Natural Threads- Ellen Anne Eddy

Artist Statement:

I use an animal imagery that began in my quilting as an effort to build my own world. I lived a lot in urban areas and felt very bound by the city. I found nature within myself and stitched it into my quilts. I found I had the need for the swiftness of heron wings, and the splash of the frog pond. What I didn’t have where I lived, I manufactured for myself from hand-dyed cotton, organza and thread. I begin my quilt with a drawing of its inhabitants on stabilizer. I embroider the animals using a zigzag or straight stitch in a hoop with my Bernina machine with tear away and felt as a stabilizer.

I choose thread colors to create the appearance a three-dimensional surface. Black outlines punch the image out and make it more recognizable. Then I choose thread colors that range lighter and darker than the image needs to be in the end.  I work dark to light, stitching colors in rows that lap over each other. The eye blends the colors of thread much as it does with pointillist paintings. Large images often have up to 100 colors of thread in them. Eyes are always done in flat metallic threads so they have a wet look. When the image is embroidered, I cut it away loosely from the fabric.

Because of the embroidery, the image shrinks considerably (sometimes up to 10-30 percent), I start my background after that is finished and I know what size the image is going to be. All my tops use my hand-dyed fabric. I dye fabric with source of light so that my creatures can move within the lights and shadows of the piece. I choose one that will create an environment right for the being. But it is not strictly based in nature. Colors are a non-verbal language, and they tell us about our inner and outer world. Sometimes the sky is fuchsia.  It’s a reflection of light: sometimes inner light and sometimes external illumination. I back the hand-dye with a heavy Pellon iron-on backing, which will remain in the piece as stabilization.

Then I begin to build the environment. I use odd sheers, laces, weird lame`s, hand-dyed cheesecloth, printed organzas and sparkle glitters to make water, air, fire, greenery and sunlight. I cut shapes from those and fuse them using Steam a Seam 2. I build it up in layers of fabric which later give it dimensionality.  I place the creature in his/her world and straight stitch them down using free motion stitching. I trim away the excess fabric and outline them in black. Then I add more elements over them, if needful (a bit of water or perhaps a ray of sunshine).  Elements like water, air and fire are soft-edged appliquéd (so that no edge shows on them) using monofilament thread. Elements like trees, leaves, etc. are edged with a hard-edge applique using rayons, polyesters or metallics. Both kinds of stitching are done free motion using a zigzag stitch. I detail them with more thread embroidery, usually using pearl cotton and thicker metallic threads.

Then over the background, I stipple straight stitch with sliver or tinsel threads in several colors to create a shimmering image that shades across the surface of the piece. When the piece is completely embroidered, I back and bind it with a corded buttonhole stitch around the edge, so I don’t lose any of the details that may have strayed outside the square of the piece.