Carli The Quilter

I'm on a UFO busting assault on the blue bins. I have reached a point in my life where what's around me must reinforce my life in a positive way. Part of me feels that if I'd really wanted to finish them I would have done so long ago. I'm designing behind the scenes and writing stuff that makes me happy.  Some of these UFO's are just going to have to find their way without me. You know what I mean? I'm really serious quilters, my UFO's must go out into the universe.  I've left those memories aside along the path I'm on now.  My life is my own and I can share what I want to do, even if its a bit of a rant! I am not seeing a clear path, but a path has opened up for me and things that don't simply move me forward with new ideas just cannot stay any longer. Read about this lead up here  as I tried to convey how many beautiful half done or almost done projects. Oh my Lord, I need some Blogger Love quilters. This long...

I've just spent some quiet time this Christmas Eve morning reading posts from all sorts of blogger's that I follow. When I look back on this 2014, I declare that it was a year of hits and misses. I am very excited to have found many interesting and lovely people who crazy quilt.  I am sorry that I simply lost track of my own hosted Crazy Quilt Along 2014, but hope to do another one in the future. And I know many crazy quilters follow my blog and would heartily join up again.  I did intend this one to be finished with scrappy dresden plates happily playing alongside daisies and it still awaits my ability to work on them. I love this photo of carved faces in cottonwood trees I found along the trails of Riverside Park in Terrace, B.C. I enjoy traveling in our truck and camper.  And then the numerous crazy quilted projects await me too. My life has taken a turn of reflection and has slowed down. There is no other alternative when sciatic nerve p...

Let's celebrate International Women's Day! With a conversation about what each of us can do to reuse more from clothing, instead of giving it to a thrift shop. This past weekend,  it was a sunny day, but bitterly cold with a cross wind that took your breath away. I drove the crunching driveway to the home of Eve Rippel. I first met Eve back in 2004 when I taught a quilting class with re-purposed fabrics from clothing like denim, corduroy or other re-purposed fabric.  Eve was a breath of fresh air and still is some 10 years later. While others in the class were confused with how to actually harvest usable fabric from clothing, she was helping with this idea by just getting onto the whole subject. I think that this year I'd like to impress upon each you to do more to recycle clothing into something or anything interesting or useful. Eve with her latest great grand baby quilt. Eve's Mom taught Eve to sew during the 1930's in Saskatchewan, when ...

Yes, I know some of you may look at what I've got going on and can't believe that I'll take a respite from the Centennial Quilt. But I just had to, say I felt lucky! Whoo hoo a giveaway is at hand folks, so get on board and  join me? I'm entering the "A Passion for Applique" giveaway and these are the ones that I'll start and I'll finish one of them to enter. I know I'm crazy!!   If I can do this, so can you!! I know we all have something other to do and yes, we have lives to live, but its just a great excuse for me to leave the 'head down, against the wind approach of my deadlines" and just have some fun!!    These are my examples of what I'd like to finish off in my entry into this sweet little giveaway at "A Passion for Applique" Which one I finish is still up for guessing which one, but  here is my challenge to you, finish something and get an entry into this giveaway!

My blog now has 50 members!! Unbelievable to a 50-something female who hardly understood what the Internet was until about 1997! Now, look at me, I'm growing, I'm learning and interacting with my world. I decided that what I write about, others could make use and its kind of like being a teacher of a digital craft gathering. Where I set the agenda, my goals, how they relate to my world and why what I say matters.  Who would have known we'd hang around and listen to each other. So welcome my fifty follower's!  Sit back and listen to my ramblings and we'll see who else wants to know what I say in my blog. I'm singing in the rain.  Writing this while listening to Michael Jerome Brown, Canadian Blues Singer who satisfies my musical groove. My old man in the pale yellow is singing and playing with his good friend Derek. Grooving this past summer, in the warm summer nights when the sunlight lingers across the north later into the day. I th...

I made a comment recently on Debra's blog . I highly recommend it, she is "most def" an addict to crazy quilting. Talent beyond the door for sure and a pleasure to read her posts on my favorite theme. I made a comment about how much I love to use black and very bold colors.   Most of my work in crazy quilting has been reaching back in time and finding those colors that make a quilt pop and I think black is one those colors that makes a quilt pop. Its like this crazy quilt below, its yet unnamed ? As of earlier in 2012, I didn't have a name, but its now its called "Tropical Sunset" Working on this crazy quilt blocks keeps my fingers well used for the hand embroidery involved with the Smithers 2013 Centennial Quilt. I don't like boredom in any way, shape or form. I like to have changing colors, textures and highlights that make my mind reel with more ideas! In fact, upon reflection of my photo collection, I can see my Mexac...

OK, remember my big mega project? You know I must be a glutton for punishment or something. I am the lead quilter on the Smithers Centennial 2013 Quilt Project. No photos yet of the entire quilt because that is still 16 months away!! But I did have a deadline of June 30th for the blocks to be handed to me from the other 9 artist participating. Then in May one of the artists couldn't commit, then today another one decided that the deadline was not happening in her life either. So there I was in a  moment of heart pounding shock. I stayed calm on the phone, but inside my insides were turning around and exploding! I thought happy thoughts and calmed down. Its still 15 months away and well, I'm up for the challenge. Then I opened my email and there was a nice post from Funky Junk's blog and she posed a question to her readers.   As I read  her post, I found this challenge, I realized that yes, I'd make three blocks for this quilt and I'd do...

One of my favorite colors is purple. I love deep dark purple, burgundy and deep rust colors. In 1985 I created quite a stir for my own wedding dress that had deep rust colored velvet in the bodice. Meadow flowers danced on beige background cotton, low bodice with laces on the front of the bodice. It was not white! So how I came to be inspired to make the Purple Crazy now in a private collection  here in the Bulkley Valley. See the center of this block with the "winged dancers" with a multi colored background? The slight purple colors in this background was the start of the choices I made along the way towards the finished quilt. As I have progressed with crazy quilting, I have become less focused on following the seams with embroidery or other embellishment. I tend to let go and fall off the seam into the main area. Following your bliss is an excellent start, reusing embellished clothing items is a handy way to import some embroidery without the time to do ...

Victoria of Bumble Beans Inc. from New York City lists this lovely tutorial of a star block paper piecing called Triangles Galore! on her blog. I fell in love at first site! I was inspired to paper piece again, just like that, I was busy photocopying again. Victoria is a very generous person, as she inspires quilters new and experienced to embrace our inner voice to find peace and calm. She teaches others to quilt that need a comfort hobby to sooth their tangled nerves.  I can relate to this philosophy, stitching after all was my literal salvation as a child. My mother was often away at hospital. I grew up for many years thinking hospital was a holiday place for "Mommies"! My mother was always happy again after a visit to the hospital. She taught me to sew by hand. I grew into embroidery and started with making doll dresses. I was intrigued from the beginning of sewing and have never left it. Playing with fabric was and remains to be an important c...