Improv Map Challenge

Its clear I love a challenge, which is evident in the diverse array of quilts I've made so far. I have trudged on through mud and flowers in my quilts.

But as quickly as this challenge took a great leap in my head, I stitched away with a picture in my mind, but life got in the way of it and now, its gone into a treaded bin! Its not working for me, the flow is gone and so I was wasting a bit of time reading other blogs and I read through Kaja's long post that made me think.

Maybe that is my problem, I'm over thinking this thing. You know we all do that sometimes. And while my spare time for any quilting it hitting an all time low, I am peristant!

Kaja's flow is interesting where she gathers fabric together in color selections that appeal to her. It doesn't mean anything at the beginning she says, but then the muse visits and voila! But her process of restacking, adjusting to make bundles of colors, prints and solids all in one batch that really caught my eye.

Could I do that and begin again on Maps Challenge?

 Of course, this is not high school where the school marm is going to ring up my Mother and complain about Caroline's high strung temper tantrums in class. If I can land a fish 37 lbs from the Bulkley River all by myself, I can start again, and do I did.

This selection of green fabrics represent the treed landscape I live in. The grey prints represent highways. Its a new beginning for me and who knows where this one will go either?

But that is really the fun of it all, isn't it to stumble and get back on trail again!

Please visit this challenge over at 

Anyway, off to play with fabric!

Klassen Forest Fire Quilt Progress

From time to time we meet new quilters from across the globe. Sometimes, its at a retreast and sometimes at shows, but I've had the good fortune to meet all sorts of new quilters by participating in Benita's Quilters Meet and Greet.

For some of you, the link didn't work, so I'm including the same link above to visit ALL the fabulous quilters who have joined Benita to officially launch Benita new blog. Please do pop over and see the enormous amount of interesting things that Benita's Membership offers and to enter her One Huge Prize.

Now, moving along to my Klassen Forest Fire Quilt. I've come down with a back attack that has convinced me that I can only do the free motion quilt as you go method. So I have cut up the entire quilt seen  below into blocks.

I know what caused this back attack. I had a wee visit from vertigo which needed the Epley Manuever done to me to stop the vertigo. In fact, while on the table getting the manuever done, the table was slippery and I struggled to get my body turned over.

Anyway, a weekend using a cane hobbling around like an old lady is enough for me to completely go a different direction-QAYGO block construction. This gives me the right size blocks to work on each individually.

I'm sure you are aware of QAYG method and this is where I re-start this project.

A back attack will not keep me from meeting my goals of completing this quilt as soon as possible.

Up next is one of my long time favorites Mexa-Cali Heat Round Robin Quilt that is almost done. Border plan has been drafted and is ready to start cutting and piecing.

Thanks for dropping by to my humble abode!

Forest Fire Quilts Project

Hello again to all quilters and welcome to new quilters reading my post for the first time here at Good Earth Quilting. 

Its not winter yet, thankfully, but this photo is one that I'm sharing to show the loss these two folks have suffered at the long handed flames of forest fires in B.C. this summer. This home and barns took a lifetime to build and these two are now grand-parents, but still pioneers.

But the loss to a forest fire is so devastating and must be crushing for our friends.

This summer has been hot and firey, with so many forest fires, the province is still in a declared "State of Emergency" across the whole province. We can help in some small way, maybe a quilt will help to heal the loss.

Sadly, my hubby and I learned just a few days ago of the loss to our friends' home and barns in Telegraph Creek seen behind our friends who live a rugged life in the remote community of Telegraph Creek.

We have know each other for eons it seems and we are so very sad to learn of their loss. My husband was Best Man at their wedding and we've shared food, shelter and fun over 5 decades. Their daughter and family also lost their home too. They have found refuge in the Interior of B.C.

This quilt top is becoming their new quilt.

This quilt is one top with many stories. First made for a project that went unfinished, it was given to another group who later gave it back to me with hopes of finding a good use for it. 

For John and Jenny, I intend to make it larger with borders of hand pieced log cabin blocks as seen. It will be in the process for a few more weeks still.

Perhaps you have a top or two that can be donated to this good cause? 

Contact me if you can participate and pay to ship the finished quilt to the address I'm waiting for as I write this post. 

But with phone lines and broadband internet down as well, it could take some time to confirm this address, as I'm not convinced mail service is getting to this community yet?

email me at carli the quilter at gmail dot com

Changing topics a wee bit. If you are new to my work, the mountain peice below was part of the 2013 Smithers Centennial Quilt which is in the care of Town of Smithers. I was part of a team of talented people who are listed in an additional post.(Links below)

While this summer our province is more like a swirling sun from Susan Carlson's art book than the green gem forest of the Pacific Ocean of Canada. Recently relocated to permanent life on Vancouver Island I look forward to teaching workshops at guilds and groups who love hand stitching and upcycling!

So the first thing about me is that I love to be outdoors, preferably walking in the forest, I love the west coast and the beautiful mountain and shoreline trails.

I fell in love with thread painting in 2016, planning on doing more of this technique!

Camping and fishing is my hobby second ONLY to stitching. I am a prolific hand stitcher and slowly able to spare time for my blog and writing of my experiences of upcycling in all its forms.

 But you know how that goes, you make an error and suddenly you have a new improv quilt. When I first started making my wee baby quilts in 1980's, I had not heard of Improv Quilts. But I happily made quilts and clothing for my two wee babies from all sorts of adult sized clothing.

Hey do you have an instagram account? Follow me: carlithequilter

I raise my defiant hand and say its never too late to learn a new way of doing things. Its my firm belief that longevity is connected to being passionate about something, anything, that and good healthy lifestyle!

The other thing about me as a quilter is I'm constantly striving, learning, evaluating, writing and sewing by hand and machine. I rarely watch TV without a hand project on the go. 365 Circles kept my hands nimble for months. And I enjoy the work of others who share my love of quilting, upcycling, designing and pattern making.

I have a fun project coming with these circles as I have made way too many to use in one quilt.

This year, I returned to my high school days making my own clothing, embroidering classmates jeans for income and writing poetry. Upcycling my own clothing has become a staple in my sewing room and in my handwork basket.

Upcycled Denim from numerous upcycled jeans going into this gifted wedding present for my nephew and is bride.

The top in progress above is one of my Improv Quilts started last year. I may incorporate it into my Map Challenge that I'm also participating with this year over at AHIQ Improvisational Quilts.

And I'm really delighted to introduce a newcomer to blogging, Benita of Victoriana Quilt Designs.

But not a new comer to quilting! Benita hails from Eastern Canada, she lives remotely area off grid. You will be heartily surprised and happy you've visited her full site for sure, so read to the end and leave me a comment, then pop back and visit her new blogging site at: Benita Skinner's Creative Space

Plus, as a blogger participating with Quilters Meet and Greet, I am one who will most certainly visit all the other participating quilter blogs and ENTER to win her most awesome ONE HUGE GRAND PRIZE.

The winner will be chosen October 1st. Follow Benita's Blog to learn all about her pattern business, tips on quilting, great easy quilt backing layouts for beginners.

Happy Labour Day Weekend to those in Canada and U.S.A!

Links below:

Telegraph Creek
2013 Smithers Centennial Quilt

Upcycled Fashions Are for Everyone!

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 do something with it, then do it before your throw it away.

Pinterest has 1160 examples of things to do with denim.

I have been invited to a challenge and before I forget about it, I wanted to just put this out to you. This wonderful and odd tree has a name like co-dominent, but I'm seeing a map. Trees are something I love and my husband being an Arborist loves trees.

I believe this could be where my mind goes with the idea of challenge around maps.

I see more young people making use of recycled this and that. And occassionally a beautiful woman can be seen at a festival wearing her very own creation dancing in evening air.

 I just love reliving my own hippy chick lifestyle again. Now 4 decades down the road, it fills me with the free spirit of the 1970's.

What do you upcycle? I see that some of you are using the odd item in some of your quilts, I can tell it from the photos even if you don't mention it in your post. Old fabric found at a thrift store years ago is still upcycling to me. Fabric derived from clothing is a great way to remake clothing, but sometimes the fabric is just not suitable for quilting. But that could be a statement disputed by many I'm sure.

My king size quilt is almost ready for sandwiching from the upcycled cotton snippets as seen above.

Last summer, I made a wedding present from denim jeans.

And another crazy quilt is in the works again as seen below. Most of my quilts contain a high degree of upcycled cotton in all of them. I don't need to do this. I can afford even the high prices of new cotton, but its the principle! Everytime, you buy something new, a tonne of chemicals were used in the growing of the cotton, the transportation to off shore manufacturing is loads of energy and then the colors and dyes used are not enviro-friendly.

Just to be clear, I count myself in all of us, who love 100% cotton and buy new cotton. 

So my new way of doing things is in upcycling clothing bits into quilts so that I don't have to throw it out or give to someone else's thrift shop.

This rust colored crazy quilt is coming along to a finish.

But the majority of my quilting has been inside the clothing upcycling fashion explosion that is really happening.

This a short summer dress that has become a favorite, its made from a Hawaiian shirt with batik rayon skirt.

And you may remember this winter dress that is going to be a daily favorite, the Purple Dress. I used a flannel shirt, velvet and satin, appliqued orphan blocks and eyelet ruffle at the bottom. The front botton area are two ties upcycled and all.

Below this dress has been named Gypsy Dress. Joyce named it right away and I think it fits.

 This Gypsy dress combined all sorts of fabrics from many different dresses and tops. Loads of hand embroidery, rick rack and peicing bits as well.

It all started with a black top that was too stiff and hot to wear. While this is still more lightweight, its more of a fall garment now.

Back to t-shirts as in this blue plain shirt below.

This t-shirt that was just too frumpy. I big bag and I added darts and another border area that is more attractive than what I started with. Linen and 100% cotton chunks upcycled in.

This white linen top became a much nice dress. This linen top has been used by me for at least a full decade. It had become stained permanently on parts of the front and needed a full on re-do. I love ruffled layered skirts as you can see?

 The top above is a lovely cool top now. The cream print is rayon/cotton blend, drapes really nice, but I didn't care about the size. I bought it for 50 cents at the thrift shop.

I must be a 'back thing' today. I am a bashful model and my friend Joyce is so goo at it. Sorry Joyce, I didn't get time to do any editing of these photos, but you get the drift anyway.

How Do You Upcycle Fashions?

Adding, improving and doing all the things that we quilters do. Sewing at its basic level is so much fun! If the item is too tight, add in some side treatments to it. Its not for the faint of heart. If you can't bear to take some scissors to the item, then perhaps go slowly and breathe calmly don't go there at all.

Sometimes, its a bottom border added or side treatments or shortening it and adding applique to it.

And I'm writing this today as we  do some last minute repairs to our camper and then its off adventuring around Vancouver Island. Then we're off to camping.

@carlithequilter on Instagram.

This is me posed outside at my son's home in Victoria.

I have some ideas on how to upcycle this top. 

Take care and see you soon!

New Directions from Past Paths