Happy Turkey Day!! Save 20% on My Fabric Collections by the Yard!

November 28, 2019November 20, 2019Leave a comment

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! This officially kicks off the holiday shopping season, so I figured I’d join the crowd of business owners and get it on the Black Friday frenzy! From now through the end of the month, you can save 20% off all of my fabric lines by the yard, when you use code TURKEY during checkout at shop.ChristaQuilts.com.

Modern Marks – My Very First Line from 2017!!

Click here to shop Modern Marks fabric.

It was such a thrill when Benartex contacted me three years ago and invited me to become one of their fabric designers for their Contempo division which features modern and contemporary prints. They told me they loved my work and would love for me to infuse my funky geometric style into fun colorful fabric. Modern Marks was the result and it’s been a wild ride ever since!!

I still have a bit left of each of the 26 Modern Marks fabrics, and most are now out of print. As you can see below, all of my groups mix and match and are a riot of color and texture!

Fandangle – Debuted in 2018

Click here to shop Fandangle fabric.

I continued to fill out the rainbow in my fabric stash with this line, and decided I needed not one, but two background grays to go with them. Because Benartex reprints hot selling fabrics, the grays have been printed over, and over, and over again. They are literally, the “perfect” neutrals!!

Fun fact: most people mistake the word Fandangle with “Fandango“, but hey have two completely different meanings. Fandango is the dance, but Fandangle means decorative ornamentation – which is why I included fun fabric names like Beaded Curtain, Triangle Trinkets, and Baubles and Bits. Sometimes naming the fabrics is as much fun as designing them!!

With this group, you can separate them into warm and cool, but as you can see above, each print looks great with every other piece in the line. I have yardage of all 20 bolts of Fandangle available, and with this special deal, you can stock up on your faves!!

Abstract Garden – Spring of 2019

Click here to shop Abstract Garden fabric.

Can we say purple?? With each line I create, I want it to stand on its own as a complete color story. But, I love adding new things that will mix and match with what came prior. In Abstract Garden, I made sure to include purple, plus four great pastels that would serve as light, or “low volume” backgrounds.

Abstract Garden consists of 20 prints, many of which are loosely based on some of my favorite machine quilting motifs. The name is a tongue in cheek nod to the fact that I can’t really garden, OR draw floral motifs. Be sure to check out the signature print of the line, “Raised Beds.” It’s little plots of my most favorite geometric shapes!!

Geo Pop – Newest Release, Fall 2019

Click here to shop Geo Pop fabric.

With four fabric collections under my belt, I decided I really needed a line of modern basics. This is my largest line yet at 25 pieces, but with only 4 different prints. I’m thrilled that I was able to include more neutrals – plenty of black, white, and gray in this group to go along with the bright saturated colors.

With Geo Pop, you can have fun fussy cutting the geometric stripe, and can create some really cool effects with the eye catching Mosaic Dots print.

Shop, Save, and Share!!

For your viewing pleasure, here’s my stash of all four collections that I’m offering for sale by the yard. I keep these in my ~~overflow fabric room~~, I mean guest room!!

When you create with my fabrics, be sure to send me pics or tag me on social media using @christaquilts or #modernmarksfabric #fandanglefabric #abstractgardenfabric and #geopopfabric. I absolutely love to see what you create!!

Click here to shop all fabric lines by the yard.

Don’t forget to use code TURKEY at checkout to save 20%! Shipping is a flat $5 to the US, and I’m happy to refund excess International shipping charges, too!!

Quilt Shops Who Carry Geo Pop

November 21, 2019November 20, 20191 Comment

I love it when I see my fabrics popping up at quilt shops all over the country (and the world).
Each season I get an updated list from Benartex of who carries my current fabric and I’m happy to share it with you. Keep in mind this doesn’t include international shops, or those who purchase from a distributor. No does it include those who have the fabric on order but haven’t yet received it. But at least it gives you a start at finding out where to buy. If you know of any shops NOT on this list, please let me know and I’ll be glad to add them!

Geo Pop is my 4th fabric line, with 25 geometric skus in bright rainbow colors.

Geo Pop Shops!

Click the links below to go to their site or contact them for more info:

ChristaQuilts (online only) – That’s me!!
Aurora Sewing Center, NY
Bernina of Naperville, IL
The Bernina Connection, Phoenix AZ
Blue Bar Quilts, Middleton WI
Dave’s Bernina, St. George & Provo, UT
Fabric Affair, Troy MI
Fabric.com (Online Only)
Fabric Square Shop, Stow OH
Hayes Sewing Machine Co., Wilmington DE
Homestead Hearth, Mexico MO
House of Vacuums & Sewing, Florence NC
Lucy in the Sky Quilts, Kalamazoo MI
Minding My P’s&Q’s, Denton TX
Peace & Applique Quilt Shop, Rochester IL
Pins & Needles, Mt Kisco NY
The Quilt Basket, York NE
Quilt Etc., Sandy UT
Quilter’s Cupboard, Atascadero CA
Quilter’s Destination, Arlington Heights IL
Quilt In A Day, San Marcos CA
Quilting in the Valley, LaSalle IL
Scrap Apple Quilts, St. George UT
Stitch ‘N Quilt, Mableton GA
Thistle Dew Quilt Shoppe, Fair Oaks CA
Viking Says Sew N’ Quilt, Mauldin SC

–

Click here to view all Geo Pop fabric swatches on the Benartex/Contempo Website.

Infrastructure Quilt Along Week 11 – Machine Quilting

November 18, 2019November 17, 20192 Comments

And now we get to my favorite part of making a quilt – machine quilting!!! There are so many different ways to quilt this quilt. Heather Black did an amazing job custom quilting hers, and I took the opposite approach with one of the simplest designs you can do – decorative machine stitching.

Infrastructure Machine Quilting Detail Using a Decorative Stitch

Thoughts on Thread

Click here to get my Aurifil Thread Kits in Colors, Neutrals, or my newest Variegated box.

So the first thing to do is choose the thread you’d like to quilt with. I piece AND quilt all of my quilts using Aurifil, 50 weight, 100% cotton thread from my 3 thread collections. It’s thin, yet strong and blends into my quilts so all you see is the yummy texture. I use leftover bobbins for piecing my next quilt and I never have to worry about which bobbin matches which spool since they are all the same weight!

I like to use the same color thread in top and bobbin so that I don’t get “pokies” on my quilt – those little dots of thread that appear when your tension is the tiniest bit off and you are using highly contrasting thread.

The light gray/blue #5007 can be found in my Piece and Quilt Neutrals collection.

I used Aurifil #5007 light gray/blue from my Neutrals thread box. It’s one of my favorite go-to neutrals because it blends with nearly every color. When I’m doing an allover edge-to-edge quilting design, I don’t want to have to stop and switch thread colors while I’m quilting.

Because the spools hold so much thread on them, it took me less than one spool to quilt the entire quilt, including the front and back.

Make a Quilting Plan

I love figuring out HOW I’m going to quilt ahead of time, so I don’t have to think too much. I will usually print out a copy of the quilt top from the pattern (you can photocopy the pattern cover for personal use, OR you can take a picture of your finished quilt top). Then I draw all over it until I come up with something I like. I include quilting suggestions in ALL of my quilt patterns to help you out with each quilt you make.

Above is the illustration that’s included in my Infrastructure Quilt Pattern. Here’s the basic idea: choose a decorative stitch on your sewing machine and quilt a series of lines across the quilt from one side to the other.

Make them as light or dense as you like and use my “divide and conquer” method: quilt one set of lines “near” the ditch instead of IN the ditch for each row. Then go back and quilt additional passes across the quilt, shrinking up the open spaces until the entire area is filled.

You can use ANY decorative stitch on you sewing machine. Play around with length and width settings until you find something you like, and stitch on a practice sample before you quilt on the real thing. Here’s a picture of the settings I chose on my machine, a BERINA 770 QE:

I’m using decorative stitch #16 which is known as a running stitch or a broken zig-zag. It creates several stitches each time it zigs and zags, so you can make it bigger than the default settings and it still looks great! I adjusted my width to 6.0 and my length to 3.0 because I like the way it looks. Don’t forget to use a zig-zag needle plate so you don’t break a needle when it moves back and forth!!

The Quilting

Here are some beauty shots of the decorative stitch quilting in process. I made sure to NOT try to line up the quilting lines perfectly because I love a more organic look. The more quilting I did, the more beautiful texture it added to the quilt and the more the thread blended in. After all, the best way to hide imperfect stitches is to surround them with MORE imperfect stitches!!

Here’s what it looks like when I’m stitching “near” the ditch in each row. You can see all the imperfections up close, but fortunately they get hidden when more quilting is added.

I’m filling in the spaces between the first pass with randomly spaced lines. I’m using the 20D foot on my BERNINA with the integrated dual feed. It works just like a walking foot and I don’t have to mark anything. I’m using the edge of the foot as a guide for some of the lines.

What this section looks like when it’s completely filled in.
None of the lines match up and some are a bit irregular – I love this look!!

Another section complete. Look how well the stitching blends in to the quilt!

This is one of my favorite designs because it adds great texture to ANY quilt!

See it In Action

Here’s my latest YouTube video, showing me quilting this decorative stitch on my quilt. It did take a few hours to accomplish, but I just worked on it a few minutes at a time over several days. It’s my joy and my zen when I get to do mindless quilting like this, and once you let go of perfection, it’s really quite fun!

Next week we’ll finish up with machine binding, including another video tutorial – so stay tuned!!

This Week’s Giveaway & Heather’s Version

Heather did some amazing custom quilting on her computerized long arm machine. Pop over to her blog at Quiltachussetts for more about how she chose her designs.

While you are there be sure to enter the giveaway on Heather’s blog. One lucky winner will receive one box of my Variegated thread collection, courtesy of Aurifl!! How cool is that???

Quick Links

Finished Infrastructure quilt on my design wall!! You’re almost there!!!

Infrastructure QAL Week 10 – Quilt Top Assembly and Spray Basting Tutorial

November 11, 2019November 10, 20191 Comment

How is your Infrastructure quilt coming along? Just remember, you can work at your own pace and if you are new, you can start this quilt any time! This week is quilt top assembly plus a complete basting video on YouTube. Keep reading for more….

Tips for Quilt Top Assembly

Once all 9 rows of Infrastructure have been sewn, it’s time to sew them together. They may look a little wavy, but if you sew each section in opposite directions, that will help eliminate some of the waviness.

If your rows are not all the same size, you can add coping strips, trim off some of the excess, or use lots of pins to ease in any fullness. Always sew with a “baggy bottom” which means sew with the longer strip on bottom and the feed dogs will help compensate. If needed, you can always go back and increase or decrease the seam allowance of some of the rows to get them all the same size.

Once the quilt top is sewn together, you want to take a “victory lap!” Sew about 1/8″ from the perimeter on both sides of the quilt to secure the edge seams from splitting open. This isn’t necessary for the top and bottom of the quilt since those are long strips of fabric without seams. When your top is finished, give it a final pressing and you are ready to baste!

Basting the Quilt – Quick Overview

I baste using my design wall and 505 basting spray. I make sure my batting and batting are bigger than my quilt top and I trim away some of excess after it’s been basted. I spray the top and backing outside separately, then assemble all the layers on my design wall, taking care to smooth each layer as I go.

Once everything looks nice and flat, I’ll roughly trim the edges so that only and inch or two remain around all 4 sides. I cut off as much extra as I can to prevent it from tucking under the back and quilting the quilt to itself!!

The final basting step is to iron the quilt on both sides to set the glue and smooth everything out one final time.

Full length Basting Tutorial on YouTube

Here’s the complete step-by-step basting process. The total video is just under 7 minutes because I’ve sped it up in several parts so that you don’t have to watch it in real time. In reality it still didn’t take very long – only about 45 minutes from start to finish to baste my quilt.

GIVEAWAY & HEATHER’S SOLIDS VERSION

Pop over to Heather Black’s blog at Quiltachusetts to see her week 10 post, made from Benartex Superior Solids. While you are there, be sure to enter the giveaway. One lucky winner will receive some Hobbs batting – which is the same batting I used to make my quilt. My favorites are the cotton/wool blend or the 80/20 cotton poly. It’s easy to work with and makes the quilt soft and cuddly!!

Helpful Links

Sharing is Caring

Both Heather and I would love to see how you are progressing, even if you make this quilt long after the quilt along is over! Here are all the ways you can share with us:

Leave a comment here on the blog, and add a link to anyplace you want to post pics
Share your progress and ask questions in my Facebook group
Share on instagram #infrastructurequilt and tag us @christaquilts and @quiltachusetts.

Quilt Market Wrap Up Fall 2019 – Showcasing Gridwork

November 6, 2019November 4, 20193 Comments

I had an amazing time at fall quilt market last month. This is the semi-annual trade show where I get to debut my new fabric and patterns. I was able to share my newest fabric line, Gridwork which is shipping to shops in January of next year.

My Gridwork Booth

My booth featured two new quilt patterns that I released, plus fabulous quilts made by my friends: Charisma Horton, Heather Black, Annie Unrein and Linda Sullivan.

Here’s a closeup of the Gridwork fabrics displayed in my booth.

The Shoes!!! And Matching Outfits!!!

Each time I have a booth, I love creating something fun to wear from my fabrics. This year, I made 4 aprons and paired them up with fun pairs of Fluevog shoes. Each market I purchase a new pair that matches my fabric which is always a great excuse for shopping, right?

Day 1: I designed the Citron colorway of Gridwork to match my fave pair of shoes!!

Day 2: It’s so fun to match my outfit to my quilts!!

Day 3: I bought the blue pair this season and they are sooo comfy!!

Day 4: here’s a closer look at the purple patent leather shoes I got to wear twice.

I paired up the aprons and shoes with a matching Tshirts that I had custom printed with #gridworkfabric on the front and #benartex on the back. I figured I was the best walking advertisement for my fabrics, right??

The People!

It’s always fun to meet up with new friends at quilt market and make new connections with quilt shops who carry my fabric, and designers who want to work with my fabric. But the highlight of working with Benartex has been getting to know the other fabric designers. All of our looks are so different, yet they complement each other very well!

Benartex designers featured at fall quilt market included: Paula Nadelstern, Cherry Guidry, Shelley Cavanna, Ann Lauer, Weeks Ringle (& Bill Kerr), me and Amanda Murphy.

We roped our fearless leader, Benartex president David Lochner into posing with us and he was such a good sport! A you can tell, we like to have a good time!!

Over the 3 years since I’ve been with Benartex, I’m especially grateful to learn from superstars like Eleanor Burns and Paula Nadlestern. These ladies have been my heroes since I began quilting over 20 years ago and I pinch myself that I get to call them my colleagues and friends!!

Paula Nadelstern and I shared some fun moments on the show floor when I gave her some Instagram posting tips. She repaid the favor by recommending me for some upcoming teaching events, so stay tuned for more!

Another highlight of the show was the Benartex company dinner in which I got to sit next to Eleanor Burns. She made my night when she complimented me on my energy level. This is high praise from the energetic queen of quilting!!

The Projects!!

It was fun to spot my fabrics in other booths. I love it when designers want to showcase my fabrics in their new patterns because that exposes my fabrics to their customers who may not have seen it yet. And in turn, I get to share some talented designers with you all!!

By Annie had a wonderful display of bags, containers and other projects made from both Gridwork and Geo Pop. It was fun to see how great they looked next to colorful fabrics from Tula Pink!

Brewer is one of the distributors that also carries my fabric and patterns for shops to purchase all in one spot. I was thrilled that they wanted to hang two of my quilts in their booth to promote my current patterns: Infrastructure and Color Weave. This is a great example showing how well my fabrics from different collections mix and match with each other.

My friends Lynn and Pam from The Stitch TV Show created a fun new pattern called Dapper, featuring colorful bowtie blocks made from Gridwork + solids. They are always a hoot to listen to online and in person!!

Jenifer Dick from Everyday Stitches also debuted a new fun pattern in her booth at quilt market using Gridwork fat quarters + background fabric. I love seeing how others use my prints!

I had a fabulous, though exhausting time and I’m thrilled with how many more shops are getting interested in my fabric. If you want to share the fabric love, be sure to ask your local quilt shop to order Gridwork (and any of my other fabrics) from their Benartex sales rep. Now it’s time to make more quilts!!

Infrastructure Quilt Along Row 9

November 4, 2019October 31, 20192 Comments

This week we are making the last row of Infrastructure quilt – can you believe it??? Row 9 features simple pieced strips and it’s another great chance to fussy cut the Geo Pop fabric if desired.

First I’ll walk you through the process to piece this row, then you can take a look at the bonus YouTube video I created while making this row.

Cut the Strips

You want to cut nice straight strips according to the pattern instructions on page 6. If you are fussy cutting, you’ll want multiple strips of the same fabric to be cut at the same point so that you can match up the patterns.

For my strips below, I fussy cut the Mosaic Dots print and the Diamond Pop print. The Tiny Hex print was small enough that if the pattern doesn’t match up, it will still look ok.

Optional Pattern Matching

To match patterns, I found the same spot on the fabric and pinned it in place so that I could sew right where the design repeats. In the image below, that darker shadow in the photo is where I’ve folded over the fabric so that the pattern will be continuous.

Once I sew the seam from the backside, it won’t be noticeable on the actual quilt. The seam allowance will be larger on the back when I sew it; I’ll trim it down to 1/4″ after it’s sewn.

Sew in Opposite Directions

When sewing long skinny seams, they can bow or warp out of shape. So I make sure that I switch the sewing direction to compensate. Here’s how I do it. There are 6 rows here, so I sew two pairs at a time. The first pair will have the Grey Tiny Hex fabric on top. The next two pairs of strips will be sewn with the Black Tiny Hex fabric on top.

When I join the sewn rows, I’ll continue to sew with the black fabric on top, and that will automatically switch the sewing direction each time.

Don’t forget to sew with a shorter stitch length and press those seams open! I press each time I sew a seam so that task stays easily under control.

Bonus YouTube Video

I’ve prepared a 4 minute-long YouTube video walking you through the above steps, plus a couple of fussy cutting tips thrown in. Hopefully this will help you cut and sew long strips with ease. In this video, I’m narrating the entire time so you can follow along with what I’m doing. Be sure to subscribe to my channel. If there’s continued interest, I’ll make more videos in the future!

Click the “Play” button below to watch the video on YouTube.

Row 9 Finished

Row 9 is finished and now the entire quilt top is ready to assemble next week. As you prepare to join the pieced rows, check their length. You can use lots of pins to ease in any rows that aren’t exactly the same.

If some of your heavily pieced rows have ended up longer than they should be, go back and stitch wider seam allowances to shrink them up. You don’t have to rip out the original seam allowance to do this. You want all of the rows to be the same size before you sew them together.

GIVEAWAY & HEATHER’S Solids VERSION

Pop over to Heather Black’s blog at Quiltachusetts to see her version of Row 9 made from Benartex Superior Solids. While you are there, be sure to enter the giveaway. One lucky winner will receive some Hobbs batting – just in time to baste your quilt!

I use Hobbs batting in all of my quilts and I’m using Hobbs 80/20 Heirloom cotton/poly for this quilt. It will give me just the right amount of loft I need it doesn’t bunch up when you quilt it.

QUICK LINKS:

Be sure to show us your progress, too! Share on instagram #infrastructurequilt and tag us @christaquilts and @quiltachusetts.

Infrastructure Quilt Along – Making Row 8

October 28, 2019October 28, 2019Leave a comment

This week we are making Row 8 – more Anvil Blocks. This is a great catchup week because this row is cut and sewn exactly the same as Week 6 Row 6, but with different fabrics.

You can follow along in the Infrastructure Quilt Pattern on pages 6 and 13 for specific instructions on making this row.

Here are the cut pieces all laid out and sewn into one Anvil block:

I used the Tri Recs tools to cut the units to make the Triangle in a Square blocks. In case you missed it, I created a YouTube tutorial on how to make these blocks back when we were making Row 4.

Click here to get the Tri-Recs Tools

Once the Anvil blocks are sewn, it’s easy to add spacer rows to the top and bottom of the pieced row. Here’s a tip: measure the length of your row before trimming the long strips.

One more row down, and one to go! It’s been so fun using my Geo Pop prints to make this quilt!

GIVEAWAY & HEATHER’S VERSION

Pop over to Heather Black’s blog at Quiltachusetts to see her version of Row 8 made from Benartex Superior solids. While you are there, be sure to enter the giveaway! One lucky winner will get a 6 month subscription to Make Modern Magazine – one of my faves!!

QUICK LINKS:

Be sure to show us your progress, too! Share on instagram #infrastructurequilt and tag us @christaquilts and @quiltachusetts.

Preorder Bundles of My New Gridwork Fabric – It ships in January!

October 25, 2019October 23, 2019Leave a comment

I’m at quilt market this weekend, showing off my newest fabric collection, Gridwork that will ship in January of 2020. I can’t believe it’s already my 5th fabric line with Benartex, and I’ve been having a blast designing fabrics and making colorful quilts from them.

All 27 prints of Gridwork in 3 colorways: Amethys, Breeze and Citron

This is a larger collection, consisting of 27 different prints in 3 coloways: Amethyst, Breeze and Citron. Of course they mix and match nicely with each other, but it’s also fun to create color-blocked projects with them. Here are some more beauty shots of the individual colorways.

Amethyst Bundle – Pretty in Purple and Pink

Click here to preorder the Amethyst Bundle in Fat Quarters, Half Yards or Full Yards

Breeze Bundle – Calm and Cool in Blues and Greens

Click here to preorder the Breeze Bundle in Fat Quarters, Half Yards or Full Yards

Citron Bundle – Edgy in Black, White, Navy & Citron

Click here to preorder the Citron Bundle in Fat Quarters, Half Yards or Full Yards

Each time I design a new line, I’m thinking about how it can relate to my previous collections but still stand on its own. It was really fun to do a larger line this time will a full range of light, mediums and darks that will make your quilts sparkle.

Click here to claim your Gridwork bundle – It ships in January!

New Quilt Patterns – Block Chain and Terrace Tiles

October 23, 2019October 23, 2019Leave a comment

I’m excited to announce two fun new quilt patterns to go along with my next fabric line that I will be showing at Fall 2019 Quilt Market. Although they patterns feature prints I designed, they will look fabulous with any fabrics you choose to work with!

Block Chain – Charm Pack Friendly

This pattern is based on a design I came out with years ago before precuts were popular. So I redesigned it, tinkered with the math, and came up with a fun way to use up your favorite charm packs! For the throw size shown, it takes 1 regular sized charm pack, or 36 squares.

Most charm packs are 40-42 squares so this gives you some flexibility to pull out any of the prints that are too light or too dark. Pair it up with contrasting black and gray, and you’ve got a dynamic looking design that’s perfect for showing off your favorite prints!

Quilting Suggestions Included

My biggest pet peeve about quilt patterns is when you get to the end and it says “quilt as desired.” If you’ve purchased any of my patterns before, you’ll know that I include quilting suggestions and diagrams with every single one! I want you to have a great time with the piecing AND the quilting and I’m always here to guide you through every step of the process.

For Block Chain, I quilted a series of funky, geometric shapes with 50 weight multi-color cotton thread from my Aurifil Variegated Collection. It was a super fun and fast way to get this quilt done in a hurry. And the best part about my “perfectly imperfect” quilting method, is that it looks great every time.

My secret to successful machine is to hide my imperfections with dense machine quilting. I used Hobbs 80/20 cotton/poly batting for a soft, drapey feel that didn’t get stiff no matter how much I quilted it!

Terrace Tiles – Made From Fat Quarters

Terrace Tiles is also a remake of one of my earlier designs from a magazine. I’ve come a long way since I first started publishing quilt patterns and I’ve tweaked this design so that it’s completely made from fat quarters, including the binding!

This quilt is literally one of the fastest and easiest designs you can make and I loved it so much I just had to make three of them!! I whipped up each quilt top in just a few hours and quilted them each with a different allover quilting design. Terrace Tiles is a great stash buster, and you can go as scrappy as you like with this design. It will look good no matter what!

Check out each of the three versions I made, all using fat quarter bundles of my Gridwork fabric organized by colorway:

Terrace Tiles in Amethyst

I quilted this pink & purple version using a fun swirly design and thread from my Aurifil Variegated collection in pink/purple/blue. I love how it adds yummy texture to the fun geometric prints!

Terrace Tiles in Breeze

For this colorway, I quilted an allover boxes design – one of my faves that looks great on modern and contemporary quilts with a strong geometric vibe. I used the aqua/teal combo from my Varieated thread collection for this one.

Terrace Tiles in Citron

I went a bit out of my comfort zone with this blue/citron/gray colorway, but I love the results! I quilted it with one of my all-time fave designs, “jagged stipple” which is a perfect quilting motif for a guy’s quilt with its edgy geometric angles. It’s quilted using black/white thread from my Variegated Collection.

I’ve included diagrams for all 3 machine quilting designs in the pattern as well as 3 different sizes so you can customize this quilt to suit your needs.

Where to Buy My Patterns

My patterns are slowly but surely making their way to quilt shops across the country and around the globe. However, if you can’t find them locally, you can always order direct from me. I offer full-color versions in printed paper versions, or downloadable digital PDF’s.

Click the links below to see my entire pattern line and stock up on your faves! The PDFs are great if you want instant access on your computer, and the paper versions ship free to anywhere in the US.

If you are a teacher or quilt shop who wants to carry my patterns, please shoot me an email to christa@christaquilts.com for wholesale order info. As always, thanks for your support!

Infrastructure Quilt Along – Making Row 7

October 21, 2019October 21, 20192 Comments

This week we are making Row 7 – the Fence Post blocks. You can follow along with the cutting directions on page 5 and the sewing directions on pages 12-13 of the Infrastructure Quilt Pattern.

This is a simple row to put together and you can choose to fussy cut parts of the design if you wish. I didn’t worry about fussy cutting this row, but simply let the pattern design fall randomly.

Here are all my cut pieces using black, gray and yellow Geo Pop prints:

For speed and efficiency, I like to stack up all of the units in order next to my sewing machine, and chain piece as much as possible. Here’s what it looks like with the units in position. It’s always amazing to me how much a block shrinks up once it’s sewn!

I’m continuing to press my seams open as I sew them, and use a shorter stitch length so you don’t see the thread poking through the seams. Here’s a short bonus video showing how I press the seams open:

Here’s what it looks like once the complete row is sewn. I put it next to the finished row from last week and I love how it’s coming together!

This has been such a fun quilt to put together so far. By just working on it one row at a time, it’s really easy to sew!

GIVEAWAY & HEATHER’S VERSION

Pop over to Heather Black’s blog at Quiltachusetts to see her version of Row 7 made from Benartex Superior solids. While you are there, be sure to enter the giveaway! Two lucky winners will each receive a brand new rotary cutter from Olfa. I use the Olfa brand from all my cutting and I love how their cutters look and feel. It makes the job so much easier!!

QUICK LINKS:

Share on instagram #infrastructurequilt

Here’s how my rows look so far, They are bit wrinkly and wonky on my design wall because I put them up in a hurry, and an un-quilted top is always flimsy and unfinished looking. I can’t wait to sew the top together! Just two more rows to go!!