Carli The Quilter

Hi everyone! Spring has sprung in my part of the word and upcycling tops for summer fever has hit my sewing room. This top was a lovely pleated top when I bought it at a garage sale. But alas, once I got home and tried it on, it was shorter and I suspected that was why it was being sold. So onto my list of unfinished things came this sweet top. At the very next garage sale, I found an equaly lovely pillow case in the splatter pattern using lime green, black and white colors. This was a perfect fit for upcycling this linen top by adding in the bottom edge, a slight ruffle was sewn on to being showing just about 3-4 inches. But working with clothing that has already been washed and dried takes patience. Once the ruffled addition was on, I went straight to covering up the machine seam with hand embroidery. Black, White embroidery X stitches across the seam while leaving room for a repeat of a second color. I think it was very effective and I soo lov...

I laboured over spoiled images going into the garbage can until I realized that sometimes, its just a great idea for a professional to do the printing instead. So begin by researching and speaking with your local professionals who do machine embroidery as well as photo printing on YOUR fabric.  This is really key, quilters to get a great long lasting image transferred to fabric. Ask them to show you some samples of images transferred.  Ask about the level of qualified staff they may have on hand, this is not something for the newest member of their team to do.  Speak about resolution that is best for them to transfer. In this Denim Wedding quilt, I began with having the photographs selected to actually go onto the quilt. Decide how many images are necessary? Choose photo's that are crisp and clear, not any blurring or overexposure is recommended.  And sometimes you can tweek the photos emailed to you for the project.  Sett...

On Boxing day of 2018, I was at London Drugs and low and behold, here was this lovely size 6 mannequin. This little mannaquin helps me "see" the article as it changes as you upcycle the whole thing. And a wee bit of progress has been made for the Maps Challenge over at AHIQ:improvisational Utility Quilts. And before Christmas I needed a warmer housecoat and the upcycled housecoat as seen below is the ONE I love.  And hand piecing has been going on whenever I get a minute to sit and stitch as seen below. For the full post on these interesting blocks, pop over to AHIQ. While this photo is all blurry, my son took some photos of me wearing this dress and its become a favorite for sure. Another post is coming with those photos. Upcycling is soooo much fun! Bye for now, 

Hi everyone! Good news, my ankle recovery is finally feeling like we are getting somewhere. Its great to be back to normal walking and not having to think about what my ankle needs. I have been binge watching of Anne with an E series on CBC. I joined CBC as a member and now, I have more advertising than I did have before. So any thoughts from Canadians on their experience with having this 4.99 a month payment is going? Do you have more advertising. I was initially interested because it was advertised as no advertising. I hav finished the Forests Fire Quilt. But can't share until its actually recieved by our friends in Telegraph Creek. First up over the past weekend. I upcycled my sweet little summer housecoat. I had shrunk and so I added extra length to the bottom and to the sleeves. I also decided to tie it all together, it needed a new front cuff. Really encourage you to give this upcycling a try out. Next up is my new jumper. It started with a nice floral sh...

People are meant to share things and information. I think the most part some good educational information is my page Crazy Quilt Tutorial. I'm working on a new updated version of my Crazy Quilting Tutorial. I wrote a post on some of the various projects completed with upcycled cloth for clothing,bedding, sweaters etc back here and many of you may have tried to upcycle things around your home. Keep doing it. Hence, jeans to the rescue.  This article is a Canadian report on our wastefulness. We Canadians are just has bad as many countries with not being thoughful about what we buy and how soon we discard it. Mostly we seem to throw good clothing away into the landfill. Does this sound familiar?  I can't remember a time when I did not reuse or recycle into something completely different. I rarely discard items with life left in it. Not that I think I'm perfect, if something is beyond a good washing, then for sure, it goes into the garbage bin. But if you can...

I've in love with my new backyard. The summer here in Duncan, B.C. is lovely, ocean breezes ripple across the back deck with refreshing scents from the many flowers in bloom right now. The heat wave we had a few weeks ago, while a wee bit of a shock has gone and more normal temperatures have returned say the locals. 1. Its official, I love thrifting, mixing and blending in my clothes to fit my kinda crazy girl personality. And while this is not news to anyone who knows me, it is a new way of looking at what I can do with all my crazy scraps and snippets so small, its a wonder I waste the thread on them. This winter scarf stitched in my own version of Boro Stitching is a fun way to use up all sorts of scraps. Then came two blankets tuned up with more scraps and odd orphan blocks hand stitched onto two halves of one moving blanket, which were donated to the Muddy Boot Prints outdoor children's learning program in Vancouver. Thrifting and stitching a...

When I completely opened my mind to the possibilities of upcycling I was instantly in love. I have many items that once they were washed, they became too small. Just having fun is where it is at.  This started out as a t-shirt that was a a special t-shirt. You  know the one I like to wear working in the back yard or going camping. It had a statement on the front that had become stained from years of wear. And upcycling saved it from disposal. I added all sorts of lace, bits and pieces of new cotton and Voila! Thanks for popping in and reading what I'm up to these days. I am in springtime full on, with higher than normal hot days for this time of year. Leave me a comment and let me know if you'd like to read more about my journey of upcycling? Happy Quilting, sewing, stitching etc!