Join us at the 2015 CHA MEGA Show

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!

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!

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 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. 

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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.

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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!

Calgarian fibre artist and quilt instructor

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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.

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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.

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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

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.

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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!

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With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

#wonderfil

The newest member of our thread family: FabuLux

WonderFil’s Newest Thread Line: FabuLux!

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.

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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.

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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!

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With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

Spooky Thread Palettes

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Tutti: TU39

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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.

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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!

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!

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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. 

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! 

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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

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!

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