Teaching Machine Quilting in 2026

January 23, 2026January 8, 2026Leave a comment

I’ve got a full load of teaching this year and hope to see you out and about on the road!
Here are a few highlights (with a link to my complete schedule at the end.)

I’m Heading to Quilt Town, USA Twice This Year!!

I’m teaching a full load of machine quilting workshops at the AQS signature quilt show happening April 22-25 in Paducah, KY. These are stand-alone 3 hour and 6 hour workshops that are now open for registration.

Click here to register for my workshops at AQS Paducah

If that’s not enough, I’m also teaching an intensive 4 day retreat in October 13-18 at the same location. In the longer workshop, everyone will be quilting a real, actual quilt during class. Wont that be fun?? Check out the video and links below for more information.

Click here for more info about SEAM Quilting Retreat hosted by AQS.

Want Me to Come Visit? The Answer is Yes!!

See my complete schedule below. I’m accepting new events now for 2027-28 so feel free to reach out if you’d like me to come to an event near you! You can leave a comment or email me directly at christa@christaquilts.com. It’s going to be a great year of quilting and teaching!!

Click here for my current teaching schedule.

Learn How to Quilt Hourglass – 99 Designs Episode #49

January 20, 2026January 19, 2026Leave a comment

For this week’s tutorial we are back in business with free-motion quilting! This design, Hourglass, is basically a geometric and modern version of an earlier design: Cursive L’s. The technique of these two designs is very similar, so if you got one down, you can easily do the other!

Dot n’ Dash Quilt – Pick Up Piece and Quilt With Precuts

I admit I haven’t actually made a full-size quilt with Hourglass – that is on my bucket list! However, I’ve quilted a similar design on Dot n’ Dash, the featured quilt of this week. I call this a my Modern Jelly Roll Quilt since it can just be made with strips from a jelly roll! If you are interested in making this quilt for yourself, the original version of the pattern comes from my book, Piece and Quilt with Precuts.

This book is currently out of print. Click here to get the PDF download version.

I remade this quilt with some of my newer fabric, udpated the layout, added borders and more sizes, and renamed it Ticker Tape!

Daisy Chain Quilt Along Schedule

January 16, 2026January 12, 20261 Comment

Are you excited to make Daisy Chain along with me? See below for the complete quilt along schedule. Although this event will be quickly paced, I’ll leave these blog posts up indefinitely so you can work on your quilt any time you wish. I’m here to help you each step of the way!

Daisy Chain – Autumn Colorway

Daisy Chain – Purple Vibrations Colorway

I made both versions of this quilt using fat quarters of Riley Blake Designs’ Confetti Cotton solids. The throw sizes shown here are made with 12 fat quarters plus 4 yards background, and the leftovers form a scrappy binding. Color selection is super easy for this quilt – just grab your favorite fabrics and pair them up with a highly contrasting background and you are good to go!!

I used fat quarters in the Autumn & Purple Vibrations Colorways for my Quilts

Here’s a the complete supply list so you can make this quilt in 3 different sizes. It’s a LOT of cutting, but it’s all just straight seams with traditional piecing techniques. So there’s no specialty rulers required. I do recommend getting some small label stickers though so you can label all your pieces to stay organized.

Quilt Along Schedule

Throughout the quilt along I will refer you to specific parts of the pattern and will share lots of in progress pics and bonus tips. When it’s time to machine quilt, I’m going to share 2 bonus videos showing how I quilted each version. Hopefully this will inspire you get it done!! After all, machine quilting is my favorite part of the entire process, and there’s lots of room for experimentation and play in this quilt.

Feb 27 – Week 1: Cutting
March 6 – Week 2: Sewing the Daisy Blocks
March 13 – Week 3: Sewing the Chain Blocks
March 20 – Week 4: Sewing the Quilt Top
March 27 – Week 5: Backing & Basting
April 3 – Week 6: Quilting Option #1 – With Bonus Video Tutorial!!
April 10 – Week 7: Quilting Option #2 – With Bonus Video Tutorial!!
April 17 – Week 8: Binding to Finish

Machine Quilting in progress – can’t wait to share more details on how I quilted them!!

I’m happy to offer lots of support during this quilt along. You can share pics in my ChristaQuilts group on Facebook or leave a comment here on the blog with any questions you have. You can also share on social media using #daisychainquilt. I can’t wait to see how you make this your own!!

99 Designs Episode #48 – Straight Lines & Decorative Stitches

January 13, 2026January 10, 2026Leave a comment

Want to level up your walking foot quilting game? Try combining straight lines and decorative stitches to create unique motifs that are super easy to do! Click below to watch my latest video tutorial and be sure to leave a comment letting me know what you think!

Get My Book – The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting

In the second book I ever wrote – The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting – I first explored this idea of combining straight lines and decorative stitches. The book itself includes 10 patterns and 20 quilts (each pattern is made 2 different ways). It was fun to explore lots of different domestic quilting ideas, while my co-author Angela Walters explored lots of different long arm quilting ideas.

This book is currently out of print. Click here to get the PDF download version.

In 2 of the quilts I combined straight lines and decorative stitch ideas in 2 different ways. In the quilt called Directionally Challenged (shown below), I stitched straight lines in every other block, with decorative stitching in the alternate blocks.

Directionally Challenged by Christa Watson

Here’s a closeup image of the quilting so you can see more of the detail:

Directionally Challenged quilting detail

In another quilt, called Fractured Squares, I quilted it like a round robin design, with a different walking foot motif in each part of the quilt.

Here’s a closer shot of the quilting detail:

Let me know what you think of combining these two walking foot quilting ideas. It takes just a little bit of planning, but it’s a unique way to stitch and add lots of texture to your quilts!

New Year – New Pattern – New Quilt Along for 2026!

January 9, 2026January 8, 2026Leave a comment

Let’s kick off the new year right with a new pattern and Quilt Along! Check out Daisy Chain, a super fun pieced pattern shown in 2 colorways, with multiple sizes.

It’s been awhile since I’ve made a quilt completely from solids, and I chose to work with Riley Blake Confetti Cotton solids for both colorways. It really shows off the quilting and I’m thrilled with how they turned out.

I thought it would be fun to host a quilt along to make this quilt completely from start to finish. The quilt along will kick off right here on my blog, beginning February 27, 2026 so save the date if you’d like to join in. The quilt along is free – all you need is a copy of the quilt pattern.

Pre-sales of this pattern to quilt shops have been the best I’ve ever seen, so you can always ask for it at your local quilt shop, and any shop owners out there can purchase it wholesale directly through Riley Blake.

Stay tuned for next week where I’ll share a break down of the quilt along schedule, along with a supply list to make this quilt. For now here’s a sneak peek of the back cover, showing the different sizes and alternate colorways.

If you’d like get notified when the quilt along begins, be sure to sign up for email notifications (in the sidebar of this blog post) so you don’t miss a thing! You can also join my ChristaQuilts group on Facebook to share pics of your quilt in progress and to ask questions at any time. I can’t wait to tell you more, so stay tuned!!

99 Designs Episode #47 – Free Motion Quilting Square and Triangle Spirals

January 7, 2026Leave a comment

For this week’s tutorial, we have two geometric spiral designs: Square and Triangle Spirals. These two free-motion designs can be used separately, or you can combine them in the same quilting plan to give lots of texture to your quilt. If you want to check out this video, click the link below:

Piece and Quilt with Precuts

The quilt I feature in this week’s video is called Starstruck. I used both Triangle and Square spirals on this quilt, but you can choose any designs from this series, as the busy pattern for this quilt and fabric choice can help to hide inconsistencies. This quilt comes from my book, Piece and Quilt with Precuts. If you want to get this pattern, as well as 10 other quilt patterns that come with this book, check out the link below for a digital PDF download.

Click Here to Grab the Piece and Quilt With Precuts PDF

I made the original version of Modern Starstruck with black and white fabrics. I later remade a version with bright, colorful fabric that I designed. You can use either color scheme, or make up your own, using any color combination you want. The pattern works with any choice of fabric, so let me know what you put together!

Bonus Video – Setting Yourself Up for Machine Quilting Success

Just getting into series? I’ve made an introduction video that goes over how to set up your machine and the basics of walking foot and free motion quilting. If you want to get started, check out this video for machine quilting success!

Quilting a Round Spiral with Decorative Stitching – 99 Designs Episode #46

December 30, 2025December 29, 2025Leave a comment

We’re back to walking-foot quilting this week with another decorative stitch design! This time, I’ll teach you how to quilt a round spiral. If you need a refresher on how to stitch the straight-line version, refer all the way back to episode 24. It will go over all the steps needed to start a spiral on your domestic machine. If you want to learn more, click on the video below:

Optical Illusion Quilt Pattern

This week’s featured quilt is called Optical Illusion. The pattern is inspired by a real life parallel line optical illusion. Yes, that’s right, the lines in between the black and white blocks are actually straight! To achieve this you just need dark and light colored fabric, with a middle value in between them. I’ve provided a link below to the pattern, so you can make the quilt yourself!

Click Here to Grab the Optical Illusion Pattern PDF

Grab The Optical Illusion Quilt Kit

If you want to try quilting decorative spirals on a full-sized quilt, check out the quilt kit for Optical Illusion! The kit includes everything you need to make the B/W version of the quilt with fabrics from one of my fabric collections. Check out the link below:

Click Here to Grab The Optical Illusion Quilt Kit

I haven’t actually quilted decorative round spiral on a full-sized quilt yet, but I use the straight-line version on this quilt. Since you can stitch any straight-line quilting with a decorative stitch, you can use the same quilting plan shown in the pattern.

Bonus Video – Setting Yourself Up for Machine Quilting Success

If you missed the start of this series – don’t worry. I’ve made an introduction video that goes over how to set up your machine and the basics of walking foot and free motion quilting. If you want to get started, check out this video for machine quilting success!

How to Free Motion Quilt Squished Spirals (a.k.a. Woodgrain) – 99 Designs Episode 45

December 26, 2025December 19, 2025Leave a comment

In this week’s episode of 99 Machine Quilting Designs, we’re bringing back swirls with a modified, or “squished” spiral that resembles a woodgrain texture. Refer back to episode 25 for how to quilt a basic swirl design. This might be a helpful refresher, since squished spirals is basically just a variation on this design. It’s a great way to add realistic texture to your quilt, so check out the video below if you want to learn more:

Get the Swanky Spirals Quilt Pattern

This week’s featured quilt is a fun, modern improv quilt called Swanky Spirals. I use this quilt as a design “sampler,” as I’ve quilted every design from 99 Designs on it! As you can see, it’s a versatile pattern that can be quilted with virtually any design you can think of!

Click Here to Grab the Swanky Spirals Quilt Pattern PDF

In this detail closeup, you can see where I quilted Squished Spirals. Since I’m using gray thread on gray fabric, the quilting blends right in.

The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting

Another quilt I’ve done a woodgrain texture on is called Choosing Colors. This quilt comes from one of my books, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting. If you want to pick up the PDF version of this book, check out the link below

Click Here to Grab the PDF of The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting

Bonus Video – Free Motion Quilting Swanky Spirals

Want to learn more about how to quilt Swanky Spirals? I’ve included an in-depth tutorial on how I quilted it. This video also includes a bunch of tips and tricks for this particular pattern, so if you want to try making Swanky Spirals I highly recommend you check out this video to get yourself started.

P.S – Let me know what you think!

I always love getting feedback from my viewers. If you have any questions about the 99 Design series, leave a comment on any of my videos, I’ll be sure to answer!

How to Free-Motion Bricks – 99 Designs Episode #44

December 17, 2025December 13, 2025Leave a comment

For this week’s episode of 99 Designs, I have a very dense motif that works well to make a quilt more modern. As the design is rows and rows of little bricks, it could also work well to add realistic texture to a landscape or art quilt. To learn how to quilt this design, check out the video below:

Interlinked Quilt Pattern

The sample quilt used in the video is called Interlinked. It’s one of the quilts I’ve made several different variations of, from one that uses a monochromatic color scheme to one that uses a vibrant and saturated palette. Any choice of fabric will work! I also quilted it using a different but related design to Bricks, so even though it’s not exactly what’s shown in this week’s tutorial, the techniques used are the same. If you want to try out this quilt for yourself, be sure to grab my quilt pattern!

Click Here to Grab the Interlinked Quilt Pattern PDF

Here’s a detail shot showing off the custom quilting of the colorful version of Interlinked. And since I’m using gray thread on busy gray fabric, you can see how it blends in and you can hardly notice any mistakes. Instead, you can only see the delicious texture!

Bonus Video – How to Machine Quilt a King Sized Quilt

In addition to the pattern, I’ve provided a longer tutorial that teaches you how to quilt Interlinked. It’s a great in-depth guide that really breaks everything down step by step, in case you need some extra tips. You can do a quilt this large with just your domestic machine. Also, if you want to quilt a different design from what is shown in the video, you can chose any design from this series to incorporate into the quilting plan. What will you quilt?

How to Quilt Decorative Stitch Shattered Lines – 99 Designs Episode 43

December 12, 2025December 5, 2025Leave a comment

If you remember shattered lines all the way back in episode 7? We’re bringing it back this week and teaching you how to do a version with decorative stitching! Like all decorative stitch designs, you can change which settings you use for endless combinations and variety. Check out the video below to learn more:

Shattered Lines on Little Man’s Fancy

In the video I showed you how I quilted regular shattered lines on Little Man’s Fancy. This quilt actually comes from the first book I ever wrote, Machine Quilting With Style. It’s also the first time I quilted shattered lines on a full-sized quilt! If you want to learn how to make this quilt, check out the link below to get the PDF for Machine Quilting With Style:

Click Here to Grab the Machine Quilting With Style PDF

Here’s a closeup of the quilting. You can use decorative stitch shattered lines or any of the variants of this design on this quilt.

Bonus Video – How to Machine Quilt Shattered Lines on Bling

Another quilt I’ve stitched this design on is Bling. Like Little Man’s Fancy, you can replace the regular shattered lines with decorative stitching ones to give it a more elegant and traditional look. I’ve provided a tutorial below that gives an in-depth explanation on how I made this quilt from start to finish: