Back in June, every Artisan unpacked their Welcome Package and found a tote bag tucked in among the threads. For some, it’s been hauling spools and WIPs around ever since. For others, it’s been folded away, waiting for the right idea. This October, we asked our Artisans to stop thinking of it as a bag and start seeing it as a blank canvas.
The brief was simple: embellish, embroider, or decorate your tote using Aurifil thread, any way you like. Hand embroidery, machine stitching, appliqué, or a combination of all three. Bold or delicate, it just had to be entirely their own. Every Artisan started with exactly the same bag, and that’s what makes this showcase such a joy to scroll through: same canvas, same starting point, and not one of them alike. And because a tote gets carried, stuffed, and used every day, keep an eye on the thread details under each entry. The weight each Artisan reached for is as much a part of the design as the stitches themselves.
To every Artisan who took part, thank you for turning something so everyday into something so personal. These bags won’t live on a wall. They’ll be out in the world, on shoulders, at guild meetings and farmers markets, quietly sharing your work with everyone who passes by. We can’t think of a better way to carry Aurifil.
Jessica Jones
A butterfly-inspired tote combining sketched machine embroidery and free-standing organza butterflies, stitched using a beautiful mix of Aurifil threads on my Husqvarna Viking Designer Topaz 65.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 80wt 2692; Cotton 50wt 2692, 4671, 2600, 1147, 5005, 2751
Katie Zahm
I loved the Aurifil tote logo so much I wanted to make it pop. I color-matched thread to the screen-printed design using the swatch card, then layered embroidery and echo stitching right on top. Some of the matches were so close I lost the stitch within the print, and I love that.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 12wt 2846, 1320, 2847, 4241; Cotton Floss 2847; Cotton 8wt 2692
Amy Freyn
For the October Aurifil Thread Artisan challenge, we were asked to embellish a tote bag. I chose to use the 8-weight collection Evolve by Suzy Quilts, fabric paints, and some beads and sequins.
Aurifil Thread Used: Evolve Collection 8wt: 4644, 2566, 2850, 2815, 2847, 2564, 2375, 2840, 2843, 2205, 2420, 2000, 2215, 5001, 2240, 2930, 2395, 2345
Jess Wheelahan
This month the Aurifil Artisan challenge has been to take a canvas bag and make it our own. I began by dip dyeing the bag a mottled indigo colour, one of my favourite tones. I added a pocket made of different-sized pieced hourglass blocks. The pocket is matchstick quilted using Aurifil 28-weight thread. Finally, I used co-ordinating 12-weight thread to add detail stitching on the handles. I finished this bag while staying in the countryside at a place where there were newborn highland cows! Just incredible! I loved the combination of clear blue skies and hand stitching. Very restorative.
Aurifil Thread Used: 28wt black for matchstick quilting, 12wt fuchsia, jade and yellow
Katrina Brosan
This challenge really called to me, my chainstitch machine, and my love for traditional tattoo art. I used two different methods for embroidering the bag: I stitched directly on the canvas front with delicate and soft wool thread, and I made sew-on patches with punchier cotton thread for the back. Keeping the color palettes for each side similar but not identical was my favorite part.
Aurifil Thread Used: 12wt Cotton 8260, 8220, 8886, 8945, 8024, 8361, 8315, 8079, 2265, 2277, 1148, 4093, 4241
Andrea Sauer
For the October Aurifil Artisan Challenge, I embellished my Aurifil Tote Bag with colourful embroidery and FPP diamonds finished with Needle Turn Appliqué. The Aurifil Collection by Sally Kelly and Chris English was the perfect match for the rainbow-inspired design. I used Aurifil 12wt for the embroidery, experimenting with different stitches and thread thicknesses, and Aurifil 50wt for the appliqué. This project was a wonderful opportunity to play with bold colours, different thread weights and a variety of techniques – and 12wt is definitely becoming one of my new favourite threads!
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 50wt: 2310, 2000 Cotton 12wt: 2520, 2535, 2530, 1104, 5015, 2830, 1114, 2865, 2810
Ilaria Harris
Inspired by the beautiful architecture of Duomo di Milano. Drawing the architecture by hand and free embroidery machine with cotton threads and hand-embroidered with Lana Wool thread some details. I love my Milan bag!
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 12wt 4665, Cotton 28wt 2350, 2976, 12wt Wool 8012
Lileny Salazar
Hand-embroidered lettering that spells ARTISAN 2026 on the Aurifil cotton tote bag. I used Aurifil Cotton Floss in colors 2140, 2775, 2255 and 2692. Stitches used (10): Quaker, stem, closed herringbone, fly, raised stem, long and short, closed buttonhole, split, filled daisy and French knot.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton Floss 2140, 2255, 2775, 2692
Tracy Aplin
From plain tote bag to jazzy yoga mat bag! I unpicked the tote, sewed down a pile of scraps in wiggly lines with 28wt thread, then hand-stitched between the lines with Cotton12wt thread. I overlocked the edges with Cotton Forty3 thread and added a handle and a zip. The canvas is super strong, so hopefully it will last a long time and bring a smile to my face when I’m off to Pilates!
Aurifil Thread Used: A mix of Cotton 28wt, Forty3 and 12wt
Claire Voelkel-Sedlmeir
The October Aurifil challenge of embellishing this lovely tote bag was the perfect chance to delight in a gorgeous range of 8-weight thread colors. I decided to stitch the prompts for every month into the bag to make them easy to keep track of. Then I added little granito stitches to the front design. This sturdy fabric was actually lovely to stitch into, and the 8-weight made the perfect match for hand embellishing.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 8wt 1125, 1148, 2240, 2445, 2815, 2840, 2847, 2850, 4129, 4644, 5003
Emily Ullo Steigler
I decided to embellish my Aurifil tote bag with real, preserved autumn leaves. I used machine and hand stitching in different weights and colors to augment the leaves natural colors and textures.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 28Wwt 1130, 2140; Cotton 12wt 2568, 2260, 5015, and 1147
Andreia Cabral
October is the month when the days truly begin to grow shorter, the stillness of the rosy sunsets, less warm, yet still inviting, beckons us toward long, pleasant strolls. This is precisely what this project sought to capture: something seen in the city, a stained-glass window of an old pink-stone cathedral, stolen, printed with Aurifil threads onto a tote bag, with a subtle nod to traditional azulejo (ceramic tiles from Portugal), which blue hues began to blend with the mossy tones of autumn. The Aurifil logo was used as the guiding lines for the structural base of the embroidery, in beige 50wt, tiny blanket stitches, patiently ”carved”, organza between the embroidery and the warm white canvas. The hand embroidery was completed with botanical elements and, then, all the superfluous cotton of the canvas was carefully trimmed away to create the transparency effect of a glass window, while leaving the organza exposed. Time consuming, but easier than it seems, a bit of patience and there’s the perfect tote bag for leisurely strolls around the city.
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 50wt 2000, 2780, 1147; Cotton 40wt 2890; Cotton Floss 2410
Belle Brunner
Who says our favorite quilt blocks have to stay on a quilt? For October’s Aurifil Artisan Challenge, we were asked to decorate the canvas tote Aurifil sent us using their thread. I made a double pointed Dresden using prints from my Montgomery Mountain Charm fabric collection and stitched it onto my tote. A little heart featuring a sweet bunny from the collection finishes the center! The warm golds and rusty reds feel just right for fall. To stitch everything down, I used Aurifil 50wt in color 2311, the staple weight and color I reach for most often in my sewing room. That spool earns its keep! Want to learn to make a double pointed Dresden quilt? Grab my Lovespun pattern at www.SeamsSewMe.com and make something lovely!
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 50wt 2311
Isabel Wilder
This challenge was so much fun! It gave me a good excuse to try out my Inktense pencils on the canvas of the tote, knowing I wanted to add stitching using different thread weights. After coloring, I added machine stitching following the lines of the logo, some free-motion stitching with a lighter-weight thread, and batting in a few places on the back for extra texture. To finish it off, I changed the straps and added a pretty pompom I bought in Peru!
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton 8wt 2850; Cotton 12wt 4020, 2150, 4093; Cotton 40wt, 3840, 4250; Cotton 50wt 4660
Mariana Diaz
I decided to treat this tote bag embellishment project like my very own embroidery masterclass! Using a fussy cut panel appliqued to the center, I utilized as many different stitches as I could to complete the apple-picking scene within the provided mandala. The sky is made of a woven backstitch of aurifloss, while the apples use a 12wt thread for the perfect satin stitch. I had so much fun covering the canvas with flowers, colors, leaves, sunrays, and I even added a little bird just to bring the whole image together. What fun!
Aurifil Thread Used: Cotton Floss 2888; 2882, 2805, 2600, 4182, 2730, 1135, 2240, 2214, 2440, 2515, 2360; Cotton 8wt 2840, 2880, 2120, 2420, 2510; Cotton 12wt 2270
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!