Greetings, Aurifil family!
As Master Educator and Aurifilosophy Program Director, I’m delighted to host my quilting mentor and friend, Wendy Sheppard of @ivory_spring, for this month’s Thread Matters. Wendy is an extraordinary pattern designer— find her charming creations at your favorite quilt shop, in major publications, and on her Etsy site. She is also an Aurifil Designer, author, educator, Aurifilosopher, and a treasured member of the Aurifil family.
Today, Wendy shares a simple lesson she learned while stitching with Aurifil’s 100% Cotton 6strand Floss on 46 count linen. Join her as she walks you through a quick and easy way to protect your delicate floss stitches when working on such fine linen.
Is your shop, group, or guild looking for insightful, inspiring, and educational information about thread? Consider booking a virtual or in-person program with one of our certified Aurifilosophers. Learn more about Aurifilosophy and connect with an educator here.
Happy stitching,
Karen L. Miller ~ Redbird Quilt Co.
Hello, my fellow Aurifil enthusiasts! Happy February to you! I hope you have had a good year so far. I am happy to be back to share a few thread thoughts with you— this time about my findings on the use of Aurifil Cotton Floss on 46 count linen.
A bit of background story…
Some of you know that I am primarily a quilter, but I also enjoy just the simple rhythm of needle and thread. When my daughter was much younger, I used Aurifil’s Cotton Floss to smock many of her dresses. I turned to reproduction sampler stitching a few years ago, after my daughter outgrew smocked dresses. I find great joy in stitching vintage samplers that were stitched by young girls in centuries past. So far my favorite stitching combination has been 1 strand of Cotton Floss on 40 count linen. Here are a couple of samplers I have stitched with the combination:
This is Memories of the Past, reproduced by Hands Across the Sea Samplers.
And here is Elizabeth Hall (reproduced by The Wishing Thorn), a Quaker sampler from Pennsylvania.
I stitched my Elizabeth Hall with 1 strand of Aurifloss over 2 threads of 40 count. The over one stitches were stitched with 1 strand of 50wt. I originally shared my thoughts about stitching over 1 via one of my collaborative posts with Susan Ache— you can read that full post by clicking the button below.
Now we are getting into the story: Needleworkers are those who experiment and find out for themselves what works or what doesn’t work because more often than not the minutiae of stitching are not necessarily clearly defined. While I LOVE the look of 1 strand of Cotton Floss on 40 count linen, I was also wondering how 1 strand would look on 46 count. So, I decided to stitch Lizzie Davison with 1 strand of Cotton Floss over 2 linen threads on 46 count.
My verdict:
- I love the coverage of 1 strand of floss over 46 count.
- However, I did notice from the very beginning that the stitches were just a tad fuzzy under the magnifier. I think that’s because the holes on the 46 count are just a wee bit tight for 1 strand of Aurifil’s Cotton Floss to pass through without submitting to a greater level of wear and tear— thus the fuzz.
- THIS IS WHERE I DID THE EXPERIMENTAL UNCONVENTIONAL THING! Normally, a 28 size needle (or a 12 tapestry point beading needle) is recommended for stitching on 46 count linen. However, because of the fuzz on my stitches, I decided to switch to a slightly larger size 26 needle to make a larger hole for my floss to pass through– and VOILA! No more fuzz on my stitches.
I learned something… it’s okay to do something different in stitching to achieve the desired result. Will I stitch on 46 count linen again using Cotton Floss? ABSOLUTELY! And, 46 count has every potential of being my favorite linen count! I hope you give it a try!
Happy Stitching, my friends!
ABOUT WENDY
Originally from Southeast Asia, Wendy came to the US for her tertiary education. After her degrees in Chemical Engineering, she worked in research in a wind tunnel for a spell. Nowadays, she is a stay/work-at-home Mom to a 16 year old. Wendy’s designs have been featured in major quilting publications, both home and abroad. She is also a published author, as well as an online quilting instructor. She is passionate about encouraging quilters to enjoy their quilting journey. During her free time, she loves to read history, and indulges in hand needlework.
Blog: ivoryspring.wordpress.com
Facebook: facebook.com/wendysheppardquilts
Instagram: instagram.com/ivory_spring
Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ivoryspring
Very interesting! I would have never thought about the needle size being my problem.