Ready for a whopper of a quilt?? The take a look at Kites. It’s the biggest quilt patterned in Piece and Quilt with Precuts, and yes, I totally quilted it on my regular sewing machine!! The key is to only handle a small area of the quilt under the machine at one time. Then “scrunch and smoosh” the rest of the quilt out of the way, however you can!!
Kites Photography courtesy of Martingale/That Patchwork Place and Brent Kane
Piece It
Kites is so big because it’s made from 3 different sized squares: 10″, 5″ and 2 1/2″. They can be all from the same collection as shown in my version, or your can mix them up to create more of a scrappy looking quilt. The background is made from one jelly roll (2 1/2″ x 42″ strips) and layer cake (10″ x 10″ squares) of the same light colored fabric. So this quilt uses up a LOT of precuts!
The blocks look sort of like an abstract representation of Kites (hence the name), but in the book I’ve also included an alternate layout that makes the quilt look completely different!
Detail of quilting from Piece and Quilt with Precuts
Quilt It
The machine quilting is a combination of walking foot and free-motion. It uses my super simple divide and conquer process in 3 steps:
- Step 1 – stitch in the ditch around the blocks with a walking foot. This will help stabilize the quilt for additional quilting later. It also allows you to jump around the quilt however you like.
- Step 2 – quilt “something” in the background. And I literally mean any design you like!
- Step 3 – quilt another “something” in the blocks – any one you choose!
Choose any two free-motion designs you like and quilt them together in this quilt.
My “somethings” for this quilt are a combination of packed flowers and double circles. As long as the two designs you choose have different densities, they’ll look great together!
More Kites inspiration
Check out the inspiring pics below and don’t feel like you have to make the same queen sized quilt that I did (unless of course you want to). This design is so versatile that it looks great in any size! Simply make fewer blocks for a smaller quilt.
Pam Cobb: The Stitch TV Show
If you haven’t yet discovered Pam’s YouTube show, along with her partner in crime Lynn, then you are in for a real treat! Not only do the gals from The Stitch TV Show serve up an entertaining online show twice a month, they are quite prolific pattern designers in their own right!
Check out this closeup of Pam’s beautiful quilting. I think her packed flowers look even better than mine!! Pop on over to The Stitch to see the size of her finished version, and for more about her process.
Oh, and did you know that Pam’s name is really an acronym for how she gets so much sewing done while working full time and taking care of a family? It stands for making Progress in Achievable Moments so she can actually get things done. Now I’m jealous that I don’t have an acronym for my name!!
Rashida Khanbhai: No. 3 Quilt Studio
Check out this baby-sized version of Kites made by Rashida. Don’t you love the bright colors? I love how she went way back to the beginning of the book to choose one of the walking foot quilting designs to finish her quilt quickly. As I’ve said throughout the hop, you really can mix and match any of the quilting designs on any of the quilts!
Visit Rashida’s blog to read more about her progress and see more inspiring pics. She actually made the quilt twice with two slightly different quilting designs. Check it out to see the variations!
Jen Rosin: A Dream and a Stitch
Jen agrees with me – the full size pattern is BIG!! I wanted to include at least one queen sized quilt in the book to give you plenty of options to choose from.
I think Jen did a fantastic job making this pretty quilt top. Here’s a peek of just a few of the fabrics she chose. Click here to visit Jen’s blog to see the full quilt top and her work in progress. I love seeing all of the variations!
Today’s Gift:
Win a Bundle of your Choice from The Precut STore!
My better half, Jason, manages the other part of our business at ThePrecutStore.com. He gets to decide which precuts to carry and how many to buy for the shop, while I’m out traveling and teaching. It works well for our personalities: he loves to stay home and away from social media, while I love getting out in the quilty world and meeting so many of you!!
We carry nearly any precut you can think of along with Aurifil thread in nearly all the colors. In fact, the main catalyst for focusing on precuts in this book was to answer the question we get so often: “What can I make from precuts?”
Just a few of the precuts we stock in our store.
The best thing about running our shop is that we do it via Amazon’s storefront. That means Prime customers get 2 day free shipping, and satisfaction is guaranteed!
Today, one lucky winner will win a precut bundle of your choice from anything we stock in our shop. To enter, take a look at The Precut Store and pick out your favorite bundle that you’d like to win (up to $39.99 value). Then leave me a comment on this post letting me know what it is. At the end of the hop, on the morning of Aug. 31st I’ll choose a winner and notify them via email! This giveaway is open to all, as long as international winners are okay with paying shipping.
Quilting tip: practice new designs on a scrap of fabric and batting first!
If you’ve been inspired to make any of the quilts from Piece and Quilt with Precuts, be sure and share pics of your progress in my Facebook Group: Quilt with Christa. I’d sure love to see them, and other group members would, too!
Update: Winner Selected and Comments Closed
Congrats to Linda S. Who has been contacted via email.
Christa Quilts 
I’m probably too late but would love the Bali batik “River Mist” 10″ precut. Thanks
Your fabrics are so gorgeous, I love batiks but would like to make the kites quilt in bright colours for my young grandson. Can’t make a decision but if I would win something, I know you could pick the ideal colours for me. Can’t wait to hear who is the winner
Christa, You inspire me with each issue. AND a giveaway as a bonus. WOW. I would love either the Free Spirit Kaffee Fassett Collective Citrus 10″ squares or the Kanvas Studio Floral Impression in Turq/Blue 10″ pack. This is so nice of you to offer this opportunity.
I’m new to your site and I just love it. I would be happy to win anything! Thanks for the opportunity!
I would like the kona solids in sunset jelly roll kits. I love the colors and can picture a nice precut quilt from them. Please and thank you for the opportunity!
Cassie
Moda sweet blends batik and the kite quilt. I can see it already! Thanks for a fun blog hop.
This has been a blog hop full of inspiration. What a wonderful book, thanks. With so many choices in fabric from your store it was hard to choose but I would want the Dusk to Dawn Kona roll up. I have a blue quilt in mind.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
This blog hop has been so fun! I’m really looking forward to getting your book and trying out some of these cool patterns! I think the Kona Solids Classic Palette Roll Up would be a great choice. Thanks for the opportunity!
I like the Artisian Batiks 4 Noel fat quarter bundle. Thanks for the great blog hop and chance to win.
Christa, I really didn’t think I would want a book about quilts made with precuts. Wellllllll, you have definitely changed my mind! I own your first book & this new one is now on my wish list. This blog hop is fun! If I am lucky enough to win a precut from your Amazon store I would love to own Fig Tree & Co Coney Island Jelly Roll. Thx very much for the opportunity!
I have been loving all the quilts you have been sharing during this hop. Fabric, so many great choices. But here is the one I have chosen: Me and My Sister Designs Rainy Day! Layer Cake 42 10-inch Squares Moda Fabrics 22290LC
Love the bright and cheery colors.
Hi Christa,
Winters Grandeur 5 frost jelly roll is beautiful.
Thanks!
Wow, Christa, you ask difficult questions! It’s taken me a day to narrow down which fabrics I love the most…how do I choose just one? Every time I thought I’d made a decision (with a project in mind), I’d find something even more beautiful. In the end, I’m wishing for Kate Spain’s Latitude Batiks Layer Cake. This has been the best blog hop I’ve followed — I can’t wait to pick up my copy of your book. Thanks, Christa!
I love the farm fun layer cake,