It’s been a hot minute since we’ve welcomed our friend Susan (@yardgirl60) to the blog and if you’ve been following along with us for a while, you know that these are THE posts to read. She is our favorite cross-stitch queen whose personal mission is to make every stitchy maker out there fall in love with Aurifloss. From what we’ve seen, it seems to be working! Susan takes our delightful little wooden spools wound with 100% Cotton 6-Strand Floss and turns them into a parade of fabulous mini masterpieces.
We’ve been interviewing Susan for years, with our first official interview popping up 6 years ago. If you’re meeting her for the first time, that post is a great place to start — click HERE to learn all about Susan and her background, see just where our stitchy love affair began.
Today, we’re buzzing with excitement because we get to introduce a brand new collection complete with an equally brand new chart. This one is Susan’s 8th curated set for Aurifil and we’re feeling simply #enchanted about it all. It’s a beautifully perfect range of hues to kick off the Summer slow stitching you’ve been longing for. Stitch up Susan’s chart, work on that embroidery pattern you were eyeing through all those chilly Winter months, or harken back to the 80s and work up some friendship bracelets for all your stitchy besties. These hues are perfect for it all!!
To kick things off today, we’ve got one of our infamous interviews that honestly just keep getting better and better. Have fun and be sure to pop over to Shop Aurifil to grab your own set of Enchanted threads — the complementary chart is linked via a QR code on the back of the box (and will also be delivered right to your inbox upon collection purchase).
Hi Susan!! We’re so excited that you’re back! Do you think anyone else has caught on that with all of our features, we’ll just keep getting more and more silly? Someday, somehow, these chats will be in person, under your ‘more powerful than the sun’ stitch lights while simultaneously binging a crime drama. First… how ARE you?? It’s nearly Summer in Florida which means hot, hot, hot… are you already melting?
I always adore being invited back and especially a time to chat time with you. And to answer the true Florida question, yes, sun is out steam is daily and my air conditioner runs like an engine without an off switch.
If you had to rate the seasons, where would Summer fall on the list?
I used to say summer was my favorite season but to clarify that was before we thought of lathering up with sunscreen, hats and long sleeves so we didn’t feel the sun rays hitting us. Now, I am super protective of whatever bits of skin I have that haven’t been burned by the sun in my outdoor past “searching for sun” life.
What is your favorite Summertime activity?
I grew up just going to the beach whenever the sun was shining and that always meant friends, all kinds of games and of course surfing. As I’ve gotten older I am perfectly content to sit on the beach with my head buried in a great book.
How far are you from the beach and has that always been a regular destination in your family, or are you more drawn to the pool?
From driveway to parking I am twenty minutes from the beach and no it’s not a regular destination…pools are more my speed these days. The car for sure stays cleaner and I don’t have to carry as much stuff.
We know that you have a stunning home with decor that will often change with the seasons & various holidays – what is your go-to Summer decor?
Believe it or not, I don’t change my decor for any type of summer season. My house is already filled with the things I love year round like sand and shells from all different beaches I have traveled to, my colors have always been summer ready so I’ve never had to change out pillows or cushions. I have a pretty cool collection of vintage Florida souvenir stuff that is always ready to have new additions added.
Do the types of projects that you work on change in the Summer in comparison to what you find yourself stitching in other seasons?
It’s funny you ask this question because I have just been asked the same thing just recently. Okay, if there is something I can’t possibly resist or some colors just hit me to stitch with I will drop everything, kinda like “enchanted” to start a new project. But, since I don’t put time limits on my work ever, I truly don’t care what season I’m stitching in nor do I care how long it will take to finish the project. It’s all for fun, never for a “job”.
You’ve touched on this before, but can you tell us more about your go-bag? It seems like the perfect Summer accessory to ensure you’ve always got a fun project close at hand.
My go-bag is almost like the most important thing that ever gets left in the car. It’s priceless to have because when you have children you know you spend more time waiting than you do actual drive time. I found myself always wishing I had something to do besides just staring into space. Embroidery seemed like the easiest because if it’s already traced you can just change colors and not have to refer to a chart. So, the go-bag was invented. I put all of my supplies for one project in a zip bag and left it in the car. It never comes in the house until it’s time for finishing but I always have something to reach for. Now for what’s in it….I have my prepared stitching, a hoop, pair of scissors, a package of needles (you never know when you might drop and lose one) and all of the colors of floss I want to play with. Now I can grab that when I find myself waiting in a car, doctors office or anyplace that just requires sitting quietly.
In case readers are wondering why I’m obsessed with these Summer questions, it’s because we’re really here to celebrate the release of your latest thread set, Enchanted. It’s a decidedly Summery collection of hues, perfectly curated to stitch up a wonderfully sea-inspired chart. What really inspired this box?
Aurifil inspired this for sure! Normally, in real life and real time, I actually choose my colors and then think of what kind of cross stitch chart to include in my color box. Well, this time, things were a bit different. I was working on naming my Trick or Treat collection– I had an idea, but a quick google search revealed that my preferred name had already been used for something else in the quilting industry. At that point I was stuck in one lane and couldn’t get out of my own way, so I reached out to you to get some more ideas and some input. One of the names that landed on your “maybe” list was “Enchanted”. I immediately thought of ‘under-the-sea’ and began daydreaming about a fun color box incorporating the idea of snorkeling or diving with a bit of whimsy and a pop of color thrown in. I don’t think I was quite begging but I was really hoping you would let me play with this as a name for a new collection. Before I’d even found the final name for the Halloween box, I’d picked colors for the intended Enchanted set and even sent you a chart mermaid to move things along! Who gets to have this kind of fun playing in embroidery floss, sharing fun charts and talking to people of like minds?
That is the main reason you will always receive a gift of a charted cross stitch with all of my color boxes, it’s that joy that we all share with stitching, and you get to see what I am envisioning with each and every single grouping presented to you.
What drew you to create a mermaid as the centerpiece of the chart?
Who doesn’t think of a mermaid and seahorses when they think of enchanted under the sea things? It was truly meant to be. You know, because I always have wanted people to have a chart to go along with the color collection and because I have always wanted everybody to be able to print out their chart on one sheet of paper, it was super hard not to make the chart bigger than life.
Can you tell us a little more about how you piece together the elements of a chart? If you start with a mermaid, how do you decide what else to include?
When I think of the sea I always think of seahorses, beautiful fish, wispy sea grass at the ocean bottom and no sea life to me is complete without a frolicking dolphin. This is one chart that I could have gone on and one with and added more and more. It’s alway fun to think of what life belongs in the sea and how colorful life is below the surface.
Do you have any hot tips for our readers who plan to dive right into this new chart?
This truly is just a taste of how colorful your summer stitching can be with this collection. I hope that everybody starts their own hunt for charts to play with these colors, after stitching this one of course. There are so many ways to use this collection and think of embroidery projects, of course we have some of those still available on the aurifil site…help me out Erin and help people find those because these colors would be fun for any of those already at your fingertips.
You’re a true fan of color – how do you pull together hues for all of these fabulous thread sets that you create. Is it based on a mood or just pure experimentation to find what really connects?
I fly by the seat of my pants! One color can start the entire process and then it’s a matter of where I want the colors to go after that. There is not one time I have pulled colors and stopped there, I am constantly laying out colors side by side and rearranging them and tweaking shades of spools. There is no better way that I can think of to spend time than having a humongous pile of threads right at my fingertips.
We know you’ve shared plenty of stitchy tips in past posts, but we’re certain we’ll grab a few new folks this time around. What are your top tips for cross stitch?
Never make stitching your job, enjoy the entire process…take your time, don’t put time limits on your work. Also, stitch what you love, if you don’t love colors that are called for in charts, change them. There aren’t stitching police out there. If you don’t love what you are stitching in the colors you love then you either won’t finish your work or you won’t love the finished project. Now, if you are asking about certain specifics about cross stitch then maybe we need to have another entire conversation because I could go on for hours about linen, needles, to hoop or not hoop. Can we plan another time for that one?
Okay… you’re at a quilt show and you’re meeting a new fan who has never tried cross stitch before… What is your pitch?
My very first question to a new stitcher always begins with “what do you like”. I’m not asking what you want to stitch because obviously you don’t know. But you do know things you like…trees, boats, houses well, you get it and then the conversation then gets some traction for a chart starting ground and we really can have some fun because nine times out of ten there is some knowledge of stitching so begins the “how to start” conversation and where to take it from there. Once again Erin, maybe we need to talk just all about that too.
Quick – give us a list of your cross stitch go-tos!
I’m a non hooper, and will talk to all hoopers about my benefits. I happen to have a favorite linen size which is a 36ct and I always stitch over 2 but that doesn’t mean it has to be your favorite. Find the size linen you love and embrace it. Needles are a personal preference. I happen to use a petite needle 26 but once again that’s because I find it the most comfortable for me. Find your needle size you are comfortable with. It’s okay, you don’t have to do anything that doesn’t make you feel comfortable with stitching in your lap.
We’re pretty certain you have some SUPER fun new things on the horizon. Are there any fabulous bits that you can reveal?
This is a super fun summer for sure. Everybody has to come back in June for some new and fun kind of stitching talk…I’ll leave that as a surprise. In July I am excited to say my “Halloween Memories” book comes out with It’s Sew Emma. You can pre-order through fat quarter shop and the best part about this book is, the Halloween cross stitch uses every single color in my “trick or treat” color collection. The stitching is so fun. And, big super fun surprise that of course has some Aurifil colors are happening in August. I won’t spill the beans on that one yet, I’ll leave it to you when you tell it all. But needless to say, this is a colorful summer and tons of stitching fun.
Summer Speed Round
Summer Drink – iced tea
Song that reminds you of Summer – Bob Marley and those steel drums
Bare feet or sandals – bare feet
Sun hat or sunglasses – sunglasses
Favorite Summer destination – always an island
Favorite Summer-inspired hue – any shade of the ocean blue
ABOUT SUSAN
Instagram
A love of color makes it easy for Susan to grab inspiration from her native Florida surroundings. With no grand idea other than knowing she wanted embroidery and nine patches in her first quilt, a new world opened up to this mom of now five grown children. Being self taught with many hours of reading about the makings of a quilt and quilt blocks has made this a lifelong passion. Susan is always searching for new and fun ways to show off as many colors as she can in a quilt. Most of her quilts are a creative impulse from trips to the garden center, a photograph, or browsing through paint chip selections. “I really never see just the quilt, I seem to see the quilt in the room that it belongs in”. Working in a quilt store for years helped Susan to pursue that passion of color and the fabric inspired life she enjoys while constantly striving to make her next favorite quilt.
