About Linda
Linda Seward is an experienced quilter, writer, lecturer, and quilt judge.
Linda’s been doing needlework ever since she learned to hold a needle. She was taught to embroider by her mother and to knit and crochet by her grandmothers. She began to sew her own clothes at the age of 10, but didn’t begin making quilts until she was in her 20s.
Linda attended Livingston College (Rutgers University) where she earned an Anthropology Degree, then switched to Douglas College where she received a Home Economics degree in clothing, textiles, and design. She studied fashion in New York City at Tobe-Coburn School for Fashion Careers before working as a needlework and crafts editor in both America and England. She taught herself the basics of quilting while working as an editor for McCall’s Needlework & Crafts Magazine in New York City. After that, although she edited dozens of books on all types of needlework and crafts for Dover Publications in New York, Linda always felt that she would rather be quilting.
Linda has written twelve books about her favourite subject, quilting, including The Complete Book of Patchwork, Quilting and Appliqué , which has been used as a source book for the British City & Guilds Patchwork & Quilting course and has sold over a quarter of a million copies in several languages. It has recently been updated and reprinted by Search Press. Linda’s latest book, entitled The Ultimate Guide to Art Quilting, is published by Sixth&Spring, New York. She has also published books on puppies, babies, crochet, knitting, and general crafts (under her maiden name, Linda Macho).
Linda has appeared on television and radio shows, and has judged numerous quilt shows around the world. She had a regular column in The Quilter magazine for 20 years, and works now as a freelance writer and photographer as well as being a quilter, of course!
Linda found a new obsession in lockdown during her daily walks: nature photography. According to Linda, “I realised that I didn’t know much about the natural world and resolved to teach myself as much as I could through photography and research. This lockdown project turned into a new obsession as I continue to learn about all aspects of nature from plants, lichens insects, birds and animals to fungi and even slime moulds.”
Linda lives in London and Oxfordshire with her husband and two Border Terriers.
Signature Technique
Art Quilting
Top Tips
- One of the best ways to expose yourself to new techniques is to take a workshop with an expert.
- Add aloe vera gel to heighten the colour of inktense pencils.
- Use confetti fabric and glue granules to get a wonderful confetti applique effect.
- Add a little sparkle to your project with printer foil (make sure that you iron colour side up!).
- Use a silicone pressing sheet to keep your iron clear.
- Give the viewer a gentle surprise by adding soft sculpture faces in your quilt.
Videos
Patterns
Posts
Winning fabric
Maureen shares a pic of this lovely bag that she made when she was a lucky winner of the prize draw of London fabrics - by Makower and donated by Creative Quiting - really lovely Maureen:
More sewing and filming for Justhands-on.tv
Just checked the weather report and its going to be a great sewing weekend! Am off this evening for a 24hour sewing marathon organised by Creative Quilting (down at Hampton Court) and really looking forward to it – 5pm Fri-5pm Sat with supper and lunch organised too; sew for as long as you like – I suspect I shall give up around 10pm but we will see – 16 of us so should be fun.
Printing with Freezer Paper
Val: This is such a clever idea - shared by a friend of mine - that I thought I would pass it on: Freezer paper can be printed on as a sheet of normal printer paper.
Import the picture/template into a word document, reverse it and print onto the paper side of freezer paper.
Magic paper
The one rule to successful printing on magic paper is to attach it to a well used piece of freezer paper.
Iron onto A4 freezer paper, foundation (Vilene) and print any picture/text in the usual way.
Run it through the printer 5/6 times to reduce the shine.
Iron an A4 sheet of magic paper onto this freezer paper, just enough to hold it, then print template.