Odessa Quilt Show Continued - Featured Quilter: Linda Dills

Goodness, where does the time go? I want to continue showing you some of my favorite things from the Odessa Quilt Show.

Here's our sweet and wonderful featured quilter, Linda Dills, of Marysville, Washington. 

 Featured Quilter - LINDA DILLS- BIOGRAPHY  

My mother and paternal grandmother were quilters, so there have been hand-made quilts on my beds my whole life.  As a child, I enjoyed looking at those quilts and picking out the fabrics that had been scraps from dresses my mother had made for me.  I helped tie quilts at a very young age.  At about 10 years of age, I learned hand embroidery.   

"A Walk in the Meadow"

Linda is passionate about Thread Painting. 

I started making clothing in high school.  I made my first quilt in 1973.  It was a raw edge applique made out of polyester knit.  I didn’t take time for quilting except making baby quilts for gifts for about 15 years.  In 1988 I discovered free motion thread painting and a group called The Machine Embroiderers of Oregon and Washington.  Over the next 12 years, I took classes in free motion thread painting but working and family took most of my time.

"Free Spirit"

She's also passionate about horses (an artist after my own heart).

 In 2001 I joined the Busy Bee Quilting Guild of Snohomish.  I enjoy helping with their quilt shows, Making charity quilts and working on their raffle quilts.  I was chairman of their doll quilt committee for 3 years.

"Horse"

Some horses love to trot. This one is obviously enjoying himself.

 Linda Dills - My Inspiration……

I entered my first quilt show in 2002 and have been entering local guild shows in both eastern and western Washington ever since. My favorites are realistic pictorial quilts.  The first took over 5 years and the idea for it came from a ceramic lamp.  

"Frog in a Swamp"

Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to take classes from Charlotte Warr Anderson and Ruth McDowell as well as having taken many classes at local quilt shops and guilds. I am also a long arm quilter.  Some of my other hobbies include reading, traveling and going to the beach for quilting retreats with my friends.  The best part about getting so involved in the quilting world has been the friends I have made.

"Just Spikey"      &       "Convergence"

Stained glass pattern books, enlarged cross stitch patterns, and enlarged fabric design elements have been great sources for my thread painting and quilt designs (My greatest tool is my HP printer that will enlarge designs 400%!). I have made appliqued birds using petals from silk flowers.  The ideas are endless.  

"Where in the World"     &      "The Chase"

 I like doing different techniques and, most times, once is enough.  Then it is on to something new and different.  I have dyed and painted fabric.  I have also used colored pencils, crayons, inks and Schiva oil sticks.  There is no quilt police so it is not illegal to try what other people have said won’t work.  Sometimes the other people are right, but just experiment.  You never know what you might create.

"Dreams Kitten Style"

How many times have Bodecia and Norman adopted this "cattitude"?

" A Scene from the Sea"

 I love the message in the bottle in the lower right. I wish you could see it!

 "Cardinal"

Plain, simple and lovely. Her details are a feast.

 "Cat Acatamey"

She has captured everything about cats.

 "Lazy Days"

Very beautiful.....

"My Desert Blooms at Night"

Everything you every would want in a desert at night.

Linda Dills - Quilts on Display at Odessa 2013

(I haven't shown them all here in pictures. Just some of the ones that caught my eye. All were wonderful)

Bargello Heart

Dragon Star

Cat Acatamey

A Scene from the Sea

Leaf Table runner

One - D and Eight - B's

The Hunt

My Desert Blooms at Night

Roundabout #2

Quiet Time

The Chase

Landscape Plus

Spring and Fall (reversible)

Dreams Kitten Style

My Pond

Peacock

Lazy Days

Butterfly Kiss

Roundabout #1

Where in the World?

Convergence

Free Spirit

Water Lily

A Walk in the Meadow

Just Move the Dog

Horse

Inspiration

The Old Grist Mill

DWL

Rainy Day

Yellow Hibiscus

Rooster

Cardinal

Just Spikey

Hearts and Roses

Night Glide (reversible)

Just Frogs

Noel

My Giant Dahlia

A Pot Holder - It's Not

Winter Chickadees

Frog in a Swamp

....more to come....

Windowing Fusible Applique'

This is not a NEW IDEA (Windowing Fusible Applique')...it's a few years old.....but I thought I would trot it out because of a question I got from one of my fellow stitchers.

One of the girls wanted to make some quick door hanging decorations for patients in our local nursing home.
 I decided that the two-sided-fusible-web-windowing-technique would be just the thing.  So here goes.....

I picked out a section of the fabric, Spring Fling, that would allow me to collect 7 flowers and 3 dragonflies.

 I ironed the 2-sided fusible web to the back of the fabric.

Then, rough cut the parts I wanted in my door hanging.

Like this.....

Then, I cut carefully around on the outside edge.

I laid them out on the background, which was 12 1/2' x 18 1/2", and designed a vase to go with them, using plain copy paper.

I made the vase, by folding the paper, first, then drawing the shape and cutting it out while it was folded so it would be symmetrical.

I tried some different fabrics with the flowers for the vase and decided on this tonal batik piece I had in my stash.

I folded the fusible web and rough cut the shape about 3/8 inch away from the line traced from my pattern.  I cut out the "arm holes" on the actual lined edge.

Then, to "WINDOW" the shape, I cut out the center about 1/4" inside the traced line.

I laid it on the wrong side of the batik and fused it with a hot dry iron - about 5-8 seconds.

Then, I cut it out on the traced line of the outside edge of the shape.

Looks about the right size.  I cut out the "arm holes".....

....and removed the paper backing from all the shapes I had made so far....

....and laid them out on the background.

I drew shapes of stems and leaves on the paper side of the fusible and fused it to the wrong side of the green fabric.

All the elements......

were ready.

I began to lay them out on the background for the last time.

Everything's on there except the dragonflies.  I went ahead and ironed everything in place....then, added the dragon flies......and fused them, too.

All done!  Wasn't that fun?  It took about an hour and thirty minutes.  All I have left to do is to cut the backing, sew it to the piece, right sides together, leaving a turn-out space at the bottom; turn it inside out, press, and blind stitch the turn-out space shut.