Carli The Quilter

My attention taken with unpacking and culling, I find the moments of sorting and culling from my art supply stash brings me joy. But soon this whole box of brand new Organic Cotton Yardage is going to be sold. If you live anywhere near Duncan, yardage at $10/meter.  I remember sorting and doing our first cull in advance of our move and have since done this three other times until this recent sort and cull. So many others are on the move as well as well. Travellers relocating to my local area are posted everyday on our local Used.com classifieds . Many are looking for both, jobs and housing.  We now live in a real Earthquake zone called Pacific Ring of Fire.  The small town I live in is right overtop of this massive fault line that covers the population of hundreds of thousands other people, so I am not alone. The Ring encircles the whole Pacific Ocean. and the western part of Canada is on the Pacific Ocean.  But am I prepared to live for at least...

I started with a whole bunch of different wales of recycled corduroy. I cut them using a 6 inch square of cardboard from a cereal box. I used the cereal box because I found it quite hard to use my wide blade rotary cutter.  Tip: When recycling clothing into new quilting projects, remove all seams and press as best you can before cutting out your shapes. I had a bunch of ties that I had collected over several years to make this quilt. I decided to cut either ends of each tie and applique these down onto the cordduroy blocks. This is my start of this little quilt. This is really like Christmas. I had almost completely forgotten this little quilt. Catch ya later! 

Wow, I'm so flattered. Thank you so much readers and Internet folk that find me and my blog Good Earth Quilting.  My 2004 Award winning "Silver Linings Crazy Quilt" It was the simple win of that quilt that made me start looking around online for something I could I use to share my quilts.  And here we are 15 years later and going strong online. Do you remember all the histeria around the clock turning over in 2000? I was working full time back then, I remember working on the border pieces, hand embroidering on my coffee and lunch breaks. It must have been soothing for me during that time when the student I worked with was a true challenge to remain calm and nurturing for her. As my little light began to shine, I began to find my niche. I'd love to read about how you found your niche? And so, to the changes coming to Good Earth Quilting. I'm working behind the scenes on an e-book that I hope will be out before Christmas and I'm wo...

Pat's quilt is growing steadily everyday. I started out traditional and soon was way off course doing my own modern thing. Pat will love it! This corduroy quilt with the use of men's ties will be up soon in a tutorial Our son and his girlfriend bought a  home and this is going to their house warming gift with matching curtains. Its a pattern from "Fresh Quilts- Modern Sewing Fun" but its fast becoming my favorite magazine. Its published by Harris Publications. I'm not sure if this magazine is still running or not, nothing on their FB page since fed/14 and I couldn't find it on Harris's magazine listings. It must be tough to be magazines. This is where I've got to so far and I'm really liking the look of it and soon I'll post the quilting part. This is all for my Sunday, its spiked to a  hot 22 C today and I'm feeling the heat of summer and loving it. Hope your weekend has been great and you got lots o...

The ladies of Sik-e-dakh, B.C, are forming a quilting group and they are so pumped about learning how to quilt! We had a great donation of freshly washed polyester fortrel for quilts. The table above is ready for 7 1/4 inch blocks of polyester fabric to be cut, our little women's group is well into realizing potential of reuse for their own family's quilts and with potential to make new items that may eventually be for sale.  I'm still working on these blocks into what we'd know of as a "Flimsey" quilt top, but this corduroy is really sturdy and its making think I will not put batting inside it, but rather a flannelette sheet will go inside before quilting is done. These ladies are learning fast and working on projects at home and we'll have another great day of "Women's Sewing Group" in the fall. Check the inspiration in Eve's quilt below. Look at this amazing polyester quilt made by Eve Rippel of Telkwa! A...

Have you heard of the Story of Stuff? I'm having a  blast going through all sorts of things in my studio and on my old computer, just to be 100% sure that everything has been transferred to my new Christmas present. I found this and thought it to very poignant reminder that all things go around and sometimes that go around is just a reminder that we all need to make some significant changes in what we buy, what we throw away and how can we all have a novel way to tell others about it. Please visit the web site and founder of The Story of Stuff. My own quiet moment of realizing that I too, have a footprint on this earth as we all do and this helps me to realize the insanity of collecting stuff. Got to Love it, Carli

This little quilt became a winner for me! It was made a really stressful time of my life. Without going into all kinds of this and that of why it was a stressful time, trust me, it was! I was struggling to find solace in my life. I don't have daughters and sons were only so interested in quilting. My husband married me without knowing the quilt addict that lived inside me would erupt and take over many parts of me.  This quilt is special because its one of the first quilts that I made using only cotton fabric. Most of the cotton fabric had  been hand me downs from wealthier quilters than myself. I could buy new fabric and make lovely quilts as is evident in my batik paper pieced center piece below. It was 1997 and I had had a major run in with the Quilt Police! I admit it, I was a newby and committed a big crime in my new quilt guild at the time. I had used thrifted cottons! "You can't be a quilter using thrift store crap" one whispered! ...

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

This fun bag was made with reuse in mind. I had a bunch of medium sized chunks of various fabrics from a quilt I'd made reusing clothing and this bag wanted to take the stage just as well! I made the hexagon flower for the center, the broken petals around the hexagon are vintage hand pieced parts of a Wedding Ring pieces. The yellow bottom is a small piece from a jacket, quite tough and sturdy. Its about realizing the value of recycled clothing in quilts.  This little quilt is almost entirely reused cotton from dresses and shirts. I donated this to a good cause for an auction. It sold! This quilt is an wool/fortrel table runner. Hand quilted. I called it Poppy Lane. This quilt has become my car quilt, for when its cold outside like today, I'll put it over my knees while the car gets warm as we travel into town. Its made from recycled blue jeans and corduroy, the biege is denim also and the butterflies are recycled cotton from shirts. ...

Wow, views have been quite outstanding on the previous posting on my jean potholders. I thought a little tutorial would help you make a few of these for fun giveaways at retreats, party's or when you suddenly have an unexpected guest. Or make a bunch and donate to a great thrift shop that is non-profit. They are so fast, you'll forget the time of day and keep sewing! Now that is my kind of sewing project! Fun and Fast! This was not my idea. I know, you can't believe it, but its true, I didn't even attend the workshop were these lovely's were taught! Sadly, I was away at the time, but the person who  brought and shared it with the Bulkley Tweedsmuir Women's Institute was Faye Van Horn, of Smithers, BC who was at the time our district President, so thanks Faye! Awesome job! Faye is the one standing in the photo below of our 2009 Spring Conference held in New Hazelton, BC. This is the Quick WI banner made in 1936. The following is my way o...