My Twist :: 'Sew Many Colors' Aurifil Mini

I have been swapped with this and that, deadlines, deck construction...you name it, it's happening!  I think, I think I'm pretty well caught up!

So you know what that means?  Playtime!  I almost forgot how badly I wanted to make this amazing paper pieced mini by Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill @Whole Circle Studio for Aurifil Thread. The pattern is called 'Sew Many Colors' and is a free download!  Plus, there's a contest that ends 3/31 (cutting close!) and I want to throw my hat in the ring!   

If you haven't seen Sheri's '270 Colors' quilt I highly recommend you check out her blog...amazing and the quilting...go see for yourself, I'll wait...Whether you are a die hard Aurifil user or an occasional user, you certainly can appreciate the entire composition of '270 Colors' quilt!

SEW MANY COLORS
16" x 16"

My original plan was go rainbow!  Then ideas started flooding my brain and I was determined (or destined) to do something different.  What I came up with pretty much evolved along the way.  

The rules for the contest are as follows:
Enter your finished mini by 3/31
Voting on minis runs 4/1-4/15

Finished minis must use Aurifil threads and Kona® Cotton by Robert Kaufman to be eligible to win. Tell us about your “favorite 10”!  



Like I said, I was going to go all rainbow on this.  I even had fabrics pick that matched my thread. Then those voices started.  Telling me 'not again', 'change it up', 'use you imagination'!  I listened.  

I ended up pulling out my tote that has all my Kona Jelly Roll strips. Go blue, Go green, oh no no no...let's play with pinks and corals!  I only needed six colors for the full Aurifil spools. It worked pretty perfectly!  The orange spool color is Kona Tangerine, which couldn't be more perfect!

 


These spools went together pretty easily.  The hardest part was the skinny orange spool parts. Truth is, I used my glue stick to hold those pieces down when it was time to sew the sections together.  

Note: The blank section.  It will become clear at the end!

  

These three are my standby colors.  The three thread colors that I use ALL the time.  Each spool is in varying stages of 'more or less', but the one I use the most...seems to always have next to nothing left!  That would be white!  I use it for piecing, for quilting and hand stitching.  No stash should be without!



See what I mean?!  I tried to make the spools in the mini to match my actual on hand thread reality!

As you can see my white is history!  Which also meant I didn't have any white for quilting. One big conundrum!  What was I going to do for thread?  Quilting?  I knew then and there I was going to have some improvising to do.



I used a combination of colors:  #2425 Bright Pink, #2312 Cream, #2026 Chalk and #2615 Aluminum.  The spools are 'spouting' bright pink!  Kind of like a thead-a-bration! (celebration) 



The tenth spool is my phantom spool.  A color I don't have, a color I really want!  What should it be?  If you could only pick one color, what would you pick?  



I'm thinking it's time to add to my thread stash with a good old variegated thread.  That's why it's blank. My future purchase!

The backing is Kona Salmon which fit in with the color story on the front.  I used a couple of the jelly roll strips for the binding and viola!  A complete finish!  Not bad for a last minute under the gun finish!



I will add my mini to the contest link today!  If you want to vote on April 1st or if you just want to see what others have done with their minis, Click here:  'Favorite 10' and check it out!

It's a pretty quick finish and super fun.  I loved the design as it was and I was tempted to make it step by step as is.  The problem is I always (almost always) like to put my mark or my special twist patterns.  The original design is amazing!  It sparked my imagination and inspired me to take it in a different direction, yet keep the 'bones' intact!

What is your main squeeze...your main go to color of thread?  

LINKING:

Needle & Thread

TGIFF

Can I get a Whoop Whoop

Crazy Mom Quilts

Oh Scrap