Finny Speaks! You aren’t going to eat that, are you? Notes from the Dog House

February 16th, 2012

Being the largest dog in my mother’s studio is, of course, a large responsibility.

But I bear it well. I’m also the youngest dog, so I’m cheer leader, mom motivator and the head greeter here.

I just had a dental yesterday. Boy are those people weird. You go in back, someone hits you with a needle and when you wake up it’s definitely different. Thank God they had liver treats. The day wasn’t a total waste. And I did come home to mom with special hamburger pill treats. Yes, I know about the pill inside. It’s hamburger, so I put up with it.

So I’m putting it out there. Does your mom give you treats in the studio? Chewy fix your teeth treats? I’m lobbying for a movement here. There’s a no-food law in mom’s studio. But I’ve caught her with tangerines and candy in there. I think if she let me have chewy bones there my teeth might be better. If nothing else, it makes me a happier greeter dog. After all, she let the mice eat the crayons.

Perhaps if I developed an art form for bone arrangement? Or a coloring system? Everything I color turns a shade of brown, but it’s very earthy. Perhaps I can start a movement?

After all, every dog has his day.

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Posted in Notes from the Lunatic Fringe, The Dog House | 1 Comment »

New Article in Quilt Magazine

February 12th, 2012

 

I have an interview on thread in the new April/ May Quilt Magazine! Cynthia Van Hazinga interviewed me for a great article called the Art of Thread in the new issue. She also interviewed Linda Mathews and Susan Brisco. Talk about three very different approaches and three very different kinds of work.  It’s amazing and wonderful to see how endless the possibilities are!

 

 

 

 

 

 

My part starts on page 65 if your looking!

Thanks Cynthia for doing such a good article! It was fun.

You’ll find Quilt Magazine at http://www.quiltmag.com/or on newstands everywhere.

Linda Mathews web page is at http://www.linda-matthews.com/

Susan Brisco is at http://www.susanbriscoe.co.uk/

Check it out! And try a really different thread today!

 

 

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Posted in Happenings, Practical Thread Magic | 3 Comments »

New Reviews

February 11th, 2012

Thread Magic Garden is getting some neat new reviews!

People are starting to talk about Thread Magic Garden. Here’s what they’ve had to say.

 

 

 

Ann Fahl, Author of Coloring With Thread Says “Whether you are interested in thread work or not, this book is a visual delight. C & T ‘s book designer did a great job of including large detail shots through the book. It makes me drool!”  Check out the rest of her review at her blog at annfahl.blogspot.com

 

 

Tina Rathbone at Artelicious  said”Just when I thought I could take a break from holidays I’ve found a new cause for celebration: C&T Publishing has just published a brand-new book by Ellen Anne Eddy: Thread Magic Garden. She’s got some really kind things to say about the book and you’ll find them on her blog.

Both Tina and Ann have known me for a long time. I love both of their work and  they’ve always been supportive of mine. I don’t think they’d say anything they didn’t feel.  But when your friends tell you they like your book, it’s hard to sort out how much of that is kindness and how much of that is real.

But I don’t know Maggie Szafranski at all. Her review is at Maggiemayquilts.blogspot.com.    She said “The best thing is that she breaks down how to create different kinds of flowers, and shows not only the finished product, but also what it would look like before you add the stitching.”

This is the lovely zinnia she did working from the book! Isn’t it great?

Thanks Ann, Tina and Maggie! I’m so glad you liked the book.

So what’s your Thread Magic Garden look like? With all this snow coming in, it’s great to have a garden in the studio

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Posted in Art Outside the Box, Books | No Comments »

Taping at Quilt It! with Jodi Davis

February 7th, 2012

I just got home from taping a session of Quilt It! with Jodi Davis!

Jodi is a love! She keeps horses and has done a gazillion books on all kinds of needle craft. She’s famous for her rubber duckie books. She helped me keep on track and not babble.

What a wild day! We had three quilters tape that day, including myself. I went first or they would have had to fold me in the end like a quilt and put me in my suitcase to get me home.

Quilt It! is part of QNN, Quilter’s News Network. It’s a great site with numerous available quilt shows you can watch any time on your computer or any other streaming electric gadget. How cool is that? Quilt It! focuses on working with long arm machines.

The other two women couldn’t have been more different from me if they tried. Judy Allen was making incredible digitized and drawn feather patterns and Leslie Main from Country Traditions Quilt Store in Freemont, NE pieced a place mat on a long arm. Who knew? They were both awesome!

seed pod

I showed off the Zentangle Inspired Flowers I’ve been doing on the Handi Quilter Sweet Sixteen. I’ve loved doing these quick and flashy pieces.  Because the long arm accommodates a 20 needle, I could stitch these with yummy extra thick #12 weight pearl cotton thread through the needle. We’ll be offering this as a class! I also showed off some quilts from my new book, Thread Magic Garden.

We also got a tour of Handi Quilter. I had, of course, known about Handi Quilter’s commitment to quality. It wasn’t until I saw the HQ Sweet Sixteen that I realized there was a way for me with my really bad knees to sit and sew at a long arm. What a neat new open door! But it was when I saw room after room of the company decorated in every kind of quilt that I understood how deep their commitment is to quilters of all kinds. The walls are covered with quilts and statements and sayings of quilters. They are an amazing support to the quilt community, as well as the manufacturer of an amazing machine.

My segment will be featured in August. Make sure to watch it there and then!

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Posted in handi-quilter, Happenings | 2 Comments »

Primarily Confused

January 27th, 2012

People often tell me they’re confused by color.

It’s no wonder! Color can be daunting. One of the biggest confusions is  that when we go outside the art/world color wheel we get told some very confusing information.

If you’re coloring the universe, Paint, Web, and Print are three different destinations. They also have three different coloring wheels. 

The color wheel we know and love doesn’t really change. But the primaries do.  So when you get asked, what are the primary colors you need to know what world your in.

Paint, crayons and art supplies:

These are pigments. The primaries for pigments are red, blue and yellow.

Pigment primaries

Computer Screens:

These colors are mixed light. The primaries for  mixed light are red, blue and green. You’ll see those on every picture setting. That’s what RBG means.

computer/tv screen primaries

Print is different:

Print primaries

Printers ink have a separate place for black. Which  is why you see them listed as YMCK . The K stands for black

Dye

Dye has two sets of color primaries. They have a different color cast. One leans a bit to the sun, and the other leans a bit towards the shade. They don’t seem vastly different, but if you wish to have colors with a cool cast you use one set of primaries, warm cast the other.

Warm Color Primaries

Cool Color Primaries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t be confused. There are all kinds of different ways to look at primaries, but it all depends what universe you’re in. Look around. See where you are. Then you’ll know what you’re primarily looking at.

We’ll talk more about primaries at another time. But it seemed worth  clearing that up first.

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Posted in Practical Thread Magic | 1 Comment »

My First Report Card: Thread Magic Garden Reviews

January 25th, 2012

Comes a day in every proud parent’s life when you get your first report card. Your kid comes in the door, runs into your arms and says, “Mom, my teacher said to give you this.” And you hold your breath. At that age they don’t know to hide it from you if  it isn’t going to meet expectations.

I’ve always argued that art is not your child. A book isn’t either. They don’t ever hug you and they rarely are a reason for you to visit the police station at 3 AM. So that’s the good and the bad of it. They are, however, your creation, and they have a life of their own. They will go places you can’t and do things you can’t. They will, with luck and grace, live past you. And they do get report cards. They’re called reviews

So I’ve been watching the reviews come in in fear and trepidation. Does my child speak when spoken to? Run with Scissors? Follow Directions? Tie her shoes?

Maybe not.

But this is what people have been saying on Amazon.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Astonishing, January 23, 2012
This review is from: Thread Magic Garden: Create Enchanted Quilts with Thread Painting & Pattern-Free Appliqué (Paperback)

An astonishing book for we learners from this extravagantly talented artist, Ellen Eddy. She is as down-to-earth as can be, and her directions are clear to quilters everywhere. This is an incredible follow-through to Thread Magic. I admire the quality of this book. The pictures are good and instructions superb from this witty and brilliant woman. I am taking this to my quilting club so we can invite Ellen to come to town to give us her famous lessons.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent how-to-book, January 20, 2012
By
Margaret L West (Tinley Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Thread Magic Garden: Create Enchanted Quilts with Thread Painting & Pattern-Free Appliqué (Paperback)

One look at Ellen’s artistry with thread and fabric and the first thought is–I could never do that! Ellen’s book fixes that! The directions are clear and concise, a unique art form made simple. The photography is wonderful, the pictures of Ellen’s work inspire all from the novice to the expert. Do not pass up this book if you yearn to do more with a sewing machine than just sew straight stitches. Ellen makes this an achievable art form!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars What a picnic!, January 18, 2012
This review is from: Thread Magic Garden: Create Enchanted Quilts with Thread Painting & Pattern-Free Appliqué (Paperback)

Take a picnic basket full of threads and fun fabric, and let Ellen lead you into her garden. Meet all the flowers and creatures that live there and take them home with the fantastic directions that Ellen has shared. What wonderful talents and simple tricks she gives to help us on our journey.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
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Do I know these people? Some yes, some no. Did I tell them what to say? I wouldn’t dare. It’s my report card.

The  second batch of Thread Magic Garden books arrived yesterday and are back in stock. You can order yours today!

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Posted in Books, Happenings | 1 Comment »

Who Believes in You?

January 24th, 2012


This little video asks a question everyone doing  artistic things in public kind of has to address. Am I worthy? Is my art worthy? Do I have something to say?

Like most of those horrible 3 AM self-worth conversations, there’s no way to prove anything. Fame is an odd dog. He’ll follow for a while and leave you to sniff trash cans. If you’re waiting for a sign, you may be a while.

Like all those 3 AM self worth conversations I suspect this not what it looks like. First off, 3 AM is a huge sugar dip for me. I’m at my lowest. Secondly, what goes on in my brain when I’m at my lowest is not quivering truth. It’s fear.

It’s fine to be afraid of rattle snakes, mice (although the two together can solve at least part of the problem), sociopaths, spiders, sticking ones hand down the disposal while it’s working. Rational fear, even irrational fear, has a place.

Fear against yourself, maybe not.  I think fear against yourself is a reliving of bullying experiences. That strikes me as something to be fought against.

The only fight I know is to act as if. To decide that what we all do has a real value and to act as if it does. Which means to believe in you and myself, whether I have a sign, a road, a moon to shine down, or nothing but odd fears in the dark.

I’ve done my bugs for years, because they’re my image of my beauty. I was  told all my childhood that I was unlovely. Not for someone’s truth, but because it gave them control over my actions. I do my bugs to remind me that beauty can be very odd and lovely indeed. And so can I.

So who controls you, with their judgments? No one ever tells you no, but you. Take your art and go do it. Whistle at the dark. You don’t necessarily need to believe in yourself. But you must act as if.

Posted in Art Outside the Box, lifestyle, Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

How Long is your Arm?

January 23rd, 2012

My studio has a new toy in it!

I’ve worked for years with home machines but this is a brand new day. Why am I working with a mid arm?

Well, it’s not like it’s easier to stuff a big quilt through a little hole, but I’m wildly excited about working with long arms and bobbin work.

Bobbin work? YES,  BOBBIN WORK!

Why? There’s a number of reasons for using a long arm/mid arm machine for bobbin work. The extra big bobbin, the speed and the straight stitch only capabilities are all in your favor.

I’m very excited about the Sweet 16 because of it’s size and its sit down capabilities. I played all yesterday, snow and all at Threadbenders in Michigan City with one and took it home.

Wow said backwards.

The home sewing industry has always made multi-purpose machines. But the sewing industry itself has always considered them silly. For good reason. Most of the time you want the machine that does something excellently. If it does one thing excellently, then that’s better than doing thirty things fairly well.

The mid arm is basically a long arm machine without the large frame. But the thing both of them offer is excellent blazingly fast straight stitching. And room to move. And much bigger needles.  Which is the beginning of all kinds of stitched line art. Can you say, Zen Tangling? Bobbin Work? Lily Guilding? I can’t wait.

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Posted in Art Outside the Box, handi-quilter, lifestyle, long arm, Mid arm, Practical Thread Magic | 7 Comments »

Thread Magic Garden is Here!

January 18th, 2012

Have you ever had something you really had to wait for? Christmas? Your birthday? The end of the school year? A baby?

A book is like that. After a mad dash of deadlines and info and rewrites and editorial decisions, you come to this maddening place where you just sit and wait. And Wait.  AND WAIT.

Yesterday, two big boxes brought the wait to and end. Today I sent out most of the first preorders. It’s here!

So I’m going to give you  another look of some pages you haven’t seen.

 

 

Like every proud mom, I’m prejudiced. But it’s got an intuitive method for making 25 kinds of applique flowers, crusted with embroidery, and 50 new quilts in print. Would you have waited for that?

You’ll find Thread Magic Garden for sale on my site at www.ellenanneedy.com. Ask me and I’ll sign your copy.

Did you miss the first Thread Magic? We have that too.  Order yours today!

Posted in Books, Happenings | No Comments »

Art outside the Box: Persistance

January 14th, 2012

Nobody ever made the last mistake or bounced back one too many times.” Claudia Schmidt, Happy Hearts

I love this dog! Talk about life lessons!

I regularly get myself in hopeless projects. I want to do something no one has ever done quite that way. Sometimes it’s kind of clear that perhaps no one should have done that. Hard to know.

But I get a bee in my bonnet and go for it. Somewhere in the middle of all of that there’s this moment where you’re looking at a very large pile of something. A stupendous, why did you do that, way tooooooo large a pile.

There’s this urge to go for the happy nappy. Sometimes I do. There’s nothing wrong with refueling oneself in every sense of the word. It’s when I find the pile (literal or metaphysical) three weeks later and still in the middle of the room that I realize I just have to go for it. Through the leaves. With my tale wagging or dragging, one way or the other.

No one ever tells me no but me. Everyone else can tell me that they don’t think so, or that they don’t want to hear it, or be involved. But I am the only one who ever really stops me. Everyone else is a delay at worst.

It goes for telling me what to do as well. The last time someone told me I must do a particular topic it was the Sears Tower. I did the Sears Tower. No one told me not to do it encircled by Pteradons with an eat sign. It’s never smart to tell me what do do.

I must go. I have a huge pile of undyed fabric on the table and a ball someone tossed in that I know is at the bottom, somewhere.

Posted in Art Outside the Box, lifestyle, The Dog House | 2 Comments »

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