Category: machine quilting

99 Designs Episodes 17 & 18 – Free Motion & Walking Foot Designs

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Today I’m playing catchup with 2 new videos from my 99 Machine Quilting Designs series. These are free videos I’m sharing each and every week, from my book of the same name. I like to teach a variety of walking foot AND free motion designs to make the best use of your home sewing machine! First, check out this fun pebbles variation called Cobblestones:

This is a dense design that I would use sparingly, and it looks great as a background fill surrounding other, less dense designs.

Walking Foot Wonders

If walking foot quilting is more your thing, be sure to catch Episode 18 where I show how to turn simple straight lines into a stunning grid. You can be precise or random with it, and both variations are fun to do! Watch and learn below:

New Quilt Kits Galore!

I’ve recently added lots of new quilt kits to my shop, all made from fabrics I’ve designed. You can grab the Color Weave quilt kit featured in the video above as well as many others all made from fabrics I’ve designed.

Click here to see all quilt kits using my fabrics!

Bonus Videos for Your Viewing Pleasure

Here’s a bonus video to go along with my Color Weave quilt:

Click here to grab the Color Weave PDF quilt pattern

If you are a new follower of my machine quilting videos, be sure to watch this bonus video showing how I set up my machine and prepare for domestic machine quilting. It serves as the introduction to my 99 Machine Quilting video series and is like the cliff notes version of my in-person workshops!

99 Designs Episode 16 – Pebbles Variations

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My latest episode of 99 Machine Quilting Designs covers three variations of one of my staple designs: Pebbles. This is one of my favorite designs to use in my quilts, as it’s easy to quilt once you get the hang of it and endlessly versatile. Check out the video below if you want to give it a try:

Featured Quilt: Beaded Lanterns

This week’s featured quilt comes from one of my free quilt patterns, titled “Beaded Lanterns.” I originally made it in solid fabrics to really show off my free motion quilting. I quilted pebbles in the background which really gave this piece so much texture!

Click here to download my free Beaded Lanterns quit pattern.

I’ve updated the pattern to feature my newest fabric, Dazzle Dots 2. And the best part is, it includes the step-by-step quilting plan showing how you can combine pebbles with loopy L’s for amazing results!

While supplies last, I’m offering 3 variations of this kit with 3 different background fabrics. Which background do you prefer – Tan, White, or Ice?

Click here to get the Beaded Lanterns Quilt Kit – In 3 Different Colorways

Please let me know how you are liking this free video series. I’ll keep making them as long as you are loving them!!

99 Designs Episode 15 – 3 Ways to do Straight Line Quilting with a Walking Foot

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Tired of stitching in the ditch? Try out these three variations of straight line quilting from my youtube series, 99 Machine Quilting Designs! Don’t be deceived by their simplicity–these designs are easy to stitch with a Walking Foot but they add a lot of complexity to your quilt. Check out how to do it below:

Featured Quilt: Rain

The quilt behind me in the video is titled “Rain, from my first book, Machine Quilting With Style. This book includes 12 quilt patterns as well as how-to instructions on how to quilt them! You can purchase the PDF version or a physical copy from my online store.

Click Here to Purchase Machine Quilting With Style

PDF Version

Pick Up the Geese in the Garden Quilt Pattern!

I also feature “Geese in the Garden,” a versatile quilt that can be done in a variety of sizes and colors. You get the pattern on my Etsy shop as a PDF or a physical copy on my online store. Try making and quilting this quilt with straight lines, or any of the 99 Designs we’ve gone over in the series so far. The possibilities are endless!!

99 Designs Episode 14 – How to Free-Motion Quilt Leaves

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This week for 99 Machine Quilting Designs I’m showing how to free-motion quilt a dense design called Leaves. Take a look by clicking below:

Watch the Entire Series over on My YouTube Channel!

Each week when I share a new video tutorial, it gets added to my playlist. As you can see, I’ve shared 14 videos so far, and there will be 60 of them in all. Click below to start at the beginning and watch them all in order. The videos will stay up indefinitely so you can watch the over and over again, as much as you want!

Get all My Books as PDF Downloads in My Etsy Shop!!

Quilt A Real Quilt with Me at Empty Spools Retreat!!

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I’m so excited to check something off of my bucket list! I’ve been wanting to teach at Empty Spools Seminars in Asilomar, CA for as long as I’ve been a quilter and 2026 will finally be the year, whoo hoo!!

Normally when I travel and teach I give a one hour lecture and 1-2 days of machine quilting workshops. I love it, but all we have time for in that short period of time is to quilt out a bunch of practice samples. I also discuss how students can apply what they’ve learned to an actual quilt but of course, they’ll need to go home and do that on their own time.

Well, I’m bursting with excitement to let you know that my week long workshop at Empty Spools takes it to the next level. In this class, you’ll get to bring in a real, basted quilt (or 2) and learn how to actually quilt it all week in class! We will go through a series of exercises to get you comfortable with the process and then I’ll guide you step-by-step to quilt and finish your own quilt. Won’t that be fun??

Take a look below at the schedule for the week. Click on the image to enlarge it if needed:

I will be teaching this in-depth workshop, called “Quilt That Quilt!” during Session 1 which runs from Sunday, March 1 through Friday, March 6 of 2026. This gives you plenty of time to gather supplies and make arrangements for your visit. Registration includes alls meals and you can either stay on campus, or make your own accommodations.

Click the image below to enlarge for details on costs:

This workshop/retreat is a chance for you to go through the entire process of making a quilt from start to finish. Once you sign up, I’ll be in touch with students so that they can prepare a quilt of their choice so it’s all ready to quilt once they arrive to class next year. I can’t wait to see what quilts students choose to make, and I’m so excited to help them experience the joy of making their own quilts.

This is a big event and commitment but I promise its worth it to set aside the time and money to attend. Do you have any questions? Please leave them in the comments and I’ll do my best to answer them ASAP!

99 Designs Episode 13 – Free-Motion Quilting Broken Feathers & Echo Paisley

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Looking for a free-motion quilting design that can add dense texture to your quilt? Check out the latest from this week’s episode of my “Year of Machine Quilting,” where we will be learning to quilt Broken Feathers and Echoed Paisleys, two designs from my book, 99 Machine Quilting Designs:

Quatrefoil Quilt From The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting

I used both of these designs on “Quatrefoil,” a quilt from my second book, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting. This book was a collaboration with Angela Walters, featuring 10 quilt patterns with instructions to quilt them using either a longarm or domestic sewing machine. If you want to learn a variety of versatile approaches to quilting entire quilts, then this is the book for you!

Pick up a Copy The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting in My Etsy Shop!!

Are you enjoying watching my new machine quilting videos each week? I’ll be sharing a total of 60 when all is said and done. You can watch them as much as you like and go back and bookmark your faves. To catch up on any prior episodes you have missed, be sure to watch the playlist for the entire series. Start by clicking play below to catch them all:

99 Designs Episode 12 – FMQ Landscape Lines and Partial Waves

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Want to practice your free-motion quilting this week? Join me for the latest video of my “Year of Machine Quilting” tutorial series, where we will be quilting two designs from 99 Machine Quilting Designs: Landscape Lines and Partial Waves.

Featured Book: Piece and Quilt with Precuts

The quilt showcased in this week’s video is called Spools, which comes from my book Piece and Quilt with Precuts. This book features 11 quilt patterns as well as step-by step instructions on how to quilt them all! I used Partial Waves on Spools to separate the colorful parts of the quilt from the background, but this book will show you all different kinds of quilting plans and strategies for both walking foot quilting and free-motion!

Click here for the PDF version of the book on my Etsy Shop!

Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

Bonus Video: Setting Yourself up for Machine Quilting Success

Want to learn more about how to setup you machine for walking foot and free-motion quilting? Check out the series intro, where I give the best tips and tricks for setting yourself up for sewing success!

How Will You Use These Designs?

There are endless possibilities for Landscape Lines and Partial Waves. Try echoing them, combining them together, or experiment with other designs for different textures. Let me know how you are using them in your quilts! You can even share pics of your progress over in my Facebook group. Until next time, Happy Quilting!!

Quilt Show Entries & Judging Feedback For 2 Quilts

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I recently entered 2 quilts into my local quilt guild’s show and was pleased with both the feedback and the response they got, so I thought I would share more about that with you today!

Interlinked Wins 1st Place!!

First up is my Interlinked Quilt. This one is huge – King sized to be exact! I had finished nearly all of this quilt a couple years ago when my Stitchy fabric first came out. However, I dragged my feet on finishing the binding because I wanted it to match up perfectly with the offset borders. Once I finally did, I was pleased that it was able to be hung in the show and received a 1st place ribbon in the Modern Category.

Interlinked Custom Quilting Detail

The only bummer is that it was so huge that you can’t even see all of it in the picture, LOL! But I’m pleased that the judge liked it. Here are the comments I received on this quilt:

“Use and placement of neutrals and colors create great movement and keeps the eye moving. Piecing is good. Variety of quilting designs enhance your modern aesthetic. And the quilting technique is generally well done. Some buildup of threads in some backtracking areas should be avoided. Outer edges should be straight, and binding is well done.”

Just in case this is the first time you are seeing this quilt, I actually made a video showing how I managed such a large quilt on a regular sized sewing machine. Take a look below to watch:

Swanky Spirals Quilt

Next up, I entered my Swanky Spirals quilt made from my Dazzle Dots fabric. Originally I had planned to do a simpler quilting design since it’s such a busy quilt. However, once I started quilting different designs in each wedge of each block, I just couldn’t stop!

Here’s the judging feedback I received for this quilt:

“Successful modern esthetic. Grey neutral was a good choice for the balance of the brights. Pacing is generally good. Intersections should be precise. The variety of quilting designs greatly enhanced the piecing and the theme. Quilting should remain in the ditch. Back art is appreciated. Binding is generally good. Take care with miters.”

Swanky Spirals Quilting Detail

If you’d like more details on how I quilted each and every part of this quilt, take a look at the bonus video below:

Interlinked & Swanky Spirals Quilt Patterns

If you’d like to make either or both of these quilts, you can grab the patterns in print or PDF.

Click here to get Interlinked PDF Digital Download
Click here to get Interlinked Physical Print Copy

Click here to get Swanky Spirals PDF Digital Downlaod
Click here to get Swanky Spirals Physical Print Copy

99 Designs Video Episode 9 – How to Free-Motion Quilt Circuit Board

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Want to learn to quilt a fun modern meander called Circuit Board? This is the next installment of my “Year of Machine Quilting” free video tutorials for you to try! Click the image below to watch:

Click here to watch all episodes in my 99 Machine Quilting Designs series

My Latest and Greatest: How Do I Quilt It?

This week’s featured quilt comes from my latest book, “How Do I Quilt It?” In this book (which is required reading for all of my in-person workshops), I show how to quilt 3 different quilts, 3 different ways. In the teal version of Loose Weave, shown under my machine on the book cover below, I’m free-motion quilting circuit board as an edge to edge allover design. So take what you’ve learned in the video above, and you can make this super fun and simple quilt!

Click here to get your signed copy of How Do I Quilt It?

Have You Checked My Clearance Sale Lately?

I love to clear out the old, to make room for the new! Be sure to head over to my online shop where I sell all of my designer fabrics, patterns and other fun goodies. I’m needing to make room on my shelves for my new Dazzle Dots 2 collection, so now is your chance to scoop up some of my older fabrics & bundles for less than retail price.

Click Here to View Everything on Sale!

Bolts of Dazzle Dots 2 Just Waiting for Shelf Space!!

99 Designs Video Episode 8 – Zig Zags

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It’s time for another fun set of Walking Foot quilting designs for you to try – Zig Zags & Double Zig Zags. Take a look by clicking the image below:

Click here to watch all episodes in my 99 Machine Quilting Designs series

Get My Book – Piece and Quilt with Precuts for More Designs!

Two of the quilt patterns I show in the video above come from my 3rd book Piece and Quilt with Precuts. It’s now out of print but you can grab the PDF version from my Etsy Shop!

Click here to get your copy of Piece and Quilt with Precuts

Bonus Freebie: Modern Table Runner Pattern + Video

I quilted this fun Modern Table runner design 3 different ways. Can you see the zig zags stitched on the grey version? Grab my free pattern to make these projects below. It includes 3 quilting plans for all free versions, plus a bonus video showing how I quilted them all!

Click here to get the Modern Runner Free Quilt Pattern

Are you enjoying all the fun videos I’m sharing with you each week?