Seed to Blossom by McKenna Ryan for Hoffman Fabrics debuted at Spring Market and is just now hitting stores. It is a stunning line of Bali Batiks – each color and pattern has been cultivated to work together for the right combination of freshness and warmth. (Note: To check out the Seed to Blossom Lookbook, click here or on the image below.)
McKenna’s companion Aurifil thread collection is a new take on her designer color palette — twelve large spools of 50wt thread in range of greens, blues, purples, and neutrals. They represent her go-to colors for quilting, piecing, and appliqué.
“I’m excited to introduce my gorgeous new thread collection with Aurifil! These beautiful new colors pair with my new Seed to Blossom batik line with Hoffman Fabrics, and represent many of my go-to favorites!”
—McKenna Ryan
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
McKenna Ryan
100% Aurifil 50wt Cotton, 12 Large Spools
6727, 2562, 6733, 5007, 5008, 4644, 2843, 2902, 4129, 2309, 2312, 2370
To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
A LITTLE MORE ABOUT MCKENNA…
How did you first discover the world of quilting and what was it that really drew you in?
As a child, my greatest joy and solace came from immersing myself in nature, collecting driftwood, rocks and wildflowers to create natural one-of-a-kind art pieces. I told my family that someday I would live surrounded by mountains, flowers and wildlife, near lakes and streams. Years ago, I found myself immersed in a corporate lifestyle in Boston and made the grand decision to leave it all behind and move to the wilds of Montana. On the way there, I wandered into a quilt shop for the first time. It was mesmerizing and I felt as though time almost stood still. The colors, textures and designs of the quilts moved me beyond words and the seeds were planted.
How did your new surroundings inspire an eventual quilting career?
As I settled into my new community of only 200 residents, I quickly discovered that many of the women spent the wintry months quilting. I took an appliqué quilting class, bought my first sewing machine for $50.00 and found a passion I had never really known before. Living at the edge of Glacier National Park, natural beauty was all around. I wanted to reflect this, in quilts, but at the time there were few nature-inspired patterns, so I started making my own.
What is the process of creating like for you, whether it be for a new fabric collection, a new pattern, or something different entirely?
Over the years, I’ve realized that designs tend to come to me in their own time and I just need to trust the process. Sometimes an entire compilation will just appear in my head and I have to quickly sketch the overall composition. Then, I start pulling fabrics and colors that I know will achieve a certain feel. Next, I go to work on the details, cutting as many as 25 prototypes of a plant or animal before selecting one that best fits with the scale and flow of the entire piece. When I can connect to the creative process as a part of creation itself and let my work fulfill a higher purpose, then I am always pleased when the process is complete. It is not so much that I have created a new design, but participated in it. The better I become at trusting this process, the more I am able to access a certain grace that is inherent in the process. This grace or connection is what I believe makes art come to life. And I believe all great art is alive.
How did you decide to start your own business and what was the process like for you?
As I continued to grow and learn within the practice of quilting, I found a color, balance and design that were uniquely my own, and decided to start my own design company. On one of my long drives through the Rocky Mountains (2.5 hours to the grocery store!) I noticed the beautiful pine forests and claimed the name for my company: Pine Needles. I attended my very first Quilt Market in 1995 and though it was a wonderful experience, I found that my personal success came when I didn’t worry about trends in the marketplace and instead followed my heart. At my second Quilt Market, I introduced “Moose Junction.” I consider it to be one of my big milestones! It had masculine character with feminine appeal, and it was just what the market needed.
How would you describe your creative vision and how it informs your work?
My tag line is “Simply Beautiful…Beautifully Simple”. As I’ve grown over the years, I find that I want to challenge myself in capturing more depth and dimension with the use of fabric, while still making it a project that is easy and fun. I love the idea of quilting as a ‘living art.’ When I design, one of the greatest gifts is the awareness that what I create is going to come to life again and again in a myriad of incredible and unique ways. When I started my company, part of my mission statement was that I wanted to somehow touch the lives of others through my art. Since starting, I feel that my designs have touched the lives of many. It is this aspect of my work that truly means the most!
To snag McKenna’s thread collection, coordinating fabrics, and her stunning patterns, please visit her website.
THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win the McKenna Ryan Thread Collection, click here to head to the Rafflecopter entry page. 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 Sunday, November 25! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Monday, November 26. Good luck!
ABOUT MCKENNA
Website — Facebook — Pinterest — Instagram — Twitter
McKenna Ryan’s Art Quilt and Fabric Showroom is nestled in the hamlet of the historic Milwaukie district just South of Portland proper. Her website has become a destination for quilters worldwide. Visit either to truly immerse yourself in McKenna’s world, where hummingbirds hover over brilliant flowers, elk bugle in lush fabric forests, eagles soar across quilted landscapes and smoke rises wistfully from cabins in the woods. Come in, cozy up, and see why McKenna’s quilt artistry has captivated fans across the globe.
**All images and biographical text courtesy of McKenna Ryan Designs. Seeds to Blossom fabric line info courtesy of Hoffman Fabrics.
The Nesting McKenna Ryan love it.
Seed to Blossom is a beautiful collection! 💟 The threads you’ve chosen are such perfect matches. I’ll have to look for both!
I lived in Montana in the mid-90’s and frequented a LQS that carried McKenna’s patterns. I was hooked from the very first one. This thread collection not only complements Seed to Blossom beautifully, but also many of her previous lines. It’s a *must have* for me. Thanks for the chance to win it!
Such beautiful thread and McKenna’s patterns are wonderful!
She is such a talented lady. Her patterns are amazing. This thread collection is spot on with her Seed to Blossom project.
I have never seen a McKenna Ryan design that did not resonate with me…nor have I ever seen a batik fabric I did not love. Thank you for the opportunity to win this collection.
Definitely a must have set of threads!