As Summer draws to a close, we find ourselves looking forward to the holidays and with that, of course, comes a few months of fabulous handmade holiday sewing, stitching, and quilting! With that, we’re pleased to introduce Twinkle Twinkle, a wonderfully cute and fabulously colorful holiday collection by Alicia Jacobs Dujets on behalf of Ink & Arrow for QT Fabrics. The collection features Winter-themed constellations, snowglobes, Christmas lights, and other holiday scenes, all illustrated by Alicia. The colors are perfect and while a few traditional hues are included, we love the addition of 4 shades of blue to highlight the Wintery feel to it all!
Alicia selected 10 colors of coordinating Aurifloss to give prospective holiday stitchers a wonderful way to add hand-stitched details to a wide range of projects. She even designed a little holiday hoop, offered as a free pattern along with purchase of the collection.
We hope you love Twinkle Twinkle! What will you make?
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Twinkle Twinkle
100% Aurifil Cotton, 10 Small Spools, Aurifloss (18yds/spool)
Colors included:
2021 – 1135 – 2270 – 1103 – 2785
2835 – 2860 – 2805 – 2815 – 2783
To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
THE INTERVIEW
Can you tell us a bit about your background and what first drew you to the world of sewing and quilting?
I was fortunate to grow up with some creative ladies in my life, my grandmother who always had me painting and creating, and my aunt who is a fantastic sewer. A few times a year I would spend the weekend at her house and it would be an all out craft fest, but my favorite projects always involved sewing. We made all kinds of pillows and stuffed toys, many of which I still have today. It’s funny though, when I was a bit older I would go out and buy fabric that I loved but not really be able to do anything with on my own, I was just saving it for future creative opportunities. Eventually I started making tote bags for myself, but I still was much more of a fabric hoarder than a sewer. Little did I know, this was proving to be a glimpse into my future working as a designer for QT Fabrics where I would have access to all the fabric I could ever want! Now that I’m lucky enough to be developing fabric collections, there have been plenty of times when I’ve thought back to those designs that I loved so much when I was younger for inspiration. I never realized just how massive the quilting industry is until I started working for QT, so I feel like it’s really come full circle and I can appreciate it from many different angles.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
I’ve been through so many different creative stages in my life, I feel like it’s constantly changing. From my grandfather who worked with stained glass, to artisans I met in India who taught me traditional block printing, to sewers that I follow on social media today, I’ve been lucky to always have diverse artists and mediums at my fingertips. I spent 6 years studying illustration during undergrad and graduate school and some of my biggest inspirations during that time were Edward Gorey, Salvador Dali, Egon Schiele, and Marshall Arisman, who I was fortunate enough to study with at the School of Visual Arts where I attended grad school. I try and channel these artists when I draw and create my designs, even if only in small ways. I still have so much to learn in the world of sewing though. I’ve seen such intricate and jaw-dropping quilts, some that even resemble paintings, pieces that I couldn’t begin to attempt to create on canvas, let alone with a needle and thread. I’m always left feeling like I have so much to learn from the people around me, but it’s a wonderful thing that I use to push myself further.
Where did the idea for Twinkle Twinkle come from and what did you love most about putting the collection together?
Every year when it comes time to start designing for Christmas I have to try and figure out how to make the content new and innovative. I had been obsessed with the idea of drawing quirky constellations for quite awhile and found this to be the perfect opportunity to bring the idea to life. I tried to incorporate the night sky in the focal prints to tie them all together as the collection evolved, which worked really well in the window scenes and snow globes. The hardest part is coming up with a workable, concrete concept, but the fun part begins once it’s established and I can start adding in cute details like that little, huggable yeti in the snow globe!
Do you have a favorite project made with the collection?
The one disadvantage to releasing a Christmas collection early in the year is having to wait to see all the fabulous projects that people are working on! I’ve never been a particularly patient person so this is one of the biggest struggles I face, but I look forward to swimming in project photos once December rolls around!
How did you first hear about Aurifil thread?
Aurifil is a brand that I became familiar with when I started my career with QT Fabrics back in 2012. I had a lot to learn about the industry being that my background was more focused in illustration than it was in textiles, but I’m honored to be able to work together now and hope to be able to collaborate again in the future.
Tell us about the free pattern that you designed for the collection — how did that come together?
I was able to take the night sky and constellation theme that I was so in love with and run with it for this embroidery. This felt like a natural pattern to make to accompany the collection since it includes the name of the fabric collection itself but could also easily work as a stand-alone piece. I kept thinking how cute a “twinkle twinkle” embroidery would look hanging in a nursery! Even so, this can also be used as a guide to create any type of text since it’s not a very rigid pattern. It’s versatile enough that you can pop in a name or a short saying among the constellations and French-knot-stars and it can easily become a custom design, it’s totally up to the sewer.
What excites you most about releasing this collection to the world?
Every collection I’m able to release gets more and more exciting and it’s rewarding and humbling getting such positive feedback from the sewing community. I’m particularly passionate about Twinkle Twinkle since it includes some of my favorite things – constellations, yetis, ice skating penguins, oh my! Holiday collections always seem to make big impact in the market, so I’m just thrilled to be able to put another one out into the world. With any luck, it won’t be my last.
GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win the Twinkle Twinkle Thread Collection + a fat quarter bundle & Strip Roll of Twinkle Twinkle fabrics by Alicia Dujets Jacobs for Ink & Arrow for QT 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 Thursday, September 6! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Friday, September 7. Good luck!
ABOUT ALICIA
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** Images by QT Fabrics **