I am Carl

I consider myself a beginner sewist and quilter, having only owned a sewing machine for about 3 year. I’m self taught, and learned almost everything I know from the many hours I’ve watched YouTube videos on quilting techniques. I’m a big fan of Mister Domestic and his social conscience, Jenny Doan (Missouri Star Quilt Company), and Donna Jordan (Jordan Fabrics)–mostly because they make things seem doable and fun! I love Kaffe Fassett who to me is the Master of fabric and color. And I admire my friend Molli Sparkles for his modern work in color and design and his interesting blogs about quilting and life. 

I believe that every stitch I make, every fabric I select, ever hour I spend at my machine, makes me a better artist. Like many people, I was deterred as a child because I “couldn’t even draw a decent stick-figure”. With so many mediums for art, we do a disservice to kids when we tell them they won’t be good drawers or painters. Telling kids they won’t ever be good at things certainly helps them find their way to that untruth. Like all of us, I’m someone in transition. In my current and prior life, I am/was a long term oncology RN, researcher (with a PhD), book and journal author, consultant, public speaker, and a 20 year Army Officer. Sure, I could list all my wonderful degrees and life accomplishments, but in looking forward it all seems pertinent but also in the past. Yet, I feel my life moving away from a career and more towards time honing my craft. I feel I’ve come to sewing later and so I want to spend as much time doing that which makes me happy.

I’m proud of who I’ve been in life, for the patients with cancer I have cared for. Those patients often fondly work their way into my mind as I am sewing….I guess they make up the patchwork of who I have become in life. I want to spend the majority of the rest of my life being a husband, doggie dad, quilter, and world traveler. I feel I’ve come to sewing later and so I want to spend as much time doing that which makes me happy.

I love color! When I try to work on quilts that have less dramatic colors, I just feel bored…….so I set out to have pizzaz and brightness and a modern flair to my work. Like every quilter, I have good days and bad days! I have lovely quilts hanging on walls and others hiding in drawers. I try not to take myself to seriously…….

I have a dream of someday having an award winning quilt, a blue ribbon winner! The near perfect quilt that in that very moment pleases viewers eyes and touches. But until then, I also want to have fun along the way. I want these later years of my life to amount to something, to have something tangible that others can look at and have witness that I was actually here.

And so from one of my favorite Beyonce songs: “Leave something to remember, so they won’t forget! I was HERE!”