In this week’s episode of 99 Machine Quilting Designs you can learn how to free-motion quilt 2 closely related designs called Scrollwork and Echoed Curls. Watch below:
Get the Swanky Spirals Pattern
The quilt shown behind me in the video is my Swanky Spirals pattern featuring Dazzle Dots. It’s my machine quilting sampler that includes nearly every FMQ design I can think of!
I absolutely love making pieced backings for my quilts. It’s a great way to use up leftovers, and I love how it makes the quilt double sided! So this week I’ll share the fun backing I made for Bling, as well as my spray basting process, too!
Whenever I have leftovers, I start by grouping them into similar sizes. Then I randomly sew the same sized units together to make bigger pieced panels. Below, I’ve pinned my quilt top to the design wall and am methodically covering it up with pieced leftover units. I’ll fill in the gaps with other fabrics as needed.
My biggest tip is to use the larger fabric pieces around the edges since those will get trimmed off the most. Then place the smaller pieced units inside the perimeter of the quilt so none of them go to waste. If needed, I will trim units to the same size so everything fits together. I call this the “puzzle” method and it’s quite fun to do!
Just remember to make your backing at least 3-4″ larger on all sides. As you can see above, I’ve completely covered my Bling quilt top! Now it’s time to baste…
Spray Basting Tutorial
I use 505 Basting Spray and I spray the top and backing wrong side up outdoors. Then I assemble the layers inside on my design wall. This method works with any fabric/batting combo, but for this quilt, I chose Hobbs Tuscany Wool. It will give me lots of stitch definition and is very light weight and lofty.
Above: for this quilt, I sprayed the wrong side of the pieced backing and pinned it to my design wall. Gravity pulls on the weight of the quilt and I use a long acrylic ruler to help me smooth out each of the layers. The batting layer is next and I take as much time as I need to make sure it’s all nice and flat. As long as the backing and batting are larger than the quilt top, I’m in good shape.
Below: next I sprayed the wrong side of the quilt top and added that as the final layer, smoothing it again with the ruler. I can also smooth the quilt blocks and rows so that the quilt top is flat, smooth and squared up. Finally, I iron both sides of the quilt with a hot, dry iron to set the glue. It also gives me a chance to press out any wrinkles and smoosh all the layers together. Every inch of the quilt is sticking to itself which makes machine quilting a breeze. And there’s no pesky pins getting in my way!
Bonus: Watch My Spray Basting Video
Here’s a recent video I made, showing how I used thes exact steps to spray baste my Color Weave quilt. I know that it helps seeing the same idea presented more than once in a different way, so click the image below to watch!
For this week’s 99 Machine Quilting Designs video, tutorial, I’m demonstrating how to quilt one of my favorite free-motion designs called Switchbacks. It looks great when paired with other motifs. Click play below to watch:
Bonus Video – Quilting Switchbacks on a Real Quilt
I quilted switchbacks, combined with other motifs on the smaller version of my Charming Chevrons quilt. I quilted a second quilting plan on the larger version, and you can see how I quilted both below:
Each week I like to feature a quilt behind me that uses the designs I’m sharing. This week’s featured quilt is Facets, from my first book, Machine Quilting with Style. The book itself includes 12 start-to finish patterns. I take you from cutting, to quilt top assembly to a detailed quilting plan for each and every design. That way you can put what I’m teaching into practice!
How are you doing with this quilt along thus far? Just remember, you can make this quilt at your own pace, and on your own schedule! This week we are assembling our quilt top. For my Dazzle Dots version of Bling, I rotated the individual blocks so that each set of 4 formed a larger hashtag block. Then I sewed the larger block units into rows, and then joined the rows to complete the top.
In the Bling quilt pattern, I share several different layouts. Pick your fave and then find a large flat area to lay the blocks out before you sew. I use a design wall to help me decide which blocks go where, and I tried not to have any 2 blocks with the same fabrics touching.
Bling is one of those designs that will look different depending on how you rotate this blocks. I’ve actually made this quilt several different times, so take a look at these other variations for inspiration as you sew your quilt top together!
Any Questions? Share Your Work!
If you have questions, or want to share your progress, feel free to do so over in my Christa Quilts Facebook group. It’s fun to see what others are making and cheer each other in our efforts!
For this week’s episode of 99 Machine Quilting Designs learn to quilt one of my favorite walking foot quilting designs: Continuous Wavy Spiral. Watch the full video by clicking play below:
Get the Sparkling Stars Quilt Kit
While supplies last, I still have a few Sparkling Stars kits made from Stitchy fabric. Grab one now and start practicing your wavy spirals!
Bonus Video: How to Quilt Wavy Spiral on Sparkling Stars:
I made this video in response to everyone saying, “sure I can quilt that on a small sample, but it must be hard to quilt that on a larger quilt!” My answer is that it’s super simple to do! Watch and learn below:
If you’d rather choose your own fabrics in similar colors, you can grab the Sparkling Stars quilt pattern and get started making this quilt right away! The full color pattern incudes color charts so it’s easy to follow. It’s available both as a PDF instant download, or I’m happy to snail mail you the physical hardcopy. Choose your favorite format below:
I named this pattern “Bling” because the main part of the design is an abstract representation of a sparkly ring. Can you see it?? Last week we cut out our fabrics and this week it’s time to sew them together to make Bling blocks! I like to lay out all of my pieces stacked up in order next to my sewing machine.
I’m making the scrappy background version, so as long as there’s good contrast between my lights and darks, these are going to look great! You can also use all of one background fabric for a more consistent, cleaner look.
In the Bling quilt pattern, I give you a couple of options for arranging each Bling block. You can use all of the same fabric for each Bling like I did above. Or you can use more than one fabric for a bit of a scrappy look. It’s totally up to you!
I like to press my seams open so the blocks will lie super flat. I sew with a shorter stitch length (2.0 instead of 2.5) to add more thread to each seam for extra strength. Click the image above to watch a short video of me sewing the units together using pins to line everything up. I assembly line sew, aka “chain piecing” to make this process faster.
The pattern tells how many blocks you need to make for each size. So your homework this week is to follow the diagrams and instructions in the pattern on pages 2-3 to make your blocks. The be sure to share pics of your progress in my Christa Quilts group on Facebook!
If you are just joining us, you can grab a copy of the Bling quilt pattern and choose your own fabrics. Or you can grab one of the optional kits if you want to make one just like mine!
I’m back with more fun free motion designs for you to try! Whenever I teach in person, I emphasize the importance of sketching out your design, quilting it on a practice sample, then making a quilting plan to quilt an entire quilt. Watch my latest tutorial below, and then give it a go!
Quilt These Designs on Surplus Strips!
Now, I invite you to try quilting these designs on a real, full sized quilt. I Stitched out the Spiral flowers on the soft, pastel version of Surplus Strips, and a secondary design on the gray version. While supplies last, you can grab the kit to make either of these quilts. They are made from precut strips + background, so you can whip up the quilt top in no time!
The fastest way to finish a quilt is to assembly line all of the steps. That means I like to cut out all of the pieces first, then sew as much as I can until I need to stop and press. I test out of all of my patterns by following my own directions while making the quilt, and I tend to make my quilts several times so you can rest assured the instructions will be correct.
So this week it’s time to dive in and cut into your luscious fabrics to make *your* version of Bling! Depending on which fabrics you’ve chosen, you can use fat quarters, half yards, or even scraps! I’m making my version from Dazzle Dots 1 & 2 Fat Quarters.
The darker, more saturated prints will be for the main block design, while the lighter, pastel prints will be for my backgrounds. I took out the light and dark grey from the original Dazzle Dots since I only need 20 fabrics (not 22).
If you’d like to make this quilt exactly as I’m showing here, you can grab the Bling Quilt Kit, while supplies last. I also have a few made up in my Stitchy fabrics, too! This is my 5th time making Bling (see the other color ways below). If you can’t already tell, I really like making this quilt!
Follow the pattern instructions on page 2 to cut out all of your units. For faster cutting, I like to cut my fabrics into strips, then subcut them into the unit sizes listed in the pattern. I’ll usually stack 4 layers of fabric to make this go faster. So that’s either 4 fat quarters stacked on top, or if I’m cutting double folded yardage, it’s usually 2 fabrics at a time.
Because I’m cutting 4 at a time, there may be some leftovers at the end, but I’ll just set those aside for something else, or piece them into the backing. If you are cutting your units from fat quarters like I did, you’ll have some of each fat quarter left over. I’ll include those on the back, too!
I will also cut the binding out ahead of time and in this case it will be scrappy, too! Bling includes an optional scrappy border, but I’m not adding that in this version like I have in previous versions. For some reason, I really like how the blocks go all the way to the edges this time.
I love getting a shot of all my pieces, cut, organized and ready to sew!! If you want to get a leg up on next week’s piecing, you can lay out all of your units in order right next to your sewing machine.
I prefer to cut out all of my pieces to the correct size ahead of time, and then sew them together, rather than strip piecing. So it may seem like a lot of cutting at the beginning. But once the pieces are stacked and ready to sew, they go together super fast!!
For this week’s episode of 99 Machine Quilting Designs learn my basic free-motion swirl motif, then see how I can easily change it up to create several different variations. Click play below to watch:
With every episode I like to include bonus tips and tricks for quilting these designs on a real, full sized quilt. And I like to share a different quilt for my backdrop each time. This week I’m talking about Terrace Tiles which is literally one of the fastest and easiest quilts you can make. In fact, I love it so much I’ve made it 6 different times, each with a different quilting plan, LOL!
Grab the Terrace Tiles quilt pattern (if you don’t already own it). And then watch this bonus video below, showing how I quilted 3 of them. I always say the best way to practice is to quilt an entire quilt with one motif; you’l be an expert at that design by the time you finish the quilt!
How are you doing with each of the designs? If you practice quilting about 10-15 minutes a day, you’ll see an improvement in no time! Be sure to share your practice samples over in my Christa Quilts Group on Facebook, and ask any questions you have!
Who’s excited to join me for the Bling quilt along which begins next week? All you need is a copy of the Bling quilt pattern to follow along, and each week’s assignment will be posted right here on the blog. But just remember, you can totally quilt along at your own pace!
Which colorway do you prefer? The Bling quilt pattern itself comes in multiple sizes and you can choose to include the floater border as shown in my Stitchy version above, or leave it off like I did with the Dazzle Dots variation
As you gather your supplies, I’d love to see which fabrics *you* choose! You can post pics of your fabric pull over in my Christa Quilts Group on Facebook, or feel free to email me directly: christa@christaquilts.com. You can also tag me on social media @christaquilts or use #blingquilt on instagram. I’m excited to cheer you on every step of the way!
Christa Quilts 