When we originally worked with Linzi Upton, the Quilt Quine, on her ebook about machine quilting, she stressed that in her world, there were absolutely no rules. In fact she would intentionally deviate from any rules that others tried to impose. So it seemed logical to call her book Deviant Quilting! We knew this would raise a few eyebrows, but reasoned that it would be hard to ignore - on the basis that all publicity is good publicity. Linzi did a tongue-in-cheek video introduction where she explained that the ebook was not at all kinky . . .
Fast forward a few years and we had to admit that we'd made a mistake. Rather than cause a small ripple, the title clearly caused our potential readers to turn away. Just goes to show how easy it is to convince yourself to take a path that leads in the wrong direction.
So now the ebook has a new name: Machine Quilting with the Quilt Quine. And it's still not kinky! Linzi explains the word 'quine' as an old Scots word for 'girl, woman or wifie'. She has been the Quilt Quine for over 10 years.
We'd love it if, this time, Linzi's ebook could reach its intended audience. It does have so much fun and interesting content for the machine quilter: techniques, designs, tips on developing your style, unusual and striking projects including small projects to help you gain confidence, and working with metallic fabrics. Plus information on Linzi's famous and quirky projects such as the Quilted Yurt, the quilted Smart Car Cover and the leather Coracle.
LInzi Upton
Linzi Upton is an award winning quilter, mostly self taught, and well-known for large idiosyncratic 3D textile installations such as her Quilted Yurt, full-sized Smart car cover, and The Quilted Coracle. A second yurt is curated by The Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg USA. The coracle won the 3D Creations category at Festival of Quilts 2013.
Linzi’s quilt Odin’s Trilogy was placed second at MQX West in 2013 and she won an award for Merit Machine Quilting at the prestigious IQA Houston show in 2012.
In 2016 Linzi Upton became the Bernina UK longarm ambassador and made a prize-winning quilt, Tartan Tattoo which was successful in the UK, The Netherlands, and won the World Quilt Show’s Best in Country award. A hidden quilt called Purdah, revealed in layers, and a curtain made from washable sanitary pads, entitled Touch the Pickle were exhibited at Festival of Quilts, UK.
Another Norse inspired quilt followed in 2017: Shield Maiden, made from linen and a woad-dyed shawl.
Beelzebub won the contemporary quilts category at FOQ then went on to be juried into MQX, AQS shows in Lancaster, Grand Rapids, Daytona Beach, Paducah and IQA Houston.
Linzi has travelled extensively both for teaching and for fun; to Russia, USA, Germany, France and India.
The trip to St Isaac’s cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia inspired a quilt called Iconoclast, based on the colours of malachite, lapis lazuli and small pieces of amber.
In 2018 Linzi Upton ‘ironically’ entered a quilt about Domestic servants into the elusive and elite FOQ Fine Art Quilt Masters and it was accepted. It was made from scruffy antique table linen, quilted over the top of clothes lines and a slideshow was projected onto it.
Ten years on from becoming The Quilt Quine, Linzi says: ‘I am still writing a weekly blog, have started filming daily vlogs of 30 seconds or less, still having too many ideas at once to ever make all of the projects that I consider. I love to teach, write, design, meet other textile fanatics and travel as much as possible!’
Linzi Upton is married with 3 children and lives in the beautiful Scottish countryside with a collection of pets and occasionally rare-breed pigs. For more about Linzi, go to her website: www.thequiltquine.com