It’s not often that we get to pop in with an announcement like this one… We’ve been counting down the days to this launch for nearly a year and can hardly believe that it’s finally here! We’re elated to introduce a brand new and highly anticipated Aurifil thread weight, our first debut in 6 years…
Meet Aurifil 100% Cotton 8wt thread!
Presented on an elegant white wooden spool, Aurifil 8wt is a 2ply thread produced in Italy to the same standards you’ve come to know and love. It was developed in partner with new Aurifil Designer and longtime friend, Suzy Williams of Suzy Quilts. Evolve is her debut Aurifil collection featuring an introductory palette of 20 hand-selected hues, designed to perfectly coordinate with her three Art Gallery fabric lines (Duval, Signature Pure Solids, and Evolve). Aurifil 8wt is ideal for hand quilting, embroidery, and cross stitch or anytime something a little heavier than 12wt is desired. It will officially release on February 24th, available first at QuiltCon!
Suzy is a beloved personality within the quilting industry, drawing on her graphic design background to transform conventional sewing into a fresh, personal interpretation of minimal, modern design. She is wildly creative and incredibly captivating, and has built a rich and dedicated following over the past decade. We can’t wait to see how she uses her new 8wt threads to enhance her hand-quilting.
In celebration of Evolve and the launch of Aurifil 8wt, we sent initial samples in three stunning hues out to a wonderfully creative group of Aurifil Artisans, Designers, and friends. The feedback has been astoundingly positive and we’ve been devouring each new project with pure elation. Starting today and continuing over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing the stunning work of these makers, culminating in an interview and project feature from Suzy Williams. We hope you’ll find inspiration within and can’t wait to hear what you might make with the threads of Evolve!
Annie Tremblay
For this project I wanted to focus on textures which would complement so well with the new 8wt Aurifil threads. A wintery textured Maypole was what came to my mind when I received these beautiful threads. After the colorful Holidays I needed a soft palette. I used natural tones of quilting cotton, linen, noil and even double gauze to achieve my vision.
Tips: I like to use Clover gold eye milliner needle in size 3 or 5
I really love the new 8wt Aurifil thread! It has a beautiful silky sheen but yet it’s strong. I am not a fan of thread conditioner so I was pleasantly surprised at how it glides smoothly through the layers. Being a lover of big stitch quilting and textures it’s might be my new favorite.
Annie Tremblay
Ben Millett
Ben used three hues of 8wt threads to make five wholecloth mini quilts. Each color was assigned a different quilting direction (angle, straight, curve), with the quilting paths repeated to a certain extent across the five quilts.
Janice Reimer
Some quilts just beg to be hand quilted and this was one of them.
I was shocked at how this thread just glided through without any problems – no tangles, no knots – it was a dream!
Janice Reimer
Amelia Ellen
When I was gifted the 8 weight thread I knew I wanted to make something special. I used the glorious 8 weight for the hand quilting details on the vest.
Mariana Diaz
You know the best part about being an Aurifil Artisan? They send me cool stuff to play with to my heart’s content! That means I got my hands on the much-anticipated 8wt thread by Suzy Quilts. The verdict? Awesome! Having worked lots with Aurifloss, this 8wt let me skip pulling the strands apart, instead getting right to snipping and sewing. I found it easier to thread into a needle because it’s super smooth and stays together really well! It would be a bit thick for my sewing machine, but as someone who dreams of having a Sashiko machine, this is the thread I’d want to try on it first! Okay, onto the project. As much as I’ve grown to love embroidery, I’m a quilt designer, so I can’t turn my back on quilting. So this is a marriage of both: a simple patchwork springing to life with these teeny tiny little flowers.
Anorina Morris
The Curvy Cushion was an absolute joy to create. Fabrics were chosen from the stash which worked with the thread colours. The cushion is a made up of drunkard’s path blocks (arranged randomly), machine quilted in the ditch and then big stitch hand quilted using the beautiful Aurifil 8wt cotton thread for added detail and texture.
Tips: The 8wt thread stitched up beautifully without needing any extra thread conditioner. For ease of threading, I used a larger eye needle (eg Chenille #22 or Crewel #7). It really is a lovely thread to stitch with and will be a wonderful sparkly addition for quilters who enjoy adding big stitch quilting to their work.
It was love at first stitch. A truly beautiful thread to work with, giving my project that extra quilty texture.
Anorina Morris
Vickeidy Plybon
I used my 8wt thread to challenge myself, doing something I’d never attempted before: hand-quilting an entire quilt top. I loved using the 8wt thread—it glided smoothly through my layers, had a nice sheen, and added great texture to my quilt.
Tips: Use thread conditioner to help thread glide smoothly through all layers and help prevent tangling.
I loved working with 8wt thread. This was my first time handquilting a quilt and I found the thread very easy to work with soft– yet strong, and the colors are just perfection. I can’t wait to use them again!
Vickeidy Plybon
Mary Burroughs-Mayer
I am so excited to have been able to play with a few spools of the new Aurifil 8wt Aurifil! The colors chosen by Suzy Quilts are amazing and I can’t wait to get my hands on the rest of the collection. I made two whole-cloth quilted pillows using this thread on each. One was stitched by machine, and one by hand. Which is your favorite? Using this thread for hand-quilting is very straight forward, nothing new to report there, besides the fact that it’s lovely to work with. But using this thread in your machine does require some additional precautions and adjustments to prevent major tangles either in your machine or on the back of your project – make sure to check out my blog post for all of my tips and tricks for successfully machine-quilting with this thicker thread!
Tips: Machine Sewing: 1. Denim or topstitch needle – size 100/16, 2. Use a heavier thread weight in the bobbin (40-28 wt.), 3. Increase top tension if needed, 4. Hold top and bottom threads when starting a line of stitching, 5. Stitch SLOWLY, 6. Don’t use your automatic thread cutter.
I tried the new Aurifil 8 wt. thread in a hand-quilting project AND through my machine and I love it! It did not shred when hand-quilting, and with some care, stitching with this thread in my machine allowed for a beautiful, bold stitch! I just wish the spools were larger!
Mary Burroughs-Mayer
Candice Odeen
My take on the new 8wt from Aurifil and Suzy Quilts? It’s a winner! Here are my thoughts:
- I’ve used a couple of other 8wt (think big box and LQS brands) and would rank the new Aurifil at the top.
- The thread is super silky feeling, but not in a delicate way. It glides through the fabric really nicely, with minimal friction.
- It’s strong! I’ve used other 8wt to hand finish binding and had it break apart (almost fray apart, if that makes sense) and binding come undone. With this 8wt I REALLY had to tug to pop it through the thick batting and didn’t break it once. Even the end of the thread didn’t get all frayed and weird by the time I got to the end of the piece.
- The wooden spools are super cute! But they also feel so much sturdier than the little cardboard tube thing inside my other 8wt. I’m already thinking of fun things to do with the spools when they are empty.
Tips: I opted to use a needle threader right off the bat, rather than try to thread myself.
The thread is super silky feeling, but not in a delicate way. It glides through the fabric really nicely, with minimal friction.
Candice Odeen
Brandon Wulff
I used the 8wt (example on left) the same way I use 12wt (example on right)– two strands doubled over for 4 strands and you can clearly see that the 8wt is fuller and lusher than the 12, yet it maintains its softness, smoothness, and shine.
Devida Bushrod
My hand stitches are novice, but I know the more I do the more I will improve. The thread is the brand new 8wt Aurifil which is beautifully soft & just glides. Thick enough to be a gorgeous detail adding another layer of interest in a quilt.
Jennifer Cannon
Loving this new 8wt thread collab by Aurifil & Suzy Quilts! And this pattern by Suzy – Sew Mojo Mini – is so quick and looks amazing with hand stitching! I used Suzy’s Pure Solids from Art Gallery Fabrics in Evergreen, Matcha, Snapdragon, Shrimpy, Raw Gold, Queen Bee, & White Linen.
The 8wt thread has been a dream to work with. The thickness has added so much texture and yet glides thru my projects easily. I have absolutely loved using it for my Sew Mojo Minis!
Jennifer Cannon
We encourage you to click through and check out each of these amazing projects in more detail!
So excited to try this new 8wt Aurifil. If we pre-order, can we pick up the products at Quiltcon? Thanks!