In the heart of Finland, where the art of upcycling is not just a fleeting trend but a cherished way of life, one Aurifil Artisan stands out for her extraordinary creativity and skill. Meet Irina Malyukova, a passionate creator, who believes that the right tools can transform any project into a masterpiece.
Irina takes us on a journey through time and textiles as she breathes new life into a vintage tablecloth. Armed with the exquisite range of Aurifil threads. Join us as we explore the artistry behind Irina’s Vintage Tablecloth Makeover, where every stitch tells a story, and Aurifil threads play a pivotal role in weaving a tale of creativity, heritage, and reinvention.
I intentionally picked an upcycling project for my first Aurifil Artisan Challenge, as it is always very satisfying to re-imagine old textiles and transform them into something new that can be both used and enjoyed again. Here, in Finland, upcycling is a lifestyle rather than just a trend.
This challenge was all about using threads from the Artisan Welcome package. It was hard to restrict myself to just a few colours since I simply wanted to use all of them. Moreover, it was not easy to settle on a project as my head was buzzing with ideas – not until I found a vintage linen tablecloth at the Recycling Centre. I thought it would make a perfect background to showcase those beautiful threads. Therefore, I decided to try something new and went with the heavier weights of Aurifil thread since I hadn’t used 12 wt or Lana 12 (wool) for machine stitching. I would like to share my experience with you because knowing how to use the Aurifil thread correctly is crucial for success.
This linen tablecloth was sent to the Recycling Centre for a reason. It had a discoloured spot. Even though I love natural linen, I must admit the tablecloth looked boring, as it lacked colour.
I decided to start with decorative stitching and picked the following inspirational palette from the welcome package: Aurifil Lana 12 colour 8431 Pink gardenia, Aurifil 12 wt colour 2000 Light sand, Aurifil 12 wt colour 2510 Light lilac and Aurifil 28 wt colour 2880 Pale green.
When I looked at those pastel colours, they reminded me of spring and tulips. Therefore, I was convinced that what this tablecloth needed was a circular flower wreath in the centre. Since my machine embroidery skills need some practice, I drew a simplified version of a tulip that can be made using regular machine stitching rather than embroidery. To transfer the design to the tablecloth, I needed a template. So, I traced the outline of the flower on a plastic sleeve of paper and cut it out with scissors.
Then, I marked a 28″ (71cm) circle in the centre of the tablecloth and traced eight “tulips” with a water-erasable marker. All the flowers were positioned on the circle but faced different directions since I think variety always adds interest.
I didn’t use any stabiliser or embroidery hoop since the linen was quite heavy, and my sewing machine, Pfaff Quilt Expression 720, has an IDT system (integrated dual feed technology). This means that it feeds the fabric precisely (equally from the top and bottom ((on a standard sewing machine, the feed is from the bottom only)). If you have a standard sewing machine I recommend using Sulky Solvy water soluble stabilizer (dissolved in water and brushed into the area you will be stitching on).
I started with Aurifil Lana (50% wool / 50% acrylic) 12wt as the top thread. I used Aurifil 40/3 colour 4670 Silver fox in the bobbin as it blends perfectly with linen and top stitch Titanium needle 90/14. Since the thread was very heavy, I decreased the top tension from 4.6 to 3.2. I used a standard presser foot and a regular stitch length of 2.5.
This is not a free hand machine embroidery but regular stitching with feed dogs engaged using simple straight stitch. In the photo below, you can see how I stitched the flower. I outlined the flower first, then stitched the lines inside the flower. Starting at the bottom of the flower, I stitched on the traced line. Once I got to the end of the line, I turned the fabric 180 degrees and stitched back on the same line to the centre (1). I stitched the same way on the other half (2), and then filled the lines inside the flower, always stitching twice on the same line in the opposite directions. You can watch a video here.
The heavy-weight thread gives a fantastic visual impact. As you can see from step 6, I ventured a bit outside the straight lines, which makes that simple stitching stand out and adds some additional movement. I stitched every other flower (four in total) in Pink Gardenia Aurifil Lana.
The remaining four flowers I thread painted with Aurifil 12 wt. I used the same settings, needle and bottom thread, except the top tension was 3.4. First, I stitched lines with Light lilac thread and then filled in between lines with Light sand.
When it was time to stitch the stem I realised that the Pale green 28wt thread was too pale. My sewing machine has 2 spool pins, and I had a crazy idea to mix two shades of green to get the right colour. So I threaded the machine with 2 threads (Aurifil 28wt colour 2880 Pale green and Aurifil 50wt colour 5019 Military green).
As you can see from the photo below, the 50wt doesn’t show much but adds the perfect hue.
This is how the tablecloth looked once the flowers were completed. I sprayed water to remove the marks and ironed the damp linen slightly pulling on the stitching to make it lay flat. Yet, I still felt like something was missing…
Therefore, in a moment of pure experimentation, I took a box of Tilda hexagons and immediately realised that they were exactly what was needed.
1″ hexagons from the Tilda Maple Farm collection and 1/2″ low-volume hexagons brought the flower wreath together beautifully. I thread-basted some additional hexies and used Aurifil 50wt colour 2615 Aluminum to applique them on the linen. This linen is heavy, and the tablecloths are also washed frequently; thus, the heavier weight of the thread than the one I always use (80 wt) seemed appropriate. Even though the thread colour looks lighter than the colour of linen it worked perfectly.
Here is the finished tablecloth in all its glory, photographed in the beautiful locations in Helsinki: the Seurasaari Open-Air Museum and Cafe Adjutant in Tamminiemi.
I am very happy with the transformation this vintage tablecloth has undergone. I hope you enjoyed watching the process and learned something new. Perhaps it inspired you to upcycle something and add a dash of colour with Aurifil thread and this easy technique.
Happy Stitching!
P.S. Thank you, Aurifil! Your beautiful thread pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me try new things!
You can find Irina at: https://www.nordiccrafter.com/blog and on Instagram @nordiccrafter.
This is such a pretty result from an op-shop find. Love it!
This inspires me so much….. I’m still working thru my thread challenges and now I want to accomplish something similar. Thankyou so much for sharing.