Carli The Quilter

I am super charged like a wee bunnie! And I wanted to reassure my readers that I'm NOT going anywhere. You can be content that I will still be posting the projects I'm working on and give you all a progress report for my new adventures! I am back to working on the new details of Blooming Crazy which I started last year. And its given me a new perspective on what is actually crazy quilting. Stitching happy little trails and new pathways is about me finding the bliss I've wished for quite some time. New pathways and happy little trails are just where my steps will take me. I have begun to find my bliss and I'm determined to get back to fun! Fun stitching, fun sewing and fun life. This a long time crazy that is getting finished and will soon have a complete version for you. Do you find yourself singing while you stitch? I have a new friend who is helping me with gratitude. While she is working on my feet and I'm relaxing, I listen to he...

I have just decided that the time has come for me to start really altering some favorite shirts purchased recently that when laundered they shrunk up and became too short for me to comfortably wear. You know? And I have become inspired again! My time these days are less frequently allowed for working on finishing quilts is coming along too. I have made progress on two wedding gifts from one of the weddings from last summer. Love birds requested two table runners. This blue and red zig zag is coming along. I think its just about ready for machine or hand quilting and I haven't decided on which for those yet. And I've finally begun playing around with the Japanese 'Boro" form of quilting and big stitches that I new I'd to love to do. And my son's childhood sewing project that I have begun to crazy quilt around is on the table again with more improvements that is going well.  Photos on how that progresses is coming alon...

This little piece is coming along. I want it to be a total secret when its done.

Some have described my quilting as eclectic, artistic and re-purposed to new heights. This "look"that I have is mine. It really describes me as a person. Broad shouldered I stand with my heart on my sleeve as my nimble fingers move across the fabric. Stitches pop up wherever the needle surfaces. New interpretations of stitches evolve as I do. Stitches made across the fabric surface is my mindfulness and focus. Creativity swirls in my mind and comes out in stitches. Its interesting to see the "back side"of this piece. Happy Quilting Carli

Yes, I have been busy as you can see. The whole thing is still unfinished but at least you can see what the quilter behind Good Earth Quilting has been up too. Earlier this fall, I fell in love with the block designed by Connie from Freemotion Quilting on the River . I've been pulling all my personal favorite prints and solid colors as this is becoming my winter project. I am picking summer colors for our king size bed. Please visit her blog, she has loaded up a bunch of nifty tutorials! I'm ashamed to admit, I've only pre-washed the fabrics for this project and a set of large curtains to go with it for our son and his girlfriend Melissa. I did get this lovely quilt destined for my good friend Pat who is a recent resident of PEI and feeling the affects of being from afar. She needs a "Quilt Picker Upper" and soon she's be snug underneath it. That's it from Carli the Quilter on the River too!

I have had to stop so much hand stitching, so I've turned other projects and I'm now going through many strips and placing them all into various log cabin blocks, check it out here with these photo's, enjoy!   I apologize in advance for this next poorly lit photograph. I am playing around with  making log cabins using 2 in strips from random odds and sods of fabric.   Not much of re-purposed fabric is  here, but you surely good reuse, the basic log cabin block is a great way to learn an accurate 1/4 in. seam, shaping with printed color, its a great way to start reusing. In fact, I've made a few.   This illustration I did in 2004 for a book I was in the process of writing. Then my new winter crazy block peeks out! I've progressed from there and I'll post that soon! Hope your day is going good and that more logs are in the process~ And I'm linking up with Oombawka Designs who hosts Link & Share Wednesday'...

Complete finished wallhanging, each block with a very old watch dial. , a photo by Margreet from Holland on Flickr. This is simply stunning and so beautiful!

It is a booklet for myself. , a photo by Margreet from Holland on Flickr. Calling all crazy quilters! This artist from Holland is one of the best in my opinion, check her stuff out on Flicker! In regards to my own journey of healing my carpel tunnel flare up while hosting my beloved quilt along, I'm happy to say I'm over the bump in my stitching. I've been moving through my new Winter Block for my hosted Crazy Quilt Along 2014 on  this blog, its simple to follow along and join in if its your first crazy quilt or its your 10th, we'd love for you to join. My vision for this 'winter' block was an image in my mind of the very soft glowing kind of light that reflects from the snow on a clear night in our world of snow. This also falls upon a scene that represents the northern hills of Darbyshire in Britian. My parents are immigrants of Britian and I have a very old photo that has a scene like this. In the winter as well, so similar. My st...

 Starting a crazy quilt often starts with a block of foundation fabric, I prefer to use muslin. I find that its forgiving as second and third layers of fabric pile up and you only notice this when you begin hand embroidery. I begin by starting in the middle, others will tell you that you've got to start here or there. But after 20 or so crazy quilts, I start where I like to and I suggest this only as something that works for me. Place one fabric chunk ( 5 sided first piece is nice) Moving reflectively across the block add new and interesting fabrics to the block KEEPING in mind that you always want to cover off any raw edges. Continue as you go. Its fun and there are no rules. Except for covering raw edges. Always press each new added fabric chunk. Here is my "Winter" seasonal block for our upcoming "Four Seasons Crazy Quilt" If you are participating with the Crazy Quilt Along 2014. Do you need more crazy quilting help?

Hello friends and quilters, I'm back from a nasty flu/cold thing that just laid me flat out! I'm really happy to share that this Crazy Quilt Along 2014 is open to anyone! So do follow me!   Stitching below is from an experienced embroidery nut, who crazy quilts all the time, I'm raising my hand. Don't fret and think this is what I might  be expecting of my new friends participating in our CQA2014.  I'm not expecting anything other than participating and sharing a link to your blog when you comment. Your three stitches to concentrate on if you are a beginner are the Blanket Stitch, Chain Stitch and the Daisy Stitch .  That is all, I don't want you to get stressed about anything we are doing  here in this quilt along. Compare these two photos by going back and forth and seeing the difference from a beginner (BELOW PHOTO) and an experienced crazy quilter (ABOVE PHOTO) The photo below is from my winning quilt "Silver Linings Crazy Quilt...

I have more time than some, I'm dealing with pain on a fairly regular basis in a spontaneous kind of way. I listen to alot of blues music. I'm limited shall we say. My hubby is a one man band and I'm constantly listening to blue via You Tube videos. Its great! This is one that I like alot! <iframe width="853" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/kx1ffuDoy6I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe> Today I was telling my CAQ2014 new friends that crazy quilting for me was something that came from the soul. It fed me, just like water to a parched traveler would on a weary way. CQ has been a pleasurable ride with lots of learning curves along the way. Sometimes I get the  blues wishing things were different. Listening to so much blues has reminded me that I shall overcome! Some online bloggers have everything all organized down to the minute details of a blog posting. I don't. I am not so incli...

Pheuff!  We had the most wonderful Christmas with our family. We reserved a local lakefront cabin for our sons and girlfriends, we had such a great time and I received such enthusiasm from them about my blog! Its really nice to have this support and encouragement.  I'm hoping all of you are ready for a great 2014! I've so much on the go and in progress and the planning! Wow, even my husband is impressed with my planning abilities and I'm grateful to have a great hubby who takes my hand and leads me to an improved planner relationship with my work. And so in the planning is my recent decision to help out with the lovely Monika of My Sweet Prairie blog . Now if you haven't seen her work, you are in for an extraordinary look into a busy full time Mom and artist who portrays our Beautiful Canadian Prairies in thread! Things like this. So who are you? Canadian Fibre Bloggers are called to attention . We'd love to profile you, your work, your...

Hello readers, friends and followers from far and wide. This year I'm hosting a Crazy Quilt Along 2014. Its going to be an awesome fun time as I teach Basic Crazy Quilting for a group of quilters who signed up in early December of last year. I was slightly surprised by the immediate response of interested quilters. I have begun a 2015 waiting list, so leave me comment if you want to be involved with 2015. Crazy Quilting is not a process that I plan out, get busy on the sewing machine and have my quilt done in a few days!  My Purple Crazy Quilt took me several years to complete. Now that is not constant work on the same quilt. I get carpel tunnel syndrome if I don't pay attention to varying my activities. You may too, if  you don't take care of your fingers, hands and wrists. Machine embroidery enthusiasts might love to make crazy quilts on an embroidery machine. Like this rose I did with an embroidery machine on teh Smithers 2013 Centennial Qui...

Crazy stitching is really only a space in your head where you decide how you interpret the stitching along seams whether this is done by hand or machine. Check out the meandering zig zag stitch from my Janome or my Baby Lock machine to top stitch the strips over the sweater 5 inch squares. Its a crazy made quilt for sure. Crazy Quilts are very personal, they are your expression.  Crazy quilts in my opinion are not meant to be done with the traditional format we've seen in dozens of examples. In this blue crazy quilt for a baby is a good example of a crazy quilt made modern. Just as these following examples are. This pink, green, yellow and blue soft colours had had the finish embroidery work, beadwork comes later. Remember all of my projects between January 2014 and June 30 will be done without buying any new fabric. Its such a freeing process to simply use what you have! Join us and make the commitment to not buy any new fabric f...