Review   Checker Newsletter - August 1, 2007
"Remember when everyone was painting and stenciling canvas to decorate a la “Williamsburg”? I always thought they were pretty but never quite got the hang of it. But that’s before I talked to Ellen - my new best friend! She has figured out a way to “treat” fabric so that it has the best properties of paper AND fabric. In effect, she has combined the instant gratification of scrapbooking with the permanence and durability of fabric! We now have the best of both worlds! After the fabric is treated, it can be cut with rotary cutters, circle cutters, paper punches – pretty much anything you use for paper – into any shape you want! Then, you “glue” it to the canvas foundation! The designs – and sizes – are limitless. And, the pictures in the book will get your creative juices flowing! Some of the examples have a very contemporary feel – squares within squares, rectangles within rectangles – in the hottest colors such as turquoise and brown. My daughter will love it – I feel a mother/daughter project coming on! This would be perfect for her dorm room – we can take the scraps of the Bohemian print we used in her quilt to make a matching floor cloth – that will actually fit the space. Since fabric is “thin”, you can layer it to your heart’s content! I can’t wait to “fussy cut” some of those large medallions and florals. My son
even said that if I could design one with a block “O” on it, they would use it in his apartment – although Maumee is close to Michigan - we are still in Buckeye country! And, Ellen assures me that, once treated, these things are indestructible. This should put that to the test – any floor quilt that survives a year in a college apartment with six guys…."



Review   Les Nouvelles - December 1, 2007
Reviewed in this foreign language publication.

Review   Family Crafts, about.com - January 1, 2008
"f you look at the picture just on the cover of this book alone, you might say to yourself "no way can I make something like that," but the author teaches us how to do just that. She combines quilting fabric and patterns with art supplies and decoupage techniques to create these walkable art pieces. If you follow along with the step-by-step directions and illustrations, you can create fabulous floorcloths, placemats, trivets, and more. I think they are stunning, how about you?

If you love the beautiful array of fabrics available at quilt stores but don't like quilting, then making the projects in this book might be right up your alley! This book teaches you how to create stunning floorcloths, placemats, coasters, and much more using fabric and decoupage techniques. Not only are these easier to make than quilts (at least for the non-quilter),
Subtitled 'Fabric Decoupaged Floorcloths-No-Sew Fun'. If you love the beautiful array of fabrics available at quilt stores but don't like quilting, then making the projects in this book might be right up your alley! This book teaches you how to create stunning floorcloths, placemats, coasters, and much more using fabric and decoupage techniques. Not only are these easier to make than quilts (at least for the non-quilter), they are supposedly stronger than ordinary rugs.

* Softcover book with 80 jam-packed pages.
* Easy to understand directions and great, inspiring colored photos.
* 12 projects and dozens of how-to tips.

The floorcloth projects featured in this book are wonderful works of art. As a quilter, I could appreciate the quilt patterns used to create these durable creations. Since I have enough quilts to cover every piece of furniture in my house twice over, it excites me to learn I can make similar treasures to adorn my floors. I now can look at all my quilt patterns with new purpose!

Quilters will find most of the designs and some of the techniques used in this book are familiar, and decoupage artists will relate to many of the supplies and procedures used. You use a combination of quilting and decoupage supplies to make these projects. Most of the supplies I already had in my 'craft cupboard', but there were a few supplies that most people might not be familiar with, such as acrylic gesso and paste wax to name a couple.

After sharing an extensive list of supplies, the author guides us step-by-step through the fundamentals of making floor quilts. Learn how to prepare the canvas, treat the fabric, cut and assemble your designs, and waterproof your finished product. Once you get the hang of the process, you can produce one of the 12 projects shared in this book or create your own fabric floor masterpiece."


Review   FabTalk - January 1, 2008
"Deck the floor or the wall with an easy no-sew project. Designer and writer Ellen Highsmith Silver turns your favorite quilt patterns into walkable art in the book Floorquilts!: Fabric Decoupaged Floorcloths, No-Sew Fun.

With 12 complete projects and lots of how-to photographs and inspiring examples, this 80-page book is a must have. The same no-sew techniques can be used to make not only floorcloths, but also placemats, coasters, luggage tags, trivets, bookmarks, etc. any project where fabric needs a little protective coating for durability.

Marcus Fabrics commissioned the author to make this floorcloth for their booth at Houston’s Quilt Market. Made from several of their reproduction fabric collections, the piece now graces their office walls. It’s too much fun to walk on!"

Review   Jefferson-Madison Regional Library - January 1, 2008
Easier to make than an ordinary quilt...stronger than a rug...able to cover large swaths of floor...Floorquilts are the superpowers of fabric crafting! Basic decoupage techniques and supplies are all that’s needed to transform a mild-mannered piece of cloth into a beautiful, durable floorcloth. Step-by-step instructions guide readers every step of the way through thirteen appealing projects, from choosing raw fabric to waterproofing the finished Floorquilt. How-to photograph and inspiring examples of floorcloths, placemats, coasters, luggage tags, trivets, bookmarks, and more mean this is the ideal craft for anyone who wants to use cloth as a power for good.

* No sewing!

* Use rag-bag scraps to make 13 stunning projects

* Floorcloths, placemats, coasters, bookmarks, more

Review   Cincinnati Library - January 1, 2008
"I have to confess that I have become completely addicted to our new New Arrivals service... Some of the entries include reviews, and some of them include cover images.

That's of course why I put a hold on this book, Ellen Highsmith Silver's Floorquilts! Fabric Decoupaged Floorcloths--No-Sew Fun. The cover is gorgeous, showing a floor covering that looks like a quilt. Silver describes the process with which she treats artist's canvas and decoupages fabric onto it, using traditional quilt fabrics and design principles, for colorful and durable floorcloths. It seems like a very do-able project, though time-consuming.

Now, will I ever actually make one of these? Maybe not. (Well, to be more accurate, very, very probably not.) But I love the fact that I know this book is in our collection and that if I ever get inspired to get out the fabric scraps, I know exactly where to find my inspiration."

Review   Quiltnieuws - April 1, 2008
Reviewed in this foreign language publication.

Review By: Mark Lipinski,   Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home - May 1, 2008
"The crew at my local shop are making projects from this book and they're all a-twitter about it. They love the book, the ideas, and the end result. The process is not at all difficult, but it's not for the faint of heart (or nose) if you're looking to just whip up a floorcloth or two in a weekend. It's a process of preparing your fabrics, assembling your project, then preserving your floorcloth. Now, my chickens, is the time to pick up the book and get started, while the weather is mild, the drying time is fast and any fumes will drift into your neighbor's nostrils. The results will be worth your planning and work and, like rag-rug making, this is a stash-busting project that will get you compliments for years to come. (I'd rather people look at what's on my floor than my butt any old day.)"

Review   UK Fabrications - March 1, 2008
"When your walls are full of quilts and you need a new place to show off your quilts then look no further than the floor! Ellen offers 12 projects with step-by-step instructions and lots of 'how-to' tips for durable, walkable art! Ellen's floorquilting technique is a bit like paper decoupage and requires no sewing. The fabric is simply pre-treated and given final protective coatings to prevent damage and disclouration. The book includes some smaller "off the floor" projects such as placemats and coasters which use the same method and are good starter projects for testing out the technique."