We are thrilled to share the second project showcase created by our talented Aurifil Artisans for the 2023-2024 season. Our yearly collaboration with these skilled artisans aims to showcase their expertise and beautiful creations, while also inspiring others to experience the joy of working with Aurifil Threads.
For the month of August, our Artisans have used techniques that not only result in stunning pieces but also provide a space for mindfulness. With Aurifil Floss and Aurifil 12wt threads at their fingertips, they’ve explored ways to slow down and create with intention. Their projects invite us to pause, breathe, and immerse ourselves in the art of crafting slowly and thoughtfully.
HUGE thanks to all of our participants for August — we are grateful for you, your creativity, and your incredible willingness to play along with us month after month!
Maude MacDonald
Loving the look of hand quilting my Funkadelic quilt with Aurifil Floss. It was so easy (and fun!) to match the colours of fabric to thread, and as I move on I get more excited to get to the next colour. Already looking forward for my next hand quilting project with Aurifil Floss!
Aurifil Threads used: Floss – 5015, 2220,2435, 2021, 1147, 1285,1320
Janice Reimer
This was the summer of embracing new things and just running with whatever my creative heart wanted. The smaller daisy piece was my prototype to see if my vision of combining embroidery with flower pressing and cyanotyping was worth pursuing. It passed the test! I started using just 12wt thread for this. However, I quickly found myself reaching for all the other thread weights to add finer details to the flowers.
Aurifil Threads used: 12wt in 1147, 2135, 4020, 2000, 2735, 2240, 2890, 2564;
28wt in 2535, 5009, 2115; and a couple of 50wts
Candice Odeen
August is a great time to slow down and just be. My go-to in these moments is hand stitching. This quilt and its embroidery have been a life saver when I need to take a moment away from my machine and be slow and mindful.
Aurifil Threads used: Cotton floss – 2692, 2225, 4129
Madeline Bonner
This project focused on Mindful Stitch. I adopted a process led approach and created a patterned background using a selection of mini wood and Lino blocks. I then used some of my favourite Aurifloss threads and a variety of simple stitches. Stitching is perfect for being in the moment and switching off from the stresses of life.
Aurifil Threads used: Aurifloss 6735, 2562, 2564, 2375, 2479, 2450, 2430, 2425, 2452, 2430, 2312
Brandon Wulff
This month I used 2 strands of Aurifil 12wt, doubled over, to create this rustic looking border.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt, 50wt, & 28wt in #6723
Irina Malyukova
I took inspiration for my project from the colours of Aurifil floss and created a fabric box for mindful stitching necessities. I hadn’t used that thread before and I had so much fun experimenting with it for English paper piecing and embroidery. I was impressed how well Aurifil floss works for EPP, even with tiny ¼” hexagons!
Aurifil Threads used:
EPP and embroidery: Aurifil floss 4544, 1125, 4182, 1320, 5006, 2270, 2145, 2123, 2625;
Quilting and assembling: Aurifil 40wt 2325; Applique: Aurifil 80wt 2312
Janine Heschl
For a while now, I’ve wanted to try some mixed media, and while playing around with acrylic paint on fabric, this idea of a ‘water ring’ emerged. It took me a while to figure out what to do next and what I could embroider onto the fabric to complete the piece, when they just appeared in front of my eyes: paper boats sailing in a storm. A little hoop to remind you to have the courage to set sail towards your dreams, whatever storm you may be facing.
Annie Tremblay
This month’s Aurifil Artisan challenge was the perfect opportunity to finally pick up my Brass Ring quilt and give it some love. Hand stitching is such a treat for me. Focusing on hand work calms my anxiety and helps me relax and enjoy the moment when everything is a whirlwind. My swatch card was very helpful to match my 12wt threads to each of my fabric colors. I love that the pattern design is showing in the back with the stitching.
Aurifl Threads used: 12wt in 2312, 2215, 6728, 2566, 2345, 2350, 2930
Ben Millett
I’ve found Tiny Quilts to be just right for sampling different thread colors and stitches on extra blocks or remnants cut off from other quilting projects. They’re a quick way to try something without overcommitting. I can also quickly throw them into my hand-sewing carrying case that I made last year, so I can work on them in front of the TV, on an airplane, or during a lunch break at work. The Glorious Kantha set of 12wt thread pushed me beyond my usual set of colors when I wanted to enhance extra blocks from my Hanky Code quilt.
Aurifil Thread used: All threads from Glorious Kantha, 12wt.
Amelia Ellen
This month I made jeans where I used 12wt threads for the top stitching and the hand stitching. I used a 40wt to construct the jeans and for the bobbin thread with the top stitching. I find that when I sew on my sewing machine and when I hand stitch it is a joyful and mindful process for me. I loved constructing and embellishing these jeans using Aurifil threads.
Aurifil Threads used: 12wt 2026, 2145, 5006, 4020, 2415, & 40wt 2024
Debbie Jeske
Still a work in progress, I’ve been enjoying a new Dropcloth sampler for this month’s Aurifil Artisan Challenge of Mindful Stitching. I was anxious to use the 12wt for hand embroidery, and chose 10 thread colors, doubling my thread for all my stitching on the Log Cabin sampler. Selecting a stitch and a thread color as I begin each new section of this slow-stitching project has been a fun element. And happily, the 12wt is a dream to stitch with – it stitches so smoothly, and has just a bit of a sheen.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt 1240 [Very Dark Eggplant], 2134 [Spun Gold], 2245 [Red Orange], 2255 [Dark Red Orange], 2260 [Wine], 2270 [Paprika], 2520 [Violet], 2535 [Magenta], 2975 [Brass], 5022 [Mustard]
Aimee Hagedorn
Using all Aurifil floss, I colored this thrifted army jacket with patches, sashiko stitching, embroidery, and more. I don’t think I will ever consider this slow-stitch challenge finished as it has become a grounding source for me after long days at work.
Lynett Muhaso
Pink and yellow has got to be my favourite colour combination! I had to use this yellow Aurifil 12wt thread to hand bind my quilt. The best way to kickstart my hand binding journey.
Kate Sandford
Slow hand stitched upcycled canvas shopping bag and orphan blocks– elevated from everyday to fabulous with liberal stitching all over in 12wt and floss. Slow stitching is not my natural pace but I really enjoyed slowing right down and going with the flow.
Aurifil Thread used: Floss 1104, 4020, 2021, 2540 12wt 2021, 2250, 4648, 3910, 3920.
Julie Burton
Hand embroidery is a new creative hobby for me, and I’m loving slowing down and enjoying the process of learning. For this project, I am attempting to turn one of my quilt patterns into an embroidery design. I used 7 Aurifloss colors that closely mirrored the color palette for the original pattern. Using two strands, I created the design with straight stitches. Simple, but effective!
Aurifil Thread used: Aurifloss 1240, 2445, 2410, 2420, 2205, 2214, 5009
Anna Wraith
I love a bit of hand binding for a little slow-down time as I finish my quilts and now I’m a convert to big stitch binding! Aurifil’s sheeny 12wt is the perfect thread for the job to add a touch of hand made charm. And it’s so fast. Check out my blog post to read my tips on how to get the look.
Aurifil Threads used: 12wt, 2310 Light Beige
Mary Burroughs-Mayer
I had a great time using Aurifil 12wt thread to customize each of the scoops on my Ice Cream Social Quilt (pattern by Crinkly Quilts)! This is one of the first times I’ve combined machine quilting and hand-stitching in the same project and I love the contrast and sensory feel of the different stitches. This won’t be my last time doing this!
Aurifil Threads used:
Scoops: 12wt in 2425, 2130, 2311, 2805, 1148, 2882, 5009, 4093, 4140, 4020, 2250;
Background Quilting: 50wt in 4020; Cones Quilting: 50wt in 4012, 2155, 2214
Elissa Ziccardi
L 🧵V E … I literally could not put down my Aurifil August Artisan Challenge project. The theme for this month was mindful stitching – and it more than delivered on inspiration. This one stretched me in ways I wasn’t prepared for and unlocked a whole new freedom to break the rules – whatever those might be – and stitch at will. It’s perfectly imperfect, and, as I was reminded by a fellow Artisan, “perfection is overrated”. I am totally smitten with the results and beyond thankful for this challenge to take me even further outside of my own creative box. I used loads of gorgeous, bright, and beautiful Aurifloss and Aurifil 12wt in a host of traditional stitches and then a whole bunch of stitches I’m pretty positive I just made up as I went along. This project was entirely hand embroidered. 🥰 I meandered my way along swoops and curves large and small unleashing the potions brewing from Bella Donna (she is, after all, the potions master). Extra stitching outlining features at random as the project unfolded. Ultimately I determined that rainbow streaked hair was the appropriate finishing touch for this spooky-sweet witch. True to form, I kept my love in the details and I hope you will enjoy a little zoom-in on these pictures to see how the thread brought such **incredible** dimension and movement to the already magical Night Shade Deja Vu fabric by Tula Pink!
Aurifil Thread used: Aurifloss and 12wt threads in 2515, 2479, 2588, 4020, 6729, 6737, 2835, 1148, 4093, 2525, 2520
Mariana Diaz
You all know that when I make a pattern, I like to work on it until I streamline it to maximum efficiency, and then make several versions with different colors just to see how it looks. That means that, especially recently, I’ve been focused on speed, measurements, and what’s next in the queue. “Mindful stitching”, which was the theme for this challenge, made my hyperactive mind start to panic. Little did I know, it was a blessing in disguise. I picked this cute little girl, a design by Kate from LiliPopo, and figured it was small enough for me to do well, and that it wouldn’t take too long. By the third stitch, I was someone else. Just forcing myself to stop, take a breath, think only about manually pushing that needle down and up, it was great.
Aurifil Threads used: Floss in 2530 & 12wt in 1114, 5024 and 6711
Ledine Watson
When I first saw the new Deja Vu Nightshade Collection by Tula Pink for FreeSpirit Fabrics, I knew I had to make something fun and special! For our Aurifil Thread August Challenge, we were challenged to use threads from our welcome packages. I knew a wall hanging with my Water Colors quilt pattern would look great, along with these amazing colors of thread! Sometimes we have to take steps outside of our comfort zone and this challenge definitely took me out of my comfort zone. From the dark background and the straight line quilting with these various threads, it was a change for me and I LOVE IT!
Devida Bushrod
Carving out time for mindful stitching is something I haven’t done in months, maybe even years. This month’s challenge made me stop and think – what does that even mean to me?? What popped into my head, was far from the hand stitching and slow pace that I imagined it would mean but just being able to play on my machine and have fun with stitches. An instant gratification project, something small and finishable in a day. Something fun.
With only a general direction in mind, I loaded the most brightly colored Aurifil threads onto my machine, dropped the feed dogs and free motion quilted onto a black and grey skull fabric. My loose goal was attempt to turn the skulls into sugar skulls and the panel would be sewn up into a cushion cover for Halloween. When I was done with free motion, I grabbed the Aurifil 12wt thread and foraged for beads to hand sew onto the cushion. Et voila! Halloween cushion achievement unlocked!
I love it and I love that being part of the Aurifil community inspired me to slow down enough and dream up a project that has brought me joy ❤️
Karen Foster
Mindful slow stitching with 12wt thread was the perfect way for me to find my way to finish the mini featuring a wool embroidery center. I chose to alternate 2340 and 2625 cotton in a plus pattern, freeform placement to visually blend the Dresden blades with the flying geese. The outer background 6722 three seed stitch is all about a subtle texture reading as a tone on tone and I purposely varied things again finding a nice rhythm deciding on where to position the next grouping, one cluster at a time.
Adam Burch
Thanks to the challenge this month, I have now been introduced to a whole new world of quilting and I think it may be my favourite. The time out to sit and focus solely on hand stitching is a break from the day to day tasks that we all need. Hand quilting is my new therapy and 12wt is my new go-to thread for sure!
Anorina Morris
For my slow sewing challenge, I made the Morning Star Quilt. After some simple machine stitching in the ditch, I decided to hand quilt it using my favourite 12 weight cotton threads, in a variety of colours. It has been slow going and I’m mostly finished – just a little more stitching within the stars is planned over the next few evenings.
Sarah Harris
Some of the most contemplative and relaxing sewing and quilting for me is letting go of a quilting plan and going with the flow. Curves tend to lend themselves to mindful and relaxing stitching. Using three colours each of Aurifloss and 12wt thread, I started stitching and let the curves lead me. For my Pine Bow Quilt, I added complementary and contrasting colour stitching, along with varying stitch lengths.
We encourage you to click through and check out each of these amazing projects in more detail!