Stitching Kindness | Introduction

It’s no secret that Susan Ache (@yardgrl60 on IG) has a special place in her creative heart for all things red & white. From quilts and pillows to books & thread collections to an epic red cross stitch sampler wall that just keeps growing and growing, Susan’s stash is enviable!

Today, we are simply delighted to welcome her back to the blog. She is our absolute favorite stitchy magician and we seriously love every time she comes to us with a new and fabulous idea.

Her latest master plan will set you up for a Summer of stitching, sewing, and quilting, all in partner with Aurifil and our friends at Moda Fabrics.

Today, you’ll get the low down, allowing plenty of time to gather supplies and prepare for the kick-off on June 9th. Make sure to grab Susan’s Rosso Rubino on Shop Aurifil and find your new fave Moda fabrics via the buttons below.

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Hi to Everybody! Oh how I love to be asked to come and chat and everytime I show up I am thrilled to see and hear from familiar and new faces. If we haven’t met yet, I am Susan Ache, and for those on Instagram I am yardgrl60.

Let’s talk about Summer. More specifically, let’s talk about stitching through the Summer and how I like to play. I am a mom of five now-grown children, but while they were young, I spent the majority of my time in the car… driving from point to point, waiting in the car, shuffling around from one sport to another… all while keeping a smile on my face because who wants cranky kids in the car?  To keep my sanity, I came up with my ‘waiting game’ plan and I still use it to this day. I have a ‘to-go’ bag filled with embroidery supplies so I can sit and stitch while I am waiting in or out of the car. It is just for the car– it doesn’t even travel to my stitching nest of a chair. I keep a simple project bag loaded with my threads, scissors, hoop, extra needles, and of course my already outlined stitching. 

All of this leads me to a whole new round of fun stitching for the summer. These days (and always) we could use some kind words. We all need them in our lives as we all truly want to live a life filled with kindness… so why not stitch them up and make a simply constructed quilt to keep for ourselves or to give as a gift. We are going to spend six weeks stitching 3 words a week and on the seventh week you will be given your quilt instructions. 

SCHEDULE
5/26 | Introduction (YOU ARE HERE!)
6/9 | Week 1: words 1-3 + blank templates
6/16 | Week 2: words 4-6
6/23 | Week 3: words 7-9
6/30 | Week 4: words 10-12
7/7 | Week 5: words 13-15
7/14 | Week 6: words 15-18
7/21 | Week 7: finale + quilt pattern release!

I’m not one to keep you waiting, so I’m thrilled to show you the quilt now so that you can start your planning. We’re even going to give you the fabric requirements so that you round up supplies, plan fabrics, etc…

PROJECT DETAILS
Pattern: Gratitude by Susan Ache
Finished Size: 55″ x 70″

FABRIC & THREAD REQUIREMENTS
one 2″ WOF strip each of 18 assorted prints (one per block)
1/3 yd red small pindot fabric for small sashing block
1/3 yd red inner border fabric
1-1/4 yds white fabric for background
1-1/2 yds white pindot fabric for background
1-1/2 yds white fabric for border
3/4 yd red or white print (or other) fabric for binding
3-1/2 yds fabric for backing
Susan Ache’s Rosso Rubino thread set

STITCH WITH US!
tag & follow: @yardgrl60, @modafabrics, @aurifilthread, and #stitchingkindnessSAL

I planned everything out so that we finish up in the middle of July. Call me crazy, but it’s just the perfect time for me to incorporate my ‘Christmas in July’ sewing. It’s my all time favorite month to sew all things Christmas so that I am ahead of the holiday rush. No, you don’t have to stitch nor do you have to sew Christmas themed projects– you just pick exactly what colors make you happy and stitch and sew those.  

With all things that I make, I love options, so you will for sure have to come back on week one. I’ll walk you through some simple steps for effortless stitching and will also share some stitching options if you choose to change it up. In the meantime, find yourself a little “to-go” bag, load it up with your stitching needs and get ready for six weeks of fun!

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ABOUT SUSAN
Instagram 
A love of color makes it easy for Susan to grab inspiration from her native Florida surroundings. With no grand idea other than knowing she wanted embroidery and nine patches in her first quilt, a new world opened up to this mom of now five grown children. Being self taught with many hours of reading about the makings of a quilt and quilt blocks has made this a lifelong passion. Susan is always searching for new and fun ways to show off as many colors as she can in a quilt. Most of her quilts are a creative impulse from trips to the garden center, a photograph, or browsing through paint chip selections. “I really never see just the quilt, I seem to see the quilt in the room that it belongs in”.  Working in a quilt store for years helped Susan to pursue that passion of color and the fabric inspired life she enjoys while constantly striving to make her next favorite quilt.