Welcomed with Thread: Becoming a 2025/26 Aurifil Artisan

Exploring the welcome package, a leafy seahorse, and inspiration for the first monthly challenge!

I’m absolutely thrilled (and still pinching myself a little!) to share that I’ve been selected as an Aurifil Artisan for 2025/26. As someone who’s been sewing for years and loves working with colour, texture, and thread, it’s such an honour to be recognised by a brand that is so loved and respected in the textile world.

Aurifil is known for their exceptional quality threads - in all sorts of colours, weights, and finishes - and I’ve used their 50wt cotton in so many of my fabric collage and appliqué pieces. So when I opened my Artisan Welcome Package, I felt like a kid at Christmas (but with much better thread!).

Unboxing the Aurifil Artisan Welcome Package

Here’s a peek at the beautiful box of goodies that arrived on my doorstep, it was jam-packed with thread-y treasures I can’t wait to explore:

• Large spools in a mix of thread weights: cotton 50wt, 40wt, 12wt, 28wt

• Small spools of Cotton 8wt, Cotton 80wt, Wool 12wt, Cotton Floss

• Small cone of white Cotton Forty3

• Aurifil x FreeSpirit Fabric scrap bundle

• Aurifil Sunsetridge by Minki Kim curated thread collection (50wt)

• A magnetic Aurifil needleminder

• Aurifil swatch book

• Thread Labs 1:1 postcard with access to digital content

• Thread Reference Card & Product Guide

• Thread storage boxes to keep everything tidy!

  
  

Isn’t it all beautiful? I’m feeling so inspired just looking at it all! To see the full unboxing video please click this link:

Aurifil Artisan Welcome Box Unboxing

I Couldn’t Wait to Get Stitching…

Even before the first monthly challenge, I couldn’t resist diving in. I’d already started working on a leafy seahorse design and decided to use some of the gorgeous new 50wt threads from my welcome package to bring it to life.

You may have seen it pop up on my socials - it’s a delicate, flowing design stitched in shades 2830 Mint, 2850 Medium Juniper, and the absolutely stunning variegated thread 4655 Storm at Sea. These threads stitched beautifully and gave such depth and movement to the piece, especially the subtle colour shifts in the variegated one. I’ll definitely be reaching for these again!

Getting Inspired: Mustard Orange 12wt Thread & Garden Memories

As I unpacked the welcome box, one spool immediately stood out - a bold 12wt cotton in Orange Mustard. The rich, golden tone practically glowed in the light, and I knew straight away what I wanted to create.

This month’s Aurifil Artisan challenge is the perfect starting point:

'Choose anything new from your welcome package to create something of your choosing. Get creative and show us what you've got!'

It instantly brought back memories of the giant sunflowers we grew from seed in our garden a few years ago. I’d taken a close-up photo of one especially stunning bloom, and it’s been sitting in my inspiration folder just waiting for the right moment.

For this challenge, I’ll be using that photo to guide a new design: a big, bold sunflower head, stitched using free-motion machine embroidery. I normally stick to 40wt or 50wt threads in my work, so I’ve never sewn with this heavier 12wt thread before - but it feels like the perfect choice for this project. Its thickness will allow me to add bold, expressive lines and rich texture to the layered petals, helping to capture the vibrant energy and warmth of a sunflower in full bloom.

Once complete, the finished piece will be mounted on a round canvas - creating a vibrant, tactile artwork that brings a touch of late-summer sunshine indoors.

What’s Next?

I’ll be sharing the finished piece with you very soon - including how the 12wt thread worked on the machine, and the effect it brings to my appliqué and collage work. I’m so excited to be stretching my creative muscles and experimenting with these new threads.

And this is just the beginning - I’ll be taking part in monthly Aurifil Artisan challenges throughout the year, and I can’t wait to see where they lead me!

Let’s Talk Threads!

If you’re curious about Aurifil threads, want to learn more about different weights, or have questions about fabric collage and machine embroidery, feel free to leave a comment or drop me a message - I always love chatting about all things sewing!

Thanks so much for following along and supporting my creative journey.

Until next time!