Linda Syverson Guild

“Windows” utilizes strips trimmed from blocks when I made a bed sized quilt. These strips were woven together, then quilted tightly. During this process, three holes were cut into the assembly, red scrap circles were inserted into these holes, and the quilting was completed. When this piece is held up to the light, the circles and square are viewed in silhouette. Each window has its panes highlighted in black stitching.

“If You Love Something” grew out of the quote:

"If you love something, set it free.

If it comes back to you, it’s yours.

If it doesn’t, it was never yours." - Anonymous

This was a delightful quote to illustrate using vellum to suggest that this is a page torn from a book; the vellum is woven relief in the sky. Different colors and shapes of hearts are secured using heart strings held in place by assorted shiny and pearl buttons.

In a private collection.

“Freedom of Choice” is a collection of labels removed from denim clothing collected for the Habitat for Humanity/Cotton Corporation call to produce insulation for Habit for Humanity homes.

Serendipity is defined as a happy accident, and that best describes this quilt.

It began with brown fabrics scraps that I sliced and sewed together—it was flat—so I pulled red and orange scraps setting them horizontally. Then the graded greens. I outlined the colored lines after quilting the background.

“Stay Inside the lines” is a fabric bowl that grew out of fabric strips in the red and orange families. The strips were quilted using straight, and lines then a black line races around and defines the edge.

“French Bread” was an experiment from its inception. Painting techniques and foil decorate the surface. Ultimately it was all a dream, which explains the wool that halos the entire piece.

Every spring I attempt to reduce my collection of fabric scraps. I conceive a design from many directions, asking questions that demand answers.

"Inside Out?" grew out of my personal design charette:

How does black integrate with white?

If a grid controls the design, how does it transition?

What is the grid’s point of origin? What happens at the core of the grid?

When does a grid stop being a grid?

I enjoyed watching this quilt grow, establishing a point of reference for the gridded design at the hand painted core. The grid deteriorated as it spread from the center. The deterioration continued until it reached a point where all that existed was a white grid on a white quilt and I had to ask, ‘Are we looking through the white space, into the heart of the design? Or, are we seeing a solid, central focus that dissolves into transparency along the edges? Ultimately, what is inside and what is out?’

“All Buttoned Up” began as a method of using scraps from various projects. One side of the piece is colorful and the other is black and white with the exception of the green bottom piece. Both of these pieces were assembled separately and when it came time to put them together and balance the colorful portion, it seemed the perfect time to pull out buttons as the points of attachment where the pieces overlapped and hooks and eyes in the vacant space, thereby acquiring its name.

In a private collection.

The idea for this piece grew out of the monoprinted background fabric. After reviewing it for a time, it occurred to me that the printing suggested window panes, I quilted the fabric to reinforce this appearance. The stars were a natural second step, but I wanted to put a twist on the perception of the stars and the saying “Wishes in a Snap.” So my stars became stardust and transitioned from buttons and pins to sequins and finally to sewing snaps.

I had three pieces of batting from a project and so many loose threads from pieces of fabric that had been laundered. One day, I laid the batting on a backing fabric so they were just touching, and then I began to layer the laundered threads over the top. I quilted the threads down attempting to follow the lay of the treads and the colors. The resulting pieces were delightful, but had no reason to hold together, I took a piece of netting and wove green and blue threads through the holes, then stitched the three pieces on top.  Oddly enough, when I stepped back, a dragon was rising from the bottom panel to the top panel.

In a private collection.

Abby’s Beach is composed of loose threads that were trimmed off of fabrics after they have been washed. The gathered threads were laid down in layers over a cotton batt and backing. These threads are held in place by the heavy machine quilting. The style of quilting changes with each section of the piece to reinforce this aerial view of waves rolling onto a peaceful beach.

The umbrellas are gathered threads wrapped around themselves with the spokes of the umbrella stitched over the top. This shape was hand appliquéd onto the surface and elevated by a small ball of batting under the umbrella.

In a private collection.

I nurture my love so that it can be shared with those around me; "I Give You a Piece of My Heart" demonstrates my best gardening techniques. This heart of mine grows with flowers and vines scattered across it.

The flowers are all connected by pearl cotton to the heart shaped piece that I have removed. All of the flowers that are growing on my heart are represented in the bouquet on the new heart; this denotes the love that I share, with the hope that my gift will continue to grow and flourish after it has been given.

The vines are hand couched over a broken silver chain that came from my grandmother. The center heart charm was hers as well. The charms that grow off the ends of this vine come from projects that were made with my daughters. The leaves on the vine are healthy and will continue to grow; they will move into the gap left by the piece that was given away, making my heart whole again. This growth will enable me to share my love again and again. Surrounding my heart are reminders of the value of friendship and love, as recorded in fortunes from Chinese restaurants.

Techniques employed:

·        Raw edge, scrap appliqué with free motion machine quilting.

·        Machine couching over pearl cotton and rayon ribbon.

·        Hand couching over the silver chain with glass leaves that are hand stitched.

·        Thread and wire beaded flowers, which are all attached to the surface by hand.

·        Paper fortunes are attached with (purchased) hand dyed pearl cotton using decorative stitches and square beads.

·        A pearl cotton and ribbon yarn (has a loose thread that was allowed to remain loose) are machine couched to the edge of the quilt as an edging.

In a private collection.

“And the Sun Kissed the Earth” began with colorful scraps, and as they began to meld together they insisted that black join the mix. Mid assembly, it hit that I was creating rolling hills with a restful sky behind. All that was required were the warm rays of the sun, which were added with quilting stitches.

In a private collection.

This quilt is one that has built up over time. It started as one nine patch block. Each of the patches were composed of a log cabin block with a pinwheel at its center. The nine Log Cabin and Pinwheel blocks are arranged to allow their colors to flow diagonally from light to dark, encouraging the playfulness of the activity in the fabrics themselves. Three borders surround the Nine Patch, each of these borders becoming less connected to the center through the use of additional (related) fabrics and darker colors.

While making "I Don’t Want it to End!" my thoughts traveled in the direction of merry-go-rounds and the way they spin, but never leave their position on the ground. These “rides” evoke a childish thrill and excitement because of their magic, happiness, and the flow of motion they evoke. By the time I reached the borders, thoughts traveled toward ocean liners and their smooth flowing motion. The idea of motion as a calming factor was constantly in my mind while piecing this top together. 

I used straight quilting lines to reinforce the smooth movement that developed as the top was pieced. 

This quilt was designed to draw your eye into the motion. Enjoy the ride, and walk away saying that you too never want it to end.

“When the Day Begins” was an experiment in whole cloth applique. I wanted to see if I could communicate my vision of a new day using gold thread and beads.

In a private collection.

“School’s in Session” is the result of a class with Ricky Tims in 2001. He spoke about creating fabric by cutting 4 pieces in incrementally varying sizes and sewing them back together so that a delightful and energetic background developed. When this was complete, a memory of fish etched into a piece of glass that I had seen in a library book flashed through my thoughts, and I hunted that image down and superimposed those wonderful fish over the sunlight dappled water. This piece remains a favorite of mine because I learned so much making it. It continues to hang proudly in my studio.

“Art Swirl” Is another assembly utilizing scraps in a manner that delights the eye as it moves around the piece. This is the second time the attachment of a superimposed spiral over a scattering of colors was attempted; the first was a birthday invitation for one of my daughters.

In a private collection.

"Circles, Stripes and Plaids" was created in response to a guild challenge and was inspired by a photograph of a wine rack where only the tops of the bottles were visible floating inside the framework of the rack.