Welcome friends! As Master Educator and Aurifilosophy Program Director, I’m delighted to share a very special installment of Thread Matters. We’re excited to celebrate a special friend and wildly successful author, designer, educator and Aurifilosopher, Annie Smith of Annie Smith’s Quilting Stash. Annie’s unique quilt, It Began with Solidarity, is included in the American Quilter’s Society 2026 Threads of Liberty exhibit. We’re thrilled to discuss a few of the 13 unique blocks set in a distinctive layout while highlighting the wide array of Aurifil threads used to prepare it.
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.
A bit of background:
Annie began using Aurifil nearly 25 years ago when a friend gifted her a spool of Cotton 50wt. Once Annie experienced that first spool of Aurifil, she was hooked! Since then, Annie has been gleefully celebrating and applying all weights of Aurifil Cotton thread in her amazingly creative designs.
In Annie’s role as Aurifilosopher, she shares an extensive knowledge of Aurifil and her vast quilting expertise at shows, shops and guilds across America, inspiring everyone she meets. She is recognized for her unique hands-on “Thread Matters” Aurifilosophy workshop that enhances others’ understanding and use of each weight of Aurifil thread.
Back to the story:
When we discovered that one of Annie’s oldest designs— but recently re-imagined and prepared— was chosen for the celebration of 250 years of American independence by the American Quilter’s Society, we too wanted to highlight Annie’s unique patriotic creation, the techniques, AND the Aurifil thread weights used to prepare it. Congratulations to Annie and her It Began with Solidarity quilt featured in the exhibit.
Many thanks too, to the American Quilter’s Society (AQS) for sponsoring this unique and exclusive exhibit. In their own words:
Threads of Liberty: Celebrating 250 Years of American Spirit with AQS Instructor Quilts
What happens when the world's leading quilting educators turn their talents toward a national milestone? Threads of Liberty is an exclusive exhibition celebrating 250 years of American independence through the eyes of the American Quilter's Society Instructors. This breathtaking display of patriotic artistry showcases original works from the very experts who teach and inspire quilters at AQS QuiltWeek shows across the country.
Each instructor was challenged to honor the American spirit using a distinct, high-impact palette of red and blue. From complex geometry to soulful storytelling, these quilts offer a unique perspective on our nation's heritage. Don't miss this rare opportunity to see the instructor's gallery, a collection that not only celebrates the Semiquincentennial but also showcases the pinnacle of American quilting mastery and innovation.
The layout for It Began with Solidarity came from a custom sampler that Annie designed long ago to share a variety of advanced quilting techniques with a specific group of quilters. The original quilt, aptly named “Quilters Palette”, was not patterned but used exclusively for teaching the embedded techniques.
NOTE: Quilters Palette continues to serve as a reference and educational tool with Annie teaching the techniques over a 12-week period on the Lessonface platform. The next Quilters Palette session begins January, 2027. Learn more here: Quilters Palette – Sampler of Techniques | Lessonface
Enter: the AQS Instructor Challenge Annie, who’s always up for a challenge, recognized an opportunity to reuse the sampler layout while utilizing richly colored Cherrywood fabrics to employ the red and blue palette. Who wouldn’t want to quilt with these luxurious and uniquely textured hand-dyed fabrics? Learn more about Cherrywood Fabrics here.
Inspired by the book, Create Your Family Quilt— by quilt historian, author, and fabric designer Barbara Brackman— Annie chose traditional blocks to represent the original 13 colonies that united to form one nation in 1776! American Independence, so much history!! For each block design Annie chose an appropriate technique(s), color arrangement and thread weight (or weights) for construction.
The blocks were oriented on-point with New York Beauty and Star units combined to act as a setting or bunting creating a unique point and curve outer edge– no border required. Isn’t it stunning!! The New York Beauty units were prepared using Foundation Paper Piecing (FPP) templates. FPP allows you to achieve fine points, curves and complex intersections without worry of cutting off any detail.
There’s a great advantage to using Aurifil’s 50wt/2ply thread for FPP and machine piecing. The fine, yet strong nature of this thread is perfect for flat, accurate seams. Annie’s favorite needle for any type of machine work is a SCHMETZ Microtex 80/12.
Once the NY Beauty units were prepared, they were attached to the machine appliqued star units stitched with Annie’s signature machine applique method using Aurifil 28wt thread.
Next, let’s admire the use of Aurifil 28wt thread, top and bobbin, on the Pennsylvania Wheel block (Row 1, Block 2), Elly Sienkiewicz’s Iconic Eagle (Row 3, Block 2), the Carolina Favorite block (Row 3, Block 3) AND the Connecticut block (Row 2, Block 2) that Annie designed with a Robin, Oak Leaf and Mountain Laurel.
On these blocks, Annie used the same signature machine blanket stitch method with Aurifil Cotton 28wt top and bobbin. You can read more about this method on Auribuzz here or pickup Annie’s book, The Ultimate Appliqué Guidebook by C&T Publishing.
It’s fun to notice too, that the American Flag tassels on the Eagle Block are adorned with beautiful chain stitching, done with Aurifil 12wt thread on a vintage chain stitch machine. The details are spectacular!
Next, let’s take note of the Virginia Reel (Row 1, Block 3). This block was English Paper Pieced. This hand-sewing technique wraps fabric around paper templates which are generally hand stitched together to achieve intricate designs. The Virginia Reel is a great example of a commonly used EPP design. Annie chose to use Aurifil Cotton 80wt on this block. The fine nature of 80wt works wonderfully to stitch EPP pieces together, where the strength is achieved in multiple small stitches, one next to another, and the very fine thread disappears into the seam.
Finally, let’s admire the beautifully executed curved piecing with Aurifil 50wt on the Massachusetts (Mayflower) Block (Row 5, Block 1).
Before we wrap up, we must applaud the custom and computer assisted quilting of It Began with Solidarity. The piece was longarm machine quilted by Jill Zollinger of @sewsouthern_jill on an APQS Millennium using Aurifil Cotton 50wt/2ply thread. Many kudos to Jill for “reading” the quilt wonderfully and choosing “just the right quilting design” for each amazing block!!
It’s fun to review and brag about the beauty and unique qualities of this quilt — Congratulations Annie and Jill! Congratulations America!
It Began With Solidarity by Annie Smith
The following is a layout of quilt details, including block location, colony name, block type, construction method, and thread weight used. We’ll share the full quilt image again below, for easy reference. All blocks are arranged in rows, detailed from left to right.
1st row
— Maryland (Star Spangled Banner): Machine pieced, Y-seam construction. Cotton 50wt.
— Pennsylvania (PA Wheel): Machine appliqué, hand drawn. Cotton 28wt.
— Virginia (VA Reel): Hand Pieced, EPP. Cotton 80wt.
2nd row
— Georgia (Peach Blow): Machine Piecing, Cotton 50wt & Appliqué, Cotton 28wt.
— Connecticut (Robin, Oak Leaf, Mountain Laurel): Annie’s Design– some patterns from her book The Ultimate Appliqué Guidebook. Machine Applique and Thread Play. Cotton 28wt.
3rd row
— New Jersey (Violet Blossoms): Curved machine piecing, Cotton 50wt & Machine appliqué, Cotton 28wt.
— Centerpiece Elly Sienkiewicz’s Iconic Eagle: Machine Appliqué and thread play. Cotton 28wt.
— South Carolina (Carolina Favorite): Curved machine piecing, Cotton 50wt & Machine appliqué, Cotton 28wt.
4th row
— North Carolina (Carolina Lily): Machine pieced, Y-seam construction. Cotton 50wt
— Delaware (Small Wonder Peach Blossom): FPP. Cotton 50wt.
5th row
— Massachusetts (Mayflower): Curved machine piecing. Cotton 50wt.
— Rhode Island (Rhode Island): Machine piecing. Cotton 50wt.
— New Hampshire (New Hampshire): FPP. Cotton 50wt.
Border Blocks
— New York (New York Beauty unit): FPP and Curved Machine Piecing. Cotton 50wt.
— Star Unit around New York Beauty: Machine appliqué. Cotton 28wt.
ABOUT ANNIE
Quilt Imagineer, National/International Quilt Instructor and lecturer, Designer and pattern publisher, C & T Author, Producer of online classes, Quilt Judge, BERNINA Ambassador, Aurifilosopher, Cherrywood fabric Ambassador, Creator of “Quilting Stash”: the first podcast for quilters.
In Annie’s words: I’m a Professional Quilter by career definition. Whenever anyone asks me what I do for a living, that’s my answer. The next thing they ask me is how much I get for my quilts— assuming that I sell them. When I tell them that I don’t sell what I do, you can see the confusion in their eyes, but then I tell them what defines what I really do. You could say that I wear several hats. My life is pretty much quilting; all day, every day. It’s not a stretch to say that I’m consumed with everything having to do with quilting. I love everything about quilting— the machines, the fabric, the patterns, the books (oh— I’m especially obsessed with quilting books!), the shows, the notions, the threads, the techniques, but mostly— it’s the people I meet.
A life-long Californian, I now live in Texas with my family and love the “buckaroo” culture. I have ten grandchildren and a golden retriever named Posey.
Beautiful and so inspiring. The only thing miss for me is the opportunity for me to make one just like it.