Carli The Quilter

This New Modern quilting tutorial got started after I heard from several locals and received some emails from my blog readers that they are confused with the "New Modern Thing" and rightly so. I kind of knew something about the use of 'negative space' on quilts, as in this pillow cover I made many years ago now. Who wouldn't be if you have been learning how to make quilts the 'old fashioned way' and then came along the gadgets, rulers, etc. So I've had some time to reflect on this and did suggest in previous posts that some tutorials were coming and here is one! Modern Quilting has taken a great run at the the establishment of traditional quilters! Modern Quilting seems to be driven by young women and men that like to use 'negative' space in their quilt making process. There is nothing wrong with this, its just what it is. The same rules apply if you are looking for a great quilt that will last many generations and be ha...

Our local community of Smithers , B.C. is a busy, energetic place in the summer. Our local BV Farmer's Market opens on the Saturday before Mother's Day each year. Families, locals and tourists enjoy the Highway 16 location rain or shine! Once every two years, our local Smithers Art Gallery hosts a local quilt show. Locals this year will gather to drop off, help out and celebrate in the wonder of local talented quilters on June 30th with meeting and handing over families heirlooms and recent completes.  No one really cares what your level of quilting competency, just so long as you've made a quilt, we're good. We're a lively and laid back group of people who inhabit this region. Multicultural and first nations live side by side. We're miners, loggers, business people, artists and sport enthusiast alike.  We don't hold too many airs of our thriving community in the midst of changing environments, threats to  habitat, sluggish economy or glo...

Hello everyone, so glad you dropped by to see what's  happening in my studio! Just a few little things are on the go and some really big things too!  I've called this new pattern "Wood Walk" and its the quilt that it will be the 2nd installment of online workshops starting in September.  This is just the starting photo and this new design that reminds me of the woodsey feel I get when I walk along our very rural road. You can hear the birds just singing away, the green lush leaves on the poplar, willow trees. The saskatoon shrubs are in full bloom, my freezer is waiting for their lovely berries for winter goodness.  Also, what's happening is my tutorial on Camper Curtains. I chose "Chain Links" from the Shades of Grey collection of Daisy Janie. I married the Daisy Janie fabric with an older outdoorsy print of Sue Marsh from Marcus Bros. Inc. Of course, I should have known that I had not recently cleaned my sewing machine and...

I made the suggestion of an "Upcycle Quilt Category" to the board of directors of Canadian Quilters Assn in 2005. It was rejected. Thank goodness to all of those quilters and crafters out there that have embraced reusing and made lovely new things from reuse items. Society today needs more events to celebrate how we can individually deliver a smaller footprint on the world.  We have many of these types of ways going on, such as with the " Bicycle to Work " Being green never was easier! Being green today for quilters has never been easier either. Thousands of mature quilters are hanging up their massive stash and moving to less taxing activities. Not to say that some handwork or hand quilting might still be going on with our elders who remember what it was like before we had fabric stores in every town and city. http://www.csnf.com/designerstyle.html Would you like to enter a competition for "Upcycled?" Tell me you will enter so...

I'm so excited that our community has finally grown to want to an actual real quilt guild. Our community really is spread out so far that its actually takes in 7 communities Fort Fraser , Fraser Lake , Burns Lake , Houston , Telkwa , Smithers , Moricetown and Hazelton . Our fledgling start up guild is holding it second "Quit In" in Telkwa on March 31, centrally located, at the Telkwa Christian Reformed Church, across from the One Stop in Telkwa. We'll start at 9:30 and play with fabric until 4 pm. Its a brown  bag lunch, so we're not making extra potluck stuff that usually is too much for all of us and its takes more work.  Reuse is a  big deal with us. We all were really focused to figure out how to hold a mini workshop for 3 hours at the upcoming Farmer's market on June 16th? Fortunately, we have received funding to hold such an event like this and we're moving ahead. This pink quilt is one such example of a baby quilt made from sweaters,...

 Its Valentines Day and I made an awesome little ditty for my sweetheart and then I discovered my digital camera card was full, so off to my hubby's office it went. In the meantime, I have begun working on my totally reused wool project from some time back.  This piece is bold, soft and whimsical all in one. More when its done!  Hope you are having an awesome day on this love knot filled time of the year! Cheers, Carli

When I walk by a thrift store or see a garage sale sign on the side of the road, I have to stop! I pick up all sorts of discard pottery and make new things with it. Yep, that's it, no real plan of it, just to reuse a reclaimed item into a new life. These little pincushions are just that, hand picked finds of pottery that I've remade into a pincushion. I encourage anyone to do the same, they make ideal gifts and are a great seller at a craft table. Plus, there is just no end to what is out there to reuse. Let your imagination go!  I'm sure that these pottery finds are in your area and what an original gift for a quilter or sewer? I came across some of these cute little egg cups that the potter wasn't too happy with and I bought them all from her. What do you think?  This tea cup and saucer sets were discards at the Reuse Shed. Not cracked, chipped or wrong in any way, so they found a new life!  All of the fabrics used are reclaimed from ...

1.    Start with 5 fat quarters, one the focus fabric, 2 light colors and 2 dark colors.(Two Hour Table Runner Part One) 2.    Layer the FQ’s face up, 1 st light fabric, 1 st dark fabric, focus fabric, 2 nd light fabric, 2 nd dark fabric.(Step two photo) 3.    Make only 4 vertical cuts with rotary cutter across and through all layers of the FQ’s. Make these cuts off on any any that is workable for sewing together fast, try to vary the width of each cut, this is where it gets very individual. (Step 3 photo) 4.    Start with the far left stack of slices: ·       Take 1 top slice and move it to the bottom of the 1 st stack. ·       Moving to the right always, take 2 top slices and move to the bottom of 2nd stack. ·       Take 3 top slices and move to the bottom of 3 rd stack. ·       Take 4 top slices and move to t...

On this past Sunday, women met at the Multiplex Centre in Moricetown to learn more about how to turn clothing into quilts. I arrived, set up and got busy as the women filed in with their gear!    Charrine worked hard on her new bag, applique, pressing so carefully, measuring, all the things we do as designers. Her cape which I forgot to take photo of is gorgeous!  Betty sizing up her new feasting  bag!  Lucy, got right into it and began following my instructions so well, she was done by the end of the day. Making a sweater baby quilt in this manner is so fast, its incredible! Lucy Gagnon, Band Manager was so kind and donated many new fabrics to blend with recycled clothing and donated the lovely conference room for the day. Thanks Lucy! One man Todd Lace, joined us to learn how to make a custom drum bag. This was a first for any man to show up at any textile recycling workshop. I was real  happy to have Todd al...

Tomorrow, Sept 25th in Moricetown, a thriving Aboriginal community north of Smithers, I'm teaching a group of quilters and crafters who are interested in learning how to turn recycled sweaters into a  baby quilt.  Show up at the Moricetown Thrift Store behind the Gas Bar in Moricetown at 9:30 Sunday morning so you have time to set up your sewing machine etc. Bring a bag lunch, we'll wrap up by 4-5 pm. Bring anything textile that you're dying to know how to recycle into something fun. This event is sponsored by the Kitimat-Stikine Regional District and the Eco-Prise Initiative to improve recycling of all consumables. This program is designed to enable interested and knowledgeable community members to submit funding proposals to them here. http://www.rdks.bc.ca/ . Plus, if baby quilts are not your 'thing' then you can also learn how to make an awesome bag with lots of interesting recycled fabrics to be the fine diva of coming winter with an awesome bag! ...

 We started here on Wed Morning August 24th. We had to sweep and vacuum the whole booth. Unloaded and moved around several times as cleaned. We really like the booth we had this year and will secure it for next year. On Tuesday night, I was inspired to make "Mr. Rooster" and determined that the back of the Bulkley Valley Fall Fair Guide Book was just right for me to start.  I began with free hand drawing the chicken's head parts on the paper side of fusible interfacing. I had turned it over from the side you iron it on with.  As I began cutting, the shapes of his comb and wattles took shape. This photo was really a hen, but I went with gusto into a larger, more prociding kind of demeanor, he who rules the kitchen  house wins, kind of thinking to really get into the head becoming transformed onto the background. This comb and wattles shape on the red fabric "Nature" collection from Cloud 9 Fabrics . He's coming along nicely.