Today we are thrilled to introduce you to our 2022-2023 Aurifil Artisan Team! The enormous response that we received to our call for applications was incredibly humbling, and it was a very tough job to narrow down all of the applicants to a team of 40. We are so thrilled to share that team with you today and cannot wait to work with this amazing group of quilters, sewists, and makers!
Throughout the next 12 months we will be collaborating with these creative visionaries to promote their work with Aurifil thread, engage them in creative challenges, and share their work far and wide.
Adam Burch
Adam is a sewist and quilter that loves to take on any aspect of sewing and quilting. He has recently fallen in love with foundation paper piecing and now spends most of his free time finding FPP patterns to sew and form new creations.
Alexandra Bordallo
Alexandra Bordallo is a fabric designer for Art Gallery Fabrics and a quilt pattern designer, based in Vic (Barcelona).
Alison Carpenter-Hughes
Alison Carpenter-Hughes is an award winning mixed-media artist, writer and workshop facilitator, focusing on free motion embroidery as an art form, exploring the sewing machine as a tool for ‘drawing’ or ‘painting.’ She exhibits and sells artwork internationally, works on private and public commissions and has taught art to people of all ages for over twenty years. Alison has recently started working with large-scale installations on the facade of buildings, experimenting with different textile mediums, integrated with mixed media.
Ama Frimpong
Ama (she/her) is a Canadian crafter based in Quebec. She enjoys both fibre crafts and sewing, as well as playing with colours and the process of choosing a project itself. Ama finds inspiration in music and video games, where her love of bold colours and patterns meets vivdly experimental experiences, pushing her to solve pattern puzzles in creative ways. All her crafting journeys and endeavours can be found on her Blog and Instagram, thevibrantpixel.
Anna Wraith
Anna made her first quilt in her teens but didn’t become hooked on modern quilting until 2021 while searching for a new career path where she could use her upholstery sewing skills. As a sufferer of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome she is a passionate advocate for craft as part of a well-being toolkit. She designs modern quilt patterns and owns an online fabric shop.
Anorina Morris
Anorina is an Australian quilter based in South Eastern NSW. She first started sewing when her teenagers were toddlers and hasn’t stopped since. She loves quilting and her day wouldn’t be complete without spending a little bit of time with needle and thread.
Bhiravi Rathinasabapathi
Bhiravi is a modern quilt maker based in California. She is a self-taught sewist, and takes inspiration from vintage quilt motifs and nature. Her work is focused on creating eye-catching works of art for the modern home. You can find more of her work at strawberrycreekquilts.com, where she shares her handmade items and quilt patterns.
Brandon Wulff
Brandon is an Autistic artist who works with interior decorators and designers to create unique one of a kind pieces for some pretty spectacular homes.
Carl Brown
Carl is a long term cancer nurse, researcher, and health care executive . He has been sewing and quilting for three years with an inquisitive eye for color and hue. He is a Dad, husband, book author, and friend.
Carrington Elliott
Carrington is a sewist, designer, knitter, and self-titled proCRAFTinator. She says creating is the essence of who she is, and her heart and soul are happiest when busy making. She is not afraid of bright colors or bold prints, and hopes that every project she makes inspires others to go bold.
Claire Campion
Claire is the modern quilt designer behind Made Just Sew, based in Stratford Upon Avon in the UK. Claire has always had a love for sewing which was reignited when her children were born and needed a creative outlet for herself. It wasn’t long before quilts were the only thing she wanted to sew. Claires quilt patterns are inspired by modern geometric designs which draws the eye in like a ‘Magic Eye’ picture, seeing more shapes evolve the more you stare at them. Claires designs are complemented by her love for walking foot quilting designs which help to create texture and another dimension to every quilt pattern.
Cristina De Miranda
Cristina De Miranda is a Canadian quilt pattern designer and instructor based in Toronto. Her quilts have been featured in Canadian and International publications since the inception of Ships & Violins in 2018. She has a unique style that focuses on bold colours, graphic elements, and dynamic layouts.
Danielle Webb
Danielle is wife, mom, designer and blogger at sprinklesofzeal.com. She currently blogs monthly about a beginner-friendly DIY projects that include drawing, sewing, cross-stitching and more. When she’s not playing around in her craft room, she enjoys hiking, binge-watching Korean dramas, traveling, and playing tennis.
Debbie Jeske
Debbie Jeske is a maker and quilt blogger who lives near Seattle WA. A member of the Seattle MQG, she also enjoys being active in the online quilting community. A creator of a variety of sewn projects, she especially revels in improvisational quilt-making. She values the strong feelings that can be evoked throughout the quilt-making process, and understands that what may be just fabric and thread to some, is much, much more.
Emma Giacalone
Emma is a free motion embroidery artist, creating inspiring artworks with a positive message.
Genesis Hall
Genesis is a highly motivated 12 year old sewist and quilter. She’s eager to learn any new technique and aspects of sewing. Since she was 10 years old, Genesis has excelled in quilt piecing, fashion seaming, bag making, and stuffed sewing projects.
Janine Heschl
Janine Heschl is a textile artist based in Vienna, Austria and specialized in photorealistic wildlife embroidery. Her mission is to translate wildlife into thread with her sewing machine, to let the viewers connect with the softness within the rawness of the animals. Janine’s mission is to evoke emotion, to increase the level of empathy and stimulate a connectedness with her subjects.
Jen Goodwin
Jen Goodwin is a traditionally trained artisan embroiderer who graduated in 2003 from the Royal School of Needlework where she still teaches and assesses students. Jen’s practice focuses on creating highly detailed and technical pieces incorporating imaginative designs and naturalistic themes. Overall Jen believes that traditional embroidery does not need to be seen as an old fashioned medium, instead, it is important to take the traditional and make it relevant by adding a creative twist.
Karen Foster
Karen Foster lives in Capitola, California and is a founding member of the South Bay Area MQG, Santa Cruz chapter. She enjoys collaborative projects, swaps and challenges especially those prompted by her amazing #BeeSewcial mates. Karen considers her style eclectic and evolving. Improv is her current creative sweet spot as well as making original designs into reality and working in a series.
Kari Chamberlin
Meet Kari, a quilter, a stitcher & a maker of ALL THE THINGS! Kari has been creative her whole life, but for the last 20 years she’s been sharing her treasures with the world. With finished products, patterns and video tutorials on her YouTube channel just to name a few. Exploring ways to repurpose and give new life to vintage and discarded textiles is her JAM! Eclectic and one of a kind items, you are sure to be inspired by her “out of the box” ideas. Find her weekly on Instagram and Youtube under her company name Tiger Lily Designs, with sneak peeks into her sewing studio from small town Virginia.
Kate Sandford
Kate quilts alot, in fact it is usually the first thing she thinks about when she gets up in the morning. She loves colour, texture and the challenge of learning new techniques. She finds the almost infinite number of choices you make to produce a finished quilt endlessly fascinating. She has two children and one husband and lives in a house where everyone is nerodiverse. She works as a Playworker at a preschool and believes we should all make room for play in our creative lives.
Katrina Hadjimichael
Katrina is a quilt designer and tutor from Sydney, Australia. She has been teaching her original quilt designs for over twenty years and loves to share her passion for stitching. Her particular interest in history shows up in her love of reproduction fabrics and antique techniques. You will find her relaxing with a cup of tea and slow stitching some hexagons by hand!
Kerry Keeble
Kerry is a longarm quilter, pattern designer, avid rescuer of fabric and lover of rainbows with a real passion for sharing her knowledge and love of quilt making with anyone who will listen. Kerry has a particular love for EPP, fussy cutting and creating kaleidoscope illusions with fabric, you can see all of her adventures in stitch on Instagram where she is @thatssewkerry or on her website http://www.thatssewkerry.com
Keyana Richardson
Keyana is a A pediatric nurse practitioner, married with four children and a beagle, and self-proclaimed pizza addict, Keyana lives in Columbus, Ohio. Although she recalls her grandmother sewing and quilting, Keyana didn’t begin quilting until 2017 when her mother-in-law gifted her a sewing machine. Her love of quilting grew block by block and she is now the creator behind Collective Quilts where she shares patterns, tutorials and blogs about all things quilts.
Ledine Watson
Ledine is a quilt pattern designer, blogger, and quilting educator and enjoys making traditional quilt patterns modern. Her goal for the quilting community is to help quilters of all levels become more familiar with the techniques and skills that will help them perfect their own projects and discover new ones. While quilting is in her genes, Ledine did not grow up quilting. Ledine found solace in quilting, using the creative outlet to expand her sense of purpose throughout life’s ups and downs.
Lynn Carson Harris
Lynn lives in Michigan where she creates art, raises chickens, and grows vegetables. Both of Lynn’s parents grew up on farms and, like the little red hen in the children’s story, she was taught to do things from scratch and to never let anything go to waste. Her thrifty upbringing led her to her current style of working with scraps and the desire to use “every last piece.” Her quilts have been juried into international shows and gallery exhibits and her work is in private collections around the world. She is the author of Every Last Piece and has also been published in numerous books and magazines.
Madeline Bonner
Madeline is a textile design graduate with a passion for colour and pattern. She enjoys both hand and machine sewing, and in particular English Paper Piecing and Appliqué. Madeline enjoys combining techniques and loves to use a variety of processes in each of her projects.
Mary Davis
Mary has always been a crafty person. She started out as a garment sewer and did that for many years. Mary taught herself to quilt after seeing her mother pick up the hobby later in life. Her first quilt was a sampler wall hanging. She has been quilting for over 25 years and still enjoys all aspects of quilting. Mary considers herself a traditional quilter with a modern twist. Some of her favorite blocks are the Ohio Star and Log Cabin. She prefers floral prints over solids and loves free motion quilting. Mary is a quilt pattern designer and also hosts of an online membership that features quilters of color.
Porfiria Gomez
Porfiria Gonez is a Native New Yorker. She found her love of quilting after becoming a mum. She is a creative that has hopes of taking her quilting journey to the next level.
Rachel Thomeczek
Rachel is a modern quilter based in Omaha, Nebraska. Besides quilting, being a mom to a 7 year old and an 18 month old keeps her pretty busy! She has been quilting full-time since 2017 and enjoys designing bold designs with a lot of movement. In her spare time, Rachel can be found microwaving coffee from earlier in the morning and lint rolling thread off of her pants.
Samantha Andrzejewski
A lifelong crafter, Samantha got her first sewing machine in 2012 and finally found quilting in 2020. She is an elementary educator by day and jokes that her only two hobbies are “Quilting, and teaching people on the internet about quilting.” Every quilt is a new experiment in ruler and free motion quilting. Samantha lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband Jared and dog Bruce. Find her on Tiktok: @SamRhymesWithHamm and Instagram: @SamRhymesWithHam!
Sarah Harris
Sarah is modern quilter, pattern designer, and creative sustainability enthusiast. She loves to combine art types to let her work speak what is on her mind. After living in Ireland for half of her life, she is back creating in Colorado with her young sons and dog. Find her on Instagram @acorncornerquilts
Sarah Ruiz
Sarah Ruiz is a quilter and aerospace engineer from Houston, TX. Her creative and technical sides have always been intertwined, from drawing Disney characters and memorizing constellations as a kid to taking humans back to the moon and dreaming up new quilts today. Quilting perfectly combines her engineering and artistic mindsets, and she loves the puzzle-solving required to turn an idea into reality. Her quilts feature bright colors, bold lines, and graphic shapes that are easy to make but pack a visual punch.
Shereece Spain
Shereece’s quilting journey really began in 2010 out of boredom after moving to a new, small town and I was looking to meet new people. Thanks to a local program, she learned how to crochet and was reintroduced to quilting. Her travels and everyday life began to inspire new designs for patterns. And now she’s sharing those designs with you and teaching skills she has learned along the way.
Stephanie Williams
Stephanie lives in a small East-Central Wisconsin town known for its cookies, with her husband & son. She started quilting in 2015 while pregnant & dove into pattern writing in 2018. She prefers to focus her patterns on scrap management & fussy cutting, since there are so many fun fabrics out there & scraps pile up faster than her quilt tops!
Sue de Vanny
Sue de Vanny is a multi and mixed media artist, with a passion of textiles and stitch but also loves to add paint plus a number of other mediums to sometimes the same piece. Whilst for the last 17 years Sue has been more involved in textile art, she has completed City & Guilds Cert 2 in design and has been exhibiting around the world with several pieces at a time and being the recipient of awards in Australia and overseas. Her work has been featured in numerous magazines and books over the years. She has presented two solo exhibitions, the last one being in between lockdowns in 2021, with more exhibitions planned for 2022/23. The future should see Sue continuing to delve into the mixed media more so but always involving textiles as I think it’s her favourite. Exploring the ‘What if?’ to see how it ends up. Introducing more textiles in our Art World and to be accepted as one of the great mediums alongside oils, pastels etc.
Tina Curtis
Tina developed an interest in sewing at 7 when she began learning to make quilts with her grandmother in their home state of South Carolina. Since then, Tina’s family and career have taken her many places; however, one thing she’s always kept with her is a passion for being a heart-ful maker as well as a desire to connect and share her designs with others. Some of Tina’s favorite projects include experimenting with vibrant colors, interesting fabrics, and unique techniques. Tina currently creates at her home in Texas with her husband Cameron and constantly smiling four-legged friend, Shannon.
Valerie White
Valerie White has been creating mixed media quilts for more than two decades. Her work can be found in numerous publications and private collections. In 1998 Valerie retired from the District of Columbia Public Schools after 25 years of committed service as an Art Educator and Guidance Counselor. Mrs. White earned a BFA from Howard University and a M.A. from Virginia Polytechnic University in Blacksburg Virginia.
Yasmeen Branton
Yasmeen designs and creates hand applique patterns, tutorials and runs workshops all through her business Sand & Stars. Yasmeen’s passion is for everyone to learn how to do needle turn hand applique; to build skills, confidence and enjoy this therapeutic technique whilst creating beautiful projects for themselves or loved ones.
Zeiba Monod
Zeiba is a Franco-Senegalese mum of 3 who lives in a beautiful, quaint village in Buckinghamshire, UK. She is a self taught sewer who started in 2016 when she discovered bag making, working mostly with cork and waxed canvas; at the beginning of 2021, she made her first quilts for her family and the rest is history. Now you can find her most days in her little sewing studio, creating colourful modern quilts and experimenting with cottons, linens and African wax fabrics. Zeïba’s quilting journey is one of perpetual learning, in a rich, inspiring and amazing world of texture and colours; whilst on her path to discovering her own unique style.
We hope that you enjoy following along with us and would encourage you to check these makers out, click each Artisan’s name above to be taken to their website and to join them on their own creative journey!
Lovely to see a few of or talented Aussie artists on your team.
Fun to see all the beautiful colors. So many too choose
So happy to see my stitchy friend Kari Chamberlin amongst your choices. I love her quilt designs and her flosstubes!
What a wonderful new crew! So pleased to see the Aussies in there!