As the leaves begin to turn and a new season settles in, it felt like the right moment for something new. This September, our Artisans stepped outside their comfort zones for Stitch It Your Way, a challenge about being brave and trying a technique for the very first time.
The brief asked our Artisans to pick a technique they had never tried before, or one that had been sitting on their to-do list for far too long. Appliqué, sashiko, needle turn, wool embroidery, English paper piecing, visible mending: whatever felt like a stretch was exactly the right choice. For those who had never reached for Aurifil Wool, this was their moment. Using any Aurifil thread in any weight, they took a leap into the unfamiliar, and what came back was full of curiosity, discovery and plenty of happy surprises. From first attempts that turned into new favorites to long-postponed projects finally brought to life, our Artisans have shown that the best things often start with “I’ve never tried this before…”
To every Artisan who took part this month, thank you for your courage, your willingness to learn in the open, and for sharing both the process and the results. You’ve reminded us that every skill we now love once started as something brand new.
Katrina Brosan
To step outside my comfort zone, I tried my hand at needle-turn applique for the first time! I based the template on one of my illustrations that I thought would be perfect for the upcoming spooky season. I finished the piece with some machine quilting, hand quilting, and chainstitching on my vintage machine.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 50wt 2410 (piecing and machine quilting); Cotton 12wt 8870, 8003, 8021, 8420, 4093; Monofilament
Amy Freyn
For the Aurifil Thread Artisan September Challenge we were asked to try something new. I wanted to try larger English Paper Piecing (EPP) so I made two art quilts using larger EPP pieces. These companion pieces (“Embers & Eddies: I & II) explore a modern adaptation of English Paper Piecing, utilizing large-scale geometric shapes rather than traditional micro-piecing. Hand-painted 100% linen fabrics and dense, organic quilting lines mimic the natural movement of water currents and glowing coals. (2) Size: 13.5×9.5
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 80wt 2605; Cotton 50wt 2885, 5002
Mira Jones
I’ve been wanting to try EPP for ages as it combines my love of up-cycling fabric scraps with relaxing hand sewing, which is exactly what I needed this month! So I tried to thread-baste as many 1″ hexies as I could for my September challenge, which will eventually become my signature make for our last challenge in May – a quilt coat!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 40wt & 50wt for thread basting; Cotton 80wt 2021, 2625 for joining hexies together.
Andrea Sauer
For the “Stitch It Your Way” challenge, we were supposed to step out of our comfort zones and try something new. Stepping out of my comfort zone was especially worthwhile this time: I finally tried needle-turn appliqué and combined the appliqués with embroidery—both were new to me. For the appliqué, I tested Aurifil 80wt and 50wt; for the embroidery, I used 8wt and Aurifloss—my clear favorite for appliqué is 80wt, while for embroidery I can’t decide between the beautiful sheen of 8wt and the strength of Aurifloss. I quilted with 50wt and sewed the binding on by hand with 80wt. I love how the different techniques and thread weights play off each other—a great combination that I definitely want to try again!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 80wt 2021; Cotton 50wt 7001, 2830, 2310; Cotton 8wt 2545, 1231; Cotton Floss 5015, 1148, 2830
Samanta Vargas de la Llata Ibarra
I decided to step completely out of my comfort zone. I wanted to make tiny toys that fit perfectly in my niece’s little hands. While I was hand-stitching, I had an epiphany: I have an amazing machine and the absolute best threads to automate this! I had to teach myself how to digitize my own embroidery files, but it was SO worth it. Now I know what a .pes is lol! While the machine does the heavy lifting, I keep the slow stitching for special finishes.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 50wt 2205; Cotton 12wt 6729, 1320; Cotton 40wt 2024, 2692
Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir
I’ve never tried English Paper Piecing (EPP)- and could/should have probably started with an easier first project- but this Aurifil tape from the welcome box seemed like it was just asking to be used for a 3D experiment… So I built myself a pattern, thread-based with 28-weight, stitched the text in luxurious wool, and used this gorgeous red 80-weight thread for assembly. And now I have a sweet little house for storing all my beautiful Aurifil thread ends.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 80wt 2260; Cotton 28wt 2460 for thread basting, 12wt Wool 8735 for the stitched text + ends for colorful storage/stuffing inside, Aurifil tape for experimenting with mock-ups and planning the pattern.
Angèle Kuy
Since this month is all about trying something new, I decided to learn a new craft and work with a thread I’d never used before! I learned the basic knots of tatting and chose one of the thickest Aurifil threads I found in the welcome box: Cotton 8wt. It was thick enough for me to see my knots clearly, but still thin enough that my very first piece of tatting stayed nice and small. I am looking forward to making bigger piece now!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 8wt 2566 and 2000
Hope Talbot Waller
I love drawing, particularly continuous line drawing, and experimenting with free motion embroidery this month felt like a really natural and exciting continuation of this. This piece was inspired by a 2018 drawing I did of my wife in her boat a few months after we met. I actually made two very similar versions as I was experimenting with different ways of moving the fabric (cotton stabilised with iron-on interfacing, maybe a hoop would be useful but I move around too much to make it convenient on a piece this size), so I stretched one for the wall, and made the other into a little bag to hold my sketching things. My favourite bit is the kitchen scene, all stacked plates and wires and bottles. I used 12wt thread with a 40wt bobbin in 2815 and truly cannot get enough of the flowing and lively line it creates! I’d done a bit of thicker top-stitching before but never anything like this and it was SO much fun, a completely different vibe to my usual 40 or 50wt stitching.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 12wt and Cotton 40wt in 2815
Emily Ullo Steigler
This month I found a beautiful (but stained) old tablecloth in a thrift store and set out to give it a new life. I patterned this dress and added some smocking to the bodice to complete the beautiful new look.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 40wt 2314 – piecing, top stitching, and fabric manipulation; Cotton 8wt 2840 and Cotton Floss 2912 for smocking work
Julia Crook
The technique I decided to experiment with this month was shadow work. I started by hand embroidering over the shapes that were on the underside of the fabric. This turned into a lot of embellishment with embroidery and couched threads on the top layer, which took the work in a different direction. Less shadow work, more embroidered! I used threads in W 12, W 80 and Cotton floss.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton Floss 6722, Cotton 12wt 2720, Cotton 80wt 2000.
Tamara Darragh
There’s something ridiculously charming about making something really, really tiny. For my September Aurifil Artisan Challenge, I turned the zinnias growing in my garden into a miniature embroidered necklace, stitched with Aurifil floss and 8 weight thread. There was a little trial and error along the way, but I loved making something on such a teeny scale, and I’m pretty sure there will be more in my future.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton Floss 2888, 4030, 2887, 2445, 2135; Cotton 8wt 2215
Sarah Ruth Morris
I tried Needle-Turn Applique for the first time, and I think I am hooked! I have always loved slow stitching, and this remembrance piece of all the hardworking women that came before me gave me PLENTY of time to think about them. May we all take the time to remember the feminist women before us!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 8wt 2535, 2311, 2420, 2205, 2445, 5002, 1133, 2510
Chloe Cuff
This month, I tried hand sewn pojagi for the first time! I’ve sewn pojagi curtains before, but did that entirely by machine. I love hand sewing with Aurifil thread, so figured this was the perfect time to try hand sewing pojagi with my favorite thread. This is admittedly a very time consuming method of sewing but I love the visible seams and find the hand sewing aspect so meditative.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 50wt 1147; Cotton 80wt 1231
Sofia Natty
Back in the July challenge, “I Got Scrappy,” I created a brand-new fabric using all the little bits and ends of thread I’d collected from a year of Aurifil sewing. For this month’s challenge, I kept playing with that little piece of thread-scrap fabric and felt that the process of revealing, rather than adding, was perfect. So, for my very first reverse appliqué project, all the messy bits I usually try to keep hidden are now on full display!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 80wt 5022 and millions of Aurifil thread scraps
Katie Zahm
For September’s Stitch It Your Way challenge, I stitched a hand-embroidered label for my newest quilt design, Offset, using brick stitch for the bold, filled lettering and back stitch for the details. With a busy two-year-old at home, slow hand stitching has become my favorite way to find a few quiet minutes, and labels are how our quilts tell their stories. Offset is coming soon as a free pattern, and I’ll be teaching hand-embroidered quilt labels at Road to California and QuiltCon in 2027.
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 8wt 2345; Cotton 12wt 4173
Sashanna Hart
I have had the origami flying geese method on my list of techniques to learn for a long time, so I decided to go for it this month as I wanted to make a skirt with a statement waistband of flying geese. The technique is perfect for garment sewing as the folded “geese” portion of the fabric protects the one seam down the middle of the goose, making it much more stable for use in clothing than a traditional flying geese block. I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with the color of this skirt, as well as the volume, but I LOVE it! I am glad I went a little over-the-top this month because it has changed the way I think about my clothing construction choices. Less “But what will people think?” and more, “But it would be amazing to wear!”
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 28wt 4660; Cotton 40wt 2325
Isabel Wilder
While I was visiting my mom in Ecuador, I taught her about English paper piecing. She made a Grandmother’s Flower Garden block, and I decided to make one as well for my September challenge. This is my first block in this design and only the second time I have used this technique in a project. It reminded me how much handwork is involved, but I really enjoyed making this block. This sewing technique is great because you can take your project anywhere, keeping your hands and mind happy and busy! This block is on its way to becoming part of a footstool cover. I’m currently playing with some design ideas and making a few choices for how I want to put everything together. Soon, I’ll have a new footstool cover!
Aurifil Thread used: Cotton 28wt 4660; Cotton 40wt 2325
We encourage you to click through and take a closer look at each Artisan’s brilliant take on this challenge, from inspired unboxings to first makes that highlight the possibilities of thread and fabric. And of course, a huge THANK YOU to our 2026 Aurifil Artisan team. Your creativity, curiosity, and enthusiasm shine through already, and we’re so grateful to have you on this journey with us!