Rhapsody

We’ve become enamored with the sweet color combos that are ever-present in Sedef Imer’s work. A careful curator of her blog, Down Grapevine Lane, Sedef has a keen eye and is a skilled photographer. Rhapsody, her latest collection with Riley Blake Fabrics, is in stores this month, and we’ve been itching to get our hands on a bundle to make all of the Summery projects we can manage.

Sedef’s debut thread collection partners perfectly with the fabrics, boasting a delightful array of colors of our 50wt spools.

THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Rhapsody
100% Aurifil 50wt Cotton, 12 Large Spools (1422yd/spool)
2021, 2130, 2132, 2250, 2423, 2425
2530, 5007, 5006, 2810, 1147, 6727

To view this info on our website, click here. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.

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GETTING TO KNOW SEDEF
We’d love to hear a little more about you, your background, and how you came into this wonderful textile world.
I’m an ex-Londoner of Turkish descent who now lives in a beautiful wine region called McLaren Vale in South Australia, 40km south from the city of Adelaide. My English husband and I emigrated here from the UK in 2009 and we haven’t looked back since – it’s a stunning part of the world with vineyards and the beach only 3km away! I didn’t have a quilty upbringing – I’m quite new to sewing in fact, having only bought my first sewing machine in 2012 when I was pregnant with my second child. I taught myself how to sew watching YouTube tutorials, after coming across the amazing world of sewing / quilting blogs. That’s where I saw the first quilts I fell in love with.

Do you remember your very first quilt?
My very first attempt at making a quilt (and, in fact, patchwork!) was the Dwell mini quilt by Thimbleblossoms. I’m still very proud of this project – not bad for a first effort!

Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
Flowers are my main source of inspiration – they make everything so pretty and cheerful and I never get tired of them. As Claude Monet said: “I must have flowers, always, and always.”

How did you first connect with Riley Blake and what do you love most about working with them? 
I used to work as an influencer for Riley Blake, as part of their ‘Project Design Team’ – sewing with their new collections to help promote them. The opportunity to design fabric for Riley Blake came about after I got ‘headhunted’ by another major fabric house to become a fabric designer and I mentioned this to Riley Blake.  I love the fact that it’s a family run business, with a  lovely supportive culture, and how much creative freedom they give their artists – there are no restrictions on themes or colour palettes in our fabrics! Which is a rarity amongst quilting fabric houses these days.

What inspired Rhapsody?
My inspiration for the colour palette of Rhapsody was Cinque Terre – a beautiful coastal region in Italy that I have very happy memories from when my hubby and I went there. All the houses are painted in a bohemian riot of bright colours – clinging to the steep hillside amidst terraces of green vineyards against the backdrop of an emerald sea. The name Rhapsody was actually inspired by the Queen song – I was trying to come up with a name that suggested a Bohemian vibe!

Do you have a favorite project made with your new fabrics?
It’s so hard to choose but my two new quilt patterns ‘Floral Rhapsody’ and ‘XOXO’ accompanying this collection are probably my favourites. I also love the blue diamond cushion that I made for quilt market – so simple and effective!

When did you first discover Aurifil thread and what do you love most about it?
I used to use a huge range of sewing threads, whatever was available to me at the time or was in the right colour. I started using Aurifil exclusively when I became an Aurifil Artisan in 2018, after seeing what the cheaper threads did to my machine when I took it in for servicing. So much lint!

Tell us more about the colors in your new Aurifil collection and how it fits in with your overall creative vision. 
The colours in my thread box not only coordinate well with my new Rhapsody fabrics, but are also my go-to designer colours – a must-have for anyone who is a fan of my fabrics.

Thank you, Sedef!! 

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LINKS

• New Patterns Announcement
• Floral Rhapsody Pattern
• XOXO Quilt Pattern 
• Pinkylicious Baby Quilt Pattern
• Rhapsody Thread Collection (via Sedef’s shop — also available via your favorite local quilt shop!)

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ABOUT SEDEF
Website | Shop | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Sedef lives in a picturesque wine town in Australia. She and her husband Nic met and got married in London and emigrated to Australia in 2009. They have two gorgeous kids – Alexander and Alice.

Sedef is a chartered accountant by trade. She used to be a high-flying career girl in ‘the City’ – the financial district of London – where she worked for global investment banks for over a decade. She took a break from Finance to have kids, and discovered crafts as her new passion in life. Sedef is fairly new to sewing. She bought her first sewing machine in the middle of 2012, and she is still learning how to use it properly. Her first love is, and will always be, hand embroidery. Sedef’s dad got her hooked on cross-stitch when I was 10 and she has done countless cross stitches and tapestries since. She finds it the most calming thing in the world.

Sedef loves things that are cute and sweet. And colourful, with colour palettes that go really well together. She loves patchwork, Japanese Zakka style and kawaii items, embroidery, and ‘floral’ but not in a twee chintzy kind of way, it has to have a modern edge. Above all, she loves detail. She tried to add a little something extra to all her creations – a cute button, a little fabric tag, a small hand embroidery. Even if it takes her 3 times longer to do it that way, it’s always worth it!