Category: Quilt Events

MQWS Blog Hop Day 5 – Ripples

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Are you enjoying the roundup of quilts from my new book? I’ve shared 5 so far, with 7 more to go! Be sure to order your signed copy of Machine Quilting With Style and I’ll pop it in the mail right away. I can’t wait to see how you make these designs your own. 🙂

Ripples – The Background Story

ripplesRipples 66″ x 88″ by Christa Watson. Photography by Brent Kane.

Who doesn’t love a good Log Cabin design? When it comes to choosing fabrics for a quilt, my philosophy is “more is more.” I mean – why use just one or two fabrics when 20 will do? I had fun picking out tons of aqua and grey fabrics from my stash, and I think this quilt would look stunning in any color combination.

cutting_stripsIt was so much to choose fabrics and cut strips for this quilt!

Although the structure of the quilt is easily recognizable as a Log Cabin variation, I used a technique I call “Structured Improv” on several quilts in the book. The basic idea is to liberate the piecing by using irregular shapes and fabric widths while constructing the blocks. I sew my blocks slightly oversized, then trim them down, making sure they all fit together in the end.

If you look closely at the wonky log cabin blocks, you will notice that the strip widths vary, and there aren’t always an even number of strips on either side of the block. Also, I didn’t strictly use all lights on one side and darks on the other like you would for a traditional log cabin quilt. This makes the whole design pop, and making these blocks was SO. MUCH. FUN!

quilting_textureI love adding lines of quilting texture with a decorative stitch. It was very a meditative process.

I quilted Ripples completely using the  IDF (integrated dual feed)on my BERNINA with a decorative stitch. This is liking having a walking foot built into the machine! Of the 12 quilts in the book, 5 use walking foot quilting exclusively, 4 have extensive free-motion quilting, and the other three combine both techniques in the same quilt. As people buy the book and start sharing their versions with me, it will be so fun to see how the machine quilting designs are used in different ways!

A Bit More

piecing_backingThe pieced backing of Ripples – you could make this as scrappy improv front!

I was thrilled when the publisher agreed to included the pieced backing for Ripples as a bonus project in the book! I literally took all of my extra fabric chunks that I pulled for the quilt and used them up on the back. I love back art – don’t you?

Elements That Make This Quilt Modern: Low volume fabrics, on-trend color scheme, improvisational piecing, skewed block assembly, asymmetrical design, transparency, inspired by tradition.

Time to Complete: 47 hours from start to finish including the pieced backing. (It’s big!)

Quilting Inspiration from Melissa Corry

happy-quilting-blog-headerMy dear friend Melissa from Happy Quilting is one of those prolific quilters that can bust out a quilt in no time. Can you believe that she made 52 quilts last year? And she loves the quilting part as much as I do – which gives her extra credit in my book. 🙂  She’s pretty great at keeping secrets, too. I didn’t get a chance to see the final reveal until today and it is so good I can hardly stand it. The color combo is fabulous and the arrangement she and her MIL chose is just divine! Be sure to pop on over to Melissa’s blog for some more quilty goodness!

Melissa is a fellow Martingale author who released her first book, Irish Chain Quilts, earlier this year. I had the pleasure of being on Melissa’s blog hop this past summer, and I’m so glad she returned the favor!

More from the Art of Home and Blue Nickel Studios

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The very talented Jacquelynne Steves from The Art of Home crafts a beautiful e-magazine 4 times per year, once each season. She recently interviewed me for her next issue which will be published in October. And the best part? It’s completely free! Click here to sign up so you don’t miss a thing! Then hop on over to Jacquelynne’s blog for her stop on the tour. She wrote a very kind book review. 🙂

Jacquelynne is also hosting a sew-along day coming up pretty soon and I’m throwing in a prize for that. So be sure to check it out! Then for some bonus content be sure to check out her roundup of holiday sewing tutorials. 🙂

Scott Hansen from Blue Nickel Studios is not only a talented quilter, he’s a great writer as well. He writes the “I am Gen Q” profiles for the magazine of the same name and recently chose to interview me for the next issue. (You’ll hear more from Gen Q later in the hop.)

I thought it was amazing how he could turn my dry answers into an interesting and witty read! For Scott’s stop on the hop he decided to try out one of the free motion quilting designs from the book and I think he did a fantastic job.

Pop on over to Scott’s blog to check it out – and he has a fun little giveaway, too!

Click here for the complete blog hop schedule.

Click here purchase your autographed copy of Machine Quilting With Style.

MQWS Blog Hop Day 2 – Pearl Gray

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Ready for some more inspiring quilts from Machine Quilting with Style? I have to say, I’ve been working on planning this blog hop from the moment I finished writing the book and am so excited to share more with you today. I don’t consider a quilt “finished” until it has been blogged about so these posts have been a long time coming!

Pearl Gray – The Background Story

Finals B1324.inddPearl Gray 66″ x 77″ by Christa Watson. Photography by Brent Kane.

First of all, I have to consistently remind myself to spell it Gray rather than Grey. I guess the former spelling is the American way and the latter is the European way. It must be my ancestral roots sneaking in there…

Pearl Gray was inspired by an earlier version of this design, my String of Pearls quilt pattern. As soon as I made the first quilt, I immediately knew I wanted to explore more ideas with this concept. Although I usually work in brights, I wanted to see if I could pull off more of a low-volume quilt and still create the contrast in the blocks. I also enjoy creating secondary designs in the background and I really like the checkerboard that emerges when using two different background colors.

pearl_gray_quiltingMy String of Pearls quilting motif is a modern free-motion alternative to straight line quilting!

Because the quilt has a lot going on, I thought an interesting allover quilting design would be the perfect complement to the piecing. I quilted a series of lines and circles which I named String of Pearls – giving homage to my earlier quilt design. As one idea always leads to another, the String of Pearls motif is the first in a series of modern linear designs that I am developing as a free-motion alternative to straight line quilting. So stay tuned for more on that subject in future classes and books! 🙂

My favorite memory of working on this quilt was finishing the binding while on vacation at the beach. There’s nothing better than a little sea-side quilting in my opinion!

Binding at the BeachI wish I could bind next to the beach for all of my quilts!

A Bit More

I was very detailed about each of the quilts in the book. In addition to listing the sizes and materials requirements, I also included design notes and which threads and battings I used for each quilt. Below, I’ve shared some bonus info for you guys that is not in the book:

Modern elements – Low volume fabrics, hard edges with strong contrast and clean lines, simplicity of form, repetitive use of basic geometric shapes, scrappy pieced binding.

Time for me to complete – 40 hours from start to finish.

Turning lemons into lemonade – I originally made this quilt for a magazine pattern, but at the last minute (and before it had been seen in public), it was pulled from publication. Yes, I was a little heart-broken at the time, but I was simultaneously working on my book proposal and needed just one more design with a finished project to submit. Wouldn’t you know – this was the final piece I needed, and now Pearl Gray graces the cover of my book. Don’t you just love it when fate works that way?

Color Option and Fabric Giveaway from Alyce

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I’ve been online friends with Alyce Blyth from Blossom Heart Quilts for awhile now and was so excited when we recently got to meet in person at QuiltCon earlier this year. I just love how Alyce has interpreted her version of Pearl Gray. She combined three different quilting motifs from the book and it is so effective. Her binding is to die for, too! But rather than spoil the surprise here, you’ll need to head on over to her blog to see what she’s done.

Alyce is also hosting a giveaway on a separate blog post. She has a bundle of fabrics to share from the same line she used for her version of Pearl Gray. Click here for Alyce’s giveaway!

Bonus from Andover Fabrics

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I can’t give enough hugs to the folks over at Andover fabrics. Daryl (aka fabrichick) and Guiseppe (aka giucy_giuce) have been super supportive of my work. Head on over the Andover blog and to check out what they have to say. If you follow Andover on Instagram, there’s a special bonus there, too!

Although Pearl Gray would look gorgeous in any fabric line, I’m really itching to make another one using Lizzy House’s Mini Pearl Bracelets. Aren’t they the cutest?

mini_pearlsMini Pearls by Lizzy House for Andover fabrics, a smaller version of Pearl Bracelets.

Click here for the complete blog hop schedule.

Click here purchase your autographed copy of Machine Quilting With Style.

Machine Quilting With Style Blog Hop Schedule

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I am so excited to kick off the blog hop for Machine Quilting With Style on Monday! Each day over the next two weeks (excluding Sundays) I will share a different quilt from the book, including some behind the scenes info and a few extra tidbits.

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Schedule of Special Guests

The schedule below shows which day I will showcase each quilt, plus links to friends’ blogs who each remade their favorite quilt in their own way. You are going to love seeing all the variations!

Plus, there will be additional stops on the hop from the awesome people listed below. They will be sharing their insights including book reviews, interviews, sample blocks, and other interesting content you won’t want to miss.

Prizes

Of course, there are going to be prizes! I mean, c’mon – what’s a blog hop without prizes, right? I’m not going to tell you who’s giving away what – you’ll just have to check out all of the stops for yourself.  But trust me, there are some amazing prizes, so it’s well worth the hunt!

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Quilt Along

I’m going to do another quilt along in January and YOU get to vote for your favorite quilt. Whichever quilt receives the most votes is the quilt along I’ll do. Won’t that be fun??

Click here to vote for your favorite quilt along choice!

Quilting Podcast

If that’s not enough fun already, be sure to tune into Pat Sloan’s Podcast – American Patchwork and Quilting Radio – on Monday afternoon, September 14th. I’ll be her guest for two segments, talking about the book and some tips for machine quilting success.

Click here to listen in!

American Patchwork Quilting Pocast episode 276 Christa Watson

Click here purchase your autographed copy of Machine Quilting With Style.

QuiltCon Class Registration Opens June 25!

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QuiltCon registration begins Thursday (June 25th) for Modern Quilt Guild members at 7 AM Pacific Time. General registration opens July 1. I’ll be teaching 4 workshops (two on EQ, and two on Free-Motion Favorites).  I will also be a panelist for a discussion on how I stash my fabric, moderated by Rossie Hutchinson.

Click here for descriptions, times and dates for each of my workshops.

CQ_classesClick here for the QuiltCon class schedule and catalog.

Free Admission for Members

If you are an MQG member, be sure to register ASAP! The first 1000 paid registrations get a free goody bag. AND if you register by November 30th, you get free admission to the show. How great is that?!

Are you planning on attending? If so, I can’t wait to see you there!

PS – If you are new to my blog, be sure to sign up for Friendly Threads, my email newsletter.

 

NQA 2015 Quilt Show Wrap Up

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I just returned from teaching for the National Quilting Association‘s annual quilt show in Little Rock, Arkansas and it was such a great time for both me and my students! Each time I teach, it rejuvenates me and rekindles my love for the craft! Here are some eye candy pics from my weekend.

The Classes

modernlogs_studentsStudents showing off their Modern Logs blocks after a fun day of sewing!

I taught two classes: Modern Logs and Modern Machine Quilting. The students had a great time exploring their creativity and I’m sure I had just as much fun as they did!

mmq_samplesStudent practice samples from Modern Machine Quilting. I love the texture they created!

The Quilts

The quilts in the show were top notch! I was very pleased with the number of Modern Quilts that were entered into the show, just a few of which I’ve shown below. (Check my instagram feed @christaquilts for more fun pics from the show!)

modern_quiltsA great showing of modern quilts including my entry, Optical Illusion in the 3rd row.

I was thrilled to see ribbons on many quilts of friends and acquaintances I admire!

I follow Margaret Solomon Gunn’s blog and her writings in Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine. Although her style is vastly different from mine, she’s an amazing quilter who won Best of Show – small for her quilt Jester’s Folly. She also won a Masterpiece Quilt award, which you can read about on her blog here.

bestofshowJester’s Folly by Margaret Solomon Gunn, Best of Show Small, NQA 2016

I was so proud of my friend Vicki Ruebel from Orchid Owl Quilts for getting ribbons on 2 of her quilts in the show! Me and My Shadow picked up 2nd in the Small Applique Quilts category and her Big Star quilt (in the modern montage above) won 2nd in the Modern category.

meandmyshadow

I was also thrilled to see a top prize ribbon on my friend Cory Allender‘s quilt, Convergence. Cory’s work is nothing short of amazing, and she’s the one who first encouraged me to start entering my quilts into national shows. Just about every time Cory enters a quilt, she picks up a ribbon. I love it!

convergenceConvergence by Cory Allender, Best Embellishment, and 2nd place Art category

The People

A fun part of any show is getting to meet up with other like minded quilters. I was able to hang out with Jodi Robinson and Gina Perkes and  for a bit one evening and swap quilting stories and inspiration. They are both amazing long arm quilters and I’m super excited for what they have coming up, so be sure to follow them, if you don’t already.

jodi_ginaJodi Robinson and Gina Perkes, two amazing long-arm quilters whose work I admire.

As a teacher, NQA took care of my accommodations which were super nice! I was roommates with another fabulous quilting instructor, Sue Rasmussen who specializes in Domestic Machine Quilting (whoo-hoo) and one-of-a-kind landscape art quilts. She’s self-published a book that includes tons of great info on the technical aspects of quilting, so of course I snatched up a copy!

sue_rasmussenHanging out with Sue Rasmussen in our hotel room after a fun day of teaching.

And finally, I can’t give enough thanks to the staff and volunteers of NQA who helped make my time there a success! I was able to connect with many of the people I’ve only worked with online and through emails. Meeting them in person was such a treat!

barbara_polstonBarbara Poslton is the editor of NQA’s Quilting Quarterly magazine. She’s a doll!

If you ever get a chance to visit a national quilt show, I highly recommend it!

QuiltCon Class Schedule Now Available – And I’m Teaching

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Come take a class with me at QuiltCon! The now-annual Modern quilt show and conference will take place Pasadena, California, from February 18-21, 2016.

QuiltCon2016_catalog

I’ll be teaching 4 workshops: two sessions of free-motion quilting and two classes on EQ7.

I will also be a panelist for LE16: What I Stash and How – moderated by Rossie Hutchinson on Saturday, 1:30-2:30

Here are the descriptions and times for each of my classes:

830 Free-Motion Favorites for the Modern Quilter
830A Thursday, Feb. 18, 6-9 p.m. (Domestic Machine)
830B Friday, Feb. 19, 6-9 p.m. (Sit-Down Mid-Arm)

cwatson_fmqfavorites

Take your modern free-motion quilting to the next level by learning a dozen different fillers that will add depth and dimension. Let go of perfection by quilting asymmetrical textures that require little to no marking. Students will practice on sample squares or orphan blocks to discover geometric alternatives to straight- line quilting. This fast-paced workshop is for quilters comfortable with basic free-motion quilting techniques. Taught on a sit-down machine.

220 Getting Started with EQ7
Friday Feb. 19, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

introtoEQ7

In this comprehensive workshop, students will learn the basics of Electric Quilt Software – version 7 for Windows or Mac. Topics include: learning to use the block library, setting blocks into quilt layouts, adding borders, importing fabric swatches, designing simple quilts, calculating yardage and more. Class also includes a trunk show of the instructor’s quilts designed in EQ7 for inspiration. This is a hands-on computer class, and students must be comfortable using their own laptops, with their version of the software installed prior to class.

221 Designing Modern Quilts in EQ7
Saturday Feb. 20, 6-9 p.m.

cwatson_EQmodern

Take your modern designs to the next level by learning how to manipulate them in EQ7. Topics will include drawing improv blocks, scaling and numbering foundation piecing templates, applying a layer of quilting, designing custom set quilts, manipulating borders, incorporating negative space, going off the grid, changing sizes, and more. We will work at a quick pace, so students should be comfortable with the basics of EQ7 prior to class. This is a hands-on computer workshop, and students must be comfortable using their own laptops, with their version of the software installed prior to class . Students may use EQ7 for either PC or Mac.

I can’t wait!

If next year’s QuiltCon follows the previous trends, classes will sell out quickly, so be sure to mark your favorites and get online quickly, once registration opens. Whether or not you take a class from me – I’d still love to see you there!

New Blogger Hop Coming Your Way

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Here’s a PSA to my bloggy friends:

If you are a relatively new blogger looking to grow your following, be sure to join the 2015 New Quilt Blogger’s Hop!

Newbloggers

Click here for full details and signup (by 5/31).

If you’ve been around the blogosphere for awhile, I still encourage you to participate by checking out the new bloggers. You never know when you will find your next BQF (Bestest Quilting Friend) online!

Quilt Market Perspectives Spring 2015

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I’m finally recovered from my Spring Quilt Market “hangover” that I can finally blog about it! This is only my 3rd time attending market (including a brief visit way back in 2008 and then again last fall). My goal for the trip was two-fold: order new precuts for our store and connect with several industry folks to firm up relationships that had already been established and seek out new ones. Jason and I divided and conquered our tasks –  he took care of meeting with the vendors while I was able to put on my “designer” hat and mingle with many of the movers and shakers in the industry.

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I have to tell you – from a business perspective, it’s worth it to attend market whether you are an aspiring designer, shop owner, or other quilting professional. You just can’t beat the one-on-one face-time that’s possible at an event like this. I was able to firm up previous commitments I’ve already agreed to, and several new opportunities were presented to me as a result of attending. So yay for business networking! Here a few fun highlights from the show:

 angela_leah_christaMeeting the amazingly talented Angela Walters and Leah Day was a highlight of my trip!

I was able to meet one-one-one with two of my machine quilting heroes: Angela Walters from Quilting is My Therapy and Leah Day from The Free Motion Quilting Project. These women are incredibly successful and they are very passionate about what they do! They are also generous with their knowledge and it was fun to chat quilting and business with them. I have a feeling you will be seeing more amazing things from these ladies in the future, so be sure to follow them, if you don’t already. 🙂

The day before market opens for business, dozens of 15-30 minute schoolhouse presentations are offered so that shop owners can get an overview of the latest and greatest at market. Schedules are handed out a few hours before the event begins and everyone quickly scrambles to choose which lectures they’d like to attend.

schoolhouse_scheduleQuilt Market is a great place to bump into quilty friends!

 It was fun to see smiling friendly faces from the likes of Becca from Sew Me a Song, Amy Friend of During Quiet Time,  Leanne Chahley from She Can Quilt, and Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts. We spent the day bumping into various online friends and having lots of great impromptu chats between schoolhouse sessions.

melissa_schoolhouse This is what a packed schoolhouse room looks like! Melissa Corry has a great “mom voice” that can be heard above any crowd. She’s just as fun as her quilts!

The hardest part was choosing which school houses to attend. So many of my friends were sharing their new books/fabrics/products at the same time! One of the best presentations was from Melissa Corry of Happy Quilting. She has a new book out and her schoolhouse was packed! She enthusiastically shared quilts from her book along with tips for shop owners on how to market it and make kits from it. I took lots of mental notes so that I’ll be ready to roll with my presentation, come fall!

Here’s a little montage of just some of the booths and people I met. Even after 4 days on their feet, these designers kept on smiling! Below from left to right: Bari J., Kimberbell Designs and Amanda Herring (The Quilted Fish), Atkinson Designs, Brenda from Pink Castle, Deb Strain, Sherri McConnell (new Moda fabrics), Carolyn Friedlander, Eleanor Burns, and Elizabeth Hartman.

market_montageI took more pictures which I will share in a future Craftsy blog post, so stay tuned for that!

By far, my favorite moment was getting to share sneak peeks of my book and a few quilts from Machine Quilting With Style along with a demo. This was a great practice run for me, as I’ll be able to do a schoolhouse and several book signings in the fall at the next quilt market.

book_promoMy publisher, Martingale, had a huge booth with a demo area for their authors, plus plenty of quilts on display to showcase their current catalog of books. It was a great setup!

If you were able to participate, either in person, or virtually through social media, what were some of your favorite quilt market moments?

To Market, To Market…

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Later this week kicks off the semi-annual International Quit Market for the quilting industry. It’s a place to see the latest and greatest in quilting fabric, supplies, books and patterns and it’s also an excellent source of what’s happening world of quilting!
I am excited because I get to share sneak peeks of my new book (it doesn’t release until September), and share a little machine quilting love with whomever stops by the Martingale booth. If you are there on Friday – why don’t you pop by and say hi! Details below:
 MachineQuiltingwithStyle_FB_Demo
If you can sketch it, you can quilt it!
Martingale Booth (#325)
Friday, May 15th, 4:30-5:30 PM

And guess what? There will also be some pin-trading going on at this market!

pinsign

A few industry friends and I teamed up to get the word out about each other’s pins. Look for these signs throughout market and grab a souvenir pin! I’m sure plenty of other exhibitors and attendees will have them, too, so it will be a like a little treasure hunt!

If you can’t be at quilt market in person, be sure to follow along virtually on instagram with the hashtag #quiltmarket. And I’m sure there will be lots of fun pics shared with #notgoingtomarket or #vitrualquiltmarket, too! 🙂

Modern Quilts at My Local Guild’s Show

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Quilt Las Vegas 2015

I’ve been a proud member of the Desert Quilters of Nevada for over 18 years now. I’ve participated in their quilt shows for nearly as long and was so pleased when they included a modern category in 2013 and 2014. They did the same thing again this year and I was really impressed with the quality of the quilts in all categories. For your viewing pleasure, I’ll share some of the modern quilts from the show and a few others that caught my eye. Enjoy!

bigstar_vickiBig Star by Vicki Ruebel 66″ x 66″ – 1st Place Modern

diamondback_karenDiamondback by Karen Eaton Garth 21″ x 35″ – 2nd Place Modern

eveningeditionEvening Edition by Suzanne Mayfield, 3rd Place Modern

modernlogsModern Logs by Christa Watson 48″ x 54″ – Honorable Mention Modern (Yay!)

memyshadowMe & My Shadow by Vicki Ruebel 51″ x 36″,  Art Category – Overall Judge’s Choice

lizards_openLizards in the Sunshine by Karen Atkinson 31″ x 31″ – 1st Place Open Category

southwestmedallion_karenSouthwest Medallion by Karen Eaton Garth 72″ x 90″ – 3rd Place Pieced, Machine Quilted, Large

colorfulchevronsColorful Chevrons by Christa Watson 64″ x 80″ – 3rd Place Pieced, Machine Quilted Small (Yay!)

moderncubism_kathy

 Modern Cubism by Kathy Melcic 47″ x 63, Modern Category (Her interpretation of my Charming Chevrons pattern from the DQN quilt retreat 2013 – Yay!)

selvagedSelvaged #2 by Wilhelmina Willis 63″ x 63″, Open Category

cathedralwindows

Cathedral Windows by Darrin Martin 76″ x 90″, Open Category

There were over 230 quilts, accessories, clothing and dolls in the show, and it was quite a fiber feast for the eyes! My only critique of the show is that I wished all items from the same category could have been hung together, but I know they were limited on space and had to make do. I just love attending and participating in quilt shows. 🙂

Now that we are full-swing into quilt show season, which shows will you be attending this year?