Carli The Quilter

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...

I tried  how to take an acrylic painting and put it directly into the quilt. This one to be exact. My poor little Janome was beside herself with my request. First the walking foot didn't like it under foot.  It stuck, snagged and generally didn't want to move with the the surface of the painting. I stopped. I pondered the consequences of loosing my machine. I didn't like that image in my mind. So then I trimmed this next painting that my friend Martha painted and is holding, to more the size of the block I needed. My trimming allowed the opportunity to play with the 'trimmings' from Alpine Al  block that Martha depicts in her acrylic painting. I tried placing voile between my walking foot and the surface of the painting strip. Its sputtered and created an uneven kind of gait in my machine. Then I noticed my needle. I was too aghast to grab a photo of it. I immediately realized my folly was not with the foot,, but rather I was gu...

  Sometimes I just get so excited by working with my hands, needle in hand, stitches patiently settling into their new home on my crazy quilt. I do use a machine occasionnally if I'm in big rush and the item is going to be washed numerous times. But the machine stitches doesn't give you the same feeling of meditation. The stitches slowly and proudly taking their place in my art. Recently, I found a beautiful crazy quilted piece on a Quilting Fiesta, where the work was so lovely, I asked if I could use her photo in one of my posts and this is the post. But first, lets take a snowy walk to my house and see the various crazy quilted pieces made and sold over the years. Such as this one above. Its now in a private collection here in the Northwest. Most of the lovely satin and brocade fabrics are straight from elegant clothing.  Beads, thread, wool and buttons adorn this piece, even my first attempt at 'rauching' I think its spelt like this. The little biege flowe...

Its quick and so handy for saving money and we all need to do that these days! Check out my new tutorial in the "Sewing/Quilting Tutorials" link to that page on my top bar. All the best, Carli