"Floral Canopy"
Thread Magic Garden is definitely hitting my “must-have” list! The author, Ellen Anne Eddy, has put together over 20 floral studies that show you how to break down different flowers into simple shapes for creating appliqué elements. She has tons of great tips for color, composition, stitching and embellishing. Her thread painting is so beautiful—I’ve never done any thread painting before, but I’m starting to feel inspired to try! Click here to see more quilts featured in her book, and click here to grab the code for our blog badge that features this cute red-lipped froggy.
Here’s what Ellen has to say about how she became interested in making her floral fantasies…
There’s something about a garden. It’s our first idea of paradise, our Eden, our place of rest and recuperation. Almost all gardens are framed by their flowers. They adorn the memories of loves lost and found. Our lives are a construction of flowers given and taken, of gardens kept, visited, walked, picked, and left to bloom and fade.
My earliest garden memory is trading my childhood fistful of dandelions to my neighbor for a bouquet of moss roses. I adored their bright oranges and fuchsias. We picked flowers for neighbors on May Day. On my birthday, lilacs were my gift from the yard. We celebrated July 4th with the daylily my father brought from his mother’s house. Years later, after living so long in apartments, I realized that I had forgotten what it was like to have flowers and to measure time by flowers bloomed and spent.
So it took me by surprise to learn that when I’d bought a house, I’d also bought a garden. I was uncontrollable. I had to make this strange place my own. I filled in one patch after another, covering every stray inch with blooms, flowering shrubs, and weeping trees. Then fall came and I could barely look at the strange, dead, brown land. So I went into my studio and began my own garden in sheers and hand-dyed fabrics.
Now I tend both my inner and outer gardens, and I watch myself bloom with my blossoms. The seasons within the studio are jumbled, but the growing conditions are just right!
Now for the giveaway! One lucky person will win a copy of Thread Magic Garden.
To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us about your favorite material or technique to use in art quilting…or if this is all new to you and you’re excited to try!
For an additional entry, log in to your Amazon account and “like” this book, then come back here to leave a second comment saying you did so.
Deadline to enter is Sunday, February 19, 2012. One comment will be drawn at random to win…the winner will be contacted via email and posted here on the blog next week. Good luck!
Congrats to Kelly, who won a copy of Shadow Trapunto Quilts from last week’s giveaway post.
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81 Comments
Good heavens! That is gorgeous! I’ve not tried this yet, but one day I’d love to.
I liked the book on Amazon.com.
It would be fabulous to win the Thread Magic Garden book! Love to play with threads and have used thread painting techniques along with fusible applique in my quilting. It is so much fun!
I love using rayon thread. It adds a wonderful sheen.
I love using nontraditional fabrics for quilting like silks.
What a wonderful book! I am still anxiously awaiting the arrival of the book I won a while back…..Quilt Blocks Around The World. I collect the mail every day hoping this will be the day…. :(
That looks like one amazing book! I love using silk & rayon threads, preferably random dyed to get magical effects.
Off to like the book on Amazon too.:-)
New to this but love it and gotta try it
New at this, gotta try it
I love thread and thread painting and want this book in the best possible way.
I have seen Ellen’s work first hand and it is remarkable. Would love to have the book to see if I could recreate some of the beauty she has in her quilts. I liked it on Amazon too!
I like applique and thread painting in art quilts. The other techniques are gorgeous too, but they seem less “quilty” to me. I once had an amazing workshop with Libby Lehman and can’t think of a better complement to those techniques than the things that Ellen Anne Eddy does. They are masters.
And now I have “Liked” this book on Amazon!
Love the pictures on Flickr! I would love to win this book and try the techniques.
I like this book on Amazon.
Wow. Looks amazing. I would love to learn to do this. I usually do decorative machine applique around the pieces. This would add a wonderful visual.
Oh my! This beautiful book would be perfect for my recent interest in thread painting and machine embroidery!
I have not tried thread painting but it amazes me every time I see it! I do mixed media art quilts and love to add elements of nature to my pieces. Thanks for this great opportunity!
I also liked the book on Amazon! Thanks again.
I liked this book on Amazon.
I Liked “Thread Magic Garden” on Amazon so much that I have it ready to order if I don’t win. Heck, Happy Valentines Day to me! Think I will order it.
I would love to really learn how to thread paint and your book looks like it’s right up my alley. I love the frog!
Liked in on Amazon
Jsut getting to the sewing machine excites me! Right now I am making little dresses fast as I can go and still be happy with results. Love seeing colors and shapes come together. As a watercolor painter, the garden was always a mainstay for inspiration.
I am just easing into art quilting … I’ve taken a workshop on thread painting and I want to do more. I’ve developed a bit of a stash of threads! Thank you for the chance to win this inspirational book!
I haven’t done a lot of art quilting, but I love thread painting and would like to get proficient at it.
I liked Thread Magic Garden on Amazon.
I have not tried thread painting, but would love to and this book looks wonderful. Batiks are my favorite fabrics.
I liked this great book on Amazon.
Love the book! I love trying new threads and experimenting with couching unusual items to see how it looks!
Liked the book on Amazon. On my gotta get list!
I have been following Ellen’s blog for a while now and love not only her art but her outlook on life. I know I am not in a season of my life where I can start this type of garden, but that can’t keep me from saving up seeds! I would love to own this book.
I love all the things one can do with decorative threads—And Ellen Anne Eddy is one of the best with all her techniques and ideas!!
I have followed Ellen Anne Eddy’s wonderful, inspiring designs for several years. I hope to begin using some of her techniques and designs very soon as I’m now retired and have more time to ‘play’. I have browsed her first book for some time and have certain techniques and designs flagged to remind me to give them a go.
Liked this book on Amazon.
Wonder Under is my favorite for my own art quilts, but have used Ellen’s techniques and enjoyed her teaching methods before…
Can’t wait to try thread Painting
Am I being greedy, entering another book draw after having one last month. I can’t help it though as I love Ellen Anne Eddy’s work and books
WOW!!! This is just stunning! I’d love to learn thread painting and what a perfect present to start from!
I’ve “like” it on Amazon, had a look at the pages that I can and added it to my wish list because my birthday is coming up soon!
I have just been playing with thread painting myself and haven’t had so much fun in ages
looks beautiful. Haven’t seen that technique before
Liked on amazon
Fabrics and Threads are most certain my favorites. I would love to win this book – seems such an inspiration.
I’m totallly new with this, but maybe a lovely book would encourage to try!
Ive liked it on amazon
something I’d like to try in the future
I’ve always been in awe of the thread painting one of the girls in our guild does and she makes it sound so simple. I’ve no idea where to start and what to do. And probably stress too much about getting it wrong, so scare myself away from starting at all. Just thinking about the possibilities a book like that could add to my quilts makes me drool!
Just liked on amazon too. :)
Lov your art,I left a post earlier,hope you continue the good work
The new book looks awesome. Art quilting and favourite material or tools????? I would have to say threads and yarns – so much you can do by counching, stitching, bobbin work – you name it.
I love using thread! I love metallics, and trilobal polyesters. The more thread the better:)
I haven’t tried yet. What I want to learn is thread sketching and machine quilting – both related. :D
Would love to try this!
Just liked this on amazon and added to my wish list :)
I’ve been using all sorts of ribbons, cordings, and decorative threads with my new cording foot to create free form “painting” on my quilts. Love love love the different results.
I’ve done a little thread painting but nothing like Ellen’s. I’d love to see how she does it.
thanks!
Never done thread painting and I’d sure love to try it!
Just liked this on Amazon
Art quilting is a new concept for me. I only just learned of the technique while watching a documentary about quilts last year. A whole new crafting world has opened up to me. I’m fascinated, but also intimidated by it. What appeals to me Ellen Anne Eddy’s book is I think I can start small and have fun playing with the technique. I don’t need to do a queen-sized quilt. I love the free form feel to her style!
I have taken one of Ellen’s classes and I love how she uses any and all fabrics in her quilts. No quilt police telling you to only use cotton. Freedom reigns with Ellen.
I love working with hand dyed fabrics, heavy quilting and finishing the quilt with fabric paints.
A beautiful book – thank you for the chance to win.
Plus, I have liked it on Amazon.
This is new to me. I would love to have a chance to win the book and try it out.
I love her books and i always learn something new, every time I open one of her book. Thread blending is one of my favorite topics.
I liked this book on Amazon, and put it on my wishlist.
yes, this would be completely new for me but I’d love to learn. I always enjoy new creative projects!
I’ve taken a couple classes with Ellen and just love her technique. She taught me how to dye fabrics too. They are wonderful to work with. Love the garden glitzeness of her quilts.
My second comment to say I “liked’ the book on Amazon.
My favorite thing do use in my art quilts is thread painting. I have studied with Ellen Anne and Ken Smith, both masters at thread painting.
I liked it at Amazon and posted to Facebook.
LindaD
My favorite art quilt product is my color-sorted stash. I can usually dig around and find the perfect fabrics to represent what I want. If not, I use fabric paint to “make it work!”
I have a 35yr old sluggish machine and need to upgrade this year so I can try some thread painting… this book would be a huge inspiration source if I won.
I am new to thread painting but I was challenged on one girls sewing night out to try something new and did a landscape with only a little bit of thread work in it that I am quite happy with. Now I see millions of places that need more thread. I would love this book and can use all the help and inspiration I can get. :)
Love the book, what a great giveaway!
Liked on Amazon, would love to learn new tricks with this book!
I am ordering the online version now..this looks awesome, I love the sneak preview how you showed different stitches in the free stiching….I’ve never quilted but definately want to learn..my favorite is fabric art, like panels to put on totes. huggs, pamela
Ok just clicked like on my amazon account and posted it on our blog http://www.pamelajoypurses.blogspot.com
yaaaaay!
(this comment is from Annalea Cassell)
I stumbled across your site and am truly amazed! My mother used to do fabric art until two years ago when she became ill and suffered several strokes. She has since recovered enough to begin her artwork again but is lacking the motivation. Your book Thread Magic Garden looks so inspiring, it might be just the thing to jumpstart her again! I would love for her to teach me too – your work is beautiful!
(this comment is from Annalea Cassell)
I “liked” your book on Amazon — I really am excited about your book!