Another year

It's my birthday, and I thought I'd take a look ar some of the things I finished this year. Funny, some of these projects seem so long ago. 

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Salvaged Pillows

All six of the denim pillows are finished. I'm calling them the Salvaged series, as all the denim and lining are upcycled from worn and washed clothing and linens.

Two of the designs are more swirly.

Salvaged:Filament Denim  Pillow

Salvaged:Coastline Denim Pillow

And the other four are more symmetrical.

Salvaged:Aperture Denim Pillow

Salvaged:Jigsaw Denim Pillow

Salvaged:Asterisk Denim Pillow

Salvaged:Compass Denim Pillow

Originally I had planned to finish the edges with doublefold chambray binding, like the first asterisk pillow. But I opted for a simpler turned edge with topstitching. A few got a double row of topstitching, but there are as many as 10 layers of denim (including the seam allowance) at some points, and that proved beyond the capabilities of my sturdy little machine.

Each pillow has a concealed brass zipper on the back with a brass chain pull and rivets for reinforcement at the zipper ends. The lining is yarn-dyed cotton sheeting.

All six pillows are available in my Etsy shop. Just in time for last minute holiday shopping!

Aurifil winners

I've drawn the five lucky Aurifil thread pack winners. Thanks for all your lovely comments and enthusiasm.

And the winners are:

 

 

 

 

Aurifil thread review & giveaway

A little while ago Aurifil sent me a few spools of thread to try out in various weights and colors. Aurifil cotton thread comes in several weights, including 50wt recommended for piecing, slightly heavier 40wt for quilting, and 12wt for redwork and serging.

This week I've been burning through a spool of 28wt cotton (blue 2725) on two projects. I used it to quilt the Naptime baby blanket. I love how the quilting pops, not only from the design but from the heavy shiny thread.

I've found the thread to be a pleasure to work with. I often have trouble maintaining tension balance on my old machine when I use heavy threads. But I've had no problem with the Aurifil. I've noticed that the thread generates very little lint in my machine, relative to other threads I've used. Perhaps that's helping with the tension.

The strong and substantial 28wt thread has also been perfect for piecing my denim blocks. It's not easy for the machine to push through four layers of denim. It can't be easy on the thread either. The 28wt Aurifil has been great.

Now for the fun part. Aurifil has provided five sampler packs with various thread weights to share with my readers.

To win an Aurifil thread pack, leave a comment telling me what thread weight you want to try first. I'll pick names Wednesday, December 7.

Update: Each five-pack contains a variety of weights and colors. The spool color is top secret code for the thread weight and material. Don't tell anyone!