(Cedar City, UT) - An exploration of color theory, thread education and a look into a remarkable trunk show of collaborative quilts are on the agenda when Bob and Heather Purcell of Superior Threads offer an informative workshop as part of SUU’s Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery’s fall exhibition, Everything In Between: Art Quilts, Fabric Collage, and Embroidery. The workshop, Up Close with Superior Threads, will be held on Saturday, September 29 from 9am-noon. The workshop is free and open to all including non-quilters.

Heather and Bob Purcell started Superior Threads in 1998 originally working from home. During the first few years, they researched and learned about thread working with the most technically proficient thread factories in the world to develop new products. The firm was truly launched full time in 2001. Today, Superior Threads has over 4,000 different thread products. Heather chooses the fiber type (cotton, poly, metallic, etc.), fiber weight and designs the colors for all Superior Threads products. In addition, she recently opened a fabric shop in St. George, appropriately called Mother Superior's Fab Fabrics.

Heather Purcell is originally from Australia and she came to the United States to attend college, where she met her future husband, Bob. After college, they lived in Japan for eight years, and Hawaii for four years, prior to moving to St. George, Utah in 1994. Heather took her first quilting class when living in Hawaii. After moving to southern Utah, she enrolled in another class and like so many other quilters, was hooked. She began to work one day a week at a local quilt shop and learned about quilting, fabric, and thread. After realizing that the best quality fabric, thread and sewing machines were produced in Japan, she convinced Bob to quit his stock market day trading job and look into thread manufacturing in Japan.

Bob Purcell is the only self-certified master thread therapist in the world. He worked in Japan for 10 years and speaks fluent Japanese. A graduate of Brigham Young University with a Masters Degree in Business Administration, Bob has a background in product development, customer service and quality control. He taught for many years at a private school and at the college level. Since 1999, he has educated thousands within the industry and has had numerous articles published in industry magazines.

Everything in Between: Art Quilts, Fabric Collage & Embroidery is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon until 7:00pm; at SUU’s Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery. Admission is free. This exhibition is made possible through the generous support of the Friends of the Braithwaite Fine Arts Gallery and a sponsorship provided by the Cedar Chest Quilters.