This May, we asked our Artisans to tap into their creative core and show off their sewing superpower. Instead of focusing on a specific theme or technique, we opened the floor for each maker to celebrate what they do best—whether that’s piecing bold quilts, adding delicate embroidery, experimenting with textile art, or blending it all together in a style uniquely their own.
The only rule? Use Aurifil thread and make what you love. From 80wt to Floss, 12wt to 40wt, our Artisans pulled from the full thread library to bring their visions to life. This month’s showcase is a brilliant celebration of individuality, talent, and the many ways creativity can take shape when there are no limits. Scroll on to see the projects that truly reflect each Artisan’s identity as a maker. These are their passions, their strengths, and their superpowers—stitched and shared with purpose.
We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the Aurifil Artisans who made the May challenge a glorious success. We truly appreciate your unwavering creativity and enthusiasm for joining us month after month. Join us as we celebrate their artistry and bid farewell to this term’s Artisans with a final burst of creativity and color.
Claire Houghton
So for the final Aurifil challenge – Superpower. My superpower has to be seascapes! I’ve lost count of the number of seascape textile artworks I’ve created over the past 8 years. Here I set myself the challenge of using every thread colour in the Aurifil Tula Pink Bestie collection, in this series of seascape textile artworks. Just about got them all in! Fabrics and papers were layered together, then free-motion embroidery was applied for the details.
Aurifil Thread used: All Tula Pink Bestie Collection 50wt
Ben Millett
The folio pages Ben created earlier this year needed covers before they could all be bound together. Thinking of the Chi Rho page of the Book of Kells, he wanted to approximate the intricate details of that page, within a letter B, with a combination of longarm and hand quilting. The front handwork repeats the thread colours used for quilting within the folios, while the back uses a single green as an accent. (Both the front and the back covers are pairs of quilted pages, bound together as single items to give them more heft than the single folio pages.)
Aurifil Thread used: Forty3 (longarm) 2021;
12wt (hand quilting) 2520, 2510, 4020, 2425, 4182, 2220, 1135, 5017, 1148, 1231
Ama F
There is nothing like adding special touches to a garment than using Aurifil threads! So much so that I had to do it twice. For the last couple of years, I’ve loved topstitching with 28wt and 12wt. For these Chloë jeans, I loved the bold look that the 12wt provided to take the 90’s look to the next level! Bonus project is this Alice Dress I made for my vacation at the end of the month. When you can’t find the perfect tassel, you just have to make it using stunning colours of 8wt.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt 2312; 8wt 2840, 2420, 2815, 2843, 2847
Amy Freyn
My sewing superpower is longarm quilting, but also having fun & dancing while longarming. This art quilt (titled “Bent Beyond” 20 inches by 26.5 inches) is like a love letter to Aurifil (the best thread and team in the game).
Aurifil Thread used: 40wt 6725; 50wt 2026, 2865; Forty3 2784, 2710, 2024
Amanda Loewen
This month, we are showing off our sewing superpower—and my power is play. I love playing with colour, but over the past year, I have also learned about playing with thread. In this Pembina Backpack (pattern by The Blanket Statement), I used 40wt thread for the first time to quilt and piece the canvas. It’s a beautiful weight for a quilted bag!
Aurifil Thread used: 40wt 2810, 2588; 50wt 7001
Tania Tanti
It takes a village of threads to create the TaniaT quilt. This is an exploration of all things threads, thread weights, and thread paths. Where do they all lead? It is about a road to recovery after Breast Cancer Surgery, the rejuvenation of loss and hope.
Aurifil Thread used: Over 65 threads used; Floss, 40wt, 50wt, 28wt and 12 wt.
All threads lead to goodness!
Marta Chade
For the May Artisan Challenge, I turned the magical Unicorn Poop thread collection by Tula Pink into the tiniest rainbow baby blanket using my smallest crochet hook. It tested my focus and stitch-counting skills, but the result might just be the cutest mini I’ve ever made!
Aurifil Thread used: Tula Pink’s Unicorn Poop 50wt: 2021, 2710, 2886, 2105, 2510, 2420, 2423
Zeïba Monod
For my final month as an Aurifil Artisan, after three amazing, inspiring years, I couldn’t resist going out with not one but two challenges, two quilt coat projects. The first was for my youngest, who, at just 10 years old, dreams of becoming a beekeeper. I created a child-size quilted jacket with a foundation paper-pieced honeybee on the back and two little beehive FPP pockets.
Aurifil Thread used: Honeybee coat 40wt 2311; 50wt 2115 & 6738
And the second project? A bold, African wax print jacket for me. Reflecting on these past three years, I’m filled with gratitude. Being an Aurifil Artisan has pushed me creatively, challenged me technically, and perhaps most meaningfully, sustained me emotionally. This rhythm of making has anchored me through so many phases, and I’ve grown in ways I couldn’t have imagined. This journey has been nothing short of transformative, and for that, I am very grateful. It’s been such a pleasure creating both jackets and all my past makes with such high-quality threads and the support of a team that’s always been genuinely rooting for its creators. Saying goodbye … for now!
Aurifil Threads used: African wax jacket 40wt 2311; 50wt 4650
Annie Tremblay
For this month’s Aurifil Artisan challenge, we are showcasing our superpower. I’m not sure if it’s a superpower, but making quilts is what I love to do, and I love all the steps from start to finish. Quilts don’t have to be super complicated to be beautiful. This traditional Irish Chain pattern made with modern fabric and quilted with all the thread is totally my jam. I machine and hand quilted this one with many thread colors and weights. It’s simple and fun.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt 4020, 2479, 2515; 40wt 4020, 2479, 2515, 4662; 50wt 4661, 2021
Kimberley Arnold
My sewing superpower is designing and sewing complex animal portrait FPP patterns! I decided to revisit an old design of mine, the Phoenix of Hope, and heavily freemotion quilted this mini quilt with six different colours of 50wt thread. The pattern is available now!
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2625, 2024, 2260, 2135, 2240, 2692, 4030
Vivian Doan
The minute I saw the pattern BLOOMS Quilt by Modern Handcraft, I knew I had to make it! My sewing superpower is piecing. I can piece like a beast!! Making a quilt top is my favourite thing when it comes to sewing and quilting. This beautiful quilt was inspired by the pinks of all the blooms and blossoms of spring!
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 2405
Barbie Mitchell
This month’s Aurifil Artisan Challenge has really got me thinking: what’s my true sewing superpower? For me, it’s undeniably needle-turn appliqué. It’s a technique that truly brings me joy and allows for an incredible level of artistry.
The secret to my precision lies in my tools. I exclusively use Aurifil 80wt thread paired with a size 10 milliner needle. This combination is a game-changer. The fine thread and even finer needle allow for stitches that are so delicate they practically disappear, creating incredibly crisp and clean appliqué. I’ve even adopted a superhero mask in some of my photos because, let’s be real, this technique makes me feel like a sewing superhero!
I’ve had the immense pleasure of teaching needle-turn appliqué to enthusiastic students across the globe, sharing the nuances of this rewarding technique. There’s nothing like seeing someone’s face light up as they master their first invisible stitch! To help others embark on their appliqué adventures, I’ve curated an Aurifil 80wt box set featuring my seven most-used colors. It’s designed as a fantastic starter pack, offering the perfect palette to get acquainted with the beauty and precision that fine threads bring to needle-turn appliqué. I hope it inspires more makers to discover their sewing superpowers!
Aurifil Thread used: Appliqué Your Day 80wt 1148, 1158, 1243, 2255, 2479, 2870, 5022
Janine Heschl
This portrait has been embroidered to highlight the topic of femicide. This fictional portrait is part of the project @herlastportrait, which gives victims of femicide a name and story. The portrait has been embroidered with 40wt, 50wt and 80wt thread on calico using a Singer107W102 sewing machine.
Aurifil Thread used: 40wt, 50wt, 80wt
Susanne Kuprella
My superpower is the ability to start sewing and let myself drift. And it usually works. I love to let an entire bag develop piece by piece, starting with one part, e.g. a special motif fabric, a patchwork element or embroidery. This way of sewing gives me an incredible amount of peace, and I really appreciate being able to do it this way.
Aurifil Thread used: Aurifil Anemone Collection
Janice Reimer
My sewing superpower is that I would rather try and fail than not try at all. There will always be more quilts, so you might as well push the boundaries of your sewing comfort zone.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt 4020, 2735, 2135, 2220, 2405, 2000
Suzanne Campion
A cathedral window pouch inspired by my recent visit this month to the exhibition, I am. We are. Liberty. One of my sewing superpowers is purchasing fabric! However, I do love cutting into the good stuff and creating items that will be useful and beautiful. I have hand quilted in my favourite 12wt 4651 which just seems to link so many prints together. I have used 40wt 1125 to top stitch the window frames, highlighting the blue within the Ianthe print. The tassel and button tuft embellishments were created with 12wt wool in shade 8006.
Aurifil Thread used: 12wt wool 8006, 8021; 50wt 2600; 40wt 4651,1125; 12wt 4651
Hannah Parks
Colorful improv is my happy place, so this month I returned to that and spent a lot of time playing with various colors of 12wt to create lots of texture with the quilting.
Aurifil Thread used: 50wt 6724, 7002; 80wt 6725; 12wt 1148, 2245, 1147, 2735, 7002
Zoe Mayson
The challenge this month was for us to share our superpower, and my sewing superpower is English Paper piecing. This pretty book pouch (pattern by @the_makers_stash) gave me the chance to try out a new arrangement of shapes, and some fussy cutting, along with some hand quilting that gives such a delightful texture.
Aurifil Threads used: EPP pieced with 80wt 2000. Handquilted with 50wt 4649
We encourage you to click through and check out each of these amazing projects in more detail! And we have to end with one final and resounding THANK YOU to the 2024/2025 Aurifil Artisan team. It’s clear that you all have remarkable creative super powers and we are endlessly grateful for all of you!!
So many wonderful projects. They certainly have inspired me to try some handwork. Thank you all for sharing your exquisite talents.