Some introductions feel overdue the moment they happen. Brandon Mably has officially joined the Aurifil family, and his debut collection, Brandon’s Threads, is available now.
Even if you only know Brandon through his vibrant Instagram, you already know why we’re so taken with him. Between the personal musings, the travel photos, and the glimpses of his lighter side, his glorious sense of humor is always on display, and so is how much he cares about creativity, his own and everyone else’s. He is a gifted educator, and his teaching has touched makers around the world. We have long respected him as a maker and an all-around good human, and we are thrilled that he is now officially one of ours.
He has been stitching with Aurifil for years, and this collection reflects exactly how he works. But… before we get into the details, let’s start with a little more about the man himself.
Brandon grew up in a small seaside town on the coast of South Wales, curious about color and design from a young age. He has no formal design training. What he had, in the late 1980s, was a chance meeting with Kaffe Fassett and a career change that sounds almost too good to be true: from cooking to knitting.
The moment he walked into Kaffe’s studio, he saw what knitwear could be. He soon became Kaffe’s apprentice and, for many years, ran the studio itself. Along the way Kaffe taught him to knit, needlepoint, hook rag rugs, and grout mosaics. Then came the travel. Workshops with Kaffe took him to Africa, Iceland, Guatemala, and India, and all that pattern and color found its way into his eye. Kaffe has said Brandon has “one of the sharpest eyes for style” he has ever come across.
Today Brandon is a pattern designer with FreeSpirit Fabrics and an integral voice in the Kaffe Fassett Collective. His designs turn up in apparel, quilting, accessories, and plenty of places in between, always bold and always full of color. He has also taken over teaching the knit workshops from Kaffe entirely, and has taught across the United States, Canada, Japan, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, France, Germany, and the UK.
What keeps him teaching is a belief he has arrived at over the years: most people have a sense of color and design buried inside them. Helping students find it is what continues to motivate his own work.
And now… the threads! Let’s get into it!
Brandon is a devoted champion of heavier weight threads. He reaches for them in his hand quilting, his kantha stitching, and his embellishment work, so a collection built around them was only fitting.
Brandon’s Threads is a set of ten Small Spools: one in Cotton 50wt for piecing, six in Cotton 12wt, and three in Cotton 8wt, for all the hand stitching a heart could desire. Key neutrals sit alongside the bold, saturated hues Brandon is known for. These are his go-tos, the colors he returns to again and again.
- Cotton 8wt (Wooden Spool): 1133 (Bright Orange), 2520 (Violet), 2735 (Medium Blue)
- Cotton 12wt (Red Spool): 4093 (Jade), 1147 (Light Leaf Green), 2250 (Red), 2460 (Dark Carmine Red), 2625 (Arctic Ice), 2692 (Black)
- Cotton 50wt (Orange Spool): 2600 (Dove)
The cover of the set features Jumble in Black, one of Brandon’s prints from the Kaffe Fassett Collective Classics and the set itself will pair beautifully with his upcoming FreeSpirit collection, Bits & Bobs, arriving in December 2026!
Brandon is currently on a Fall US Tour alongside Kaffe Fassett— if you’re in the areas, be sure to catch up with them in person! All locations will have threads collections and fabrics stocked, so even if you’re not able to attend, be sure to visit the shops for more information! For a full event list, click on the button below.
Brandon’s Threads is available now. Welcome to the Aurifil family, Brandon. We’re so glad you’re here.
I’ve always loved Brandon’s use of color and design. I am not finding the pattern for his ‘Paper Doll’ pattern in the link listed above; only photos of the quilt. Please share! Thanks.