2007 to 2012
Beach Landscape
2012. 18 X 22"/46 x 56 cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, sheers, machine-embroidered cheesecloth, machine pieced, raw-edge appliqué, machinequilted, embellished with beads and seashells
ABOUT THE QUILT: This wall hanging is based on a detail of a painting by Donald Hamilton Fraser (Landscape No. 1 October 1971). I was experimenting with free-motion machine embroidery on sheer fabrics, to see how much texture and dimension I could achieve, when I realised how much the fabric resembled sand. I also heavily machine-embroidered a piece of loosely-woven cheesecloth with sparkly thread to create the foam of the waves. More machine embroidery creates the impression of the ridges formed in sand by retreating water.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, sheers, machine-embroidered cheesecloth, machine pieced, raw-edge appliqué, machinequilted, embellished with beads and seashells
ABOUT THE QUILT: This wall hanging is based on a detail of a painting by Donald Hamilton Fraser (Landscape No. 1 October 1971). I was experimenting with free-motion machine embroidery on sheer fabrics, to see how much texture and dimension I could achieve, when I realised how much the fabric resembled sand. I also heavily machine-embroidered a piece of loosely-woven cheesecloth with sparkly thread to create the foam of the waves. More machine embroidery creates the impression of the ridges formed in sand by retreating water.
Fossilized Mammoth Tooth
2011. 28 X 31"/71 x 78cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: hand-woven and tie-dyed African fabrics, upcycled trousers, mammoth tooth ink-jet printed on fabric in various sizes, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, hand embroidered, embellished with buttons, silk rings, Swarovski crystals and Chinese coins
ABOUT THE QUILT: The prehistoric mammoth tooth in the Slough Museum’s collection was the inspiration for this wall hanging. I have a degree in anthropology and have always been interested in palaeontology as well, so this tooth really fascinated me. I wanted to portray images of the tooth on roughly-woven fabric in natural colours and fibres, creating an ethnic, rustic feel with lots of texture. The African fabrics in my collection (and my daughter’s old pair of trousers!) seemed perfect for this quilt. I machine quilted the piece to echo the diagonal lines on the tooth and used buttons and beads that had a prehistoric quality for embellishment.
MATERIALS & METHOD: hand-woven and tie-dyed African fabrics, upcycled trousers, mammoth tooth ink-jet printed on fabric in various sizes, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, hand embroidered, embellished with buttons, silk rings, Swarovski crystals and Chinese coins
ABOUT THE QUILT: The prehistoric mammoth tooth in the Slough Museum’s collection was the inspiration for this wall hanging. I have a degree in anthropology and have always been interested in palaeontology as well, so this tooth really fascinated me. I wanted to portray images of the tooth on roughly-woven fabric in natural colours and fibres, creating an ethnic, rustic feel with lots of texture. The African fabrics in my collection (and my daughter’s old pair of trousers!) seemed perfect for this quilt. I machine quilted the piece to echo the diagonal lines on the tooth and used buttons and beads that had a prehistoric quality for embellishment.
Picnic in Regents Park
2010. 40 X 44"/101 x 111cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: silk, cotton and polyester fabrics, cotton batting, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, slashed, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: A romantic picnic for two on a summer’s evening in Regents Park beneath leafy trees, the grass still sparkling with drops of rain from an afternoon shower. A bottle of Merlot, a plate of cheese and a bowl of cherries, under skies that possibly threaten more rain. My faithful dog Rhum waits for us to return to the table. I had the idea for this design for a long time, but when I found the hand-dyed fabric (by Lisa Walton from Australia), I knew I had the perfect background. The slashing techniques were taught to me by Fay Maxwell, who also gave me some great ideas for the quilting.
MATERIALS & METHOD: silk, cotton and polyester fabrics, cotton batting, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, slashed, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: A romantic picnic for two on a summer’s evening in Regents Park beneath leafy trees, the grass still sparkling with drops of rain from an afternoon shower. A bottle of Merlot, a plate of cheese and a bowl of cherries, under skies that possibly threaten more rain. My faithful dog Rhum waits for us to return to the table. I had the idea for this design for a long time, but when I found the hand-dyed fabric (by Lisa Walton from Australia), I knew I had the perfect background. The slashing techniques were taught to me by Fay Maxwell, who also gave me some great ideas for the quilting.
Pearl in a Zen Garden
2009. 35 x 41"/90 x 104cm long
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, cotton batting, hand appliquéd, machine quilted
ABOUT THE QUILT: When I visited Kyoto I was moved by the Zen gardens there—their starkness and simplicity inspired this quilt. My daughter’s Japanese teacher painted the Kanji for pearl which I copied and appliquéd to white fabric using fermented indigo-dyed cotton by Ken Utsuki, whom I met in Kyoto. The piece is machine quilted to simulate the raked gravel in the Zen gardens of Kyoto. This was accepted into the Pearls, Pearls, Pearls exhibition at the Quilters’ Guild Museum in York in the summer of 2009. Collection of Alysson Seward.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, cotton batting, hand appliquéd, machine quilted
ABOUT THE QUILT: When I visited Kyoto I was moved by the Zen gardens there—their starkness and simplicity inspired this quilt. My daughter’s Japanese teacher painted the Kanji for pearl which I copied and appliquéd to white fabric using fermented indigo-dyed cotton by Ken Utsuki, whom I met in Kyoto. The piece is machine quilted to simulate the raked gravel in the Zen gardens of Kyoto. This was accepted into the Pearls, Pearls, Pearls exhibition at the Quilters’ Guild Museum in York in the summer of 2009. Collection of Alysson Seward.
Charles Darwin’s Tree of Life
2009. 24" square/60cm square
MATERIALS & METHOD: hand-dyed cotton fabrics, cotton batting, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, embellished with Swarovski crystals
ABOUT THE QUILT: This was made for the Contemporary Quilt Group’s 2009 Challenge, Breakthrough. When I was tossing around ideas for this concept, I asked my husband what he thought of when he heard the word “breakthrough.” He immediately said “Darwin and the theory of evolution.” I thought this was a good start, but when I found the image of Darwin’s tree of life on the internet, with the words “I think” written above it, I knew I had found my design. I decided to interpret it in bold colors and give it a bit of sparkle with Swarovsky crystals, bought specially for this quilt. I quilted it with a series of criss-crossing slightly curved lines to symbolize natural movement and scientific thoughts. The Cambridge University Library holds the copyright to this image, so I contacted them and after a series of telephone calls and e-mails, received permission to use this iconic image for my quilt. Collection of Emily Seward.
MATERIALS & METHOD: hand-dyed cotton fabrics, cotton batting, Bond-a-web appliqué, machine quilted, embellished with Swarovski crystals
ABOUT THE QUILT: This was made for the Contemporary Quilt Group’s 2009 Challenge, Breakthrough. When I was tossing around ideas for this concept, I asked my husband what he thought of when he heard the word “breakthrough.” He immediately said “Darwin and the theory of evolution.” I thought this was a good start, but when I found the image of Darwin’s tree of life on the internet, with the words “I think” written above it, I knew I had found my design. I decided to interpret it in bold colors and give it a bit of sparkle with Swarovsky crystals, bought specially for this quilt. I quilted it with a series of criss-crossing slightly curved lines to symbolize natural movement and scientific thoughts. The Cambridge University Library holds the copyright to this image, so I contacted them and after a series of telephone calls and e-mails, received permission to use this iconic image for my quilt. Collection of Emily Seward.
Poppy Field at Sunset
2009. 28 1/2 x 22 1/2"/72 x 57cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, cotton batting, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: I took a workshop with Ineke Berlyn and she encouraged the group to make pieced landscape quilts based on the paintings of Ton Schulten, a modern Dutch artist. I didn’t use her patterns, but copied one of the paintings by eye and this is the result. I used lots of beads to create the poppy field and the sun as well as leaves on the trees. I gave it to my daughter Emily to hang on her wall at Cambridge University. Collection of Emily Seward.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, cotton batting, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: I took a workshop with Ineke Berlyn and she encouraged the group to make pieced landscape quilts based on the paintings of Ton Schulten, a modern Dutch artist. I didn’t use her patterns, but copied one of the paintings by eye and this is the result. I used lots of beads to create the poppy field and the sun as well as leaves on the trees. I gave it to my daughter Emily to hang on her wall at Cambridge University. Collection of Emily Seward.
Peace Like a River
2008. 48 x 12"/120 x 30cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: Made for a Challenge set by the Contemporary Quilt Group (part of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles), entitled “The Thin Blue Line.” When I read the title of this challenge, I immediately envisaged the thin blue line as a river meandering through snow-covered fields. I used a variety of white and cream fabrics for the patchwork fields of snow; these were randomly pieced, cut, and re-sewn to achieve a crazy effect. I cut a sinuous strip of blue fabric to represent the river and placed it over the back and cotton batting, then added several layers of white silk before layering the patchwork on top. I machine quilted the piece with undulating lines that weave over and under each other, then added a glittery bead wherever a line of stitching ended to imitate dazzling snow. Finally I cut through all the layers to reveal the blue river hidden beneath. I added some blue beads to the river for extra sparkle.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: Made for a Challenge set by the Contemporary Quilt Group (part of The Quilters’ Guild of the British Isles), entitled “The Thin Blue Line.” When I read the title of this challenge, I immediately envisaged the thin blue line as a river meandering through snow-covered fields. I used a variety of white and cream fabrics for the patchwork fields of snow; these were randomly pieced, cut, and re-sewn to achieve a crazy effect. I cut a sinuous strip of blue fabric to represent the river and placed it over the back and cotton batting, then added several layers of white silk before layering the patchwork on top. I machine quilted the piece with undulating lines that weave over and under each other, then added a glittery bead wherever a line of stitching ended to imitate dazzling snow. Finally I cut through all the layers to reveal the blue river hidden beneath. I added some blue beads to the river for extra sparkle.
I’d Like to Be Under the Sea
2008. 30" square/76cm square
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, hand appliquéd, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads, seashells and black pearls
ABOUT THE QUILT: I made this quilt for my newborn niece, Skyler. I designed the octopus myself and used printed fish and flowers from a variety of fabrics for the appliqués. I was debating about the border, but when I found this fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It is heavily machine quilted, with flowers and leaves encircling the octopus. A real black pearl is hidden beneath each white scallop shell. Collection of Skyler Hope Maxwell.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics, hand appliquéd, machine pieced, machine quilted, embellished with beads, seashells and black pearls
ABOUT THE QUILT: I made this quilt for my newborn niece, Skyler. I designed the octopus myself and used printed fish and flowers from a variety of fabrics for the appliqués. I was debating about the border, but when I found this fabric, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. It is heavily machine quilted, with flowers and leaves encircling the octopus. A real black pearl is hidden beneath each white scallop shell. Collection of Skyler Hope Maxwell.
Alysson’s Baskets
2007. 70 x 89"/178 x 226cm
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics collected over many years from all over the world—many hand-dyed and hand-marbled, machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, soft sculpture faces in corners, embellished with appliqué, embroidery and beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: I decided to make my daughter Alysson a quilt to take to University with her, but didn’t actually start this until she was already there. It features baskets of all kinds. Each block relates to some aspect of her life, whether in the fabrics used or in the images featured in the baskets. Many of the fabrics were purchased while travelling with her, or are from clothes she wore as a child. She requested an octopus, which features in the middle of the quilt. She also asked me to include my signature soft-sculpture faces on the quilt—these can be found in the four corners. This quilt hung on the wall of her Edinburgh University apartment. Collection of Alysson Seward.
MATERIALS & METHOD: cotton fabrics collected over many years from all over the world—many hand-dyed and hand-marbled, machine pieced, hand and machine quilted, soft sculpture faces in corners, embellished with appliqué, embroidery and beads
ABOUT THE QUILT: I decided to make my daughter Alysson a quilt to take to University with her, but didn’t actually start this until she was already there. It features baskets of all kinds. Each block relates to some aspect of her life, whether in the fabrics used or in the images featured in the baskets. Many of the fabrics were purchased while travelling with her, or are from clothes she wore as a child. She requested an octopus, which features in the middle of the quilt. She also asked me to include my signature soft-sculpture faces on the quilt—these can be found in the four corners. This quilt hung on the wall of her Edinburgh University apartment. Collection of Alysson Seward.
All quilts, text and images © Linda Seward
