Thread is the glue for our stitching.  Without thread, there would be no sewing of any kind.  Art quilters use different mediums to create their amazing masterpieces.  Thread plays a big role in the decorative/embellished look of artsy quilts.  If you can’t draw, like me, I can use EQ8 to help me create my designs first and then use my threads or paints to finish my project.

Launch your EQ8 from your desktop. 

 Click on the ‘create a new project’ icon on the upper left side of the screen.  The project helper screen will open.  Name your project ‘Thread Painting Using EQ8′. Click on the OK at the bottom of the box.

Confirm that the project’s name shows at the top of the screen.  Once it is named, everything you add to your sketchbook while working on this project will be listed under this named project.

To create a Thread Painting design when you can not draw yourself, you simply need to be able to print an outline design onto your chosen fabric to follow when adding your threads.  The stencil blocks built into EQ 8 are perfect for this.

At the top of the screen, click on LIBRARIES>Block Library> 07 Stencils.  Click on the little ‘+’ sign in front of the 07 Stencils category to open the group.

Scroll to the bottom of the category and click on the ‘Wreaths’ group to see all the stencils in that group.  Once you see the elements of this grouping, scroll to the end of the designs and select the ‘Feathers’ wreath.  Once it is selected it will have a blue selection box around it.  Click on the ‘add to sketchbook’ in the upper right corner.   Once that is completed, click on the word ‘close’ at the bottom of the block libraries box.

Click on the ‘view sketchbook’ icon on the far left side of the screen.  The project sketchbook will open.  Click on the ‘blocks’ heading and select the ‘stencils’ tab at the top of the sketchbook.  Click on the Feather wreath image to select it.  Click on the word ‘edit’ at the bottom of the project sketchbook box.

The design will now open onto the block worktable where it was created.  It will be shown on the worktable as a 6-inch block under the draw tab.

Click on the ‘Print and Export’ tab at the top of the screen.  Select the ‘print block’ icon. 

In the ‘print block’ box, click on the ‘use size from worktable’ and then select the printing style to be an ‘outline drawing’.

Click on the ‘options’ tab at the top of the print block box and uncheck the ‘print block name’.  Click on the down arrow and select the line thickness that you wish to use to print your design onto fabric.  Click on the word ‘preview’ at the bottom of the print block box to see how the design will print onto your fabric.

The preview of the block design will open on the print screen.  Load your fabric into your printer and then select the ‘print option’ at the top of the screen.  NOTE:  I have chosen to use an EQ printable fabric in a solid color as the fabric onto which I will create my thread painting.

Once your design is printed onto your fabric you can stitch the design with threads of your choosing.  There are many different ways to stitch the design and you can use any specialty threads to add depth to your design through color, thread thickness, and stitch types you choose to use.

Enjoy your thread painting without the hassle of having to trace designs or free-form drawings to create your design elements onto the fabrics.  EQ provides the artwork for you!