Linda Seward - writer and quilter

I became interested in quilts while working as an editor for McCall's Needlework and Crafts Magazine in New York City, but did not try quilt making right away. I had a feeling that once I started quilting, I would never want to do any other type of needlework again. I was right.

My years of training as an editor enabled me to teach others to quilt through reading my books and magazine articles. My aim is to teach a technique by breaking it down into step-by-step instructions that anyone can follow. My book, The Complete Book of Patchwork, Quilting and Appliqué attempts to do this.

I find quilts fascinating because they always express something about the people who made them. Undocumented antique quilts are mysterious—we will never know who made most of them but we can admire them just the same. The making of art quilts is opening up a whole new world for quilters who would never have thought of themselves as artists, but who are today creating textile masterpieces. I will never cease to be captivated by quilts, and I am happy to be able to spend my time doing something I enjoy so much.