Mind of Color

Create Whimsy shares stories of makers. On their website we can learn about creative journeys, inspirations and more! In November 2025 Lynn, the owner, approached me and this is the article she published after asking me some interesting questions! Spotlight: Carly Mul, Freestyle Color Collage Quilter Art Quilts Spotlight by Create Whimsy From growing up surrounded by fabric in her parents’ clothing shops in the Netherlands to creating bold, joyful textile collages, Carly Mul’s journey with color and cloth feels meant to be. With a lawyer’s precision and an artist’s intuition, she’s developed her own freestyle approach to collage quilting—one where the fabrics seem to lead the way. Tell us how your story with fabric began. Where did you first fall in love with textiles? I am the daughter of clothing retailing parents who had thriving businesses in The Netherlands. My grandfather was a tailor. As a child, I had to work in my parents’ shops, especially cleaning up. I loved putting shirts in color order. My crib was in fabrics! I actually considered taking over the business, but my husband was totally not interested. Since law gave me plenty of other opportunities that I liked as well, I thought I was done with fabrics… how life can change! What did you do before quilting, and how did that time shape who you are as an artist now? I am a (Dutch) lawyer by education and that has formed my thinking! I look for balance, reasonable solutions. I think in methods and in creativity at the same time. I like details and big lines and I think that is what law has taught me When you were young, what kinds of art or play did you do that feel related to your work today? I could not draw. My “people” were terrible. I improved my grade to a B by scribbling lines and filling the spaces up with color. I could do that very well! I did that in Kindergarten. Now doing the same with fabrics! Can you describe the first quilt or fabric piece that made you think, “I want to keep doing this”? I saw the quilts exhibition for the Atlanta Olympics in1996 and was intrigued by the kindness of the quiltmakers. It sounded like a nice community. After that I looked for a class in Roswell GA. This was a traditional sampler class. I never looked back. How would you describe your relationship with color in one sentence? Color is my joy and therapy! What made you decide to write Freestyle Color Collage Quilting ? As a teacher in Houston, I was walking around at Houston Market with my class quilt in my arms. A recruiter from Fox Chapel asked me if I could write a book. I said: ”maybe I can” . That same night, she sent me a lengthy email about book writing. I started with the attitude of “Why not? Let’s give it a try”. Writing comes easily to me. I have taught the class often, so I knew what to say. I enjoyed writing the book and was done with it more or less in 2 months. I didn’t like photographing the book, which was much more work! How do you choose which colors go together when you’re building a collage? Any simple rules you use? First of all, all colors can go together. There is not an impossible color combination. I make different kinds of collages: When it is a true freestyle color collage (like Abundance and Bouquet), I only have a few colors in mind. After that, the fabric decides which colors are going to be added. That sounds weird, but in my technique, it is a matter of closely looking at fabric to see which colors get introduced by a piece already used. If it is a more designed collage (like Alzheimer’s or Rooted in color) I have a concept of design in my head. The advantage of working with Lite Steam a Seam 2 is that you can reposition everything. That means you can try things. If I don’t like it, I move it somewhere else. There is an incredible sense of freedom in my collage and more than once the fabrics is making me something much better than my mind was planning. Do you plan designs first or let them evolve as you add fabrics? Which feels more like you? As said: Both ways and sometimes a mix. I definitely communicate with my fabrics and try to “listen” to what it is telling me. Describe your creative space. I have the most fantastic studio in the basement of my house. It is about 2000 sq. ft. and it has everything I want. I have the big cutting table and checkout table from my shop. I knew long before I sold my shop that I was going to take good care of myself and bought the last years in business everything I remotely wanted to have. Now I have all the thread lines I can imagine, scissors, needles, rulers etc. The only thing I still need to buy is fusible, but because I have started collagefabric.com , I can still order that at a wholesale level. What’s your approach to using “ugly” or unexpected fabrics in a collage? I actually don’t believe there are ugly fabrics. There are ugly-designed fabrics and ugly quality fabrics...Ugly quality fabrics I won’t use, but when I don’t like a design, I cut it smaller and smaller until only color is left. I like colors that are a mix of colors. I find them more interesting. I don’t care for primary colors. They are too much in my face. I do work with them, because I think it is good for me to work with all colors and I also know that many people just love those the most. How do you decide when a quilt is finished? Is there a feeling or a visual clue you look for? A quilt is finished when I run out of background material or collage material. It is much, much harder to make a larger size collage. I consider my quilts large as they are usually 40-45″, compared to what most people do (under 20″). In a larger collage one has to think about tension, balance, function of repeat of colors etc. Often a quilt is ready because I have another idea in mind for the next one….It takes me about 3 weeks to make a quilt top and then another 4 weeks to quilt it (I only quilt in natural light between 10 am – 3 pm). How has owning a fabric shop and working with fabrics for years changed how you choose textiles now? I know the fabric industry very well and I am still buying fabrics that excite me. I don’t think my taste has changed over the years. I like detail in colors, small steps in color changes. Big lines in colors! I love unusual colors and color combinations, but I know that that is the exception. When I make a work, I try to switch between (me) pleasing colors and not-so-pleasing colors. Most of the time I make a quilt for myself only, but I sometimes on purpose, try to make something that appeals to more people. Especially for classes. Tell us about a piece that taught you the most. What did you learn and how did it change your work? Gypsy Wife, now called The Wanderer by Jen Kingwell . Up to that quilt, I didn’t know any better than making the same blocks for a quilt. That quilt taught me that you can have really different blocks in a quilt. Exciting. Laura Heine’s pattern Lulu came out in 2014. I saw it at Market and made a shop sample. That pattern introduced me to collage. By now, I have made so many animals, flowers, photos that I am a little bit done with objects. That’s how freestyle color collage came to life. I think colors are powerful enough by themselves to tell a story. No object is needed, at least not for me. What role does improvisation play in your making? How do you keep it from feeling chaotic? All my quilts are improvisated. I don’t like to make someone else’s work, it feels like I copy someone and I have no desire to do that. Making lines in color brings some order to a work to begin with, but I have made quilts that felt too chaotic ,and I didn’t finish them. Those quilts have slowly dissolved by using the fabrics again another time. I often have to “tighten” a collage up. In the process of making the lines, the lines are too swirly or too thin. I rearrange the fabrics and make fuller sections. What’s one piece of advice for someone afraid to use bold color? Don’t use it. You don’t have to use anything. Work with what pleases you. Fantastic pieces can be created with colors that are not bold at all. There are already so many bold pieces… looking forward to meeting your not-so-bold one! Where can people see your work? They can see my work on my website, in my book, at guild classes and sometimes at shows. Carly’s website: https://www.carlymul.com/ Interview posted November 2025. Browse through more art quilt inspiration on Create Whimsy.

My concerns have been realized. The Houston market, organized by Quilts Inc. is no longer a winner. The fight with H+H Americas is on and the gloves have been taken off. I'm sorry to say, as Houston has a dear spot in my heart. People value my blog as it is my honest opinion. I am not in this sugar coating business that way too many have done for a long time. There are still people saying on social media that market was great, including companies that had much less business than other years. No, it wasn't great. It was bad, very bad. That doesn't mean I didn't have a good time seeing and talking to some wonderful people. There are many beautiful fabrics, the fact is this was the worst market we have seen in the last 25 years. How I wish I could write something else! Why was it so bad? Because many companies didn't come and even more shops stayed away. The place was empty, no line at Starbucks.... H+H had a very successful Spring show and is, step by step, sucking the energy out of Quilts Inc.'s Houston. Quilts Inc. is trying to stay relative by adding a Spring show again in 2026 (in St.Louis, Missouri), but it will be too late. If Houston is having trouble finding vendors, a Spring show for sure will not do it. I have serious doubts that show is even going to happen. Lack of vendors, lack of attendees, I am sorry to say. Let's not dig the hole deeper, because it is a financial loss for too many. Many smaller companies told me they couldn't afford a return. Market was a big loss for them. We don't have to fool ourselves. Before Covid the Spring show of Quilts Inc. was mediocre at best. The discussion "do we need two shows per year'" is at least 15 years old and has nothing to do with Covid. Covid stopped shows, but Covid is now a long time behind us and no longer an excuse. H+H started with other crafts and really added fabrics just these last two years. It grew after Covid. Maybe we just want something new? Is H&H new? Yes, the coat is different, but the presentation of fabric is still the presentation of fabric. Networking can be done anywhere people are willing to go. What is it? I don't know. If I would know, my phone would be ringing, lol. I think there is a lot of marketing sauce happening, but I wonder how that will lead to better sales in shops from coast to coast. I probably have too much common sense. I don't think any Market can make a shop successful. It is the owner that makes decisions and a strong owner can learn from others and is informed, but is a capable, visionary professional in her/his shop on his/his own. Next Spring, H+H will add a retail show to its market. A festival so to say, complete with teachers and classes (all Houston teachers got an invitation to apply.) The gloves are off indeed. I wrote about H+H before and mentioned Andover and FreeSpirit. Both has successful presentations in Chicago in May and especially Andover had packed out with a much better booth than usual. It got rewarded for this. These two companies didn't show up for Market this Fall in Houston. Clearly one Market per year is enough and for these two it is H+H. Who could have thought that a few years ago? Houston was without any doubt The Show! They were not the only ones missing: Robert Kaufman was absent as were all the other smaller Javtex companies. None of their designers were present, except Sew Kind of Wonderful, but they were also doing Festival. They are one of those that mix retail and wholesale together, a phenomenon that is also something from the last years. Robert Kaufman has just moved its warehouse from CA to TN so maybe it makes sense they had no time to prepare a show. They also lost Elizabeth Hartman and Shannon who moved over to Moda. Pattern companies had already decided a few years ago that they can't attend Market any longer. The cost is simply too high and Houston is very expensive. By the way: entrance to H+H was free for shops. Entrance to Houston was $60.00, before adding any additional classes. Houston is in every way expensive, parking alone for vendors really adds to the cost. When companies decide to stay away, the entire value of the show decreases: the show doesn't give the complete oversight any longer. With the absence of the most trendy companies, there was a lot of "farmhouse" style in Houston. I am not sure where all the houses are that still get decorated with that style... it is an innocent, naief sweet look, with a nostalgic flavor of the fifties. It's not what is happening on social media, Quilt Con. It is also not happening at the Houston show, where a complete different level of quilting was visible. When walking from the fantastic quilts of the show into market, you could see and even feel how mediocre market was. There was so little inspiration and most seem for beginners. FreeSpirit and Andover are not tiny little fabric companies. They are respected companies in the industry and their decision will echo for a while. Last year, Tula Pink, designing for FreeSpirit, opened Quilt Market with the celebration of her 50th collection. It was a big deal. This year, Tula Pink wasn't even at Market! I don't know, but that doesn't feel good. It is just too drastic for me. Now that they have taken this step more will follow next year...and so the slide continues. It is a negative spiral. I think everyone felt super concerned for next year, when the date (right before Thanksgiving) is also very difficult. I don't think there is any reason for a company to go to this kind of Houston Market and shops can save time and money as well. I myself went one day later as 1.5 day is plenty of time (for me H+H in 1 day was also more than enough, as I don't care for any of the other crafts) FreeSpirit was aggressively celebrating 95 year in business on social media. Four years ago everyone was so happy to see each other at Market... and now they celebrated it all by themselves far away from Houston. Sad. Moda celebrated 50 years at Market. Moda is Texas and Moda is consistently present at every show in a solid way and I applaud them for this. A big player in the quilt industry, Moda always presents itself and the art of quilting in a positive way. Kind, fun, creative, even a drone show! Moda's booth was upbeat with ribbons, such a clever and creative idea, also for shops to use at home. Moda is indeed a true leader for the entire industry. The designers are actively engaging with customers. There is laughing, they are having a good time. Only the sales reps sit, while writing orders. Everyone else is in action. Many other (not all!) booths have no idea how passive they look. People are sitting behind a table looking at their cell phones... not attractive. If they do this at H+H, no improvement is to be expected or even deserved. So it wasn't only fabric companies that stayed away. Shops were also absent. Shops don't care for Houston at the moment. They don't get out of it what they are looking for. Is H+H giving it to them? Or are we so used to social media now that we can do it without any show? I think I could but I love seeing companies and I did get better deals because I placed orders at Market! There were market specials: spinning the wheel with Northcott gave me a free bolt of extra wide fabric - thank you, Northcott! - and I think I negotiated with Windham for extra discount + free shipping for a large collection. I would not get that placing the order online. Personal relations matter in business and that is maybe the most important part of any market, no matter where it is being held. Sample Spree at Market was always such a hit. Moda's fat quarter bundles have always been "attacked" by greedy customers and the tables were always empty within 15-20 minutes. This year, after 1.5 hour Moda was still not sold out and I saw the bundles showing up at market again. That is unheard and has never happened before. I wrote last year that Sample Spree was no longer worth the money because it had become smaller and smaller. Despite the hyped up videos on social media. Social media has been so misleading! Social media today was still so far from the truth. I understand companies don't want to share their disappointment, but please don't say that it was all great and wonderful. It is just not true. I am sure Market was at a max half of what is was a few years ago. It is really a steady decline and it is facing in H+H an aggressive competitor. The catalog with all the information was so thin, I knew right away there was trouble in paradise. H+H invited current vendors for a food and drink social on Saturday night of Market. They had booked the restaurant next to the convention center! The competition came to Houston to do what competitors do. Like a hyena killing its prey. I know, it is business. It is a tough business. Tariffs, lack of international customers, slimmer margins, uncertain shops and a divided industry. The industry is hurting and it shows. Is H+H the beacon of light? I think all the hype for H&H is good for one: H+H itself. It will grow exponentially and make a ton of money immediately and everyone following the hype blindly, will only help this increase. That is a short term view. What is the longtime win for the quilting industry? That's a much more important question. For 46 years Houston has been the place for quilters. With all respect for all the other crafts, they are not quilting. The word Quilt Market may become a word from the past. We are losing a dedicated place for our fabric industry. That may be necessary, that may be unavoidable, but it is a loss. I think I may have been at the last Quilt Market.

Registration for the 2026 Empty Spools Seminars is opening tomorrow, April 26 at 10 am PST and I am thrilled to be part of the top of the line group of teachers for the year 2026. My session will be in group 3, from April 19-26, 2026. For those not familiar with Empty Spools: It is a quilting retreat in Asilomar, CA. Quilters and teachers gather for 5 weeks and each teacher provides a five day workshop. Can you believe it? 5 days!! Five days of talking and working with fabric and color, combined with a great social program in the evenings. Asilomar is located right on the beautiful West Coast and apparently walking along the coastline is something not to be missed. Excellent food, comfortable beds....sounds lovely, not? Quilters with the same passion are working and being together, and I have heard many stories of lasting friendships that started at Empty Spools. There are people who return every year, there are people who had a visit to Empty Spool on their bucket list and will come for the first time. I know some Houston "Agamy Stripe" students said that they had been often and they will take my Freestyle Color Collage class at Empty Spools. It is my first time teaching here. Such an honor! This June it has been 3 years that I sold my fabric shop and since then my teaching has become an amazing journey on its own. Empty Spools is not only one of the top places to take classes, it is also the top place to teach classes. Not an ordinary retreat, but a special place where people like to work with the best in fiber art. Quilters that I have admired for years are teaching here and many of their classes will sell out fast. Mine is probably going to take a while as there is a difference between Jane Sassaman, Kathy Doughty, Irene Blanck (and other big names) and Carly Mul. We will see, it's nice to be a newbie somewhere! There are the absolute top international teachers and there are many teachers who I know from other national quilt shows and Virginia. The organisation is always looking for new teachers, so it makes sense to see some very well known names and names that you are not familiar with yet. Everyone has a very specific skill/style and an excellent teaching referral, otherwise they wouldn't be invited. You can take a great variety of classes from traditional quilting classes to art classes. Collage of course, as well. Some are very strict and some are very open. There is something for everyone, for sure. Just to browse the variety of classes is already a lot of fun. In total there will be five weeks and in every week you will have the choice of eight, nine teachers. That also means that the evenings will have opportunities to connects with students and teachers from other groups. Teachers will present a show and tell and that by itself sounds like such a treat to me! In case you think that 5 days is a long time: Yes, it is! That's why this is so special. We can explore everything that comes up and talk about balance and keeping the tension in a bigger work, replacing sections, changing the feel of the colors etc. All these things require looking at a work over and over again, discussing what you want to achieve or getting suggestions how to look at it in a different way. Brainstorming really and that will be such a luxury to have. Things I deal with when I make my own quilts, but that I can't bring up in one or two day classes. It takes me about two-three weeks to do the design of a collage, so I think 5 days will still not be enough to go home with a finished quilt, but we will be getting quite far. A quick student can always start the quilting process, which of course will be discussed as well. Check out the Empty Spools' website and I'm sure you will understand why I am so excited for this opportunity.