Her grandma once told her: When you are tall enough to get your feet down to the pedal, I’ll teach you sewing too. It was, perhaps, one of the best things that anyone could have given her.
Brigitte started sewing at the age of six, mostly clothes, and loved to have unique things to wear. When it was time to choose a profession, she knew it would be something creative. She decided upon Interior Design but was drawn to all of the students in the room next to her working with needles and thread and so she ended up as a student of Textile Design.
In her mid age, it happened that she stumbled upon a wonderful pictured quilting book and was hooked at once. She had to try it herself and became hopelessly addicted to patchwork. Of course, she needed fabrics, lots and lots of different fabrics to dive in. She started her own little online shop with quilting fabrics and eventually worked to create her own collection. It led to her roots in Interior Design: when developing a fabric or even a design for a quilt the entire impression of a room was considered. She sees the light, the furniture, the color concept, the style and her quilts become a natural element of this scene, fitting in harmoniously. Brigitte loves having clarity in a room, an environment of simplicity where you are surrounded by only the things you really need and love, where you can relax, find your inner peace and balance. Her quilts are a take on this concept, reduced, pure, and clear.
MODA + AURIFIL SCHEDULE
Monday, 9/18 — Moda + Aurifil
Tuesday, 9/19 — Moda + Aurifil: The Interviews
Wednesday, 9/20 — Moda + Aurifil: Stacy Iest Hsu
Thursday, 9/21 — Moda + Aurifil: BasicGrey
Friday, 9/22 — Moda + Aurifil: Kate Spain + Brigitte Heitland (YOU ARE HERE)
Monday, 9/25 — Moda + Aurifil: Designer Tips
Tuesday, 9/26 — Moda + Aurifil: Pat Sloan + Me & My Sister Designs
Wednesday, 9/27 — Moda + Aurifil: Lynne Hagmeier + Minnick & Simpson
Thursday, 9/28 — Moda + Aurifil: Joanna Figueroa
Friday, 9/29 — Moda + Aurifil: Fall Sneak Peeks + Contest/Giveaway!
Thanks for following along & Happy Stitching!
I have both designers’ fabric in my stash along with a collection of Aurifil threads. Love it all!
Beautiful collections, beautiful colors. Great eye candy!!
I love both of their collections!
Love these Designers! Fresh Colors+great inspiration!
Thanks for sharing!
I could purchase fabric to go with these threads instead of thread to go with my fabric……love them all
Kate and Brigitte are wonderful designers. I have many of their collections in my stash. It is time to add their thread collections now.
My two prefered designers in this moment!!!
Flow looks like a large colorful collection. A must for my stash! Zen Chic has become a favorite the last few years!
Lovely colors
Such great designers with wonderful stories. I have fabric from both of them in my stash.
I have the whole collection of Kate’s “Canyon” and Brigitte’s “For You” as well as several prints from other collections of both of these ladies!