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2915 19 St NE
Calgary, AB, T2E 7A2

18662506101

WonderFil Specialty Thread Blog

WonderFil brings you the latest news, events, upcoming thread lines and special tips and advice. Follow WonderFil Specialty Threads on our social media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Youtube.

AQS QuiltWeek at Daytona Beach, Florida

WonderFil Specialty Threads

The next AQS QuiltWeek is revving up at Daytona Beach, Florida, beginning tomorrow on Wednesday February 24 and running until Saturday the 27th. Stop by for incredible instructors, workshops, special exhibits, hundreds of display quilts, and a whole array of local and international vendors including WonderFil Specialty Threads.

Find the perfect thread for your next project at the WonderFil booth: #1108/1110 at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.

For more information visit: www.quiltweek.com/locations/daytona/#mg

Valentine’s DIY Project For That Special Someone

WonderFil Specialty Threads

Valentine’s DIY Project: A Gift For That Special Someone

Valentine’s is just around the corner and we have the perfect DIY project for this special occasion! Valentine’s day is the day of love, whether that be for your partner or simply a friend. This cross-stitch is a great and personalized way to express to someone that you are thinking about them!

Here are all the materials you will be needing for this project:

  • 1 piece of 11 count aida cloth 7”x8” (will vary based on size of design)
  • Size 22 tapestry or darning needle
  • Threads:
    • 12wt Fruitti (100% Egyptian Cotton)
    • Colors used in project 
    • FT 20 - Storm
    • FT 10 - Roses
    • FT 15 - Carnation  
  • Pattern: www.cross-stitch-pattern.net 
  • “Thank You for Being My Friend”
  • Embroidery scissors
  • 6” Cross-stitch hoop
  1. The first step is to choose the pattern you would like to cross stitch with your personalized message. We used a free pattern from www.cross-stitch-pattern.net where you can find a variety of different designs for your cross-stitch.
  2. Next cut out your aida cloth large enough to fit your design and have at least 2 inches of extra cloth outside of the hoop to give your hoop enough fabric to grab .

3. To place the fabric in the hoop, first lay the outer hoop on a flat surface, and lay your aida cloth overtop (please note that the outer hoop screw will have to be loose enough for the inner hoop to fit inside with the aida cloth. Push in the inner hoop loosening screw if necessary. Flip the hoop over and pull the aida cloth to create a tight flat surface, while tightening the outer screw to hold the fabric in place. 

4. Pick a central point in your design to start; it is best to work in one color at a time. By using the Fruitti thread it is not necessary to separate strands. This particular design used several colors to create the same effect that the variegated Fruitti does on its own. For this design the heart was worked first leaving squares empty for any letters. A counted cross stitch pattern requires that you pay close attention to the number of squares worked. If you have never done any cross stitching, there are many instructional videos available online.

5. Next the blue portion of the design was worked, leaving only the inner pink letters and the heart border left to work. 

6.The completed design, framed, would make a great Valentine’s gift for your special someone!

Happy stitching and happy valentines day!
With Love and Threads,

WonderFil


Fresh & Original Valentine's Day Colour Palettes!

WonderFil Specialty Threads

Valentine’s Day is coming up and store shelves are beginning to show those unmistakable colours of red, pink and white that we all recognize to represent this annual day of love. As lovely as this colour palette is, sometimes we want to step into something a little different, a little newer. We’ve come up with ten fresh and sexy new colour palettes for Valentine’s Day and paired each colour with the one it correlates to in our Splendor thread line, making it easy for you to pick and choose the perfect palette for your Valentine’s project! Just look at the number in the bottom right corner to find the matching thread colour.

 

Cotton Candy

Adding a touch of blue into an otherwise warm colour palette adds contrast and interest and keeps it from looking all “the same”. Consider adding a cool colour to a warm palette to add a breath of fresh air and give the other colours something to jive against.

 
 

Not all Valentine’s palettes need to be based on warm colours. This collection of purples and blues is contrasted by a small amount of pink to balance it out and keep it from feeling too heavy, while the dark colours play a mysterious and sensual part.

Sweet Dreams

 
 

Naughty & Nice

Placing a vibrant, bright colour next to a neutral colour like this bright pink and dark grey allows the brighter colour to shine without over-powering the whole palette. Keeping the other three colours in the palette as softer hues ensures the colours don’t compete with each other for attention.

 
 

A group of bold and bright colours work well for kid-themed projects, or anywhere you want something punchy. Consider experimenting with a limited colour palette of 3-4 colours that are all bright and fairly saturated, making sure not to use too many as they will end up fighting with each other and distracting the eye unless balanced out with a more softer neutral colour.

First Love

 

Splendor is a 40wt rayon that is wonderfully soft and silky to the touch that gives projects a beautiful sheen and drapability. It can be used for machine embroidery, quilting, thread painting, serging, and any kind of decorative stitching, making it extremely versatile. We also love using Splendor to embroider clothes, towels, or other items that need to be frequently washed since it is also colourfast.

Hope you found some inspiration and we wish you a very happy Valentine's Day!

With Love and Threads,
WonderFil

Road to California 2016 - Ontario, California

WonderFil Specialty Threads

As many of you might already know, Road to California starts tomorrow, Thursday January 21st, in Ontario, California! The WonderFil team is already setting up box-fulls of thread products, sample quilts, and even a demo station!

Our thread displays are nearly ready!

Our thread displays are nearly ready!

To make things even more exciting, we’ve recently started a Periscope account. Periscope is a fantastic new app that allows you to connect with people all around the globe and see the world through their “eyes”. Join us on Periscope to see what WonderFil is up to during Road to California, even if you can’t be there! We’re excited to show you what’s getting us excited during all of our shows and events this year. (https://www.periscope.tv/)

Speaking of apps, Road to California has recently introduced their very own Road to California app that offers an image feed, class and vendor information, on-going events, as well as a map and location information - all in one organized place. This helps all attendees keep everything they need to know right in their pocket, as well as keeping everyone up to date on schedules and event times so you can plan your day and not miss a thing! You can download the app from your phone’s app store.

Find WonderFil Specialty Threads at booth #1018/1020 from January 21 - 24 at the Ontario Convention Center. For more information visit: http://www.road2ca.com/

We look forward to meeting you!

Join us at the 2015 CHA MEGA Show

WonderFil Specialty Threads

 
 

Happy New Year! 2016 has begun and we can’t wait to get the year started. We are looking forward to all the new products and innovations to come. We are excited to be kicking off the new year at the Crafts and Hobby’s Association MEGA show in Anaheim, California form Jan 9-12. 

Look out for our WonderFil booth at 912/914. We’ll be brining along all our newest lines of thread like FabuLux and the Sue Spargo collection in Eleganza in #3, #5 and #8.

Check out our booth and get inspired by all the great crafty projects that can be made with WonderFil threads! 

For more information visit the CHA website. http://www.chamegashow.org/

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

#WONDERFIL

5wt and 3wt Elganza Perle Cotton are here!

WonderFil Specialty Threads

We’re so excited to announce the arrival of our latest and greatest 3wt and 5wt Eleganza perle cotton in the fabulous Sue Spargo colour line! In addition to the already existing 8wt thread, these heavier weights are perfect for additional textures, dimensions, and contrast for stunning projects. Let’s take a look!

 

 

 This lineup shows the difference in weights starting at 8wt (left) to 5wt (middle) to 3wt (right). The heavier the thread, the higher up it sits on the fabric, and the more visible it becomes.

 

 

 

Eleganza by Sue Spargo is the ultimate choice for wool appliqué, hand embroidery and sashiko. Available in 36 solid and 54 variegated colours, it’s also double-gassed and mercerized, resulting in a wonderfully smooth and lustrous surface that glides through all types of fabrics. You can check out a full list of her colours here

 

 

Combining different threadweights in the same area make for a beautiful variety, even when using the same stitch! Choosing matching variegated threads adds additional contrast for an easy and perfect colour palette.

 

 

Sue Spargo loves to pair Eleganza with wool. The natural appearance of both fibres make a charming team that is delicate, beautiful and just a little bit funky! Wool also carries a lot of texture, making it an excellent baseline for beautiful stitches laid overtop. Every piece just begs to be touched.

Eleganza

If you’re eager to see more of Sue Spargo’s incredible work, you can follow her on her blog. US customers can also order Eleganza by Sue Spargo directly from her site.

Follow Sue Spargo online to see more of her incredible work!

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

#wonderfil

Q&A with Ana Buzzalino!

WonderFil Specialty Threads

Calgarian fibre artist and quilt instructor

Sunflowers

Ana has been a teacher on a variety of quilting techniques for the past 20+ years. Some of the recent workshops have focused on free-motion quilting and surface design. She is currently working on a new series of work that includes mixed media and is a frequent contributor to Quilting Arts Magazine and Quilting Arts TV.

Many of Ana’s quilts have won several awards at local and national shows, and have been juried into major international shows. 

WonderFil is proud to have counted Ana Buzzalino as part of our Teacher Program since 2009.

Dawn Over Heritage 

Q: How did you start quilting?
A: I was working in downtown Calgary and I went for a walk one day at my lunch hour. I ended up in Kensington and saw a beautiful “blanket” in a store window, so I went in to ask the lady if I could buy it. She said it wasn’t for sale but she could teach me how to make one (it was a quilt shop). So I joined a class and haven’t looked back since!

Q: Where do you find your inspiration for your quilts?
A: Everywhere, really. Photos, words in a book, magazines…I have more ideas than I have time to create. So if I start a project that I don’t like, I don’t necessarily finish it. I only work on what I like.

Berries From the Trees 

 

Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I am doing more dying of my own fabrics, and a lot of free motion work. I will often do small prototypes of pieces to make sure they will work in larger pieces. I keep these and sometimes frame them as small art pieces.

Q: What are your favourite WonderFil threads?
A: I only use DecoBob or InvisaFil in my bobbin. In my needle I love the 40 weight rayon (Splendor) because it has such a great sheen and never breaks on me. I also love the variegated Silco (35 weight cotton) because it has such a silky finish.

Find out more about Ana and her amazing work at anabuzzalino.com

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

#wonderfil

Our Favourite Colours Inspired by Winter

WonderFil Specialty Threads

It’s nearly that magical time of year again! Frosty landscapes coated in powdery white, evergreens laden with sparkling icicles, and cozy homes shining with twinkling lights in the dark of night. For those who love winter (and for those who prefer to spend it hibernating under a warm quilt) we have a few favourite thread palettes perfect for finishing those holiday projects.

Snowflakes embroidered with Spotlite

One of our absolutely favourite threads to use during this season is Spotlite™, a 40wt rayon core metallic thread. Metallics are beautiful and reflect the shining theme of the holidays, making it a magnificent choice for winter-themed projects. While we offer Spotlite™ in 40 different colours, a simple way to achieve a gorgeous project is to choose a neutral palette of gold and silver threads and a brightly coloured fabric to embroider over. This allows for a pop of colour in your project without worrying about matching colours.

However if you like your threads to carry the colour in your project, we also offer colour coordinated tubes of Spotlite™ in 9 different colour themed sets, including a Christmas themed set. Spotlite is a gorgeous thread that can be used for embroidery, decorative quilting, built-in decorative stitches, thread painting, and 3D embellishment effects.

Speaking of themed sets, our 40wt rayon thread, Splendor, is available in packages with colours revolving around special themes. Included are Blue, Landscape, Christmas, Classic Christmas, and Country Christmas. These not only make great sets to easily get started on a project, but also make thoughtful gifts for the sewers and quilters in your life! Splendor is a versatile thread that can be used for machine embroidery, quilting built-in decorative stitches, machine quilting, rough edge appliqué, and even serging.

Warm browns and whites make a good contrasting combination for cute holiday creatures. Since they are already neutral tones, you can add little splashes of bright colours to liven it up without worrying whether or not the colours match!

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

#wonderfil

The newest member of our thread family: FabuLux

WonderFil Specialty Threads

WonderFil’s Newest Thread Line: FabuLux!

IMG_9610-1.jpg

After making its debut during this year’s International Quilt Market in Houston, TX, there’s already some buzz going on about WonderFil’s newest thread line. So what’s big the deal you may ask? Here’s what we have to tell you:

Similar to our Master Quilter thread, FabuLux is a versatile 40wt, 3-ply trilobal polyester thread that is designed for the longarm as well as midarm and domestic sewing machines. Available in 700m (766yd) spools and 2743m (3000yd) cones, FabuLux has a brilliant and beautifully bright lustre while also feeling soft and supple to the touch - making this a fantastic choice for quilting.

fabulux

All colours in this line were chosen by Debby Brown, ((http://www.debbybrownquilts.com/)) an international teacher and quilter. Available for the first time in any WonderFil thread line are five intense neon colours for those projects where you really want the thread to stand out and show off! The other 35 colours are all gorgeous variegated choices for added dimension and variety in your pieces.

We’re delighted to finally offer another quality thread to use on longarm machines, and we hope that you and your quilts enjoy it! FabuLux is due to hit store shelves in the next few weeks, so ask your local WonderFil retailer about it. Or check our events calendar to see if WonderFil will be at a show or event near you!

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil


Spooky Thread Palettes

Maura Kang

October 25, 2015

LOOKING FOR IDEAS ON MIXING AND MATCHING THREAD COLOURS FOR YOUR NEXT HALLOWEEN PROJECT? TAKE A GANDER AT WHAT WE'VE CHOSEN FOR THIS QUILT BY VERNA MOSQUERA.


Quilt pattern "Happy Hauntings" by Verna Mosquera.

Quilt pattern "Happy Hauntings" by Verna Mosquera.

Happy October and thanks for checking in! This week we would like to share with you this incredible quilt using the Happy Hauntings pattern by Verna Mosquera, which is an incredibly fun and modern quilt featuring an assortment of playful halloween characters. This pattern can be purchased from Verna’s website here.

We’ve created this quilt using an assortment of WonderFil threads including InvisaFil, Konfetti, and Tutti, however with our upcoming new thread line FabuLux hitting store shelves this fall, we have some new suggestions on how to pair our latest threads for the spookiest impact! Check it out below.

FabuLux: Majestic Sunrise

Our newest thread line FabuLux comes in both solid and variegated colours. Similar to our Master Quilter line, FabuLux is a 40wt 3-ply trilobal polyester with an incredible shine that helps it stand out against the fabric. Here we used a solid colour, but outlining this devilish fella in a shiny variegated thread like FabuLux will make him pop even better, as well as add more interest due to the colour-changing thread. The spool of FabuLux featured in this photo is called Majestic Sunrise and comes in warm golden yellows and the rich orange reds found in autumn.

FabuLux: Boo!

Another playful FabuLux colour that will be available soon is Boo! A halloween-esque palette showing off purple, black and orange hues that can be tied into nearly any spooky themed project.

A popular choice when you don’t want your stitching to show is the aptly named InvisaFil - a 100wt polyester thread that is perfect for adding subtle texture to your fabric. Choosing a colour that stands out against the background will allow the stitching to show a small amount of colour, while choosing one that matches the fabric makes it nearly invisible. This orange and grey is perfect to machine appliqué your pieces down. We recommend using a button hole stitch or a small zig zag.

Tutti: TU39

Tutti: TU24, Konfetti: KT601, KT402

Tutti is a 50wt 3-ply double gassed and mercerized cotton thread that we adore using in quilts. Available in 41 variegated colours, it makes a perfect accompaniment to button hole stitches that give this thread enough heft and texture to make a bold statement. Adding tones of subtle blue and green to the dominantly grey palette will help make this tombstone stand out.

Konfetti is just like our Tutti thread, but comes in 60 solid colours rather than variegated. Mixing and matching Konfetti and Tutti make a playful combination.

Spotlite: MT881 , Konfetti: KT906

Lastly, don’t be afraid to add a touch of Spotlite to your quilts. This metallic thread resists breakage and fraying unlike other metallics that are difficult to work with, and will add a lovely shine to your stitching. Here we used Konfetti to stitch these cobwebs, however trading it in for Spotlite would allow them to add a spooky shimmer to the border all around the quilt. Stay tuned as we may have a short video on using metallic threads!

Our spooky thread palette as shown: 

  • FabuLux: Majestic Sunrise, Boo!
  • Konfetti: KT906, KT601, KT402
  • Tutti: TU39, TU24
  • InvisaFil: IF122, IF711
  • Spotlite: MT881

 

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil 

Hand Stitching for All Levels!

WonderFil Specialty Threads

Enjoy hand stitching or want to get into it? We have a few ideas that are simple enough for beginners but fun for stitchers at all levels!


Finding a Cloth to Stitch

Have a lot of fabric laying around your sewing room? Some fabric patterns can make great stitch ideas. Look for simple shades and lines that are easy to trace over so that the pattern itself doesn't interfere with the stitching. 

Here is an example of cute fabric that allows you to "fill in the blanks" and dress up the creatures already printed on. 

Here is an example of cute fabric that allows you to "fill in the blanks" and dress up the creatures already printed on. 

Another idea is to purchase a drop cloth sampler, which comes printed with a variety of shapes and patterns perfect for stitching over. These are readily available at most sewing supply stores. You can also make your own drop cloth sampler by tracing patterns on to fabrics using a light box. However if you don't have one, you can tape your pattern to a window, overlay the fabric over-top and use the natural light coming through as a make-shift light box to trace your fabric with! 

One inspiration we've found for hand stitching ideas is to look at adult colouring books, which have recently become hugely popular. Translating patterns from the books to a piece of fabric to stitch gives these beautiful designs a whole new look! 


Choosing a Thread

WonderFil has recently introduced a new threadline called Eleganza. This gorgeous #8 perle cotton thread has a wonderfully smooth and lustrous surface that allows it to glide through all types of fabrics and fibres. Eleganza adds a luxurious finish to embellishment stitchery and is offered in two colour lines: WonderFil offers #8 5g gram balls in 100 solid colours, and Sue Spargo offers it in 36 solid and 54 variegated colours in 64m (70yd) spools. #5 and #3 versions of Eleganza will be out very shortly so make sure you're following us online for the latest updates!

WonderFil Eleganza

WonderFil Eleganza

Eleganza in Sue Spargo colours

Eleganza in Sue Spargo colours

Another choice if you like a little extra glamour is Dazzle, an 8wt rayon thread that has been woven with a strand of metallic to add a little sparkle and shine to your stitches! This thread makes an excellent accompaniment to Eleganza and can be interwoven in the stitches for a unique texture!

 With Love and Threads,

WonderFil 

 

#wonderfil

A WonderFil Welcome!

WonderFil Specialty Threads

Hello everyone!

 

Welcome to the brand new WonderFil website so take a look around because there’s lots to see! Did you know what we now have 21 thread lines with the newest to launch this fall at Houston Quilt Market? Get a sneak peak at this new upcoming thread line, FabuLux, with Debby Brown on Instagram (https://instagram.com/debbybrownquilts). We have many big plans in the works, including TWO other brand new thread lines, so stay tuned and connect with us online so you’re always first to know what’s going on with WonderFil!

 

We’ve been keeping super busy this year and trying to connect with all of you wonderful wonderfil people online! Check out our Instagram (@wonderfilspecialtythread), where we share cool photos of projects each day and post a sewing related tip every #TipTuesday! Join the family and hashtag with #wonderfil so we can share projects that you’ve made with our threads to the community on #WonderFilWednesday. Wonderful always has something happening online, so check us out now because there is a $200 retail value prize giveaway now on our Facebook and Instagram. Follow along and find out how you could win! 

Also if you’re ever out at a quilt show make sure you check our calendar so you can stop by and say hi at our booth if we’re there too!

Well we’re signing off for now, but we’ll be back every Saturday with a new blog post! In the meantime don't forget to check us out online and connect with #wonderfil! And leave some comments below and let us know what you want to see from us, any hints and tips you're looking for or maybe you want to see some behind the scenes? 

With love and threads,

WonderFil

#wonderfil