Carol Moellers joined the Island Batik Ambassador program in 2019 and we were incredibly happy when she applied for the 2020 season! Not only is Carol a talented quilter and pattern designer, but she also teaches piecing, machine appliqué, binding, and design classes. Her patterns have been featured in such publications, as McCall’s Quilting, Quilter’s Newsletter, Sew Iowa, and IQA Festival Newsletter.

Carol made her first quilt in 1982; she did not have a rotary cutter or mat and used cardboard cereal boxes! Fabric was very limited back then, too: lots of calico prints but not like today with all the fabulous array of colors. Nevertheless, she fell in love with quilting and her love has grown through the years!

Harvest Rose wall hanging, created for 2019 October Island Batik Ambassador challenge, Top It Off. Carol used the fabric from Island Batik Soil & Seeds collection by Kathy Engle, AccuQuilt cutter and dies, Aurifil thread and batting by Hobbs. To read more about the quilt, please visit: https://carolmoellersdesigns.com/2019/10/23/harvest-rose-october-top-it-off-island-batik-challenge.

For Carol, quilting started out as just a hobby, but with time it became much more than that: “For years I dreamed to enter in competitions like IQF and AQS. In 2009 I entered 5 quilts in the Iowa State Fair and all 5 won ribbons. I was awarded by American Patchwork and Quilting the Sweepstakes winner award. It was my first time at entering any thing that I did not even know what that was. I quickly learned from people in the industry that it was what some people call a “big deal”. I was encouraged to enter my quilt in some of the national and international shows. I made my dream happen in 2010 and entered my 25th wedding anniversary quilt in IQF. It was my very first time doing something like this. It was scary and a little intimidating but I had a great support group behind me. I was thrilled when I got the email that my quilt was juried into the show, but then about a month later I got a call that it had won an award. I started crying. I was thrilled to say the least. I went to the award ceremony and received my Honorable Mention award. I was on top of the world! This was the beginning of what I what I hoped that some day I would be able to do, turn my love for quilting into a business.”

Wheel of Fortune quilt, created for 2020 January Island Batik Ambassador challenge, Let’s Get Scrappy. Carol used a variety of Island Batik fabric, a needle by Schmetz Needles, Aurifil thread and batting by Hobbs. To read more about the quilt, please visit: https://carolmoellersdesigns.com/2020/01/26/lets-get-scrappy-lets-play-in-the-scrap-box.

As far as style goes, Carol likes both traditional and modern quilting: “I actually like to combine the two. I like to take the time treasured traditional shapes and add a spin to them. In my class, where I share with quilters how to take traditional block and make a modern style quilt, I teach them the principles and elements of design to understand the importance of value, shape, line, scale, and direction can have in the making of a quilt.”

Pythagoras quilt, created for 2020 February Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop. Carol used the fabric from Island Batik Sunset Blooms, designed for Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs by Kathy Engle, a needle by Schmetz Needles, Aurifil thread and batting by Hobbs. To read the full post, please visit: https://carolmoellersdesigns.com/2020/02/27/island-batik-log-cabin-blog-hop-meet-pythagoras.

Choosing the right color combination for a new quilt can seem intimidating to some, but not to Carol: “I love color! I go in phases, sometimes I like bright color, and sometimes I like soft colors. I choose my colors based on what I like and would make a quilt I have design glow with just the right color combinations. My favorite is to use tertiary colors on the color wheel. I feel that combining primary and secondary colors really gives a quilt interest and character. Using the color palette is so fun to play with! A quilt design can totally change simply by changing the colors.”

Strawberry Stars quilt, created for 2019 April Island Batik Ambassador challenge, Oh Baby, Let’s GO! Carol used a mix of Island Batik fabric, AccuQuilt cutter and dies, Aurifil thread and batting by Hobbs. To read more about the quilt, please visit: https://carolmoellersdesigns.com/2019/04/30/oh-baby-lets-go-april-2019-island-batik-challenge.

Carol takes classes each year to grow as a quilter and designer. One of her favorite methods is paper piecing: “There are so many possibilities to create designs with paper piecing! I love the accuracy that paper piecing offers. The more pieces in a quilt the more fun I have! I also like to mix appliqué and piecing together. I do invisible machine appliqué: if done right, it is hard to tell the difference from doing it the traditional needle-turn way. I prepare my appliqué using a turned edge method, but then I stitch it on using the sewing machine. The secret is in the way you stitch it to the top that makes this a favorite technique, and I like to use it when I add appliqué to my quilts. I am recently developing a fondness for English paper piecing. I have a method for doing this by machine, which makes doing English paper piecing quick and easy!”

Make sure to follow Carol on social media and subscribe to her blog for inspiration and quilty fun!

Facebook: Carol Moellers

Instagram: @carolmoellers

Website: Carol Moellers Designs

2020 Island Batik Ambassadors on our website: https://islandbatik.com/2020-ambassadors/