Inspiration

Many years ago I learned to sew and fell in love with beautiful fabrics. Fabrics speak to me and inspire the process of combining colors and designs to create clothing, accessories, toys, and gifts.  Gift giving to family and friends led me to discover ways to bless the recipients with their favorite things for celebrations of births, birthdays, graduations, weddings, anniversaries, memorials, Holiday themes, and physical needs.Soon, response to my gifts led to people wanting to purchase my creations and I enjoyed creating custom items and developed 'Carol's Calico Country' as a hobby business to help with family financial needs.  Patchwork with so many different block designs fascinated me.  This led me to creating and designing quilts and joining "Loving Hands in All Seasons" Quilt Guild where I was challenged to learn new techniques and began entering Quilt Shows.  Next came entering Art Shows  and being inspired by nature's scenes. Scripture and other positive quotes expand my use of fabrics as 'paint' for my Wall and Table decor, and my reversible handbags. 

Techniques

To create my fabric art I use many ways of designing, cutting, piecing, sewing and embellishing to enhance the final product. These include hand embroidery, 3D machine applique, mostly machine quilting with some hand quilting. Graph paper and or computer programs like EQ5 or EQ6 help visualize my designs before cutting templates, patterns, motifs with scissors or rotary cutter & mat.  Mostly I use machine straight stitch for piecing.  Zigzag stitch is used for applique of raw edge pieces.  Using a zipper foot, I add zippers to pillow backs or add to pockets in reversible handbags. For quilting, I find a walking foot indispensable. Pattern books or magazines with instructions, mechanical drawing class at college, workshops at “Loving Hands in All Seasons” Quilt Guild and EQF Quilt Shows, Color Analysis training, and online tutorials have all instructed me on different techniques like paper-piecing, French seams (in pillowcases for no raw edges on inside seams) & “hot dog” method for stitching pillow cases, flat-fell seams for clothing. Basically, I use fabrics, buttons, threads, etc. to “Paint” my cmhCreations Art for wall decor, throw pillows, bed quilts, reversible table decor and handbags. 

career highlights

1974 “Touch of Whimsey” gift shop sold my Tote bags 

1977 Chatham Fair – First Prize & Grand Prize for 3-piece Appliqued Tote, Hat & matching apple patch set in blue denim lined with red apple print.  Tote was accented with hand embroidered apples under the tree, plus birds, stream and clouds. 

1978 Chatham Fair – First Prize & First Overall Grand Prize in needlework contest for Appliqued Infant’s Quilt showing a mountain scene Landscape with appliqued Apple Tree, Sailboat on lake and Deer on grass. 

March 1979 - Leesburg, Florida “Fun & Art Festival” Newspaper photo of ‘Carol’s Calico Country’ Booth 

1979  - Blue Ribbon for “Fruits of the Spirit” Quilt in Chatham, NY Fair’s Needlework contest sponsored by Columbia County Fruit Growers Women’s Committee

1982 - Color Analysis training through Britt World Wide 

November 2005 - Mayfield Central Presbyterian Church Annual Quilt Show - “Nathaniel’s Walk” Quilt displayed and a blue ribbon received 

2007 October @ Empire QuiltFest in Clifton Park, NY I displayed my Block of Month Quilt “January to December” – a tutorial of paper/  foundation piecing blocks 

2011 September newspaper picture and article about my quilt entries @ Gallery in Glens Falls, NY 

2012 - My response to damage of Irene tornado to Cranesville Reformed Church was donation of Quilt for raffle fundraiser            

2012 September - Newspaper article of display of 2 of my quilts at Art de Cure 

February 2014 – 8 of my large Quilts at Dance Flurry in Saratoga Springs, NY.  One of them, “Beach Party” 71” x 71” SOLD  

2014 Prize for my “NY 2014 Row by Row Experience” –  Given by ‘At Home Quilting’ of Johnstown, NY

 2016 - Kathy Kromrey commissioned me to create her “Adirondack Memories” Queen size quilt with 3 matching window valances 

2017 Heather Kilmer commissioned me to make her a quilt to replace her worn grey & white queen size bed quilt 

2017 October 5 -  donated Block of Month “Autumn Garden” quilt to Earth Missions for fundraiser 

2017 -  Donation of 2 quilts to Hospice Wave Riders for Camp Erin attendees  – a Children’s grief support program 

2019 December - Donated my “Sports Sudoku” to Hope Soars for raffle fund raiser for             Parkinson’s Disease

2021 - My “Falling Leaves” 3D wall quilt was accepted by Beyond My Battle to be included in their Oct 28 Art Show in Saratoga Springs, NY   

2022 Paul Nigra Center for Creative Arts invited me to be their Featured Artist at Their Quilt Show January – March 

In addition to all the above accomplishments, I have donated many of my quilts, banners, handbags and pillowcases for charity projects, such as Easter Seals, Sleep In Heavenly Peace, Operation Smiles and other charities through “Loving Hands in All Seasons" Quilt Guild.  My faith has led me to create Church banners, altar scarfs and clergy stoles, just to name a few. These accomplishments have blessed me with many requests for commissioned works.

I am grateful to sew with love to bless others.   ---  Carol