Carli The Quilter

When I started the four central blocks of this Christmas Crazy it was around 2014. I was looking for another crazy quilt to provide me a winter of hand stitching, hand embroidery and embellishment. That winter was almost 7 years ago. The four blocks were complete and ready to incorporated into the new design by end of 2016 when we moved to Vancouver Island. But then they sat in a storage unit without me for another year. I make all these goal posts because, so often I hear things like, "Wow, that must have taken years? or Did you do all this stuff by hand?" and it makes me think that many times, the task is soooo daunting to a person, that they become stuck and don't ever let themselves fall in love with the freedom of crazy quilting. Early in crazy 2020, the year that we'll all universally remember forever. I leaned back on my busy life with building a business and trying to stay safe all at the same time, I decided to get busy finishing a few things and I've got...

Hi my merry quilter friends, I apologise its been a very busy fall and now into December, its even busier than Santa's workshop over here. My husband is all about the fit and this croch is too low for my man! He likes that they are upcycled jeans, but he's got a paticular fit in mind. I cut most of the seams out of the jeans first, then began laying my pattern piece overtop of pieced jean material to find just the right amount, drape is important, don't cross your grain with upcycled jeans and expect that they are going to work, NOT!  My new Christmas Crazy Quilt is about done, hand quilting around the border and tacking inside the embroidered part of this quilt and hanging sleeve and binding and label to do. I have been working on building crumb blocks and I eventually have enough to make a quilt, this one sewed up in a matter of days, a lovely border is going on to this Dog Bone quilt which is intended for a gift. And of course, I had to take several days and dung out my ...

I've been playing with Contained Crazy Quilts for quite some time. I like to put borders around things, its true. I love putting borders around my scribbles, in my writing, doodling around the edge. I really like this border in bold RED and black. Pink Birds crazy block is a contained crazy block, I liked the calming influence of this setting the one crazy block inside its dark beige border. Now, for me to put beige anywhere near by work is a rare thing to see. Beige is not a color to me, I find it all too often in homes these days and can hardly wait to cover it up with some awesome orange or red paint. But this time, for this piece, it just called out for a low key background. Beige and pink give this piece a patient femenine feel as pint sized birds south, settling in like they'd been there all the time! But I'm loving getting back to making fun feminine clothing, some made from "new from my stash" and some upcycled from other cloth...

I am having such fun with setting my own personal goals to get on with finishing the numerous tops I have. I have decided that if I take a top out of the "Finishing Drawer" then I must not start anything new until its finished and gone from my sewing womb.  I love to call my sewing room, a sewing womb. It reminds me of a good friend who lives miles away. We write real letters between each other. I started this modest foray into modern quilting by taking my obsession in crazy quilting to more solid colors as that's what I thought the early modern quilting I saw meant by the early days of modern quilting. That was I confess, in 2005.   Then I did my usual quilt as you go in crazy stitching so all that was required on this modern quilting experiment was machine embroidery stitches from my good old trusty Janome. Then it went into the drawer and another 12 years went by and for one reason or another it sat, I passed it over many times, as I was...

I have always wanted to hand embroider this saying for years.  Then one day about 5 years ago I was thrifting around town, going to garage sales and there this was all crumpled in a box of numerous sewing tid bits. I'm sure it would have likely found its ways into the local transfer station garbage if I hadn't found it. I began with deciding to add borders of a random nature. I love to use up bits and pieces that have found a dead-end in their creation. I love the Cloud 9 organic fabric in the aqua puffs of treetops. I machine quilted it in 2015, but then it went into another bin as moving back up north, it came along with me, but didn't anything done again. Machine quilting on it was a breeze and I'm really glad to get this one done, so it can be hung in my new home. I'm having a blast setting up my kitchen. Its really fun to have boxes opened and slowly I see the pieces of precious items that I've collected and kept over three deca...

If you have followed my blog Good Earth Quilting for very long, you'll know I am a crazy quilter who loves hand stitching, Improv Piecing and crazy quilt embellishment, embroidery and crazy peicing! I embrace all forms of quilting, sewing, knitting and crocheting and I do most of my own machine quilting too. I love the "nest building act" of making my own "handmade" things to decorate my home.   I like the look of "running stitch roads" of a gentle running stitches meandering along the high roads and valley's of my quilts.  When I began "Blooming Crazy Quilt", I started it on a lark and soon this beauty began speaking to me in tropical colors. I began to really think hard about what I'm trying to say??  I think that the colors and prints choose the quilter. Yes, have you wondered how we choose what we have in our stash? Do you enjoy touching and feeling row upon row of bolts of fabric? Its kind of...

I love to read some of my favorite blogs and one is Sew Slowly by one lovely lady who could very well be another me. I know, who knew? I identify with her words and wished we lived closer.  It was her blog that I first found the 365 Circles  movement of sorts. Now, getting back to why Sew Slowly is my favorite blog is because her work speaks to using up the numerous fabric odds and ends we quilters accumulate. I am very aware of how many bins and boxes my husband has faithfully carried around for me, this being 32 years coming up for our 2017 anniversary so I know he really loves me! :) I made a new cell phone bag this summer before moving that hasn't been shared here. It was made after making my nephew's wedding quilt close up below. We also bought a Persian Rug for our new home and love it. As you can see this wee table runner with circles on it is becoming a new wedding present for good friends. Entirely hand sewn and slow as can be in making it. I a...

Crazy Heart CQ started some time ago. Truth be told I had begun the inner 'heart' while I was mulling over getting started on the Smithers Centennial Quilt which was the early days of 2012. How time flies! I decided again this spring of 2017 it was time that 'Crazy Heart' found a home and direction. I had originally used some fringy braid that was hand sewn around the outside edge of the heart. But when I reviewed this peice, the fringy braid had to go. It was this initial start to remove the fringy braid that I realised underneath the braid, the heart was simply hand sewn with a light hand. The new trim I chose to use was brown and black varigated wool. I did a quick and rustic whip stitch twice over to couch it down to the center of the quilt. I have been working on this quilt in hopes of getting it done for my sister's birthday, but missed that deadline and so it goes. But only time will tell me when its done! In the meantime, here...

Hello to all my quilty friends! Super excited that I'm finally able to get into some new fabric and some new quilts. More on that later. But just received some fun project supplies from www.fabricspark.com. A few years ago I was inspired and fell in love with Jen Kingswell designs! My work on her pattern "Midnight in the Oasis" gave me pause for a whole bunch of reasons. I have done so many quilts that pausing has been good for me and my aspirations. I lingered on modern versions of crazy quilting using machine stitches and machine embroidery. But I love hand stitching, so..... I journeyed deep into the cool pool of water. We all come forth via water. I paddled upstream and downstream and got caught in a tidal pool or two. I find now that I am fearless! I know I can't help it, I go around sharing my inner thoughts as if we were having a tea on the deck. I hope you are not bored? Since moving, I have been overwhelm...