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Friday, June 15, 2018

Down the rabbit hole (aka the story of how I got hooked on Aurifil)

I thought I'd take a few minutes to tell you the story of my journey with Aurifil and why it is my go-to thread.

My first Aurifil purchase was a large spool of 50wt thread in color 2600 (Dove) at a local sewing & quilt show back in late February/early March 2013.  I had seen the recognizable orange spool in some local shops, but I had never tried it.  I figured that it was worth a shot, so I purchased the color that I most frequently use for piecing and the rest is history.

Look!  There it is in the pile of things that I bought at Sew Expo on March 3, 2013.

Needless to say, I was totally hooked.  I followed up shortly thereafter with the large thread box from Tula Pink's first collection for Aurifil.  From piecing and quilting to making bags, I used 50wt almost exclusively until June 2014 when I bought my first spool of 40wt Aurifil.

Today, I still actively use both 40 and 50 weight.  I do all of my quilt piecing with the 50wt (including foundation piecing and a little bit of english paper piecing that I've attempted) because it's the great combination of being fine enough so that it isn't bulky in the seams, it blends well into the fabric, and it doesn't generate a lot of lint.  I prefer using 40 weight (on the green spools) for quilting, attaching binding, and making bags.  40 weight thread is thicker than 50, so the stitches become a bit more visible.  The slightly heavier thread also adds a bit of extra durability which I love, especially for binding.  If you are reading this and wondering whether you can you use 50wt for all of those tasks, the answer is yes, absolutely!  

So, why do I choose Aurifil?  
  1. It's really great thread.  The long staple Egyptian cotton used to create most of Aurifil's products is amazing.  Unless you are talking about nice bed linens, I don't think Egyptian cotton is generally part of a conversation.  For Aurifil, it is.  Starting with high quality raw materials, their threads are refined through an extensive process that results in amazing consistency and quality.
  2. I am a big fan of the wide range of colors offered.  With 270 colors (!!!!) available in multiple weights and spool sizes, it's exceedingly rare for me not to be able to find an excellent color match for my projects. As of today, there is no true neon pink. ;)
  3. Aurifil offers a variety of different weights to choose from.  From the heaviest 12wt thread to fine 80wt thread and floss, I know that I can find what I need for my projects.
  4. Multiple sizes of spools are available in the most weights.  I buy some small spools when I need a color that I am less likely to use regularly, and I prefer the large spools for my favorite go-to colors or when I have a medium to large project.   
  5. I've used Aurifil threads in a variety of sewing machines with amazing success.  From a small Singer Featherweight to an inexpensive Brother and my current 7 Series Bernina (with a bunch of Pfaffs of varying ages, multiple Baby Lock machines, and a few assorted other brands and models over the years), I've seen incredible consistency with the thread's performance.  
  6. As I mentioned earlier, I love how the 50wt is fine enough so that it doesn't create a lot of bulk in the seams so my seam allowance stays accurate.
  7. It's low lint.  It's cotton thread, so there will be some lint, but that is easily manageable if you brush out your bobbin area as recommended. I find that most of my lint is often generated from the fabric itself rather than the thread.
  8. My cats really enjoy playing with the empty spools (PSA - string/thread can be incredibly dangerous to a cat if ingested, so please use appropriate caution)! 

Well, there you go.  Now you know the story, and you hopefully understand some of the reasons for why I rely on Aurifil for my quilting and sewing projects.  My name is Leslie, and I'm proud to be a 2018 Aurifil Artisan.  p.s.  There's a wealth of information available on Aurifil's website - aurifil.com.

Friday, June 8, 2018

I'm an Aurifil Artisan!

The most amazing thing happened recently - I applied to become an Aurifil Artisan for 2018, and I was selected.  The Aurifil Artisans are a group of men and women from around the world that use Aurifil in a variety of disciplines.  From hand piecing and machine embroidery to garments and quilts, we are bound by our love of thread and our passion to create.

If you've followed my blog or Instagram account, you have surely noticed that I am a huge fan of Aurifil thread.  I first found Aurifil during a class at a local shop back in 2013, and I've been hooked ever since.  With 270 amazing colors to choose from, what is there really not to like?

If you're seeing this because you found my page because of Aurifil, I'd like to take the opportunity to welcome you to my itty bitty corner of the blogosphere!  I tend to post here more sporadically, but I post on my Instagram page regularly.  It's mostly sewing pics with the occasional pet photo thrown in.  

I like to think of myself as a quilter, bag maker, and a maker of whatever suits my fancy at the time.  For the most part, I use the 50 weight 100% cotton thread for piecing quilts, and I use the 40 weight 100% cotton thread when I make bags or for the limited amount of quilting that I do (mostly quilting on the bags to be honest).  When I'm not sewing, I am usually still sewing (in my head) because I also work as a freelance technical editor!  

I am looking forward to having the opportunity to play with other offerings from the company (especially their monofilament) and being able to share those experiences with you over the next year.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Book Review - Child's Play Quilts by Stacey Day

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for Stacey Day's Child's Play Quilts book.

Stacey's book is a whole lot of fun.  Divided into appliqué and pieced patterns, Child's Play Quilts features quilts to delight kids of all ages.  For my project, I selected Swish. While I don't know what caught eye first, the pink and purple fabrics or the design, I just knew that I needed to make it.

Swish. Photo courtesy of C&T Publishing
One thing that I really like about the book is that many of the quilts can be scaled to a larger size without a lot of difficulty.  So, that's exactly what I did.  With a couple of quick calculations, I changed the finished block size up to 6" which bumped up the quilt from kid size to 66" x 78" - a perfect for me to use as a lap size quilt!

Swish in Add It Up fabrics by Cotton + Steel
I'll be the first to admit that I am not much of a scrappy quilter, so I selected 4 fabrics for my project.  Technically, they are 4 colors of the same print, but I did say that I'm not a scrappy quilter, didn't I?  Anyway, I love how it turned out.  It has a very 80s/retro vibe which is really quite a departure from how the quilt appears in the book, but that's part of the fun of making quilts, right?

Pantograph quilted by Teresa Silva of Quilting is my Bliss
In addition to the patterns, there are some really great tips on a variety of subjects, including organizing/managing your stash (a favorite hobby of mine).

Anyway, I'm bet you want to know where you can snag a copy of your own Child's Play Quilts book!  You can order a signed copy of the book through Stacey's Etsy shop or an un-signed copy through Amazon.com and C&T Publishing.


Stacey is giving away a copy of her book to 2 lucky people (one winner via her blog and one via Instagram).  To enter into the drawing to win your own copy of Child's Play Quilts, follow these three easy steps!  The winner will be drawn on April 21st.

1. Read my post here on my blog - you're here, so you've got step one done!
2. Follow Stacey Day on her blog at staceyinstitches.com
3. Comment on Stacey's blog post

I'd like to thank you for joining me today on the Child's Play Quilts blog tour!  Be sure to check out all of projects that the participants made for the tour.  There are some very cool quilts!  

I would also like to say congrats to Stacey Day on the publication of her first book.  You go, girl!

Here's the complete tour schedule:
Stacey Day @staceyinstitches April 9th
Brett Lewis @naturalbornquilter April 9th
Cheryl Brickey @MeadowMistDesigns April 9th
Karen Foster@CapitolaQuilter April 10th
Cathy Mackay @cathysmithmackay April 10th
Fiona Kelly @tangledblossom April 11th
Jackie White @jackiesartquilts April 11th
Jean Jones @sew_catstudio April 12th
Reece Montgomery @reecemontgomery April 12th
Carl Hentsch @3dogdesignco April 13th
Brooke Sellmann @sillymamaquilts April 13th
Kaitlyn Howell @knotandthread April 14th
Amy Gunson @badskirt April 14th
Kelly Bowser @kelbysews April 15th
Karis Hess @themodernsewist April 15th
Sara Lawson @sewsweetness April 16th
Leslie Meltzer @lelliebunny April 16th
Pamela Morgan @sweetlittlestitches April 16th
Amy Garro @13spools April 17th
Stephanie Perrins @stitchandbobbin April 17th
Chelsea @Pinkdoorfabrics April 18th
Michelle Wilke @ml_wilkie April 18th
Tiffany Sepulveda @sewtiffany April 19th
Rachael Riechmann @sewilearned April 19th
Pamela Lincoln @mamaspark59 April 20th
Kate Maryon @katydidklm April 20th

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Wayfinder Quilt with revised flying geese construction

NOTE:  I made the Wayfinder Kit (pattern by Stacey Day and Tula Pink for Free Spirit / Coats), I decided to use a revised method for creating the flying geese. I respect the copyright on the pattern and the work of the designer, so I am solely providing you with the measurements and the resulting change to the yardage needed to complete the project.  I take no responsibility for any errors in cutting or with the accuracy of individual work. These methods are oversized to allow for trimming down to their final desired size.

I would highly recommend using a Bloc Loc Flying Geese ruler for this project.  It saved me hours of time in trimming the geese to size using my regular ruler.


For 4 at a time no waste flying geese (used for all w/ Natural sky and non-directional prints w/ Manatee sky):
  • Cut print square at 5.75” 
  • Cut 4 solid squares at 3.25”


For 1 at a time stitch and flip flying geese, aka rectangle and 2 squares (used for all directional prints w/ Manatee sky):
  • Cut print rectangle at 2.75” x 4.75” 
  • Cut 2 solid squares at 2.75” x 2.75”

Following these revised methods requires additional fabric:
  • Natural sky/background geese*:  increase yardage by .333 yd minimum (.5 yd suggested)
  • Manatee sky/background geese:  increase yardage by 1 yd minimum (1.25 yd suggested)
  • Bear Hug in Star Light (pink):  increase yardage by .333 yd minimum OR 1 FQ (.5 yd suggested)

* I decided to create the single flying geese around the center star with solid background rather than the Arrowheads print, so my calculations do reflect that change.