There is a special kind of joy that comes from watching an artist take a spark of inspiration and transform it into something completely new—and if you know Susan Ache (@yardgrl60), you know she brings that magic to everything she touches.
Generous with her ideas, endlessly enthusiastic, and always eager to make stitching approachable, Susan has once again gifted us with something extraordinary. This time, she found her muse in the brilliant work of Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts, letting one of Edyta’s beloved quilt designs spark a brand-new quilty cross stitch moment.
We’re positively thrilled to share this latest creation, especially because it pairs beautifully with our 8wt Best Selection— currently featured in our Holiday Edit and a true stitcher’s delight. Susan’s playful approach, her love of color, and her knack for turning technique into pure fun all shine brightly here. We couldn’t be more grateful for her generosity, her creativity, and her unwavering passion for Aurifil threads.
Did you know that, in folklore, good things tend to happen in threes? Hi everybody— it’s Susan Ache (yardgrl60 on Instagram) here with some super fun stitching. I didn’t set out searching for three good things; they all landed in my lap within minutes of each other. First up: the Babcia quilt pattern by Laundry Basket Quilts. Oh my goodness… if you haven’t made it yet, it absolutely needs to be on your list. It’s on mine, right near the top, hanging front and center in my sewing room. At the same time, I was hunting for some cross stitch linen, flipping through stitching books, and stumbled onto the next “good thing”— a super cool stitch called the rice stitch. More on that in a minute. And then came the third: the newest 8wt 2ply thread from Aurifil.
Now that you have the sequence of events, here’s how it all came together. With Babcia in my line of sight and the rice stitch fresh in my mind, I thought, why not try the stitch on this pattern? That meant pulling out Aurifil’s Cotton 8wt. “Babcia” is colorful and scrappy, and I wanted the stitching to feel the same. If you remember, when Cotton 8wt made its debut, I snagged some early to test out and wrote an unsolicited review for Aurifil— 28ct linen quickly became my preferred partner for this floss.
So I tried the rice stitch… and had a lightbulb moment. Instead of stitching over 2, I took it up a notch and stitched over 4. What a difference! You can really see how the stitch is constructed, and the extra weight of the floss makes the process faster and even more satisfying. The full stitched area comes out to about 8.75″ × 9″. (Total size would be about half that if you choose to stick with the standard of stitching over 2.)
I knew I was going to make this piece no matter what— even if I never shared it— but a split second later, I found myself emailing Edyta Sitar, owner of Laundry Basket Quilts, trying to explain what I hoped to do and asking if I could use her Babcia pattern as my muse. I’m always a bit awestruck by her work, so receiving her reply was beyond cool. She gave me her blessing, and the next thing I did was reach out to Erin at Aurifil to see if I could move forward with the idea. (I hope I never see the day she tells me no— she always lets me run wild in the Aurifil playground.) And that’s how, in one single day, everything fell into place.
So yes— you now have something new to add to your stitching pile. Believe me when I tell you that you’re going to love this super fun stitch. Just don’t forget: go over 4, not 2! And yes… you’ll want to collect all the 8wt floss colors for your stash because stitching with them is pure joy.
Have a great time, and don’t forget to tag me (@yardgrl60), Aurifil (@aurifilthread), and Edyta at Laundry Basket Quilts (@laundrybasketquilts). We’ll always be your biggest cheerleaders.