Thread Against the Machine Sew Along!

We’ve been following along (and having a blast) with Henrik Müller for a few years now. He has worked with us as an Aurifil Artisan, is a dedicated and passionate champion for Aurifil threads, and shouts his love from the rooftops every chance he gets.

Henrik came to us last year with an idea for a collection and we simply couldn’t resist. Proud & About released earlier this month and is available in shops worldwide. We have plans for a proper collection launch soon, but for now, we’re giving Henrik the stage for a very special announcement.

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Hi my name is Henrik Müller and I am an Aurifil Designer.

Aurifil just released my very first thread collection called PROUD & ABOUT. It is a collection of 10 small spools of Aurifil thread with your essential rainbow colors completed by the addition of an off white as well as a true black. This thread collection is the perfect companion for the quilter on the go. I am sure you will love it just as much as I do.

In light of this new collection release,I thought long and hard about how to properly celebrate and a sew along came to mind. I designed the Swiss Machine Block a number of years ago and I always wanted to make a proper quilt of it but never came around to do so. 

With my newly designed Minor Thread Block I found the perfect companion. That is why I created Thread Against The Machine. As you can see it is a compilation of modern sewing machines accompanied by a border of small spools of Aurifil thread in the colors of the PROUD & ABOUT collection. [note: the Minor Thread Block will be available in time for the Sew Along!]

I think this quilt really celebrates the modern quilter by highlighting a modern sewing machine and some really good thread– the best thread in my opinion. I really love the community aspect of our happy little world of quilting and that is why I didn’t just want to make the quilt for myself and be done with it, but rather turn it into a greater thing that brings people together.

The technique used in this quilt is Foundation Paper Piecing or FPP for short. I know that not every quilter has used this method before. That is why I designed the quilt with a sew along in mind to take you by the hand and guide you through the quilt step by step. No one will be left behind. If you have a hard time with a certain part of the quilt pattern there is always help. Be it help by myself as the maker of the pattern or other people sewing along with us. Community is a powerful ally and can lift us all up together while doing something fun.

I curated the colors of the quilt very carefully to really celebrate the PROUD & ABOUT thread collection and I teamed up with a number of international quilt shops that will provide a quilt kit to ensure that everyone gets to make the quilt that they want to make. I’ll provide more info about these destinations as we get closer to the event!

Surely you can shop from your stash if you want to but for those of you that like to make the exact quilt that I designed, my partners and I have got you covered. You’ll find more info on locations once you’re all signed up!

The sew along is free if you already bought the Swiss Machine Block prior to the sew along as many people have, you only need to sign up for my newsletter to get started. If you are new to my patterns entirely you need to first buy the Swiss Machine Block pattern and then sign up for my newsletter. You can find the pattern and the sign up sheet for the sew along on my website via the buttons below.

The Thread Against the Machine Sew Along kicks off June 1st and will end September 1st. As with any proper sew along there will be prizes to keep everyone motivated to push through to the end, even when things get a bit tough. Do you want to know more?

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Thread Against the Machine Sew Along

AVAILABLE SIZES:

• 12 spools against 1 machine (32″ square)  
• 20 spools against 4 machines (48″ square)  
• 28 spools against 9 machines (64“ square)  
• 36 spools against 16 machines (80″ square)

THE STEPS OF THE SEW ALONG:
1: Introduction | First everyone introduces themselves 
2: Fabric pull | We show our fabric pull (bundle or otherwise) 
3: Spool-A-Thon | We sew the spool border first because it is the easier part of the sew along to help people with less experience getting used to FPP as a technique 
4.1: An introduction to the machine | The designer explains the Swiss Machine Block in detail and explains the steps that are prone to  errors in the sewing process 
4.2: Participants against the machine | We will make ourselves familiar with the pattern and print it out 
4.3: Machine-A-Thon | Everyone will sew their Swiss Machine Blocks 
5: Machines assemble | We will assemble the rows and sew them together with the sashing to form a center
6: Finishing line | Attach on the borders
7: Quilt-A-Thon | This step is optional for everyone. The designer will give quilting options because quilting is a sore spot for many quilters

PRIZES:
I spoke with a number of industry partners and I have secured some amazing prizes. I will show you what they are on my Instagram at a later point and trust me, they are gorgeous. 
First let me tell you how you can win.

• 3rd Prize: Everyone who at least makes the 32″ version with one machine and 12 spools is eligible to win
• 2nd Prize: Everyone who finishes 48″, 64″ or 80″ version of the quilt top is eligible to win
• Grand Prize: You are eligible to win if you Quilted and bound the 80″ quilt

To win you will need to post about your completed entry on instagram and send me an email with pictures so the judges and I can pick a winner. The 1st of September is the deadline and the winners will be picked within the first weeks of that month. More details will be provided once you have signed up for the sew along via my newsletter.

I hope I’ve succeeded in getting you excited for the PROUD & ABOUT thread collection and the Thread Against the Machine Sew Along.

Please make sure to follow me on Instagram and check out my website www.hr-mueller.de for updates.

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Huge thanks to Henrik for playing along with us and for sharing his exciting news with all of us today! Will you sew along? How will you use your Proud & About spools?