Aurifil's Il Salotto Advent Calendar

 

It's not too early to be thinking ahead to Christmas!  Aurifil has just announced their 2026 Advent calendar and the deadline to pre-order is not far away! 

Designed as a celebration of creativity, comfort, and the art of making by hand, Il Salotto, Aurifil’s 2026 advent calendar, invites you to slow down and savor the season— one thoughtful stitch at a time. Il Salotto, which means“the living room” in Italian, is the heart of every home this time of year. The place where stitches happen by lamplight, stories get told, and the holiday season slowly unfolds. 24 little doors, 24 surprises, and a palette designed to feel exactly like that warm corner makers keep returning to.

Behind each door awaits a beautifully curated spool of Aurifil’s premium 100% cotton thread, offering a quiet moment of inspiration each day. With 12 small spools of their versatile Cotton 50wt and 12 small spools of their richly textured Cotton 12wt, this collection was created to support piecing, quilting, and embellishing alike, honoring every facet of the maker’s craft.

You will also have access to a secure online portal exclusive to calendar holders, featuring digital content and seasonal extras designed to enrich the experience. As a special bonus, five  calendars worldwide will contain a rare golden spool redeemable for an exclusive Aurifil prize package valued at over $300.

These calendars are a limited production run, and Aurifil has anticipated high demand. They must be pre-ordered to receive one, and no additional units will be produced. The deadline to get your orders to me is June 18^th so that I can let Aurifil know our numbers in time. The calendars are not just fun, they are beautifully presented and make a great gift to yourself or someone special; just email if you would like details. (karen at karenneary dot ca) We are happy to mail to any address in Canada. (Local folks are welcome to pick theirs up, of course!)

June 18^th is not very far away so please act quickly if you are interested.  The calendars will arrive to me in mid-November so you should have yours in time to start opening on December 1.

 

Il Borgo: 2025 Aurifil Advent Calendar Pre-Order

 Last year, Aurifil introduced their very first Advent calendar.  It was an overwhelming success and customers were so delighted that Aurifil has decided to continue the tradition. Il Borgo, Aurifil’s 2025 advent calendar is designed to capture the magic of the season through a maker’s lens. It invites quilters to rediscover the joy of anticipation — one colorful surprise at a time. Behind each door awaits a perfectly curated spool of Aurifil’s premium 100% cotton thread, ready to spark inspiration, creativity, and a few joyful moments just for you. It’s a celebration of craftsmanship, nostalgia, and the simple pleasure of a holiday tradition reimagined for the creative spirit of today. Pre-orders are being taken now, with delivery of the calendars in November 2025, in time to begin counting down the December days.

This palette of 24 hues includes five brand-new, limited-edition colors exclusive to this advent calendar in addition to a medley of Aurifil’s cotton thread weights, including the new Cotton 8wt/2ply and Aurifloss 6-strand divisible floss. You will also have access to a secure online portal - exclusive to calendar holders - filled with a trove of digital delights, courtesy of Aurifil.  This portal contains festive surprises, creative content, and added value each day.

As an extra touch of magic, five sets worldwide will include a rare golden spool. If you find one, you’ll win an exclusive prize from Aurifil valued at over $300!

This will be a limited production run, and orders need to be in to me by May 27th/2025 to guarantee on time delivery. I am offering these sets at a terrific price of $179.50 Cdn, plus $6. shipping anywhere in Canada. A $100. deposit is required at this time, with the remainder to be paid in November when the calendars ship.  To place your order, please email  karen at karenneary.ca

 

Aurifil Advent Calendar L'Alpi

An advent calendar for thread lovers - how fun! Better than chocolate, each of these 24 compartments holds a small spool of Aurifil thread . The palette of 24 hues includes five brand-new, limited-edition 50wt colors exclusive to this advent calendar as well as the introduction of five new shades of 8wt and a medley of Aurifil’s cotton thread weights.

We are taking pre-orders for Canadian customers now until June 28. That's only 8 days away! These calendars are limited production and need to be pre-ordered. We are happy to ship across Canada for a very reasonable rate. Please email for more information.

Poinsettia Stitchery Kits

With snow on the ground and the neighbourhood decorations going up, it's starting to feel like it's time we get serious with our gift lists.  If you are like me, you want to include something hand made... or hand-makeable.  These small stitcheries work up very quickly, by hand or machine. (Mine are all done on the sewing machine).

A simple poinsettia shape is outline stitched in 12 weight Aurifil thread. You trace the design onto your fabric and layer with batting and backing as you would a quilt.  

Set your regular sewing machine up as for free motion quilting, and use either 40 or 50 weight thread in your bobbin.  For the needle, choose a size 100/16 TOPSTITCH needle, and thread your machine with the 12 weight thread.  It's always good to do a tension test before beginning;  you may need to lower your top tension just a smidge to accommodate the thicker thread. Then just colour on the lines with your thread. It's that simple!

This piece uses 3 colours of 12 weight - yellow, red, and green.  The background stitching is done with regular 50 weight thread.

I've made many of these, some for small candle mats and wall hangings, and some became cushions for Christmas décor.  This would look lovely as well stitched on a Christmas stocking.  Use your imagination!

I am happy to share the pattern, which I am including free of charge in a small kit which includes the three spools of thread and one size 16 needle, packaged in a Christmas  box ready for gifting.

You can find the kits on my website, at this link.  

Carol's Endangered Species

 

Drumroll, please! If you follow my page, you know that Sew Karenly Created has participated as a dealer for the Aurifil Color Builder program for the past 2 years. Last year, the BOM patterns which accompanied the thread were designed by Cassandra Beaver of "The Not so Dramatic Life.". One of my subscribers was Carol Jackson from Pictou Co., N.S. I know that Carol really enjoyed the program, especially the quilting videos by Holly Anne Knight of String and Story, so much so in fact that she was one of the first to sign up again this year. Carol is loving building her awesome aurifilthread stash!

Carol shared this picture of her finished quilt, and wrote: “Here I am with my quilt. I think you can tell I’m pretty happy. It is my first free motion quilt, as well as quilt as you go. A lot of new things experienced during this time. Lots of beautiful Aurifil thread used. Lots of enjoyable back and forth with you. It has been an amazing experience. I am going to enter it in our local exhibition. Maybe I’ll win a prize."

I think you've already won, Carol! 😊 Sincere congratulations on this accomplishment. Can't wait to see your Flora quilt from this year's program!!

Crown Jewels

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of HM Queen Elizabeth II, so I was thrilled when Aurifil announced they were releasing a thread collection in honour of the Platinum Jubilee.  The box reads: "The Platinum Jubilee Collection is Aurifil's humble tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.  This year, we celebrate her success and achievements throughout her 70 years of service.  Her fierce nature, resilience, and compassion have set a strong example, inspiring a new generation of leaders."

Inside the commemorative box is an array of  colours fit for a queen: neutrals, plus gold, silver, platinum and of course, a very regal purple. The response to the collection has been very enthusiastic.  Clearly I am not the only admirer.

I decided to use the colours in my thread box to make a small hanging in honour of HM.  I had hoped to have this ready to release on Victoria Day (yesterday) which we celebrate as the Queen's birthday, but one day off is pretty close. Starting with a New York Beauty block, I drew a crown and fitted it with sparkling jewels.  In the centre is a circle of deep, rich purple which I trapuntoed with 2 layers of Hobbs wool batting to try and emulate the puffy middle bit you see in pictures. (I don't have much in-person crown experience.)  My intention is to use it to decorate a door, but if you left out the extra batting, it would be lovely on a table. For high tea, maybe!  The thread collections are selling very quickly, but there are a few left on my website. 

Naturally, I chose rich Island Batik scraps for my project, matching the shades of thread to the fabric. It didn't take long to make, as the jewels are foundation pieced.  The quilting was kept quite simple.

The pattern is free to download, (click the link); I hope you will have fun with this.  Canada Post has issued some lovely stamps, and I also found a lapel pin.  There may be some commemorative china in my future as well if I can find something suitable.

 

"Long live our noble Queen"

For Wee Bairn in Blue

 Last week, I showed you my newly released pattern called For The Wee Bairn.  It was made with a new collection called "Lace and Grace" from Island Batik.  I liked the quilt so much, I made it a second time, this one using a blue background and assorted scraps for the 9 patches.  The gorgeous snow this past weekend made a perfect backdrop for photography.

Other than using different fabrics, I followed my own directions exactly.

It's pretty amazing how quickly the blocks go together.

I quilt on my domestic sewing machine, so my quilts are pin basted.  This is the only part of the process I do not enjoy. :(

This time I chose a soft yellow flannel for the backing, and used Aurifil 40 weight thread both in top and bobbin.  As before, I stitched free hand feathers in the curved sections, and simply outlined the Improved Nine Patch blocks.

Since I have no wee bairns of my own to wrap, this version is for sale.  You can find it on my website.

January 2022

 All I can say is...it's a good thing I don't make new year resolutions because if I did...I would have broken one by now!  It's in my head to blog more this year as I really enjoy writing and posting, but the time just seems to zoom by and much of what keep me busy just isn't good blogging material (like inventory, answering emails, shovelling snow!).    There are some fun things too, and the highlight of January has been starting the new 2022 Colour Builders program with Aurifil.

My list of subscribers has grown this year, and I am delighted to have last year's enthusiastic group returning.  That speaks volumes about the program.  This year the focus is on variegated 50 weight threads and the patterns supplied are all flowers to be appliquéd. The pattern was designed by Kate Brennan with help from graphic designer Christina Weisband. The block for January features a "Frangipani" also known as "Plumeria". It's a very dainty flower, and so pretty with the star centre.

The hardest part was choosing a fabric for the background; I ended up with a neutral tan.

My flower is done using fusible applique, with shapes traced onto the paper side of the fusible web.  I tried a new-to-me kind of fusible called “Flexie Fuse Light” and it worked great.  I printed out the sketch full sized, and placed it on a light table underneath my background fabric.  You can see the black outline showing through the fabric in the picture below. Mind you, I don’t have an actual light table: it’s a glass-topped coffee table with a lamp underneath with the light bulb pointing up.

It worked great! I found my Bohin tweezers with the pointy ends were a tremendous help putting those tiny petals in place without disturbing the others.  Serger tweezers with long points would also work really well.

   When I was happy with my flowers, I lifted the background fabric straight up to my ironing board and fused everything in place.

These are the colours in our thread box this month which I used for the free motion stitching around the pieces.

I also added a darker green to outline the leaves and a bright yellow from my stash for the centre stars.  I hope to add a few more details when I join the blocks for the quilting.

It was a fun block to do and I am enjoying seeing all the pictures around the internet showing off these pretty blocks.  

There is still time to join the program, just email me for details.

Christmas 2021 Aurifil Thread Specials

Without a doubt, Christmas -and the way we shop, and gather -has certainly been impacted by world events. Nevertheless, we still find creative ways to celebrate the season. One of those ways is to order online, have your parcel beautifully wrapped with a hand-written gift card, and delivered directly to your recipient.  We can do that!

To sweeten the pot, from now till the ends of November all of the Aurifil thread sets of 12 large spools in a reusable storage case are on special for $10. off. When you do the math, it works out to $11.40/spool, saving you over $40 than if you had purchased them individually. (Even more if you choose 40 or 28 weight sets.) That's a great deal!

Throw in that complimentary gift-wrapping, and the shopping for the person-who-has-everything is done! You can see all the thread sets here. We ship across Canada.

A new pattern!

I've had a quilt rattling around in my head for a bit and I am happy to say the pattern has become a reality. 

"Encircling" is a great design to showcase large prints and gorgeous florals, and when I saw Tula Pink's "Curiouser and Curiouser" line I knew it was perfect.  A trip to Mrs Pugsley's Emporium in Amherst yielded this stack of Fat Quarters.  I paired it with Fairy Dust for the background, and a black solid for the rings and binding. 

It was fun to see how closely the fabric matches the artwork on the corresponding Aurifil thread set.

The pattern is simple to sew with gentle curved seaming, and only 3 large pieces per block. It's easy to adapt for fussy-cutting special motifs in the fabric. 

I quilted the circles in a spiral:

The wavy outer edge is a dream to bind – no inside or outside corners to mitre - and gives a unique finish to your quilt.  

For fun, I photographed the quilt with my Mom's childhood china tea set from the 1920's, and my vintage and well-loved "Complete Works of Lewis Carroll". 

Pattern includes full sized templates for a lap-sized quilt, but it's really easy to simply add more blocks for a larger quilt. 

This is a totally fun pattern, and easy to adapt to different sizes.  Shown is a lap-sized 46" x 64", but if you need it larger, simply add another row or two of blocks.  I will make this soon in some Kaffe Fasset florals and use it on my table.  The computer mock-up shows how nicely 20 blocks fit on the table. 

The Aurifil thread collection shown is available from my thread store;  we ship across Canada.  The pattern may be ordered in print form here, or downloaded at this link.

As always, I am indebted to pattern editor Cheryl Coville of Grandma Coco's Designs who is a bigger help than she realizes in getting the patterns ready. ♥