Each year we partner with an amazing team of Aurifil Artisans to not only spread the joys of working with Aurifil Threads, but to also share their masterful creations and talents far & wide. Today we are thrilled to share the third project showcase for our team of 2022-2023 Artisans!
For the month of August we asked them to share a project in which they used the technique of appliqué. If you’re familiar with our Flora Color Builder Collections, then you know we are fans of appliqué. It was amazing to see all the amazing projects the Artisans created using the same technique in a variety of ways!
Ledine Watson
My project for the August Aurifil Thread Artisan Challenge was this adorable dachshund Halloween applique quilted pillow! What a fun and quick project! I quilted the background fabric and batting using Aurifil 50 wt in White.
I wanted a quilted look, but didn’t want it to distract from the applique! I used Aurifil 40 wt in Black, Orange Mustard, Variegated Silver Fox and Graphite to attach the adorable applique pieces to my pillow. These beautiful Aurifil threads certainly made the applique POP!
Carl Brown
This is “Corner of the Sky” A 70 x 70 picture quilt that was all done and appliqué. It’s a way of connecting large pieces using appliqué so that you can use unusual shapes and sizes. I used in the top spool Aurifil Monofilament and 50 wt on the bottom Bobbin. August was a fun months.
Brandon Wulff
Brandon Wulff is so lazy this summer he didn’t do any Appliqué but instead dug out some of his favourite pieces from the past. (These are Brandon’s own words 😉 )
Sue de Vanny
First time I’ve done machine turned appliqué! It was fun too.
Debbie Jeske
For this month’s challenge, I settled on a smallish needle-turn applique project repurposing a pair of fabric bags into cute gift bags by appliquéing over the print on the bags. I resized Carolyn Friedlander’s Bow quilt templates for the design. Perfect for the applique was a small spool of Aurifil 80wt #6722 [Sea Biscuit].
This thread is super thin and sleek, yet strong, so it took very little effort at all to hide my stitches with such a thin thread.
Yasmeen Kreebani Branton
My obsession for hand applique began around 6 years ago and I now love to share my passion for the technique through patterns and tutorials, giving people the skills and confidence to start their own creative journey. It’s also a wonderful way to find daily comfort by getting lost in the calming, meditative flow of needle and thread. It forces you to slow down and be more present with yourself, which is vitally important in our modern fast-paced world as part of your mental wellbeing toolkit.
Genesis Hall
The traditional fan block quilt! Before this project, I had never tried appliqué so I chose the raw-edge appliqué technique. The Aurifil 100% nylon monofilament clear thread is what I chose for the appliqué process using a zig-zag stitch. Along-side in the bobbin I used Aurifil 50 wt in 2600.
Janine Heschl
I wanted to keep the design of the robin simple and used batik fabric rather than solid colours for the applique part. The head and chest are embroidered with Aurifil mako 40wt/ 50wt and the 3D moss with 50wt on water soluble stabilizer. The little bumblebee is hand embroidered on the black medium weight calico fabric. Size: 20x20cm – 8x8inch
Anorina Morris
After a long, cold winter, spring is in the air with this large floral decorative pillow. Island Batik fabrics are appliquéd, by machine, using a variety of coordinating 50wt Aurifil threads.
Stephanie Williams
I made a sunflower mini quilt using Heat N Bond Lite, golden scraps from my stash & Aurifil threads 2735 and 2140. I used free motion quilting to attach the sunflower to my background fabric & hung it with the rest of my sunflower prints!
Katrina Hadjimichael
I love my hand applique and my favourite Aurifil 50 weight thread is an essential part of my applique tool kit. This thread is strong yet fine enough to melt into the fabric fold of my prepared applique shapes. I am currently working on a new quilt for my “Jane Austen Quilt Collection”. This one is called Barton Park, featuring lovely bright pink roses and assorted flowers in blue and yellow with lots of green foliage. Working hard to finish it now.
Zeiba Monod
I am so delighted to share my August project with you. This has undoubtedly been the most exciting, challenging, inspiring and fulfilling quilting project I have undertaken. Appliqué was a form a quilting I had never explored much before. However, I decided to see each challenge for exactly what it was, a way to learn, to explore and see what I could create. My (un)broken path mini quilt in African Wax fabric and 3 types of Aurifil threads is filled with new artistic experiences and a lot of creative joy. I hope you like as much as I do.
Kerry Keeble
“I created a world of my own, because you wouldn’t let me in to yours” is one of my favourite quotes, my world is full of magic, colour, fabric and thread and this month I’m thrilled to be taking you on an appliqué filled adventure with me. Using bright, vibrant 50wt threads and pieces of Tula Pink I created a unique textile piece full of my favourite techniques and some new ones!
Sarah Harris
An Ode to Tuam, my piece about the lives of so many babies and children lost at the hands of those in charge at the Bon Secours mother and baby home in Tuam, Co Galway, Ireland. The tragedies at Tuam are some of many in similar circumstances all over the world. My heart breaks for the families affected by the horrific findings, and those who were powerless when witnessing the atrocities. For this piece, I used repurposed fabrics and clothing, to symbolise the children’s clothing, along with quilting cotton scraps and Irish tweed.
The church, which is symbolic but not from Tuam, was from an old photo of mine and printed onto fabric. I then added the stained glass windows fabric in the ruins (fabric by Anna Maria Horner). I used 5 different colours of Aurifil thread in 3 different weights (28, 50, and 12). I love using machine appliqué and the extra texture it can add.
Karen Foster
A mid-make design decision to add Dresdens to my Tumbler quilt was the perfect opportunity to machine appliqué with Aurifil monofilament.
Cristina De Miranda
I’ve started to think outside the quilt rectangle and explore what lies beyond… This playful wall quilt is shaped by the appliquéd bubbles within its frame.
Kate Sandford
Faux needle turn applique using Aurifil Monofilament. Inspired by Joseph Itten’s book “the Art of Colour”. I’m doing alot of reading about colour theory, and trying to work out what want to achieve with colour in my quilts.
Using monofilament I can get a lovely clean edge to my applique, with out added texture or colour. A good technique to have up your sleeve.
Alison Carpenter-Hughes
My August challenge is actually a lovely commission I completed of a client’s grandchildren. Working with base layers of appliqué, I used free motion embroidery to ‘paint’ the detail over the top.
I had a choice of images to work from and decided on two where the boys were in moments of play; their hands expressive and gaze focused.
As with other pieces I have created, Aurifil threads (using 28, 40, 50, 80 wt)are perfect for building up light and shadow, beautiful colour combinations and the threads are so lush and springy, I find them so easy to arrange in my finishing process.
We encourage you to click through and check out each of these amazing projects in more detail!
Absolutely stunning creations and fabulous ways to use Aurifil threads! Thanks to each and every Artisan for sharing their skills with us.