Carli The Quilter

I'm linking up with Amy's Creative Side who twice a year hosts this Bloggers Quilt Festival. In the photo below it shows the finished quilt that I made to commemorate our  northern Town of Smithers 100th Birthday! This is my story of what I learned. I have been learning more about quilting since I was 14 yrs old when I met my high school Textile teacher, Miss Hepburn, now Mrs. Summerskill. Unfortunately, she passed away earlier this year and she would have been so impressed that the scrawny tomboy of Gr. 8 had reached new opportunities of learning. I learned from Mrs. Summerskill that no one should tell me what to do. That I should take the time to 'think' and 'plan' and to just be yourself. This was very good advice to a young budding quilter. Sometimes though, we can get lost in the keeping up with all the other blogger's doing all sorts of lovely quilts. Sometimes, we lost in an illness that strikes you down and holds you cap...

I couldn't really wrap anything up until I finished them, so here are the project that I've pulled out of special boxes to begin finishing them and while I'm finishing these lovelies, I'll prepare a bunch of tutorials which I'll link up to from my blog. First up is the "Summer on the Range" quilt with 4 large 21 petalled Dresden Plate quilt that I started in late 2011 and then began organizing the mega project in early 2012. What was I thinking? There was absolutely no way I could do a quilt along and sincerely, my readers knew this, right? Thankfully, my loyal and faithful followers have continued to listen to my ramblings as I took on the Smithers Centennial Quilt. What did you think of that particular quilt, I'd love to hear your thoughts? Then onto my little project on hand applique tiny Dresden Plates from my favourite quilting magazine "Quilt Mania" Unfortunately, I cannot find this magazine now to comment...

Wow, three weeks have gone by since I last posted, the time is flying by so quickly.This is what keeps me going!! I try really hard to live by this creed of Ghandi's. It has a prominent place in my sewing room. It gives me hope, when I have to make decisions that are not popular with others or have to brave ahead with only closest of friends behind me. Please don't think that making a Centennial Quilt is like my own private thing. Its strange, in my own home turf, few quilters have come forward to participate. I'm so glad that I have my good friend Nola to rescue me from the toil of the entire project on my shoulders.  Thank you Nola, you are a trooper good friend! I was chatting online with a friend of mine who lives in Grand Forks, BC. Our conversation made me think of the people that participated with the 1897-1997 quilt for Grand Forks. I was the coordinator of that quilt, but in the end, decided to have my name left off the brass plaque that was ...

Last year when I heard of the coming Centennial for Smithers, my largest nearby town in Northern BC, I spoke up and put my thoughts on paper. I was pleased that the Centennial Committee was interested and I began planning the project. Community interest in our Centennial Events is already high and I eventually had 7 artists step up volunteering a piece of their art to be included in the Smithers 2013 Centennial Quilt Project. The following are photos of the submitted blocks and the artist or sometimes just the block. Take a look at the beginning of this unique quilt creation of 7 artists collaborating around me who is the main finisher of this quilt. I'm OK with this and have little time to involve anyone else, still work full time and have a life too! So onward goes the quilt, quietly gaining ground in an enormous amount of work. If you ever think that you want to make a centennial quilt, they are numerous sites that exist for any kind of quilt you'd like. ...

My start was all 'high hat' style of course and then my life changed dramatically with one phone call. I got a new job! So as the days that I'd scheduled for work on this little project blog tour participation dwindled with chaotic new work schedules, the drama increased!  My plan was to create a new piece with Carol's Bowls With Borders paper piecing. Where I live is a constant influence in my art, my life and my choices for recreation. In the photo above, I actually hand sewed the paper piecing. I bet that is a first! They turned out really well, but the hand stitching wouldn't let me tear away the paper. I imagined a modern piece, the graph paper told me so and I continued. I free hand drew my version of a sockeye on the back side of iron on stabilizer on red linen.  I am a fisher as you all know by now! I've been out to the lake on my days off work harvesting sockeye salmon and enjoying the hot summer sun as we baked in the boat on...