textile show | Mr X Stitch

What can you do with a thread? Seventeen years working at a thread factory has led me to believe you can do anything. From cross stitching to fly fishing, from plastic canvas to art quilts, from needlepoint belts to woven shoelaces, thread runs through everything. A decorative thread, like metallic, makes things even more interesting. In this column, I've written about altering threads, the history of threads, how some threads are made, and how to use threads for special effects. I hope I've brought the detail and choice of thread to the forefront as a tool for visualizing creative thoughts. The fiber world is so full of color, texture and dimension, and thanks to the internet we can see glorious threadwork up close. Websites like www.mrxstitch.com bring images from talented needle artists right into our lives. I just returned from International Quilt Market, a trade show for the sewing and quilting industry, where designs by incredibly talented fiber and fabric artists are on display. In the Kreinik booth, we meet some the thread-aholics of the industry: longarm quilters, machine quilters, art quilters, crazy quilters and doll artists among other creative people. We count members of the BadAss Quilters Society as friends, and indie sewing/quilting stores as partners. I am very excited to share some photos from International Quilt Market with you here, featuring beautiful fabrics, exciting thread play, and creative brilliance. You are not allowed to photograph many of the items on display at the show, so this is just a small sampling of the ones I was able to capture, plus some scenes from the Kreinik booth. Imagine a building the size of several city blocks filled with sewing, quilting, and embroidery designs. Thread, fabric, and stitch heaven! Doug Kreinik admiring a wall quilt featuring Kreinik metallic threads, at International Quilt Market, Houston, Texas, October 2013. Treasures of the Gypsy and Material Girls create an enthralling, enchanting handmade doll exhibit. Kreinik is proud to be a sponsor of this annual exhibit. This year, Quilt Market featured a long table filled with handmade art placemats. No way to adequately describe the creativity here; this was a fun exhibit. From the dinner setting display, another seafood-inspired creation, made of fabric. Stitching creates detail, dimension, and depth. Louis Carney ran a Janome machine in the Kreinik booth, demonstrating ways to use decorative threads with a sewing machine. Here he uses Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille to embellish a fabric panel. Sweet Blooms by Pat Kroth. So many fun details in this wall quilt. Kreinik Iron-on Threads embellish felt and fabric scraps in these holiday designs. They are a fun way to decorate old vinyl album covers. Soft Kreinik metallic threads add a touch of light and shimmer to these felt Christmas ornaments. Spring Storm by Kathleen Hughes uses decorative thread for drama and realism, creating the lightning on this wall quilt. Louis Carney used Kreinik Fine Twist in a free motion background stitch on this fabric panel, using a Janome sewing machine. The thread performed beautifully at high speeds. Rita Lynne of Almost Heaven Designs is known for her dimensional quilts. She made this floral piece using Kreinik Facets, HotWire, and Micro Ice Chenille. Kreinik demonstrated high-speed machine embroidery thread on a Janome machine. This digitized pattern ran 1000 stitches per minute for two hours, and the thread behaved beautifully. Never broke, no problems, and the shirt became a show-stopper. For more information on Kreinik threads, visit www.kreinik.com