Facets Quilt Along Week 6 – Straight Line Quilting

March 11, 2016March 9, 20161 Comment

This week it’s time for my favorite part of making a quilt – the machine quilting!! Seriously, whenever I design and create a quilt, I enjoy every step of the process. But there’s something about shoving the whole thing under the machine for quilting that is very therapeutic for me.

I prefer to quilt the heck out of my quilts, but contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t make the quilt stiffer! Just wash it and use it, and it will soften up!

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My Aurifil thread stash – I love thread as much as I love fabric!

My favorite thread is Aurifil 50 weight cotton because I love the simplicity of using it for both piecing and machine quilting (and binding, of course)!

So the biggest question people have when making their own quilts is, “how do I quilt it?” Not as in – “what quilting designs do I use?” but as in “how do I actually approach the quilting??” I tackle this one step at a time. I start by “anchoring” the quilt – stitching in the ditch in key areas across the quilt to secure it for more decorative quilting later.

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Keep most of the quilt to your left, and add a small table forming an L shape to hold the weight.

In Machine Quilting with Style on page 95, I’ve included quilting diagrams that show you the order in which to stitch in the ditch on Facets to make it easier to accomplish. Then we go a step further and add straight lines of quilting away from the seams, echoing the ditches to add a pop of texture to the quilt.

Here’s a great detailed shot of Suzy K’s quilt, stitched-in-the-ditch and echoed, and ready for free-motion quilting next week!

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To see more fabulous quilts in progress – pop on over to my Facebook Group: Quilt With Christa

Click here for all of the Quilt Along posts. You are welcome to jump in anytime!

The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting Available for Preorder

March 8, 2016March 8, 20167 Comments

Good news! Signed copies of my next book, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting are now available for preorder! I’ve been hinting about this new book for awhile but wasn’t ready to pre-sell it until now – I wanted to make sure I had all of my ducks in a row first.

Ultimate_Guide_Cover

My fabulous co-author Angela Walters and I were pondering how we could both sell signed copies of the book directly to our fans, since we won’t be at any public events together until QuiltCon 2017 (and that’s too long for most of you to wait). Jennifer Keltner from Martingale was kind enough to send us labels which we both signed and will add to each of the copies that we sell ourselves. And of course I’m happy to include a personalized message or add your name upon request when you order. 🙂

Here’s another bonus when you buy directly from us – you’ll get the book first! The official release date is April 5th but Amazon’s release date isn’t until April 19th. Now don’t worry – I’m not offended in the least if you’d prefer to buy it somewhere else – do what works for you!! I’m just thrilled that this book was able to follow so quickly on the heels of my first one.

As it gets closer to publication date, I’ll start telling your more about The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting, how the concept came to be, and of course I’ll share projects from the book. For now, pop on over to the Martingale site for sneak peeks of what’s inside!

As always – thanks for your support!!

Facets Quilt Along Week 5 – Baste Your Quilt

February 26, 2016February 25, 20162 Comments

I can’t tell you much it tickles me each week to see so may of you making your own version of Facets. My version was recently on display at the AQS Quilt Show in Phoenix, and it was so fun to share it with a wider audience who may not have seen it before.

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Thanks to Susan Voight for sending me this pic of Facets at AQS Phoenix!

This week’s assignment is to get your quilt top basted in preparation for machine quilting which starts next week! Whoo hoo – my favorite part (the machine quilting, NOT the basting!)

In my book Machine Quilting with Style, I’ve included some tips on basting at the back of the book. You can also take a look at these tutorials I have put together from previous quilts I’ve made:

How to Spray Baste a Quilt
Safety Pin Basting (from my Modern Trees QAL)

Don’t forget to share!

Share your progress in my Facebook group: Quilt with Christa
Or on Instagram #facetsqal

New to my blog? Click here to catch up on all of the Facets Quilt Along blog posts.

Christa’s Soapbox – QuiltCon 2016 is NOT Your Traditional Quilt Show

February 25, 2016February 14, 201819 Comments

Today I will talk a little bit about the quilts from QuiltCon. I took a bazillion pictures on the last day of the show, as part of my preparation for a webinar on Modern Machine Quilting (which I’ll be presenting to members of The Modern Quilt Guild in April). However, rather than overloading this post with pics, I’ll just share a few of them here. For a complete list of winners visit The Modern Quilt Guild Blog.

Read my earlier post about why I think that QuiltCon is about more than just quilts.

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Best in Show Winner – Pieced and Quilted by Melissa Averinos – My Brother’s Jeans

First of all, QuiltCon is NOT like any other show out there. While I was at the show and perusing social media, I ran into comments somewhat disparaging the Best in Show Quilt for not being up to par with other national quilt show winners. I also remember some grumbling at QC 2015 and 2013 that some quilts that earned accolades at other traditional shows got nary a ribbon at QuiltCon. My answer is that QuiltCon is QuiltCon – it’s not trying to be like any other show, and for that I am grateful.

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Best Home Machine Quilting – Pieced by Members of the Albuquerque MQG, quilted by Renee Hoffman of Quilts of a Feather

I was so thrilled to see Renee win such a high honor. For me this truly is the epitome of a modern quilt. You can look closely to see that she combined many traditional quilting elements successfully into a modern design. I love it! Yes you CAN combine swirly motifs and feathers in a modern quilt. It’s not always just about straight line quilting! It’s all in how you do it.

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The details on this quilt are so fabulous! I’ll discuss it more as part of my upcoming webinar.

One of the things that excites me about the quilting community is that there truly is something for everyone. If you love to spend 500 hours machine quilting a quilt, you can – and I think that is fantastic! I’ll admire your breathtakingly beautiful workmanship and appreciate the skill, thought and precision that goes into each stitch.

If you pour your heart and soul into a design, and rather than spending a small fortune on having it professionally quilted to perfection, you decide to quilt it yourself so you can take ownership of the entire process, I’ll equally applaud your perfectly imperfect stitches.

In fact, I was able to have a very in-depth conversation about this topic with Annie Smith – host of Quilting Stash Podcast. Click here to listen to our hour long QuiltCon chat, or find it in Itunes.

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Annie and I discussed QuiltCon, my books, and my first ever BERNINA sighting!

Something unique about QuiltCon is that they hire 3 judges with 3 different areas of expertise to judge their shows. There’s a certified quilt judge, a modern quilter, and an artist outside the realm of quilting. So with these 3 combined voices, I think they are able to evaluate each quilt as a whole rather than the individual sum of its parts.

I truthfully do not know whether or not they take the artist’s statement into account when choosing their winners, but I’m pretty sure that overall design trumps workmanship when it comes to picking the winners and I’m okay with that. This is not to say that it’s a blanket excuse for shoddy workmanship, but I’d rather see someone be rewarded for their own best efforts rather than feel like they can’t even enter because their work isn’t “good enough.”

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I love black and white quilts! This one was made by my good friend Christopher Thompson, aka The Tatooed Quilter. He nailed it on the machine quilting, too! He said he was inspired by the wavy lines from my book and created his own version of “organic matchstick quilting”. I love it!

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Detail of machine quilting on Let’s Connect by Christopher Thompson

One of the things that I found particularly refreshing about QuiltCon was that there was so much originality in the quilts on display. As a designer, of course I’m flattered when someone purchases my patterns to make a quilt, but there’s something special about seeing a new work at a quilt show that I haven’t seen a hundred times before.

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I love the design and texture on this piece by Paige Alexander. Her work is always so fresh and inspiring! Both she and Christopher get bonus points from me for doing their own work.

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This was my favorite quilt from the show, Mod Mood by Debbie Jeske from A Quilter’s Table, made from Bee Sewcial bee blocks. I saw this one coming together on Instagram and thought it was something special. I love the retro vibe! It won a 1st place for group quilts.

It’s always thrilling to share my own quilts in any quilt show, whether they win ribbons or not. I was pleased to have two of my quilts from Machine Quilting with Style on display at QuiltCon. Of course I had to grab the obligatory “hey look at the quilts in my book” photo op! 🙂

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“Rain” was in the minimalist category at QuiltCon. Thanks to Becca Bryan for photography!

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The title of “Focal Point” pays homage to Jacquie Gering who gave me the best piece of design advice when making modern quilts – “always have a focal point.”

One of the things I love about QuiltCon that truly sets it apart from other shows, is the beautiful display of charity quilts. Each local MQG chapter is invited to create a quilt with a specific theme that will be then donated to their local area after the show. You can see a snippet of my guild’s charity guilt – “Home is Where the Heart Is” in the podcast picture collage earlier in this article.

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These are the most beautiful charity quilts I’ve even seen, with beautiful details and amazing workmanship. The one is my favorite – Flame of Inspiration by the Seattle MQG.

Jason is always pushing me to go more modern and I learn more about the aesthetic with each quilt I make. I’m sure there will be continuing discussion on what makes a quilt modern as well as what makes a quilt win a ribbon, and I love to be part of the dialogue! Feel free to add to the conversation below, but just remember, this is my space, so please be considerate and thoughtful when you comment.

For more inspiring modern quilts, check out #quiltcon and #quiltcon2016.

Read my other post from QuiltCon 2016 here.

Facets Quilt Along Week 4 – Complete The Quilt Top

February 17, 2016February 16, 20163 Comments

This week’s assignment is super easy and will allow any newcomers a chance to catch up!

Simply follow the quilt assembly diagram on page 94 of Machine Quilting With Style and lay your blocks in a pleasing arrangement. Then sew them together – easy peasy. Be sure to take a “victory lap” around the quilt top when finished – sew around the perimeter 1/8″ in from the edge to secure the side seams.

EQ Facets

Take a look at my EQ7 drawing of Facets and see how closely it resembles my actual quilt.

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Finished Facets quilt, Made from my Kona Designer Series Precut Palette

I love seeing how different and unique this quilt can look. Be sure to pop on over to my Facebook Group at Quilt With Christa to share your progress and see the other fabulous versions! You can also share on instagram – just hashtag #facetsqal and tag me @christaquilts so I can see!

Here’s just a sampling of the beautiful quilts being made by others who are following along:

G-teal

G has made more of my quilt patterns than anyone I know! Follow her on IG @blingnailsbyg

michelle

Michelle is G’s sister and it’s so fun to see them make it a family affair. Her scraps are so pretty!

AnnP

Ann is reversing her layout – with mostly plain blocks and a pieced focal row. I love it!

jocelyn

It’s been so fun watching Jocelyn’s version come together!

Remember – everyone who participates will win a prize at the end. Click on the starting Facets QAL post for complete details, and to find links to all of the QAL posts.

Register Now for the Panguitch Quilt Walk Festival

February 15, 2016February 15, 20163 Comments

Registration for the Panguitch Quilt Walk Festival is now open! The festival runs June 8-11 in Utah, and I will be teaching 4 of my most popular classes. Scroll down for my schedule.

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my teaching schedule:

Charming Chevrons – Wednesday, June 8, 2-5 PM
Modern Logs – Thursday, June 9, 8:30-5 PM
Machine Quilting with Style – Friday, June 10, 8:30-5 PM
String of Pearls – Saturday, June 11, 8:30-11:30 AM

Registration fees are the cheapest rates I’ve ever seen for quilting classes. So even if you don’t live nearby, you could travel here and take my classes for less than it would cost you at some other venues.

Click here to register for the Panquitch Quilt Walk Festival

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I hope to see you there!

Facets Quilt Along Week 3 – Making the Triangle Blocks

February 12, 2016February 10, 20161 Comment

I can’t tell you how much fun it is to watch your Facets progress. So many people are sharing their progress on Instagram and in my Facebook group. It makes me giddy!! If you are just joining us, you can catch up and get started on the Facets Quilt Along here. Be sure to grab a copy of Machine Quilting With Style, if you don’t already have it. We will be following the instructions found on pages 92-94 from the book.

triangles

This week’s assignment is to cut your “made fabric” into triangle shapes using the Triangle Squared Ruler and Perfect Rectangle Ruler from Creative Grids. If you don’t have these rulers, you can cut your shapes from the full-sized templates given on pages 96-97 of the book. You can either make templates from plastic or draw them onto paper and tape the paper to a ruler that’s wide enough to accommodate them.

You need both Creative Grids rulers for this method to work.

How to use the Creative Grids rulers:

step1

First, make sure there is fabric completely underneath the triangle shape you are cutting. Next, align the Triangle Squared Ruler so that the blunted triangle corner is on the top of the strip, and the measurement you need lines up evenly with the bottom of the strip. Trim on both sides of the triangle. There will be a little bit of waste, but you can just throw that in the scrap pile for more improv piecing!

step2

Once you have cut the triangle with the blunted tip at the top, rotate the ruler to cut a triangle with the blunted tip at the bottom.

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Don’t forget to cut triangles from you accent fabric, too! Hint: if you are using directional prints, you may need additional fabric to accommodate cutting your triangles in one direction only.

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You will need to cut the background triangles using the Perfect Rectangle Ruler. Remember to keep your strip folded so that you get a half rectangle for each side of the triangle in a square.

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Don’t forget to cut angled tips indicated by the blunted end of the ruler. These will help line up your units correctly for sewing.

Using the picture below as a guide, line up the background rectangles so that the blunted ends align with the center triangle. The pointed tips will stick out. Trim the tips once the units are sewn.

alignment

I borrowed this image from a previous project using the same method with a smaller sized unit.

Sew the triangle blocks into diamonds where indicated in the book on page 94.

Eye Candy Inspiration

The best part of any quilt along is seeing how others make it their own. Here’s a roundup of blocks being made by followers in my Facebook group: Quilt With Christa and on instagram: #facetsqal. Remember – you can jump in at any time and work at your own pace. Some people have just started and others are nearly finished (which gives me plenty of pics to share for future posts)!

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I love the pop of orange that Gina from Gina’s Custom Creations chose to include!

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Sherri (@snugbear2 on IG) is laying out her pretty purple blocks and sewing them together!

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I love Paula’s pretty piles!

jocelyn

I know I’m not supposed to have favorites but I really love Jocelyn’s triangles!!

Next week we will sew the blocks together to complete the quilt top.

Click here for the start of Facets Quilt Along

Facets Quilt Along Week 2 – Improv Piecing

February 5, 2016February 3, 20166 Comments

Welcome to week two of Facets Quilt Along. Last week we gathered fabrics and started cutting. This week we will make our own crazy-pieced fabric. The fun thing about this is that even if you are using the same fabric as me (Kona Solids Christa Watson Palette), your quilt will still look different from mine!

kona_improv A piece of improv fabric made from my Kona Cotton Designer Palette

Follow the instructions page 93 of Machine Quilting With Style to make your fabric pieces. Then share your progress and ask questions in my facebook group Quilt With Christa.

Here are a couple more fun examples:

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A sample piece I made using a bunch of scrappy prints. It looks great in any fabrics!

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This beautiful piece was made by G from my facebook group. She’s sewing along with her sisters!

jocelyn

Jocelyn from the facebook group chose a more muted, modern palette. I love it!

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Paula’s festive blue and green combo is so fun – perfect for a Seahawk’s fan!

Seeing everyone’s pictures is half the fun of a quilt along. It’s amazing how the different fabric combinations are coming together to create individual works of art. Be sure to pop over to my facebook group to see more amazing improv in process!

jan

Jan is using lots of leftover scrappy bits – no size is too small!

If you are sharing your progress via social media be sure to hashtag it #facetsqal. Remember, everyone who participates will be entered to win prizes. I just love seeing your progress!

Click here for the complete QAL schedule.

Facets Quilt Along Week 1 – Gather and Share Your Fabrics, Start Cutting

January 29, 2016January 23, 2016Leave a comment

Thanks for joining me on a fun journey while we make the Facets quilt from my book Machine Quilting With Style. This QAL is broken into weekly steps which you can refer to in the introductory post. (If you are new to my blog – jump in at any time!)

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Gather and Share

This week’s assignment is to gather your fabrics (detailed materials list in the book on page 90), then share pictures of your fabric pull on instagram (#facetsqal), on your own blogs, or in my facebookgroup at Quilt with Christa.

Here are a few gorgeous bundles that some of my facebook group members have shared so far. It’s so fun to see all of the different variety and really, the sky’s the limit when it comes to fabric selection for the blocks. As long as you have a highly contrasting background fabric, you are good to go!

carol_b

I love Carol’s combo of prints, solids, and tone-on-tones. With the help of my facebook group, she was able to narrow down her choices!

Lind-B Linda is using these gorgeous gradations for her quilt. She gets bonus points for photographing it with the book!! 🙂

Daisy_f Daisy’s quilt will look stunning in batiks and scraps!

Homework – Start Cutting

Start cutting your block fabrics or scraps into random strips and chunks to prepare for improv piecing next week (see what we are working towards on page 93). Don’t be scared – just dive right in and cut. It will be very liberating, I promise!

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I cut my pieces into various width strips and chunks with wonky angles.

Yes, you have my permission to make this quilt your way. Although I don’t have the math figured out for any other sizes or alterations, you are welcome to change things up if you like. This is your quilt so the choice is up to you! And yes, you can work ahead if you like, or take a little more time if needed.

sherri_s_scraps

Sherri is cutting her pretty purple pieces into hunks and chunks. It will be fun to sew the scrappy chaos into something pretty!

Questions?

I’m here to help! Be sure to share your progress in my Facebook group Quilt With Christa and ask for any trouble shooting help there. It’s a fun supportive bunch and we are all eager to cheer each other on!

The Quilts from My Book – All in One Place

January 25, 2016January 24, 201610 Comments

I wanted to make it easy for you all to see all of the quilts from my book, together in one place.Here you can find pictures of all of the quilts from my book, Machine Quilting With Style.

If you have made one of the quilts from my book, or are currently making one, I’d love for you to share your progress in my facebook group: Quilt With Christa.

Machine Quilting With Style

13 friends each remade the 12 quilts + 1 of the backings. I have included their versions, too. Photography of my quilts courtesy of Martingale and Brent Kane. Here’s the order in which they are presented in the book:

ripples Ripples, made by me.