April 2014 Designer of the Month

Hi this is Designer/Radio show host Pat Sloan! Aurifil is thrilled to have a lot of you joining us for our Designer of the Month program for the first time this year, welcome!  I’d like to explain just a few things about our program

• What is a Designer of the Month? Aurifil has many wonderful Quilt designers that use our thread on a regular basis. For the last few years we have showcased a designer a month on our blog.  I interview the designer so we get to know them. And the designer gives us a free block that many of you are making as a sampler. If you share your block in the Flickr folder we pick a thread kit winner EVERY MONTH!
• Is there a full Supply list? No. This is a challenge, there is no supply list. But we have a suggested fabric list to share CLICK HERE And in December I design a setting for the blocks after I see what they look like.
• Where do I find the Free pattern? The Designer’s free block is ALWAYS in the same spot. At the end of their interview with the PDF to click RIGHT UNDER the block photo. Easy! We do hope you get to know our featured designer with the interview and thank the designer for the gift of a super block!
• Is there a way to find ALL the Designer blocks from years gone by? Yes! It is the tab on the right sidebar called “Designers of the Month”..Click that for every post in the series.

This year the designer blocks reflect a woman who has given them inspiration.  I am so excited to get to know the inspirations behind our wonderful designers!

Our April Designer is Angela Yosten! She is an author, has fabric lines with Moda, and is one of our thread kit designers as well.  I asked Angela where she lives and this is what she said “We live in Texas, just north of Dallas. Out in the country… or as our friends like to refer to it as Oklahoma. We have three children, which is where most of my inspiration comes from.”

I have had the pleasure of chatting with Angela on my radio show Dec 9, 2013 and Aug 6, 2012. You can CLICK HERE and scroll back on the player to listen

We have a sew along with a MONTHLY thread BOX giveaway (seriously folks… you could win a box of my thread which is over $120.00 value.. for making a quilt block… you have to join in!).

And we have an added feature this year of a machine quilting tip from Natalia Bonner. Look for that at the end of each interview!

EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a  block from our 2014 designers and that random person receives a FULL BOX of my Aurifil thread as the  prize! Winners are all contacted via Flickr email and posted at our FLICK GROUP HERE

Let’s get to it!

When was your FIRST quilt sighting? Did it inspire you to start quilting? 

My first quilt sighting was probably the day I was born. I grew up in a family of talented women that did various forms of knitting, stitchery, sewing, and quilting. My baby blankets included a cross-stitched blanket, a knitted sleeper, and a quilt all handmade by my grandmothers.

My favorite quilt just might have to be one that I “adopted” from my mom’s collection when I was in high school. It was hand quilted by my great-grandmother and is made from solid white and red fabrics in a simple bear paw design. I absolutely love this quilt and the tatters worn on it, proves just that.

Do you still have your first project you ever made? What was it? 

My first “real” quilt that I ever made was when I was 14 years old. I used a pattern from Donna Poster titled The “Foldy” Stuff – Log Cabin. I thought the style of this quilt was unique in the fact that all the pieces had a folded element to them.  I gave this quilt to my Grandma B soon after I finished it and I just recently got it back from her.

When you go to a quilt show, what types of quilts are you drawn to?

I think what draws me to a quilt is the minimal use of color. Two-toned quilts, Simple and Modern quilts are what I am drawn to mostly. I especially love to see the artistic quilts of portraits and real-life scenes. For someone to capture the movement of life in a still quilt puts me in a state of awe. Simply amazing!

We all have parts of the process we ‘prefer’ more than others. What part of quiltmaking do you ‘Prefer’ most and why? And which the least.. and why?

I enjoy making quilts, but I love making dimensional sewing projects even more. Coming up with an idea and then figuring out how it is all going to be constructed is my absolute favorite.

Bags, Quilted Nap Sacks, and Baby Play Mats are just a few of the projects that I find joy in designing.

My least favorite part of the Quilt Process is the actual quilting the layers together and binding the quilt. I prefer to send my quilt tops out to be quilted and the binding step is saved for car trips, sitting at the kids practices, or in car line at school.

(projects from Angela’s book Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew! and  Sew Modern Baby)

Did you have a career prior to making art?

I love creating art and designing, however my career is actually as a Web Developer. I am a full-time Webmaster for Moda Fabrics / United Notions. I created a pattern line as an outlet for me to share my creations and designs with others in my spare time.

I have authored two books with Stash Books, Sew Modern Baby (2013) and Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew! (2012) I am a Contributing Author in the Moda Bake Shop books, Sweet Celebrations (2012) and Fresh Fabric Treats (2011). I have also contributed to books, Modern Blocks (2011) and Amish Quilts (2013).

In 2013, my Flats dolls designs made their way onto fabric manufactured by Moda. Talk about exciting!  I could not believe my little people inspired by my two oldest kids were printed on fabrics! Then to top that off, Aurifil came out with a collection of threads to match my Flats fabrics. Whew! That was an exciting year.

I have always enjoyed art, from drawing portraits and oil painting to designing a line of sewing and quilt patterns and a fabric collection. When I design and create, it is my way of having some “me” time. It is my escape to do what I want to and how I want to.

(projects from Angela’s book Sew Modern Baby)

What is your favorite place to visit in your hometown?

My favorite place is my home. We are what you would call home-bodies. We enjoy spending time with our family and just doing what we love at home.

When we go out, we like to venture to our favorite eating places in Frisco at Corner Bakery, Chick-fil-a and Jake’s Hamburgers.

Do you have a tip or trick to make your quilt making easier? 

I love to machine applique. It is a quick and easy way to take something plain and generic and turn it into something unique and special in a matter of minutes.  I add applique shapes to my kids store-bought clothing, jackets, etc.

You can even take it a step further and add an applique to a pillow, quilt, or bag that you make from start to finish. It doesn’t have to be complicated… I personally like to keep it simple.

Check out my tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop with some tips for Machine Applique.
http://www.modabakeshop.com/2013/09/moda-bake-shop-basics-machine-applique.html

What are your 3 favorite colors of Aurifil thread? 

If I had to pick my 3 most favorite colors of Aurifil Thread, I guess I would have to go with white (2024), black (2692) and grey (2606).  I know, boring, right? Those are the colors of thread that I use the most, so it just seemed the most logical to pick those colors.

Now, honestly, who can only pick 3 colors from their plethora of colored and variegated threads? I want them all! Don’t you?

(Thread Collection by Angela Yosten for Aurifil Threads… ask for them at your favorite quilt shop!)

What does your studio look like, and what would you change in it? 

My Studio is separated into two separate areas… my Computer work area and my “play” sewing area.

This is the room I escape to for just about everything.

If the kids are looking for me, they come to my office/studio (well… that is if I haven’t locked myself in the bathroom).

If I could change anything in it, it would be for it to be magically cleaned up after I get done working on projects.

If you could train with, or work with one person for a day.. who would it be?

If I could follow one person for a day, I think I would have to pick my Great-Great Grandma Smisek.

I would love to be able to watch her and learn how to do some of the tatting that she made on our family’s linen baptism gown.

I am sure she used to do other beautiful tatting back in her day like the gown that has been worn by 3 generations so far.

What woman Inspired your Quilt Block? 

My Great Grandma Bruns was the woman that inspired my Quilt Block. She taught my mom to sew when she was a little girl and my mom, in turn, taught me and my little sister.

The Bear Paw Quilt she made long ago has always been my favorite quilt. So, with my block for April, I created a simple bear paw design featuring some hand stitching details along the inside of the paw.

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DOWNLOAD the Aurifil 2014 DOM Block

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SOME FUN FACTS…(with Alex Veronelli and Angela!)

• Last Movie you Watched… The Lego Movie
• Your current favorite Song… pretty much any songs by Jack Johnson
• The snack you crave… Angie’s Sweet and Salty Kettle Corn
• The Color you have always LOVED….. Green
• Something you may not expect… I love watching Formula 1 Races

Visit Angela at

Website… http://www.angelayosten.com
Blog… http://blog.angelayosten.com
Facebook… https://www.facebook.com/AngelaYostenPatterns
Twitter… https://twitter.com/ayosten
Pinterest… http://pinterest.com/angelayosten/
Flickr… http://www.flickr.com/groups/angelayosten/

The very talented Natalia Bonner has a Machine Quilting tip for you each month. Natalia will be quilting the final top for the Aurifil Gallery in Milan Italy!

Visit Natalia at http://www.pieceandquilt.com

CLICK over to my blog for a tip on how I laid out fabric to audition this block AND see all my blocks together!

Are you on Facebook? I have a new group with the most incredible show and tell going on! You should see it! CLICK HERE to join me… I’d love to meet you!

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EACH MONTH we will pick one random winner that has made a  block.. that person will receive a special Aurifil thread prize! This month our random winning block is from Sheila! Winners are all contacted via Flickr email and posted at our FLICKR PAGE CLICK HERE