Each month, a group of Aurifil Artisans has the opportunity to take part in a challenge created by Aurifil, including various themes and often along with other sewing industry partners. The challenge for August was to create a whole cloth quilt using Aurifil thread and a Painter’s Palette Solid fabric provided by Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, chosen from the sixteen colors that comprise their 2019 Trend Palette, their colors of the year. I received a spool of Steel Blue (2775) 12wt Aurifil cotton thread and a half yard of Midnight Painter’s Palette Solid fabric.
I decided to add three additional colors to my mini quilt to add some interest, and because (I’ll admit it!) I was a little scared to do my first whole cloth quilt with just one color, and one that perfectly matched the fabric at that!
I added two Aurifil 28wt threads – Mustard (5022) and Grey (2605). I also added one 50wt thread – Tangerine Dream (6729).
And then I just stared at the fabric for awhile. And stared, and stared. I wasn’t quite sure what to do first. I knew I wanted to do something geometric, but what? Circles or triangles or squares or some combination of all of them? My favorite type of quilting on large quilts is 1 inch or half inch lines that go in various angles, giving the quilt movement as the lines turn this way or that. I finally just grabbed a ruler and went for it, drawing out different chunks of the quilting, always with 1/2 lines.
The design reminds me of wood art and tile floors I’ve seen out in the world. I’ve always loved geometric lines – in art, on fabrics, and now in my quilting. Once my design was all drawn out (and re-drawn in some spots, since my Mark-B-Gone pen seems to be air soluble as well as water soluble), I quilted it up. I tried to spread out the colors for a good balance.
I used the same fabric for binding, and finished it with Aurifil Steel Blue (2775) thread. I’m happy with the overall result. There are spots where I wish I had slowed down a bit for more accuracy, so I’ll be sure to keep an eye on that in the future. Moving forward, I need to learn how to pull my threads up at the beginning of a line and bury threads later, for a much cleaner look.
Paintbrush Studios fabrics are so soft and luxurious. If you haven’t had a chance to work with them, I definitely recommend doing so. This was my first time making an entire project with their fabrics, but it won’t be my last. Check out the colors they chose for 2019 Trend Palette. They also have a great resource for matching their fabric colors to Aurifil threads here.
A big thanks to Aurifil and Paint Brush Studio Fabrics for hosting such a fun challenge!
Southbay Bella Studio 