Carli The Quilter

   In the fall of 2011, I completed my first real pattern, tested with two versions and two suggested layouts. I am so fortunate that a pattern of my own creation was chosen for inclusion in western Canada's magazine Quilters Connection . winter issue. Heather Macauther, publisher is an awesome entrepreneur and loves my work too! I've designed all sorts of patterns that I make for myself, friends and family. If you'd like to join in an upcoming Snow Town Folk quilt along, just email me directly at carli the quilter (at) gmail (dot) com This pattern was inspired by the many types of head wear I see in the winter months while ice fishing with my husband.  Ice fishers are a special kind of fisher in my opinion. They are special because they brave the cold temperatures, lug all kinds of gear miles down a lake, sometimes they have a shelter, but most times they are simply after the experience and the fresh wild fish in the winter months!  Salmon, the main fis...

I stand with my hands on my hips, the garden is in and organized, the sun shone all around me, as I listened to the sweet sound of songbirds.  1. I'm hand quilting a king size quilt, with a deadline of June 30 to add it into the local quilt show! As of today, I've still got three borders and two corners to go. I started in late December 2011. 2. As the leader of the pack of artists who have rallied around making a once in a lifetime quilt, the deadline for all the artists to have their block handed in to me is June 30th also!  I'm not showing the blocks yet, just the one I'm making and this is it. Its a bust of Sir Alfred Smithers who our  main town of Smithers is named after. He was in the employ of Grand Trunk Railway and assisted in the completion of the railroad which helped promote the growth and development of Smithers in the Northwest BC region. For more information, you can visit our local http://bvmuseum.com/  I'm not a 100% happy wit...

How does one find the time to do everything in life? The "girls" don't seem have a problem with this. They are just as happy to dust in organic soil and carry on with their life! I'm thinking they are right! About 2 months ago, our neighbors took a 4 week vacation to Australia. I was asked if I could watch over their house and take care of their two cats, Hecate and Seven. I'm sorry I don't have a photo of these two cats because they are slightly photo shy and run everywhere. But I can share with you, my lovely Cloe, who was a stray and now resides with us! I have a special interest in Australia! I've always wanted to travel there, maybe even live there for a while, but alas, Australia has escaped me. I read several blogs that originate from the sandy shores or hot baked dry parts of Australia and thought this was perhaps the best time to say 'Hello from Canada" The first one is www.littleecofootprints.com where mo...

 In 1997 I began thinking about writing a book. By this time I'd had so many interesting experiences with quilting with recycled cotton harvested from shirts and dresses, I'd become quite good at it! This little pillow above is one and you can see the beginnings of a modern quilter with all that abstract negative space. But that darned addiction of mine to crazy quilting began sending me off in all directions! But still my need to express myself with different ideas about quilting took me back and forth for the most of the last decade! OMG I'm dating myself, but oh so what, anyone can find me on Google if they really have a burning desire to know more about me. My desire to express innovative ways to reuse kept me on track for becoming a modern quilter. I didn't even know what a blog was in 2003 when this Butterfly Ring took shape on a scrap of graph paper. I was deep into learning about blogs when in the summer of 2008, our little hamlet had two dev...

Hi ladies, wow, this year has taken off like a gunshot!! Not to say that I'm a gun user, well, just for those varmint types who go after my chickens! Anyway, you get the idea. I'm sure that your year is turning out to be as busy as mine. When I attended the Quilters Connection Magazine Retreat in Maple Ridge last year.  http://quiltersconnection.ca/ I met some wild and wonderful women, quilters, crafters and I recommend this retreat to anyone! Heather, publisher of the magazine has worked  hard to make it an awesome retreat. Below is a fine example of free motion quilting.  This photo doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea if you look real close!  This critter quilt is done my good friend Sally from Hope and it is so cute and cuddly. You wont' mind the critters at all. I don't know if this is her own design .  Now, why I bring this us is because I've taken on the most wonderful mega project with 11 other fine talented artists I can...

Ok, I admit it, I was slightly distracted the past week and I missed posting at least one new post each week. But I had good reason! Our northern temperatures dipped wayyyyyyy down to -38 C and I was back and forth between the barns and the house all week! It was so cold, I couldn't just grab any old  jacket and check the chickens! I had to have: all over my face touque, with drawstring for the tiny opening so I can see then another touque over that my serious ice fishing insulated pants two sweaters under my big yard coat my double thickness work mits my two puffs on my puffer before I go outside at these temperatures So now, you can see why I was a little distracted. I had rest up in between just to do the next shift! But thankfully I'm able to report that we are back to normal winter temperature of -10 C so all I'm back to posting!  While it was so darn cold that going outside was an ordeal, I started into my favorite Quilt Mania magazines. Sure e...

Wow, the previous post on this "Summer on the Range" Quilt Along is a very popula. I am so pleased and honored that so many of you want to participate. This is what you need to get prepared! Decide on a group of reused fabrics, new fabrics and these don't all have to be 100% cotton? I often don't stick to using only cotton. What I do is to sit down in front of my various stash shelves and squint my eyes. I see what blends in and disappears, what stands out and what is a group of colors that you really like AND you wouldn't normally place these colors together. This quilt is going to take you out of your comfort zone. Take a deep breath and keep breathing! You'll do fine, the way I love to blend fabrics is all about that, taking a few risks! Decide on what size of quilt you want to make? Decide if this is for someone else or for you? Decide on what size of a Dresden Plate you want to make? http://goodearthquilting.blogspot.ca/2012/02/carl...

Over the holidays, I read through various quilting magazines as I usually do when kicking back and sipping tea while the snow falls outside. It hit me like a ton of bricks, I was left with a profound feeling of the "sameness" in each magazine.  For a look at some awesome new patterns from my friend Laurraine, click the link below. http://patchworkpottery.blogspot.com/ The sameness I speak of is the constant over use of single collections in each pattern. Do you know what I mean? I see this as "homogenization" in our global quilting arts community. But do we all want to be the same, look the same, feel the same and behave the same way? I dare say that we don't want that. I recommend creating without a pattern. I'm writing several tutorials and individual posts on creating without a pattern for future posts, stay tuned! Lets start at the beginning shall we. Making quilts began with simple tools. How do you do that? You can...