We can hardly believe that 2020 is only a few hours away, and that this is our last Aurifil Artisan Showcase of the year and decade! š² We are so inspired so see what gorgeous projects all of our Artisan’s made for their Holiday/Seasonal challenge and hope you find inspiration too!
Click on each Artisanās name below to read more details about their Holiday project!
Karen O’Connor– I seriously canāt get enough of Elizabeth Hartmanās patterns, and her Penguin Party Pattern specifically this Christmas. I made one more pillow for our niece and she just loved it! I pieced, quilted and assembled the whole thing using my believes 50 weight Aurifil. šš§µ
Isabelle Selak – Quick and festive holiday cushion project. Aurifil thread and BasicGrey fabrics pair perfectly in this patchwork cushion.
Krista Hennebury – An embroidered Christmas ornament using 12wt wool from the Passionflower small spoil collection by Jo Avery. Embroidered on a screen print I made on denim.
Lucy Engels – I wanted to design and make a simple cross stitch design using Aurifloss. Something that could be used as a tree decoration or stitch into a pillow case. I experimented with using the whole thread and also separating to use two strands.
Kate Toney – Christmas machine embroidery featuring @oesd_embroidery design stitched out with @aurifilthread in 50 wt cotton.
Cassandra Beaver – Festive Baubles is a collection of foundation paper pieced ornament blocks set in a field of negative space. The open background area is quilted with organic free motion feather motifs that juxtapose the bright, graphic shapes of the baubles. Three colors of 50wt Aurifil are used in the free motion quilting, and 12wt Dove is used to create the strings that appear to suspend the ornaments.
HollyAnne Knight – When my Mama asked for a Christmas table topper, I knew a few adjustments to MSQC’s Four Patch Star block would do just the trick. Plus, it gave me a nice opportunity for some relaxing FMQ at the same time!
Sherry Shish– Trivets with a silicone insert. I used Aurifil 50wt throughout. It sewed through the silicone perfectly and quilted the back too with no thread changes!
Laura Piland– This month, I made four Christmas cathedral window pillows! Just a couple years ago, I used white thread for EVERYTHING! But since becoming an Aurifil Artisan, I have started to default to bright thread colors instead and often use a rainbow of threads on a single quilt! This project allowed me to use and show off my first love – 50wt Aurifil #2024!
Tighe Flanagan– I turned a mini patchwork experiment into a large quilted pillow. Some selfish sewing during the holiday madness.
Daisy Aschehoug – Our table needed something festive this year, and these Ruby Reds from Oakshott Fabrics offered just the right amount of holiday spirit! It’s pieced with Aurifil 50wt, and I quilted it with a mix of gray forty3 and red 50wt. I published the pattern in the latest issue of Scandinavia’s quilting magazine, Quiltemagasinet. Happy holidays!
Sarah Goer– Sarah created a pile of reusable Hanukkah gift bags for her family to enjoy year after year. Her post links back to a recent tutorial she shared on her blog, Sarah Goer Quilts.
Wendy Welsh – This quilt is a great example of how you can take your quilting lead from the design in the fabric. See all those snowflakes in the backgroud? I hand quilted over them with Aurifil 12wt and now they stand out beautifully. My quilt is bright and colourful to represent Christmas down under. I live in New Zealand and it’s Summer here and all the plants are flowering.
Lorna Slessor – Mini Christmas gingerbread house block pieced with white 50wt and embroidered with Aurifloss
Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill – My dining room table was feeling a bit naked, so I decided to dust off my Celebration Candles block pattern and make a winter-themed table runner. I foundation paper pieced the sections with one of my favorite neutralsāAurifil 50wt in Stone (#2324). After basting, I dug into my Aurifil thread collection and selected 40wt (slightly thicker than 50wt) for the candles and flames. With my walking foot, I outlined the inside of the candles with Pine (#2892), Wedgewood (#4140), and Violet (#2520).
I did the same outline technique with the flames with Orange Mustard (#2140). I then did a wavy vertical motif for the background using 50wt. Silver Fox (#4670), a variegated thread. I donāt use variegated very often, but it was a great color match and I liked how the variation matched the idea of a flickering flame. Since my dining room table is fairly small, I made my runner with 3 blocks (9 candles total). Itās perfect for placing candles and other table decorations on!
Leslie Meltzer– Lined drawstring bags are a great way to take your gifts to the next level. Pretty and practical, they are reusable and can be easily customized for the recipient and the size of the gift.
Eliane Bergmann– A festive and fun table runner tutorial using Aurifil 12 weight thread! This free DIY features a garland of hand quilted pine trees on linen.
Kristina Brinkerhoff– I finished this Farmhouse Christmas quilt top last year and had a goal of getting it done in time for Christmas this year. After machine quilting it, I was excited to pull out this gorgeous (and perfectly matching) pink Aurifil 50 wt thread (color #2530) and do some hand binding. The quilt is now finished and we’re all excited to have a new Christmas quilt to snuggle this year.
Alison Holt – The seasonal challenge inspired me to make this frosty scene. It has a silk painted base and freehand machine embroidered detailed stitch using straight stitch and zigzag in Aurifil 50wt cotton thread.
Kristin Esser – The Modern Hexie Christmas Pillow is a quick project that combines the fun of handwork with simple quilting for a satisfying quick finish.
Yvonne Fuchs – I had the honor of setting the challenge description for the December Modern Design Lab (MDL) design challenge. Instead of using a photo inspiration this month, I wanted the challenge to revolve around color, so when I found the Behr Color Trends for 2020, I thought they would be a great option for the challenge. This month, the Aurifil Artisan challenge is a holiday themed project, so I was hopeful I could come up with a design that fulfilled both needs. Pulsar is the result, a quilt top that finished at 37 inches square.
To piece the quilt, I used 50wt Aurifil 2630 (Dark Pewter) which blended in perfectly with the background Kona Cotton Charcoal. To bind the quilt, I used 40wt Aurifil in #2905 (Army Green), which disappears into the cross weave of the binding fabric. I found a beautiful shade of 12wt red Aurifl thread in my stash, #2265 (Lobster Red), which was close to the Red Pepper color in the inspiration color board, so I straight line quilted every 2 inches with my walking foot. I didnāt have 2265 in the matching 50wt thread, so I used 50wt #2460 (Dark Carmine Red) in the bobbin and I doubt anyone will be able to tell the difference.
Lisa Hofmann-Maurer – I had this modern Christmas Tree Quilt idea in my head for two Christmas seasons now and I finally got to make it. Iām really excited about Christmas now!
Cheryl Brickey– I made a scrappy Christmas version of my pattern Looking Glass for my neighbor as thanks for all of the times she takes my son home from after school activities when I am working. I quilted the quilt using 50 wt Aurifil white thread in a stipple allover pattern along with each one of the family’s names to make the quilt more personal and special for them.
Lucy Brennan – Charm About You– This Double Dresden Wreath mixes modern fabric and traditional piecing. Surprisingly quick to sew, it’s a free tutorial available on my blog. Created using Aurifil 50wt, Aurifloss and Forty3.
Steph Skardal– Christmas themed holiday mini, foundation paper pieced curves in a pattern inspired from a Jen Kingwell pattern. Pieced with Aurifil 50wt, quilted with Aurifil 50wt and 40wt from the welcome pack!
Chris English– Recycled half square triangle Festive cushion cover. I chose a load of different plaids from scraps and a nice deep pink plain fat quarter I had n my stash. I made this cushion cover using crumb blocks an d half square triangles. Machine quilted it using 12,40 and 50 weight thread to create texture and contrast.
Jennie Pickett – I made this pretty present pillow to spruce up my home for the holidays. I used Aurifil 50wt to free motion quilt a loopy meander and my favorite pink – Blush 2415. I love how fun and festive it turned out.
We hope you enjoyed seeing all these projects created by our Artisans! You can find even more of their gorgeous projects, patterns, and tutorials on ourĀ Aurifil Artisan PinterestĀ board. ā¤
