We first met Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life at QuiltCon 2023. Her enthusiasm for her craft was palpable, and she shared her ambitious plans for her premiere collection with Moda. We were completely drawn in by her energy, inspired by her drive, and subsequent discussions a few weeks later culminated in scheduling her debut Aurifil thread set.
Flower Girl is an ideal match for the Spring season, showcasing a delightful array of soft colors. It includes nine small spools of 50wt thread in a selection of muted pastels and naturals, along with one small spool of 40wt thread, which is Heather’s preferred choice for English Paper Piecing (EPP). You’ll see a stunning parade of projects created with these subtle hues all over her website and Instagram feed, each one sweeter and more delightful than the last. We are excited to present these threads as a complement to Heather’s fabric collection and are honored to have her introduce her work to you.
Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us today, Heather! We know that some of our readers may be meeting you for the first time. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you got started with quilting?
Hello! I’m Heather Briggs of My Sew Quilty Life. I am a quilt pattern designer and Moda Fabrics Designer. I first began quilting in fall of 2017.
My quilting story is rather unique and one that I love to tell. I come from a creative household. No crafts were off limits and I was always into something. From cross stitch, crochet, and latch hook to loom making and garment making– you name it and I’ve tried it. Quilting was first introduced to me by my babysitter, Dee. She spent hours at the head of her dining room table making quilts. She had old cookie tins filled with buttons for days, and fabric scraps and threads cluttered under the table, a place I frequently liked to play.
Although I was surrounded by quilting, I never paid any attention to it. It wasn’t until I was in my Architecture Masters program that I accidentally stumbled upon it again. This time, I was intrigued, but it didn’t happen like you would think. I took a photography class and started up a side business photographing newborns and families. I loved capturing precious moments, especially the babies. After a year of photographing newborn babies I was looking for something that could make my photos stand out and be more unique. While looking online for props, I saw a small cutter quilt piece. I didn’t know at the time, but it was a small Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt piece. I paid a fortune for it! It was only the size of a fat quarter. I thought I hit the jackpot! I loved it, but I felt like it was too small to make a statement. So, I began my journey of trying to find antique quilts to use in my pictures. I quickly learned that antique quilts are hard to come by, especially if you’re only looking in thrift stores. So, I decided since I was crafty, I would make a Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt, scuff it up, drag it through the mud, and make it look antique. It took almost a year to make the quilt top, and I definitely no longer wanted to make it look antique. Instead, I shut down my photography business and jumped right into the quilting world.
Do you remember the very first quilt you made and how completing it made you feel?
The very first quilt I made was a Grandmother’s Flower Garden, the same quilt that made me fall in love with quilting. I’m very ambitious! I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and I think as a new quilter jumping in, it was fun because I was learning as I went. I didn’t know what was considered advanced or hard–I just saw something I liked and said, “I’m going to make it.” I used the EPP technique and after three years of working on the quilt, I finally finished it. I even completely hand quilted it. Again, I didn’t know what I was doing, I just jumped in and tried it. I also made the classic scalloped border, but I had no idea what bias binding was at the time, so that turned out a little wonky, but I still love it. After doing research, I learned that many Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilts are started, but never finished. I felt a huge sigh of relief after I completed it. After that, I quickly learned to machine piece, which I enjoyed more. I keep this quilt displayed on a quilt ladder in my home. It brings back wonderful memories.
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
I take a lot of my inspiration from nature, especially flowers. After I designed my first flower quilt in 2021, I was hooked. Since then, that’s been the focus of my design aesthetic. I’m even known by some as the “Flower Girl,” a name I am proud to wear! I’m always looking for flowers wherever I go. It doesn’t matter if it’s a small flower on the side of the road or even in the flower section in the grocery store when it’s winter. They just make me smile. I have taken my love of flowers into my fabric collections as well. Drawing flowers is so fun and I love designing them in pretty arrangements.
What is your favorite thing to make?
My favorite thing to make are quilts. There’s just something so special about making a quilt. There are so many different steps of the process that keep it interesting and at the end, you have this beautiful piece of art that not only looks pretty, but also serves a purpose.
Have you ever had one of those ‘aha’ moments in quilting and if so, what was it?
My aha moment was when I finally learned how to make my seams line up perfectly. I learned this from Kimberly Jolly of Fat Quarter Shop. If there is a seam that I really want to line up, I no longer start by sewing my seam from top to bottom. Instead I pin where I want to sew, sew an inch or so, then look to make sure it is lined up. If it’s not, I’m only picking out an inch worth of stitches–not an entire seam. Then, if I’m good to go, I start sewing my seam at the top, sew over the stitches I just made, and continue sewing down to the bottom. Now, my seams line up perfectly!
Do you have a favorite technique?
Yes, chain piecing! I chain piece every quilt. I try to sew everything I can without getting up from my machine, even if that means I’m not following a pattern step by step. Sometimes I will even chain piece multiple quilts at once just so I don’t have to get up and press.
Your first fabric collection with Moda Fabrics hit stores earlier this month. Can you tell us a little more about the inspiration behind these prints? What does releasing this collection mean to you?
I still cannot believe my biggest dream has come true! My debut collection with Moda Fabrics is truly a glimpse into my soul. Flower Girl is all about my love for flowers. It is soft, sweet, feminine, and truly everything I wanted it to be. For me, flowers have special meaning. They remind me no matter what hardships I face, I can still grow strong roots and shine brightly every day. But that is a choice I have to make. If you live your life like a flower, you’ll always bloom. The tagline for the collection is, “Channel your inner flower girl.” Sometimes we don’t always feel like we can do hard things–we feel they are too out of reach or we even feel like an imposter. When you channel your inner flower girl, you can do all things. This collection reminds me that I can do hard things. I can make my dreams come true, and so can you!
Do you have a favorite project made with these prints?
To pay homage to my very first quilt, I am currently making another Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt with my Flower Girl collection. During my very first Quilt Market this past year, I had everyone that came to my booth make me a hexagon. I am currently sewing them all together. It’s so special that so many people will be a part of this quilt and its story. I even made a quilt backing that said, “My First Quilt Market Houston 2023” for everyone to sign. I try not to get choked up talking about it. It’s so sentimental to me.
I also really enjoyed making my Flower Stand quilt. This quilt is a unique Block of the Month I am offering with my new Flower Girl fabric collection starting in April 2024. Each of the blocks are so different, it was a lot of fun to design and make.
When did you first discover Aurifil Thread and why is it your go-to?
I first discovered the Aurifil thread in 2019 when I was watching Kimberly Jolly on YouTube while learning to machine piece. I was using a different cotton thread at the time and that company was going out of business. I was in the market for a new thread and when I heard that Kimberly loved that thread (and thousands of other people did, too), I went to my local quilt shop and purchased a spool of 50 wt color #2021, for no other reason than that’s what they had in stock. It’s still the same color I use today. I loved it and my machine loved it, too. You can always tell when your machine does or doesn’t love a thread. After I started using Aurifil, I thought it would be great to use it to hand quilt my first quilt. So again, I went to my local quilt shop and this time they were out of 50wt #2021, so I purchased 40wt color #2021. I didn’t know the difference other than that the color of the spool was different. I loved hand sewing with the 40 wt and that became my go to for all EPP projects.
How did you go about selecting the colors for Flower Girl?
I wanted the thread colors to match as close as possible to the fabric. I love having a variety of colors that match specific fabric collections, especially for binding or for small projects. I love having small spools in my sewing room. Not only are they cute, but they have just the right amount of thread in the right color when I need them. I have quite a few in my favorite colors.
What is the significance of the single spool of Aurifil 40wt thread?
I find it funny when people have a certain way they do things just because that’s the first way they did it and it worked. That’s what happened here. As mentioned previously, I wanted to use Auriful for hand sewing and 40 wt was the only thing my local quilt shop had in stock. After using it, I really loved having a slightly heavier weight thread for my precious EPP projects. I liked that my thread wasn’t breaking as much when I was hand sewing even with my strong tugs at the thread. I know many proficient quilters use lighter weight threads for EPP and appliqué, but I wanted to include this 40wt spool in the Flower Girl Aurifil Thread Box for makers to be able to try something different, whether it be an EPP project to compare threads or to just have a heavier weight of thread. It also includes a little piece of me and my quilting journey, and that little green spool makes me smile.
What excites you most about getting this collection out into the world?
This is my first-ever Aurifil Thread Box with my first-ever fabric collection. The significance in both are so huge and mean so much to me. I have loved Aurifil for so long and it still feels so surreal that I was able to partner with them on this. I never thought this would happen for me. They have been so wonderful to work with and the entire team is amazing and so down to earth! I cannot wait for makers to add the Flower Girl Thread Box to their thread collection!
What is your absolute top quilting tip?
Measure your pieces after you complete each step in a quilt pattern to ensure that your pieces are the correct measurement. This is something I love to add in my quilt patterns. After every step, there is a measurement listed with what your pieced section is supposed to measure. It can be very easy to make a mistake and not catch it before finishing a block only to find out it’s the wrong size. This also can help ensure that your ¼” seam is correct. This is especially important with HSTs and stitch and flip pieces. Sometimes once you press, you find out your pieces are too small.
What’s coming for you in 2024? Where can fans find you?
I have a new collection that just started showing to quilt shops called Dainty Meadow. It’s a beautiful dainty floral collection filled with all of my favorite pastel colors and the addition of soft blue. That collection will start shipping to shops in the fall. I am also working on things for my 3rd fabric collection, which will debut in the summer. And I’m starting to work on my 4th fabric collection. I have beautiful new quilt patterns and fun projects with each of these collections.
Come by and say hello! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube @mysewquiltylife or on www.mysewquiltylife.com.