Focal Point was such a fun design to both piece and quilt! I made it specifically for my book Machine Quilting with Style as part of my quest to go more modern with my designs. I remember attending a lecture by Heather Grant at the very first QuiltCon in 2013. She gave us several great tips on how to go more modern. Two of my favorites used in this quilt are asymmetry and cropping your design. Later once I got to know Jacquie Gering, she reminded me to make sure my modern quilts always had a “focal point.”
Christa with Focal Point at QuiltCon 2016. Quilt Measures 45″ x 45″.
I was thrilled to be able to share Focal Point at QuiltCon earlier this year and of course, I had to take the obligatory “here’s the quilt from my book pic!”
More Neutrals
I used Amy Ellis’ fabric to make the original version of the quilt. Her debut line was called Modern Neutrals which I thought was so appropriate for the quilt. When her next line, Chic Neutrals came out around the same time as the book I thought it would be fun to recolor it using those fabrics. (She’s since released a third line which I think would be just as fab!)
Focal Point recolored in EQ7 with Chic Neutrals by Amy Ellis for Moda
For another color idea, I thought I’d take you behind the scenes a bit. Many times when I’m designing, I’ll go through tons of different color iterations until I find the one that’s just right. Focal point actually started out in this icy blue colorway, before I applied Amy’s fabrics to it:
Focal point in classic blue and white.
I once heard it said that you know you have a good design on your hands when it can look good in any fabrics. Hopefully that’s how you all will feel when making the quilts from my books! 🙂
A Secret Revealed and a Giveaway!
It’s always fun to reveal secrets when sharing my books and patterns. Now I have another big announcement I can finally share. I’m an Aurifil thread designer! This week, Aurifil debuted my brand new line, The Piece and Quilt thread collection.
It’s a line of 24 threads in 50 weight cotton: 12 Neutrals and 12 Colors. These are my favorite threads that I use for every part of quilt making: piecing, quilting and binding! In fact, the light gray that I used to quilt Focal Point is included in the neutrals collection.
To celebrate the one year birthday of my first book, and now my debut thread collection, you can win them before you can buy them!! To win a 12 pack of the neutrals, leave a comment here at my site, letting me know what your go-to thread colors are.
To win a 12 pack of the colors, head over to the Auribuzz blog and follow the intructions over there. Due to shipping limitations, this giveaway is open to all of my US friends. Be sure and ask for these by name at your favorite quilt shop – they’ll be arriving soon!
Last Week’s Winner
Last but not least, I’d like to congratulate Zina C. who won a copy of EQ Mini. I’m sure she’ll be able to put this software to good use!! Next week is quilt market so I won’t have another book post. But come back in 2 weeks for another winner and another re-imagined quilt!
Click here to purchase a signed copy of Machine Quilting with Style.
Click here to see all of the quilts from the book.
Christa Quilts 
For piecing I always seem to use white and for quilting I try to match the quilt if I can otherwise I use a beige.
My Go To Colors are : grey, bone or cream and white. Thank you, and I just recently tried aura fill thread and I am hooked !
I usually use an off-white or a gray-green as my neutral colors. Love your neutrals collection!!
Always neutrals. Tan, off white, light grey.
I love using light gray, and since I’m the mom of a little girl we use a lot of pink 😉
I usually use white or off white for piecing and try to match colors for quilting.
I usually just use white or off white for piecing. For the quilting I try to match the color to the quilt colors.
I usually use white or off white for piecing and then use colors to match the quilt colors for the quilting.
I’m also just starting to use Aurifil thread. I so far have only used a light blue one. Would love to get more to try, but at this time my budget won’t allow it. 😦 Congrats on your thread line and new book!
Since I usually make quilts out of reproduction fabrics, my go-to colors are ecru, tan and taupe.
I waffle between a light tan and a light grey. To lazy to go get the numbers after work on a Friday! Just used the tan in a quilt where the front was tan and red and the back was white and red, and that light tan reads as tan on one side and white on the other. Aurifil is amazing. Congrats on the collaboration
The Aurifil colors I tend to use most often are 2021 and 2024. I would love to branch out!
For piecing, a neutral gray. For quilting, I try to match the thread to the fabrics.
I have been using Aurifil for several years. At first, my local quilt shop only carried the light gray and white, so those have been my go-tos for at least the last 4 years (maybe a little longer). I now have access to a variety of colors at the shop, so I’m branching out and trying new colors as I quilt. I would love to win the neutral set to add to my thread “stash”!
Aurifil #2021 for piecing!
I usually use light grey for piecing and a pale mint green or aqua for FMQ on light fabrics. I try to match bright or darker colors. I love all of your color selections! I hope that I’m the lucky winner!
I would love to win a set of your Neutral threads! I usually use a cream/beige, but I prefer white with white solids, etc.
Aqua e blues melhor fio do mundo!!Amo
Aqua e azuis!!!!Melhor fio do mundo!!
My go to quilting color is a light aqua 50 wt Aurifil number 2805 and for piecing I like a light gray 50 wt Aurifil 2600. I enjoy reading your blog:)
congrats on becoming an aurifil designer!! I love their thread! My favorite colors are 2021 (white) and 2311(cream). The spools last forever and I never have any troubles with them! I love the colors in your neutrals box, and the colors box is just so pretty and happy!! 🙂 Have a great time at quilt market too!!
My go to colors are the light gray and a bronze copper. Love your neutrals, congratulations.,
Gray seems to works with most of my quilts and I love Aurifil.
My favorite Aurifil colors are 2730 for piecing and 2000 for quilting. I love your collections!
My Go To neutral is Aurifil #2021 ! Thanks for an awesome giveaway chance!
Susie
Congratulations! My go-to colors are grey, lavender and off-white.
my go to neutral is Aurifil Champagne. Debra G
Go to with neutrals; light to medium gray primarily
Congrats!!!!! My go-tos are Aurifils neutrals: 2021, 2311, 2600. I’m intrigued by the dark gray you use! This is a perfect collection!
I use a light beige or tan thread most often. Just did a jewel toned wall hanging with dark gray and was surprised at how well it blended.
Well, not to exciting, light gray is pretty much my Bobbin color and sometimes top color too….machine quilting however is usually veregiated….
Love your use of color in your quilt.
I’ve only recently started using Aurifil threads…and I really enjoy working with them. I, too, use the neutrals for piecing, colors for quilting. I’m still very much a beginner at the quilting part, but getting better with each project. Thanks, Christa.,..love your blogs, newsletters, and books!
My go to colors are neutrals–off white, gray, beige
Love your new collections, would love to win the neutral pack, my favorite colors I use is the light beige and the blue grey works great for me. Thank you so much for getting a chance to win.
I use Aurifil in my bobbin to match the backing and monofilament thread in top a lot. Especially when there’s many different colors in the quilt. I do all my own domestic machine quilting and am getting better with each one. Maybe I will use more color thread as my confidence grows!
My go to colors are white/or cream and light to medium gray…depends on my fabric colors. I use a lot of civil war fabrics and 30’s reproduction fabrics so these basic nuetrals would be perfect for piecing or quilting. Thanks Christa!…And happy 1st book birthday!
I tend to use 2021 and 2024 most often. I would love to branch out!
I love Aurifil thread and especially neutrals. Recently I have also been using gray green and gray blue quite a bit.
Go to color would have to be a light silver grey. Congrats on the thread collection. Love all your color choices.
Love love love Aurifil thread and the lovely sheen it provides when quilting. My favs are light sand, dove, light grey green and pale yellow (yummy). Unfortunately Aurifil is hard to find in my area so I order online.
Would love to win these threads! So many great colors.
Congratulations Christa on your first Aurifil thread line. Once you go Aurifil, you never go back to anything else. I gave away all my thread that wasn’t Aurifil. The three colors I piece with most are 50 wt. #2600, #2000, and #2314. I will be buying these 3 in cones from now on.
My go-to colors are whatever I have in my machine at the time! Often it doesn’t matter much what colors I piece with, because I’m going scrappy and it doesn’t show much in piecing anyway, so I use what I want. It is frustrating, though, when you live in a smaller town, how limited thread choices can be!
I like to use a light gray- goes with everything. Love your neutrals! Congratulations on the new line!
I just used Aurifil for quilting for the first time and loved it! I like using neutrals or matching the fabric color when I need to. Thanks for the giveaway.
Congratulations on being an Aurifil thread designer! I use gray Aurifil for piecing, but love the brighter colors for quilting. Thanks for the chance for the giveaway.
My go-to thread colors are beige and light grey. I just started using Aurafil thread and I love it!
I use Aurifil 2021 and 2600 for most of my piecing and quilting. I have used Aurifil 28 wt in many colors to hand and machine quilt.
Congratulations! I tend to use white most of the time since that’s what I use to finish the pages of the quiet books I make and it’s easier just to leave it on the machine.
But when I’m in the middle of a quilt, I love a light tan/ cream thread.