Beaded Lanterns QAL Week 1 Cutting

September 2, 2025August 19, 2025Leave a comment

This week it’s time to cut into your yummy fabrics as we begin to make Beaded Lanterns. If you haven’t done so yet, be sure to download my free Beaded Lanterns Quilt pattern to follow along. Now, let’s get started!

Cutting Beaded Lanterns Fabrics

You’ll need a total of 36 precut strips from a standard sized strip roll. Using my Dazzle Dots 2 roll shown above, I took out 2 strips of the ice blue color because it was the same as the background and I didn’t want a “hole” in my quilt. I also took out the 2 white strips since it had the least amount of contrast. That left me with a total of 18 colors, 2 strips of each. Perfect!

Click here to get my Christa Quilts Rotary Cutter (on sale while supplies last).
It includes my special “magical” pixie dust which makes you a better quilter, LOL!!

Follow the pattern instructions on page 2 to cut out your individual units for each block, plus cutting up the 4 yards of background fabric (which includes the binding). To speed up the cutting, I layered 2 strips of each color (4 layers of fabric), and cut through several stacks of strips at one time.

I prefer to cut out all of my units to the correct size first, before sewing. After many years of trial and error, I’ve found that my units are much more accurate this way.

I plan to set aside the leftovers after cutting, and then piece them into the backing. This is totally optional, but it’s a fun way to personalize your quilt!

Ta-Da! All of my pieces are cut and ready to sew into blocks for next week!

Now it’s your turn to share. You can share your work in progress on social media using #beadedlanternsqal. Or you can post pics and ask questions over in my Christa Quilts Facebook group.

Machine Quilting Bling with Your Walking Foot

August 26, 2025August 22, 2025Leave a comment

I’m excited to share my step-by-step process for quilting my latest iteration of Bling. This is one of my favorite patterns I’ve made over the years. Whenever I get a new idea for a fun colorscheme or quilting plan, I can’t help remaking some of my most popular patterns! Click below to watch and let me know what you think!

Get the Bling Quilt Pattern

You can choose a similar color story and layout, or you can switch things up and make it your own! The last few times I’ve made this quilt, I chose scrappy backgrounds, but you can also use one fabric for the background and it looks just as good. Hmmm, maybe you’ll want to make more than one like I did??

Grab My Kits and Fabrics While Supplies Last!

Click here to view all quilt kits made from my designer fabrics.

I always like to kit up a quilt when I make it because I know others will like it too. However, these are only available for a limited time, as long as the fabrics are in print. Enjoy some beauty shots of this quilt that I took while on a recent beach vacation. It was a nice cloudy day, and seeing these pics brings back great memories!

I had just as much fun making the pieced backing and using up a bunch of leftover Dazzle Dots!

Beaded Lanterns QAL Begins Next Month – Schedule Included

August 20, 2025August 18, 20253 Comments

Thanks to everyone who chimed in and let me know which quilt you wanted to make next! I’m excited to make Beaded Lanterns right along with you, from start to finish! Read below for details…

Click here to get the Free Beaded Lanterns Quilt Pattern
Click here to get the optional Beaded Lanterns Kit (while supplies last)

Beaded Lanterns Quilt Along Schedule

Week 1 – Cutting
Week 2 – Making the Blocks
Week 3 – Quilt Top Assembly
Week 4 – Catch up & Basting
Week 5 – Quilting and Finishing

Each week I will guide you through one part of making the quilt. I will be making the icy blue version shown made from my Dazzle Dots 2 fabrics, but of course you can use any fabrics you wish! This quilt along is completely free to join – just sign up to get the free pattern sent to you and you are all set!

Beaded Lanterns Supply List

Each week of the quilt along, I will be sharing tips and tricks right here on my blog and will include a bonus video during the quilting and finishing week. Just remember, you can work at your own pace and the quilt along will stay up indefinitely so you can refer to it again and again, any time you wish!

Click here to get the Free Beaded Lanterns Quilt Pattern
Click here to get the optional Beaded Lanterns Kit (while supplies last)

So – who’s in????? Leave me a comment letting me know if you plan to make this one. I’m happy to cheer you on, every step of the way!

Bling Quilt Along Week 4: Backing and Basting

August 8, 2025August 1, 2025Leave a comment

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!

Click here to get my Bling Quilt Pattern PDF
Click here to get the Bling Quilt Kit or Printed Pattern

Puzzle Piece the Backing

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!

Click here to get my Color Weave quilt pattern
Click here to get my Color Weave quilt kit

Be sure to give this method and try and let me know what you think!!

99 Designs Episode 28 – Free-Motion Quilting Switchbacks

August 5, 2025August 1, 2025Leave a comment

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:

Bonus Quilt Pattern & Quilting Plan for Facets

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!

Click here to get Machine Quilting with Style which includes Facets.
I was thrilled when my Facets quilt won a national show ribbon several years ago!

Are you practicing these designs? If so, be sure to share your samples over in my facebook group!

Bling Quilt Along Week 3: Quilt Top Assembly

July 31, 2025July 8, 2025Leave a comment

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.

Click here to get the Bling quilt kit – Dazzle Dots version
Click here to get the Bling quilt kit – Stitchy version

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.

Click here to get the Bling quilt pattern – PDF version
Click here to get the Bling quilt pattern – Printed Paper version

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!

99 Designs Episode 27 – Wavy Walking Foot Spiral

July 28, 2025July 25, 2025Leave a comment

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!

Click here to view all Quilt Kits

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:

Click here to get the Sparklign Stars Pattern – PDF Digital Download
Click here to get the Sparkling Stars Pattern – Printed Version

Have you tried the Wavy Spirals design yet? If so, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Bling Quilt Along Week 2: Block Sewing

July 24, 20251 Comment

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!

99 Designs Episode 26: FMQ Spiral Flowers & Wavy Spirals

July 21, 2025July 11, 2025Leave a comment

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!

Bonus Free Motion Quilting Video

Watch me quilt two different versions of Surplus Strips below, and let me know what you think!

Bling Quilt Along Week 1: Cutting

July 17, 2025July 3, 2025Leave a comment

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!

Click here to get the optional Bling Quilt Kit
Click here to get the Bling quilt pattern

Now, on to the cutting!

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!!

Until next week, happy quilting!!!