This past summer I received an email that I NEVER in a million years expected to get. One of my favourite fabric and pattern designers emailed me. Me! First of all, I just about fell off my chair. That was before I read the email. I had a full blown #fangirl, heart pounding, goosebumps moment as I opened the email from Carolyn Friedlander asking if I wanted to collaborate with her.
A bit of backstory. At the start of the year, as I was working on spreading the news about Sew Fine Thread Gloss, I reached out to a few quilters, sewists, and crafters and asked if they wanted to give my new thread gloss a try. No strings attached (pun intended!). At about the same time Carolyn posted on her blog about not having a good alternative to Thread Heaven for her needle turning and big-stitch quilting, as the company had recently closed their doors. Well I wasn’t going to pass this opportunity to tell her about my product, as it wasn’t technically unsolicited! So I got in touch and sent her a few samples back in March.
Fast forward to this summer when out of the clear blue, Carolyn emailed me. She had been using the samples that I had sent her and loved them! So much so, that she wanted to collaborate on a few custom scents that she could carry on her website, and take to teaching engagements for her students. Heck yes I was on board! So we got started. Calls were made, emails exchanged, scent samples made and shipped and finally the collection is ready to share with the world!
May I present Sew Fine Thread Gloss’ first sew-lebrity collaboration!
This collection consists of three scents that Carolyn specifically chose based on her aesthetic and personal preferences. But I’ll let her speak to the descriptions herself…
Citrus & Sage Sew Fine Thread Gloss – a bright, citrusy scent with mildly herbaceous undertones. As with all of the Sew Fine Thread Glosses, the scents are well-managed and not overpowering.
Tea Flower Sew Fine Thread Gloss – a crisp and complex blend featuring a fresh aroma of green tea with long lasting sweet and citrusy middle notes. Compared to the “Sencha” scent, this one has more of a sweet, floral appeal.
Sencha Sew Fine Thread Gloss – a verdant blend featuring a green tea focus. Sencha is super fresh and has hints to me of gardenia or even orange blossoms (probably why I’m so drawn to it!). Compared to the “Tea Flower” scent, this one has more of a verdant and green-flavored presentation.
It was an absolute pleasure working with Carolyn on these scents. I had a few testers left over during the development and have used them on my hand-quilting a lot! My citrus & sage is well worn in! As a long-standing fan of her fabric designs, I feel as though the scents match the design aesthetic of her brand. Even though we’ve never met in person, I now associate those scents with “Carolyn Friedlander”.
Carolyn did a wonderful blog post talking about her new favourite thread conditioner – you should totally check it out! And to get one for yourself, visit carolynfriedlander.com or ask her on social media if she’ll have any during her upcoming teaching engagements. I really hope you all love them as much as we do!