Christa’s Soap Box – Modern Quilting Validation

April 5, 2014April 4, 201456 Comments

It’s no secret I’ve fallen head over heels for modern quilting and the community that surrounds it. Because of this vibrant movement, I’ve probably made more meaningful quilts in the last year than I have in the previous ten years combined! This weekend my tastes were validated when 3 of my modern quilts took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons in my traditional guild’s annual quilt show. 🙂

Ribbon winners got to wear these buttons of pride while walking around the show!

I’ve been a member of the Desert Quilters of Nevada going on 18 years now. It’s a lively group, full of encouragement and support. Even though I’m one of the youngest of the 400+ member group (and have been ever since I joined nearly 2 decades ago), the guild has offered me a place to share my quilts, practice my teaching skills, and attend amazing workshops and events.

String of Pearls by Christa Watson, 1st Place – DQN Pieced Category 2014

DQN is very open minded when it comes to the latest happenings in the quilt world. They have a very healthy art quilt subgroup and they’ve even recently started a modern “circle.”

I’m super excited that they’ve invited me to teach String of Pearls at this year’s annual quilting retreat. But I’m even more jazzed that the theme of the retreat is going to be “It’s a Modern World.” I mean, how cool is that??

Modern X by Christa Watson, 2nd Place – DQN Modern Category 2014

At the show it was fun to see people walk by Modern X and do a double take. One gentleman I spoke to, a long-arm quilter by trade, couldn’t figure out where I started and stopped my lines of stitching.

When I told him I quilted long lines from one edge of the quilt to the other on my Bernina, he said you couldn’t really do that type of uninterrupted straight-line quilting on a long arm. (Score one for the domestic quilters!)

Spiraling Out of Control by Christa Watson, 3rd Place – DQN Modern Category

And I have to admit, it was super validating when Spiraling Out of Control took a 3rd place ribbon. This is probably my most favorite quilt to date and one where I really stretched myself doing stuff I’d never tried before. I always try to remind everyone (including myself) that I don’t enter my quilts in shows to win ribbons, but it sure is like icing on the cake when they do!

I have to give a final shout out to this fabulous quilt below which is NOT mine. It was made by one of my students who began it in my Charming Chevrons class last year. I couldn’t have been more proud to see that ribbon hanging on it!

Gray Chevy by Suzanne Mayfield, quilted by Brenda Alcorn, 1st Place – DQN Modern Category

Suzanne kindly credited me in her description as the pattern designer, so in some small way, I even got to be a part of this award-winning quilt, too!

Well, now you know what this means – it’s time to go make more quilts!

Tips for Getting Started with Modern Quilt Design

March 14, 2014March 13, 20149 Comments

My latest blog post for Craftsy has been published, and I’m rather pleased with the subject matter. It’s called 7 Tips for Getting Started with Modern Quilt Design and I really enjoyed writing it.

The back of Colorful Chevrons – I think it’s more modern than the front. Tutorial here.

Suffice it to say, I had fun gathering pictures and examples of modern quilting, and emailing their makers to obtain permission to share. It was really just a great excuse to get to know more amazing designers, and this is just the tip of the iceberg! I could have included dozens more if I had the time and space to write about them.

Another “modern” backing I designed. One day I’ll make something like this for the front!

So don’t be surprised if modern quilts are all I can think about for awhile. I have to make up for lost time!

Modern X – A Free Pattern for Modern Quilt Guild Members

March 10, 2014March 10, 201448 Comments

I’m pleased to share with you my latest quilt finish – Modern X.

I made it for the Modern Quilt Guild as a free pattern for their members. One of the benefits of being a MQG member is getting a free pattern with each of their monthly newsletters in 2014. I got selected to be “Miss March.”

Modern X – designed, pieced and quilted by Christa Watson – 56″x 70″

All of the quilts of the month will be shown at a special exhibit at QuiltCon next year, so it will be exciting to see them all presented in one place.

If you are not a member of the Modern Quilt Guild (why not?) I also have this pattern available for sale in my Craftsy Pattern Store. It runs 7 pages in length and also includes diagrams on how to machine quilt it, if you are so inclined.

I used Kona Cotton Solid fabrics for the quilt and it is pieced and quilted using Aurifil threads in 50 wt. cotton. Here’s a detailed shot of some of the quilting:

Be sure to come back later in the week as I’ll share a couple of basting and binding tutorials I put together for this quilt. 🙂

You win some and you lose some and it all works out in the end!

February 25, 2014February 24, 201441 Comments

Thanks to all of you for your kind words and good wishes on my Spiraling out of Control quilt. As I said previously, no matter how the competition turned out, I was happy to be a part of the challenge and thrilled that someone would think my quilt deserved to be among the top 10 out of hundreds. Besides, now I have a finished quilt ready for the next show!

Be sure to click here to see the top 3 winners. They are all amazing and kudos to their makers! They are all truly deserving. 🙂

Spiraling out of Control by Christa Watson

As I’ve said before, I absolutely love entering challenges and competitions, even if I don’t win. It helps me become a better quilter, and it allows me to share my quilts with a wider audience. Besides, if I didn’t have deadlines to strive for, I wouldn’t get anything done, LOL!

A couple hours after I read the final MQG challenge results, I got a notification from AQS that my Colorful Chevrons Quilt has been juried into Paducah. That made my day!

Colorful Chevrons by Christa Watson

So you know what they say – on to the next quilt!

Christa’s Soapbox – I am not a fan of polyster batting.

February 24, 2014February 24, 201464 Comments

I recently tried using a high quality polyester batting for one of my quilts because a few professional quilters I admire recommended it. However, this is one of those instances where quilting on a domestic machine versus a long arm is quite different.

On a long arm, the 3 layers of the quilt are held in place separately and evenly while the quilter rotates the machine over the surface of the quilt. However, on a domestic machine, there is a lot of shifting and bunching of the quilt, to scrunch it underneath the arm of the machine. Here’s the backside of a polyester batting disaster in progress:

Before with 100% polyester batting – it’s too slippery!

Unfortunately, the polyester batting is so “slippery” that it migrated and bunched while quilting. I originally pin basted the quilt but decided to rip all of it out and start over with new batting and basting spray instead.

While I am definitely not a perfectionist, this amount of wrinkling was just too much for me to handle, especially for a quilt that is going to be shared in public. I actually quilted it a lot more than what the photo shows above, but in order to keep my sanity, I couldn’t bear to take any more pictures!

So after a few tears, an evening of Downton Abbey, and a healthy dose of tenacity, here’s the newly quilted back. I ended up going with a blend of 70/30 cotton/poly and I utilized Ann Petersen’s tip of ironing the quilt after spray basting with a natural fiber batting.

After with a cotton/poly blend – still a few wrinkles, but much much better!

There is still a small amount of wrinkling but I”m adding a lot more quilting in between each “anchored” section and it’s quilting out nicely. However, I think I’ll stick with zero % poly in my quilts from now on. (The Quilter’s Dream Orient batting I used in my last quilt had no puckering at all!)

This sneak peek shows a much happier quilting session after I fixed most of the puckering!

Machine Quilting Bliss

A word to the wise on batting – the only way to truly know how a batting will perform is to test it on a real quilt. 🙂 Now I just have to finish the binding and wait for the big reveal!

Riley Blake MQG Challenge Quilt Post #3 – The Finish

February 14, 2014February 14, 201499 Comments

I have finished my entry for the Riley Blake/Modern Quilt Guild challenge.
It’s called Spiraling Out of Control and it finishes 70″ x 70″.

Spiraling out of Control by Christa Watson

I love the explosion of line and color against the charcoal background. The fabrics were fun to work with and I enjoyed every step of the quilting process. I quilted the background areas with “industrial” straight lines, and I quilted the rays of color with free-motion ziz-zags in matching colors of Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread.

Spiraling Quilting Detail

I tried several experiments while making this quilt which were fun to explore.

The block is very similar to an oversized string pieced block, yet all of the angles are wonky, and no two blocks are alike. The inclusion of background fabric between every other strip really helps the colors pop. I didn’t want to paper piece it or use foundations so I pieced them improvisationally, then used a ruler to square them up.

Trimming the Improv Blocks

It took me awhile to finalize the layout. Because of the movement of the blocks, there are a variety of designs that could be created. I had the toughest time deciding if I should contain the boxes formed by the rays or let them stick out on the edges. My gut said to go with “points out” as I call it rather than “points in.” I think that added to the “out of control” look and feel of the quilt!

Points Out

Points In

I tried basting spray which I really liked. No pesky pins to remove while quilting! I also used Quilter’s Dream Orient batting for the first time and absolutely fell in love with it. It’s a mix of silk, bamboo, botanic tencel and cotton. The quilt is so soft even with a ton of quilting on it, and it drapes very nicely. I think this is my new favorite batting!

Use basting spray outside or in a well ventilated area with open windows.
I sprayed the top and bottom of the quilt rather than the batting.

Another experiment I tried was quilting it entirely with my free-motion foot, including stitching in the ditch. While it was more work to push through the machine, I liked the freedom of movement and I didn’t get any of those puckers that often happen along intersecting seam lines.

Quilting Detail

I quilted the negative space with closely spaced lines using the edge of my foot as a guide. I didn’t mark any of the lines or worry about making them perfectly straight, which was also a nice experiment in letting go of perfection!

Loose Threads to Tie Off Later

My next experiment, which was a little crazy, is that I tied off all of the starts and stops from the colored threads. (Not for the backgrounds though – I didn’t even want to go there!) I did this mostly to see if was an insane idea or not. While it took a long time and I thought I would hate it, it was actually very relaxing.

Aurifil Thread Colors Used

I finished the quilting and left long tails of colored threads until the end. Then I used a needle and a thimble to basically hand quilt one stitch of every stop and start, made a knot and popped it into the batting so there wasn’t a mess of thread on the back. This gave me the chance handle the quilt quite a bit. I can now see the value of hand work, but only if you are not rushed! I also finished stitching the binding by hand.

Quilting Detail on the Back

A final experiment is that I timed myself during every step of the process to see how long it would actually take from start to finish. People are always talking about how many weeks or months it takes to make a quilt, but that never makes sense to me because I don’t know how many hours a day they spend quilting. The number cruncher in me likes keeping track of these things!

Here’s a breakdown of the time:

Prewashing fabrics – 1.5 hours
Starching, pressing and cutting – 7 hours
Sewing the blocks – 14 hours
Starching and squaring the blocks – 1.5 hours
Deciding on layout of blocks – 2 hours
Sewing top (including pressing) – 3.5 hours
Piecing the back – .5 hour
Basting & smoothing – 2 hours
Stitching in the ditch – 1.5 hours
Quilting the negative space – 22.5 hours
Quilting the colored strips – 12 hours
Tying off knots – 6 hours
Sewing binding to the quilt – 3 hours
Finishing binding by hand – 5 hours

It took a whopping 82 hours to make this quilt! I guess you could say the time spent creating spiraled out of control. 🙂 However when comparing it to quilts where makers sometimes spend hundreds of hours on their competition pieces, I didn’t feel so bad. After all, it was an experiment!

Spiraling out of Control by Christa Watson

Final Stats:

Spiraling Out of Control – 70″ x 70″- designed, pieced and quilted by Christa Watson
Riley Blake Basics fabric in aqua, navy, yellow, orange and grey
Riley Blake Basics Charcoal Solid for the background, backing and binding
Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread for piecing and quilting, in colors to match
Quilter’s Dream Orient Batting
An insane 82 hours to create
A joy to make from start to finish!

For more in-process shots, see challenge post #1 and challenge post #2.

Thanks to Riley Blake and the Modern Quilt Guild for hosting this challenge!

What I’m Working on Wednesday

February 12, 2014February 12, 201425 Comments

I thought I’d share a couple of pics of quilts I’m currently working on, you know, to prove that it’s not all about blogging and fabric around here. I actually do take time to quilt when I can, LOL!

Quilting Away!

Please ignore the messy hair, but this is my favorite thing to do – listen to a quilting podcast while losing myself in the joy of machine quilting. I’m finishing up a quilt that I’ll get to share with you pretty soon.

Quilting my Riley Blake Challenge

And I’m frantically quilting away on my Riley Blake/Modern Quilt Guild challenge to get it done in time. There’s nothing like a deadline to light a fire under me and get me moving quick!

Quilting is also great for weight control. The more time my hands spend stitching, the less time they have to grab munchies! 🙂

Christa’s Soap Box – Embrace Imperfectionism!

February 8, 2014February 7, 201453 Comments

I am a budding imperfectionist.

It’s not really a word, but I did find it in a search of the Urban Dictionary. Obviously, it means: “to be good at being imperfect; ie not perfect.”

Having fun and sharing quilts with friends in Phoenix!

I am a perfectionist by nature, which at times has stifled my creative journey. For years, I thought I had to be “perfect” in order to share my work publicly. I hid in the comfort and safety of my local quilting guild, waiting for the time that I would be “good enough” to share my quilts with a wider audience.

Thanks to the online quilting community and especially the modern quilting movement, I’ve realized that quilts don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful! And the more they are shared, the more they are loved. 🙂 I’m learning that perfectionism only stands in my way, and it keeps me from finishing more quilts.

So I’ve decided to work on perfecting my imperfectionism. Darn it, I don’t want to miss out on any more of the fun! Who’s with me?

Riley Blake MQG Challenge Quilt Post #2 – The Blocks

January 17, 2014January 15, 201461 Comments

Over the last couple of weeks I had a chance to work some more on my Riley Blake Challenge hosted by the Modern Quilt Guild.

Post #1 for this quilt was about block design. This week I finished sewing my blocks and I’m pleased with how the quilt is starting to shape up. I may just make that February 17th deadline yet!

Riley Blake Fabric Pull – it took me 3 tries to get the right shade of grey I wanted!

I had originally chosen a grey background for my improv blocks and it took me several tries before finding the right shade (I can be a little finicky like that).

Original Design Sketch

However, once I made up a sample block it wasn’t really speaking to me. Then on a whim I decided to go with a much darker background – the Riley Blake Charcoal solid included in the original challenge bundle.

Auditioning a darker shade of grey – Charcoal solid by Riley Blake

I pulled in several more Riley Blake Basics in coordinating colors, then cut out a bunch of different length strips and sewed them together in an improv way (so fun – even if it does waste a bit of fabric). Using a large square ruler, I trimmed the blocks to size. I was going for the effect of a foundation string pieced block – without the pesky foundation part!

Improv Strips Sewn Together

Now I’m starting to like how the blocks are coming together.

Riley Blake Challenge Blocks

I timed myself while working and it took a total of 21 hours to starch, press, cut and sew a total of 36 – twelve inch blocks (not including prewashing all the fabrics first!) That seems like a long time for me, but I sewed them together just a few blocks at a time to make sure I knew what I was doing.

Riley Blake Challenge – Improv String Blocks

This is my first attempt at an improv design and it was very liberating. As I finished each block, it was fun to see the wonky, graphic design emerge. I may rearrange them to balance out the colors and I’m toying around with adding a border of dark charcoal around the edges to make the whole thing appear to float. We’ll see.

I can’t wait to sew the blocks together and then start on the super fun part – the quilting!!

Hugs ‘n Kisses Quilt Along (Reprise)

January 11, 2014July 1, 201510 Comments

Are you in the mood to create a sweet quilt for that special someone in time for Valentine’s Day? Then how about making my Hugs ‘N Kisses quilt? Just pick up a Jelly Roll of your favorite fabric line and some background fabric and you are good to go!

Since I don’t have any new quilt alongs scheduled for the next few months, I thought I would share this one with you. I’ve had so many new followers join my blog since last year (lots of hugs and thanks to you all!), that many are seeing this quilt for the first time.

Hugs ‘n Kisses Quilt Along by Christa Watson

Hugs and Kisses is an updated version of a previous quilt from 12+ years ago. I made the original quilt in spicy reds, oranges and yellows for my husband who is hot stuff! The newer version in soft pretty pinks (with all x blocks) was made for my sweet daughter.

Hugs ‘n Kisses by Christa Watson

Hugs ‘N Kisses Stats:

Finished Size: 48″ x 64″
Completed: April 2013
Pieced and Quilted: on my Bernina 1630
Fabrics: BasicGrey Kissing Booth and Kona Snow Jelly Rolls (plus scraps)
Piecing Thread: Superior Masterpiece, 50wt Cotton
Quilting Thread: Glide High Sheen Polyester, Cream
Batting: Legacy 100% Wool
Quilting Design: FMQ Flowers in the O’s with Serpentine Lines Quilted Across the X’s with a Walking Foot
Binding: By Hand
Total Sewing Time: 47 Hours

Quilt Along Tutorials – Click the Links Below for Each Step: