Today, we are delighted to introduce our beloved friend, Aurifil Designer, and Aurifilosopher, Wendy Sheppard. If you’ve been following along with us, you’ve no doubt met Wendy before, whether through her Aurifil thread collections, her cross stitch patterns, her quilt alongs, her collaborations with fellow Aurifil Designer Karen Miller, or through Aurifilosophy… Wendy is a mainstay here on Auribuzz and we relish every opportunity we have to showcase her talents.
Wendy’s latest curated collection is a dreamy collection of blues, inspired by her remarkable collection of Blue & White English Transferware. It’s such a classic style, yet so easy to modernize. We’re excited to see what Wendy does with it throughout the year and can’t wait to see what this post inspires in all of you!
Indigo features 5 Small Spools of Aurifil 50wt and 5 Small Spools of Aurifloss – the perfect combination for piecing, quilting, handwork and embellishing! If you’re excited to learn more, read on. If you can’t wait to start creating, click on the button below to grab your very own sweetly curated set.
With that, we’re turning the blog over to Wendy, to hear a little about her inspirations. Take it all in, and enjoy!
Hello Friends, I hope you have been well. It’s hard to believe 2021 is into its last stretch. I hope that it has been a great quilting and stitching year for you! I am happy to be back again to visit with you — because I have exciting news to share! My INDIGO thread collection is now official!
INDIGO is extra special because it is inspired by my collection of blue and white English transferware.
The colors and weights of threads in this collection were thoughtfully selected to combine my loves of quilting (50wt) and handwork (Aurifloss). I will share more with you about the threads as we move through 2022.
I started collecting blue transferware piecemeal not long after I got married. After researching on patterns and manufacturers, I decided on a pattern that has been in production since 1814. I kept a list of items I wanted to include in my collection to help me decide where to spend my pennies every month. That made a difference in the first few years of building up my collection, and pretty soon I had a stash going for me.
After I had my initial set all in place, I started to collect a few different pieces here and there (like the bunnies) as accents to add a bit of visual interest to the overall collection display. Again, I had a list for that as well so that I didn’t go overboard.
The way I have collected my transferware definitely applies to building an Aurifil thread stash.
1. Research: Purchase an Aurifil color card, spend sometime on Aurifil’s website checking out the scrumptious offerings, learn about the thread weights and their uses, and check out the specially curated collections.
2. Decide: You might decide to add to your stash based on a selected general color or thread weight, or an assortment of colors and weights to add to your stash over a period of time. In any case, having a color card is super handy. You might also decide you would rather focus on collecting curated thread sets or Aurifil’s Color Builders for a period of time. This is actually a quick way to build up a thread stash encompassing different colors and weights!
3. Keep a list and stick to it! (Unless you come across an incredible deal or something, then of course, you must veer off course!) I worked up a simple monthly chart that might be helpful to you in organizing the list of threads you would like to add to your stash. Download it by clicking the button below!
So, let’s play spot the imposter with the following picture. Yep, now that I have a comfortable stash of blues, I am dipping into the reds!!
Before I go, here’s a little bit about the English country hutch that holds my blue transferware. I purchased it from the wife of a military officer, together with a large matching bookcase. She bought the pieces from a craft store going out of business in England when she lived there. I like that now the English “crafty” hutch lives with a “quilty” lady who hoards English transferware. Here is my favorite part about the hutch — the quatrefoil design that is painted on the inside of the cupboard doors.
Well, it’s been fun talking dishes and threads with you! I will be back next year for more thread chat! Meanwhile, Happy Holidays to you all!
HUGE thanks to Wendy for giving us a sneak peek at her stunning Indigo inspiration! We can’t wait to sew and quilt along with her throughout 2022!
ABOUT WENDY
Website — Instagram
Originally from Southeast Asia, Wendy came to the US for her tertiary education. After her degrees in Chemical Engineering, she worked in research in a wind tunnel for a spell. Nowadays, she is a stay/work-at-home Mom to a 12 year old. Wendy’s designs have been featured in major quilting publications, both home and abroad. She is also a published author, as well as an online quilting instructor. She is passionate about encouraging quilters to enjoy their quilting journey. During her free time, she loves to read history, and indulges in hand needlework.
Beautiful work, calming colors!! Thank you!