Carli The Quilter

Hi and welcome to my blog! If you want to start right now making a crazy quilt block use my tutorial link below. Crazy Quilt Piecing Tutorial No planning or real decisions should go into making a crazy quilt block. This is of course my opinion and each one of us makes different choices along the way, I just plunk down prints or plain fabric scraps that appeal to me, onto any sized foundation fabric and I get busy. Its important to have less bulk when machine embroiderying or using a regular sewing machine to do some fancy stitches along the seams. Once your original crazy pieced block is finished to your liking, then I pull fabrics to place around the block to proceed with finishing. At this point its just like you are finishing a regular quilt block or top. I usually try to make the border big enough that the center block is nicely framed. This alternate color print is too much for this block, it loses its loveliness in the busy print as seen be...

My Maps Challenge over at AHIQ is coming along, but with a significant twist. I've lost all track of time and I've missed this area of focus on the AHIQ site. The Spring Block  From here I was thinking trails and roadways that intersect with treed landscapes. I like the way that these look like birch trees, but they left me kinda of flat and my excitement of these blocks left me.  I was left with trying to interpret the vision I had in my head again and again. I failed again and again in my color pallet. I struggled and like many of you, when the struggle became a chore, it had to go! Reminder to my readers that I take the choice of not buying new fabric seriously.  So this means that for me, I must make use of the prints, textures and colors I have in my stash. Its insanely presumptious of myself to think that continued buying of new fabric somehow didn't affect the world's pollution. It does in a minute way, but I'm still guilty of consuming,...

Hi everyone, Its good to be back to the sewing room after a busy summer. I am working on a long time project and determined to get it finished before the coldest part of our rainy winter in Duncan begins. I am making little crazy stitched blocks for a future slow stitching project. I must admit I've been slightly distracted this last year with ailments etc, that thank goodness I had some crazy blocks to embellish and my ankle is finalling healing.  I'm able to start doing more walking, tendon injuries really do take a long time to heal. Embellishing your Quilts Embellishment doesn't have to be going out and buying more stuff! Really people, I find the best embellishments are the fun stuff that fall into your lap and you wrinkle you brow and go wtf, could it work?  As you may know, I am not a wall flower type of personality. I will jump in and try out stuff that may not have been tried before and why not, just because I can. Its my therapy t...

Our vacation began with a ferry ride when you live on island. My hubby and I had a bucket list of sorts for this trip. He grew up in Winnipeg. So he had some sweet places that still exist and don't show up these photos. They are private to he and I. The photo above gives you an idea of the depth of some of the canyons passing through the Duffy Lake highway into Lillioet, B.C. It was our first stop. We travelled east along parts of Trans Canada Highway, but spent time mostly going back roads, seeing country new to our eyes. Having grown up and lived all my life in British Columbia, its no secret that B.C. is in my blood. The Canadian Rockies spell beauty of unimaginable scenes of mountains, valley's and interesting rock formations like the Shale Rock. Alberta was a busy section and we scurried into Saskatchewan heading for Grasslands National Park . This was poor planning on our part that we didn't know the way through the park is on a road tour tha...

I have a big front window in my home that faces south east. Its a big window that allow sunshine and heat of summer sunshine to over heat my home. Its got some blinds on it that don't appear to be working properly.  In an effort to save the cost to our budget for air conditioning, I strongly voted for window quilts. Our window is a bay window and thus, its a little complicated because of this, but none the less, its got a window quilt now. This is not the first time, a quilt found a home for the summer over top of a window. But this time, its staying up until it cools off. Its been a God Send new item in our living room. It has allowed us to live quite nicely without air conditioning or the cost. This quilt was a purchased second hand manufactured quilt that was king size and it was so densely machine quilted that it was way too warm for our climate. But for a sun block this quilt opened my eyes to what can be done to upcycle manufactured quilts.  I had several...

Last year I turned my attention to upcycling some favorite fashions into new upcycled garment.  Little did I know that you would spark a return to my high school days of sewing my clothing again. Its a little known fact that in my teens I made money not from baby sitting but rather embroidering classmates jeans with peace signs and flowers. This is what happens to stitch crazy people, they adapt and go all sorts of new and wonderful places. Just like this, I saw some fashions on the runway in Paris on my cell phone Instagram account and went, 'wait a minute, this is not new to those of us who grew up in the 60's and 70's, we were already reusing clothing into new clothing, into cushions and rugs, but back then, people thought we were crazy high on pot as most adults of that time, thought everyone under the age of 30 smoked something and this explained those reusing ideas to spawn in your head, you know the ones you might get if you were so inclined.  I...