Carli The Quilter

People are meant to share things and information. I think the most part some good educational information is my page Crazy Quilt Tutorial. I'm working on a new updated version of my Crazy Quilting Tutorial. I wrote a post on some of the various projects completed with upcycled cloth for clothing,bedding, sweaters etc back here and many of you may have tried to upcycle things around your home. Keep doing it. Hence, jeans to the rescue.  This article is a Canadian report on our wastefulness. We Canadians are just has bad as many countries with not being thoughful about what we buy and how soon we discard it. Mostly we seem to throw good clothing away into the landfill. Does this sound familiar?  I can't remember a time when I did not reuse or recycle into something completely different. I rarely discard items with life left in it. Not that I think I'm perfect, if something is beyond a good washing, then for sure, it goes into the garbage bin. But if you can...

I've in love with my new backyard. The summer here in Duncan, B.C. is lovely, ocean breezes ripple across the back deck with refreshing scents from the many flowers in bloom right now. The heat wave we had a few weeks ago, while a wee bit of a shock has gone and more normal temperatures have returned say the locals. 1. Its official, I love thrifting, mixing and blending in my clothes to fit my kinda crazy girl personality. And while this is not news to anyone who knows me, it is a new way of looking at what I can do with all my crazy scraps and snippets so small, its a wonder I waste the thread on them. This winter scarf stitched in my own version of Boro Stitching is a fun way to use up all sorts of scraps. Then came two blankets tuned up with more scraps and odd orphan blocks hand stitched onto two halves of one moving blanket, which were donated to the Muddy Boot Prints outdoor children's learning program in Vancouver. Thrifting and stitching a...

When I completely opened my mind to the possibilities of upcycling I was instantly in love. I have many items that once they were washed, they became too small. Just having fun is where it is at.  This started out as a t-shirt that was a a special t-shirt. You  know the one I like to wear working in the back yard or going camping. It had a statement on the front that had become stained from years of wear. And upcycling saved it from disposal. I added all sorts of lace, bits and pieces of new cotton and Voila! Thanks for popping in and reading what I'm up to these days. I am in springtime full on, with higher than normal hot days for this time of year. Leave me a comment and let me know if you'd like to read more about my journey of upcycling? Happy Quilting, sewing, stitching etc!

Phuef!  Easter is over and it was lovely to visit, eat and share our backyard with family and friends!  But I must admit, the gardening to be done has taken over my life, a wee bit. Its always a push in the spring time to get ready for planting. I had sort of forgotten about how fast weeds invade as soon as the spring warmth returned to the soil.  Without much in the way of freezing temperatures over the winter, I dreamed of the brocolli , kale, and tomatoes to  be grown in my new garden space, but its been kinda soggy here this spring I'd say! Our days have mostly been cloudy with just a rare glimpse or two of sunny skies. And its not so very different from the spring time in the Bulkley Valley of Northern B.C. minus snowy days of rough driving conditions and shoveling snow for sometimes 4-5 months.  And its quite lovely to be able to experience walking without ice. But quite frankly, we've lost the access to the backroads and wild parts o...

I upcycled all sorts of fabric into my "Beach House Crazy Quilt" and it was selected for the 2013 Quilt Market "Oh, Canada" exhibition in Houston and LA. When I began this blog back in 2007, I wanted to educate about reusing cloth, now called "Upcycling" of all types of fabrics that we didn't normally see in quilts. I love the to play with color, texture and style. But believe it or not, but in 2007, I struggled to have anyone see anything I wrote about upcycling and I did have to make the concession to including more new fabric. This gorgeous table runner sports Dresden Plates handmade from scraps of all ages of printing, some as far back as 1980. These scrappy Dresden Plates sit on a light blue background which is new organic 100% cotton while the backing is upcycled curtain material. Myrtle and I made matching bags from a pattern she purchased and it was so much fun! And so as you read this most auspicious post, start think...