Ellen's passion for fabrics and needlework began in the small town of Troy, North Carolina. In the fourth grade, she organized an after-school club to sew doll clothes, making use of leftover fabrics from the local textile mills.

Later, her needlework kits earned Ellen a loyal following, enabling her business, Silver Threads, to become a full-time venture. While designing needlework & crafts for national women's magazines and pattern companies, Ellen began to combine appliqué with embroidery, a look that evolved into her signature style. She interprets flora & fauna with an approach that might be described as sophisticated folk. Ellen's design flair transfers beautifully across such categories as stationery, paper products, tableware, floor cloths, rugs, pillows and other lifestyle accents.

Ellen continues to reinvent her look by incorporating complementary techniques like the innovative fabric decoupage process she created for her book, Floorquilts.

When she's not stitching, designing, or re-purposing everyday products, Ellen spends her time with her husband Mitch and their two dogs, Broadway and Charlie, in Rye, New York.