Facebook Live Chats are Back: Tuesdays at 3 PM PST

September 7, 2020September 5, 20201 Comment

To go along with the Modern Logs Quilt Along that just recently started, I’m hosting a weekly Facebook Live chat for the duration of the Quilt Along. This will allow me to share some bonus tips and tricks along with a chance for you to ask any questions you have while making this quilt!

Click here to join my ChristaQuilts Group on Facebook

Click here to get the Good Vibes fat quarters above

Bonus Tips and Tricks on YouTube

In case you missed it, I posted the first Modern Logs Q&A over on my YouTube channel. You can enjoy last week’s chat by clicking the play button below. Then join me live in my Facebook group for the next chat!

I’ve found that many people have questions around improvisational piecing and of course the whole quilting process. I’m excited to answer your questions about this quilt during the entire process, and I think you’ll feel confident about your skills by the end of the QAL!

Click here to get the Modern Logs Quilt Pattern – paper version
Click here to get the Modern Logs Quilt Pattern – PDF version

Although the quilt along has just begun, it’s not too late to follow along. Feel free to work at your own pace and access all steps of the quilt along indefinitely.

Click here to get the optional Modern Logs Kit

One of the things people like best about my FREE quilt alongs is the help I offer on machine quilting so that you can finish the quilt yourself.

It is the best feeling to make a quilt from the first stitch to the last! I really enjoy sharing the things I’ve learned about quilting on a home sewing machine so that you can be successful at it, too.

If you already have questions for me, please leave them here in the comments and I’ll answer them live on the air tomorrow, September 8 at 3 pm Pacific/6 Eastern in the Christa Quilts Group on FB. I can hardly wait!

Modern Logs QAL Part 1: Cutting the Fat Quarters

September 2, 2020August 26, 2020Leave a comment

Let’s dive in and cut out our Modern Logs fat quarters, shall we? I’m using Good Vibes fat quarters, but you can use anything with good contrast between light and dark. In case you missed it, click here for last week’s post on prepping your fabric and choosing colors.

Click here to grab Good Vibes fat quarters from my online shop.

Follow along in the Modern Logs quilt pattern on page 3 for the numbers and sizes of wonky strips to cut.

Fat Quarter Cutting Tips

Layer fabrics to cut them out faster! If you are cutting 4 layers at a time, cut each stack differently so no more than 4 strips are the same. Then when you are ready to sew, remember that each strip has a top and bottom, front and back so you’ll have more variety of angles and color intensity when you sew.

Next week when we start to sew the blocks we are doing what I call “structured improv.” This means you want your strips to have straight edges, even though the angles themselves are wonky. Cut the wonky strips using a rotary cutter and ruler. This allows the blocks to lie flat when sewn, even if all the pieces are different shapes and sizes.

You can see above why it’s easiest to work with fat quarters and a long ruler for straight clean cuts.

After cutting, stack the same fabrics together. Im going to use the front and back of the lights in this quilt to create more depth and sparkle. The number of strips you get per fat quarter will vary. You can cut a few strips to start, or go crazy and cut up the entire piece.

Don’t forget to cut the block centers. Each side will be straight but these may be more square in shape or more rectangular. The choice is up to you!

Once my strips and centers are all cut and sorted into lights and darks, I like to stack them up next to my machine so they are ready to sew. Warning: this will get a little messy as you sew! So give yourself plenty of room to spread out and work.

Do you see the Charming Chevrons quilt in progress on my design wall??
It’s made from Good Vibes precut squares.

Thinking ahead: it’s ok to cut some of your wider strips in half along the length if you need more pieces to go around the logs. Now it’s your turn – show me your wonky strips!! Share pics of your progress and feel free to ask questions in my ChristaQuilts Facebook Group.

HELPFUL LINKS

Bling Quilt Along Part 5 – Binding to Finish and Ta-Da It’s Done!!

August 19, 2020August 1, 20201 Comment

Have you been enjoying following along to make Bling? Scroll to the end for links to the entire quilt along. This week we will be binding our Bling to finish it up!

Roundup of binding tutorials

Because I pretty much bind my quilts all the same way (either by hand or machine), I have a LOT of binding tutorials that I’ve shared over the years. So here are 3 for you to try – use whichever method you like best!

Bonus Binding Tips

When I first began my binding adventures, I cut my strips 2 1/4″ wide. However, that meant that if I attached my binding with 1/4″ seams, it would be bigger on the back than the front. So over the last couple of years, I’ve started cutting my strips 2″ wide and that gives me a more even finish on both sides.

To avoid ending up with a seam in the corner, I will roughly “walk” my binding around the quilt and if any seams fall in the corners, I will adjust the whole binding by and inch or two before I start sewing. If worse comes to worse and I STILL get a seam on the corner, I’ll simply cut off part of the binding and sew a new seam to move it!

Homework

Finish quilting and binding your version of Bling and share it in my ChristaQuilts Facebook Group. I can’t wait to see your fabulous finish!

QUILT ALONG LINKS

Bling Finished Stats

Finished size: 67″ x 83″
Designed using Electric Quilt 8 software
Pieced and quilted by Christa Watson on my Bernina 770QE
Fabric collection: Geo Pop by Christa Watson for Benartex
Pattern: Bling by Christa Watson
Batting used: Hobbs Cotton/Wool
Thread used: Aurifil 50 weight cotton in black/white variegated and bright pink
Quilting designs: wavy grid (white) and straight line grid (black)
Completed: May of 2019

Bling Quilt Along Part 3: Machine Quilting Option 1 – Random Crosshatch Quilting

August 5, 2020July 29, 20201 Comment

And now we get to my favorite part of making a quilt – machine quilting! Because I made two versions of Bling, and quilted them with 2 different walking foot quilting designs, I’m excited to share both options with you over the next 2 weeks. And the best part is, you can use these tips and tricks on ANY quilt you wish to make.

Bling Quilt

For the version of Bling with the Black background, I used my walking foot/dual feed to quilt straight-“ish” lines in a crosshatch pattern following the design of the blocks.

Choose Your Thread Color

Because I wanted the thread to stand out on this vibrant colorful quilt, I chose a bright pink from my Piece and Quilt Collection – Colors from Aurifil Thread.

Piece and Quilt Colors by Christa Watson

I chose the bright pink which is the first column, third row down in the image above.
Click here to get this thread box for just $99 while supplies last.

But, before you dive into quilting your quilt, first you need to baste it. I use the same method to baste ALL of my quilts: spraying 505 adhesive on the wrong side of the quilt top and backing outdoors or in a well-ventilated area.

Prepping the Quilt

Bling quilt in progress

Then, I assemble the quilt layers together on my design wall indoors. You can also use a table if you don’t have a design wall.

Bling quilt in progress Basting in process on my design wall.
I can’t wait to share more about the quilting of this version of Bling next week!

The “magic” part of my spray-basting method is ironing the basted quilt on both sides – front and back to squish it all together and set the glue.

Iron the basted quilt to set the glue

Get the Bling kit – in white or black – while supplies last!

Click the image below to watch a super speedy basting video from my Infrastructure quilt.

Once you have basted your quilt and are ready to begin machine quilting, be sure to clean and oil your machine and put in a fresh needle.

I really like the Superior brand Titanium needs in size 80/12 to go along with my 50 weight cotton Aurifil thread.

Click here to get some of my favorite notions and thread.

Make a Quilting Plan

In all of my quilt patterns, I like to include quilting suggestions and a quilting plan. It’s very easy to “divide” and conquer the straight line quilting by first quilting in the ditch between each of the blocks in both directions. This will create a grid that’s equal to the size of the quilt blocks. This will anchor or stabilize your quilt for additional quilting.

Bling Quilting Plan

One of the quilting plans included in the Bling quilt pattern.

Once you have anchored your quilt, you can quilt lines randomly across the quilt in both directions. You can quilt as light or as dense as you would like.

At first I thought I would quilt my quilt more densely, but once I quilted a few passes in both directions, I was happy with how it looked so I stopped. That’s the beauty of “divide and conquer” when it comes to quilting. You can stop whenever it feels finished!

Bling machine quilting detail

Here’s a bonus tip: if you want your lines to stay straight, but you don’t have seam lines to follow, use a piece of painter’s tape as your guide.

YouTube Quilting Videos

I have a super short video below where you can see how I used the tape while quilting this version of Bling, plus a sneak peek of how I quilted the white version, too:

If you would like to quilt your quilt more densely, continue quilting lines in both directions, one pass at a time until you like how it looks. You can see a densely quilted version of random crosshatch on my Color Weave quilt.

View the youtube video play list below. It’s a series of shorter videos strung together while quilting my Color Weave quilt. (Click here to get the Color Weave quilt pattern):

Now I can’t wait to see how you quilt yours! Keep sharing your makes with me on instagram #blingquilt and in my ChristaQuilts Facebook group.

Bling Machine Quilting Detail

Quilt Along Links

Quilts Made by You!! Gotta Love the Inspiration :-)

July 27, 2020July 24, 2020Leave a comment

Nothing makes my day more than seeing what you all are making with my fabrics! And I love seeing when you’ve used one of my patterns for your latest project. With so many options, it’s an honor to see these beautiful quilts and works in progress “in the wild!” 🙂

So today I thought it would be fun to do a little roundup of what you all have been making with my designer products. It makes my day to see these pop up on social media 🙂

This gorgeous photo shows Kathleen Hetzler Riordan with quilts on her beautiful white fence. She says, “My street had a pop-up quilt show today and four of us who are quilters put our quilts out on our picket fence, and neighbors walked, drove and golf carted by to see them! It was very impromptu but lots of fun! Christa’s Puzzle Box is on the far left!”

Click here to get the free Puzzle Box quilt pattern.
Kathleen Hetzler Riordan on Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia

I love this outdoor image—it shouts “Summertime!” Kathleen lives in Virginia and the quilt show took place on May 24, 2020. I’m sure it was a source of joy for many people during the pandemic.

Sally J. is currently working on a baby quilt with my Color Weave pattern and Abstract Garden prints. This design is great for 2.5 strips—maybe you have a favorite sitting around just waiting to be used?! Or maybe you’d like to treat yourself to one of my colorful modern strip sets!

Megan G. used purple for her Optical Illusion quilt and I love it! This design works in so many great combinations. Pay attention to the instructions for the values of each fabric so that your illusion shows up nicely.

Here are links to all of the steps in the Optical Illusion Quilt Along that we recently wrapped up! My QAL blog posts stay up indefinitely so you can sew on your own timeline.

Optical Illusion QAL steps:

Here’s another one in progress from Kate S. I love that red and aqua combo!

Debora L shared her success in quilting continuous spirals on her black, white and gray version shown below:

Kits for this colorway are still available here. .
And check out this link for my spiral quilting tutorial.

Kate S. is gets bonus points for combining fat quarters from ALL of my fabric lines to make this colorful project below:

I can’t wait to see more!!

And I see Good Vibes fabrics in her stacks of Flying Geese. I wonder where this is going? I’m sure it will look amazing when finished!

How about this scrappy house quilt? Judy A. posted it in my Christa Quilts Facebook group and had this to say about it:

This is my “Village” (Miss Rosie’s Quilt Co). Mostly Christa’s fabrics plus some Patrick Lose, Allison Glass, and my stash. I can honestly say that working on this made me SO happy.

I sure love it when I see my fabrics playing so nicely with others!!

Sandi S. in Australia is making this bright and happy number with Geo Pop fat quarters and half-square triangles. That’s some gorgeous eye candy, isn’t it?!

Nancy Mahoney Modern Fans

Last but not least for today, I just love this beauty above made by Nancy Mahoney. She combined a bunch of my fat quarter color bundles along with Op Squares in white from Geo Pop for the background. You can actually find the pattern for it in the July/August issue of Love of Quilting Magazine.

I so appreciate all of you! Thank you for making this the best job under the sun!

Preorder Good Vibes Paper Quilt Patterns: Buy 2, Get 1 Free

June 19, 2020June 18, 2020Leave a comment

I am so excited about my two newest patterns, Charming Chevrons and Modern Logs. I’ll be doing quilt alongs for both later this year, and I can’t wait!!

Lap-size Charming Chevrons in Good Vibes fabric by Christa Watson for Benartex Contempo Studio

The lap and throw sizes of Charming Chevrons are made from 5″ charm packs. (The thinking is done—so you just relax and sew!) This design has a lot of movement for great visual interest.

Twin-size Charming Chevrons in Good Vibes fabric by Christa Watson for Benartex Contempo Studio

The larger sizes of Charming Chevrons (twin and king) are made from 10″ precut squares, also called Layer Cakes or Ten by Tens.

Watch for Good Vibes 5×5 and 10×10 packs coming in July!

Right now, I’m taking pre-orders for the paper patterns of Charming Chevrons and Modern Logs, and I have a special offer for you. Please read on!

The cover quilts were made with my new Good Vibes line for Benartex Contempo Studio. I’m really pleased by the interplay of the modern low-volumes and the saturated bright prints. It’s just the look I was after! More thoughts on Good Vibes coming soon.

Click here to browse Good Vibes modern prints.

All of my patterns include step-by-step instructions and machine quilting suggestions so you’re never stumped when it’s time to finish. We have it covered!

Choose from four handy sizes in Charming Chevrons: Lap, Throw, Twin or King! See the pattern’s back cover below for the dimensions.

Maybe you have some charm packs around just waiting for the right project. Or have you been looking for the perfect quilt to use a special layer cake? Look no further than Charming Chevrons!

Maybe Modern Logs will suit your fancy! It’s made from 1, 2 or 3 fat quarter bundles, depending on the size you want to make. The pattern gives instructions for making crib, throw and queen sizes, but the improvisational technique means you can adjust the size of your quilt by making more or fewer blocks. That’s a great design bonus!

Click here to get Good Vibes fat quarter bundles.

Maybe you’d want to get some Good Vibes and then supplement from your stash for a unique project that’s totally you! You can go with a coordinated look or be super scrappy. I think you’ll really have fun with the improv nature of these blocks!

I’m putting the finishing touches on both of these quilts now and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Seeing your excitement when you like my fabric or fall in love with a quilt design is a real boost for me. And I always meet some wonderful people during a quilt along, so I’m really looking forward to that, too!

Remember…

Patterns include multiple sizes
Step-by-step easy to follow instructions
Machine quilting suggestions
A great deal when you preorder!
I’ll host Quilt Alongs for both designs later this year.

I’m offering a special preorder bargain through the end of June for paper patterns of Charming Chevrons and Modern Logs. Buy two, get one free! Here’s how it works:

Use code PATTERN to get a free paper pattern of your choice when you preorder both Modern Logs and Charming Chevrons paper patterns. Add three patterns to your cart, enter the code in the coupon box and then remember to hit the + to make sure the discount is applied. Offer expires end of day June 30, 2020.

Thanks so much for being here!

Christa Quilts Clearance Sale: Fabric & Patterns & Kits, Oh My!

May 29, 2020May 28, 2020Leave a comment

The start of summer is a perfect time for a sale. I have reduced prices on many items in my online shop—take a look. There are some real treasures!

Kit Clearance

The sale includes kits for Surplus Strips in warm colors of red, orange and yellow from my Fandangle fabric line from Benartex.

Click here to get the Surplus Strips quilt kit on sale.

Most of my kits include the pattern plus all of the fabric needed for the quilt top and binding. All of the kits on clearance have been reduced by 25% off the original price with no coupon required!

Next up, Lattice Work features charm packs from my Abstract Garden fabric line with light and dark neutrals to make those bright colors pop! This kit includes fabric for the top and binding in the throw size at 74″ x 82″.

Click here to get the LatticeWork quilt kit on sale.

The beginner-friendly design is quick to piece and fun to make. The bright, colorful fabrics make it interesting enough for anyone to enjoy!

Cool things off with my Pieced Primrose quilt kit on sale. As of this writing, I have one of these left in the wall size kit for 25% off the original price – no coupon required!

If you’d like a larger version, the throw-size Pieced Primrose in warm or cool colors is also on clearance. It’s 4 times as big as the wall size and with the clearance sale, you’ll save over $50 on this kit – what a deal!

Click here to view all Pieced Primrose quilt kits on sale.

Finally, I have one left of my popular Infrastructure quilt kit. It features my entire Geo Pop fabric line with a modern, geometric quilt pattern designed by my talented friend Heather Black of Quiltachusetts.

Infrastructure Geo Pop Fabric

Click here get the very last Infrastructure Quilt Kit.

I hosted a quilt along awhile back to make this quilt and you can still access all of that free content here on my blog. I even included YouTube videos of my basting, quilting and binding process which you can apply to any quilt you make!

Click here to access the Infrastructure Quilt Along – it’s free!

Not a care in the world when the fabrics are neatly packed into a convenient kit, ready for you to have all the fun!

Pattern Clearance

Positive Direction paper pattern is on clearance.

A number of paper patterns are on clearance including Positive Direction. The soft neutrals let the plus signs take center stage in this modern quilt design.

Pearl Pendants paper pattern is on clearance.

Maybe you’re up for a challenge!? Then Pearl Pendants fits the bill. Make the crib size at 50″ x 60″ or the throw at 60″ x 72″. The paper pattern is on clearance.

More paper patterns on sale at just $4.95:
Click here to view them all!

Modern Marks Fabric Clearance

I have fond memories of creating my very first fabric line, but now it’s time to clear out the old to make way for the new. I know you’ll love Modern Marks at just $8.95 a yard while it lasts. Much of it is sold out already, but you can still grab yardage of the remaining prints to stock your stash or add a pop of color to the back of your quilt.

Click here to view everything on clearance.
And remember, all US orders ship for a flat rate of $5 – no matter how much you buy.

Sale prices valid while supplies last. I can’t wait to see what you make!

Block Chain Quilt Along Week 5 – Free Motion Quilting

April 20, 2020April 18, 20201 Comment

This part of the quilt along is always my favorite!! I’m excited to share how I free-motion quilted my Block Chain Quilt with a fast, fun and forgiving modern design I call “Geometric Chains.”

Click here to get the optional Block Chain quilt kit, while supplies last.

The basic idea is to quilt an allover design, one line at a time across the entire quilt. Below is the basic motif diagram shown in the Block Chain quilt pattern.

To get a feel for how this design is stitched, draw a series of geometric lines, similar to those shown below on a blank piece of paper. Start with a straight-ish line, then sketch a series of geometric shape such as circles, triangles, squares, spirals, hearts, etc. The sky’s the limit when it comes to ideas!!

To get around each shape and make the next one, you can backtrack (stitch over a previous part of the design), or you can echo part of the design. There’s no wrong way to do it! To avoid marking, make the shapes roughly the size of a pieced block unit. Notice how the middle spiral chain above is roughly the width of the center of the block.

Once you’ve sketched out a few shapes you like, stitch them out on some practice scraps before quilting them on your actual quilt. Be sure to test out thread colors so you are happy with the results.

In the closeup image below, you can see I used a colorful thread from my Aurifil Variegated thread collection. Because the quilt has such a high contrast, I didn’t want to have to change threads as I quilted – so I made the colorful quilting a part of the final design!

When it comes to quilting the quilt, I use my “divide and conquer” method. I start on the right side of my quilt and begin stitching at the top of the quilt, in the batting sticking out around the edges. Then I quilt one “anchor” line of quilting through each block. This will hold each pieced row together so it won’t shift after basting. Then I go back and fill in all of the quilting in each row of blocks.

Click the play button below to watch a short, 2 1/2 minute video of me quilting a couple of the “chains” in this quilt. I’m only showing the closeups, but I’m just quilting one section at a time, and taking my time. I’m able to quilt an entire chain from top to bottom without having to tie off threads at either end.

Click here, or above to view my Block Chain quilting on YouTube. (Be sure to subscribe!)

The image below is a cross section details of the quilt. Notice how all that quilting adds a somewhat whimsical texture to the quilt. Click the image below to enlarge for detail.

Alternate Quilting Ideas

You can definitely apply the Geometric Chains quilting motif to any quilt, and there are several ways you can change it up, too! How about using ONE geometric design across the entire quilt? Or mix up each “chain” of quilting so it looks like a geometric sampler.

Instead of quilting straight lines with each shape, try wiggly lines, or do an allover meander with the shapes instead. No matter how you quilt it, I’d love to see your variations! Be sure to share them in my ChristaQuilts Facebook group. Or tag me on instagram @christaquilts and use #blockchainquilt so I can see your progress.

Next week it’s time to bind this quilt and then it will be complete! Be sure to check out my Quilt Along landing page for past quilt alongs and new ones coming in the future!

For MOre INfo ABOUT THIS QAL

Pattern Clearance $4.95 Each While They Last! (Plus some eye candy machine quilting!)

April 9, 2020April 8, 2020Leave a comment

I’m making way for some new patterns coming this summer (to go along with some new fabric) so it’s time to clear out some of my older paper patterns. The following 4 printed patterns are on sale now until they are sold out – first come first serve!

Charming Chevrons

Click here to get Charming Chevrons for $4.95 with Free US Shipping

This was my very first pattern I ever released and the good news is I will actually be releasing a newer updated version with upcoming fabric. But in the meantime, you can get the original version of Charming Chevrons for a killer price!

Here’s another version I made when I was on a solids kick:

It was so fun to quilt this one!!

Positive Direction

Click here to get Positive Direction for $4.95 with Free US Shipping

This was one of my earlier patterns from before I started designing fabric. It’s perfect for using up scraps or leftover strips!

Here are some beauty shots of the quilt + quilting. I combined simple straight lines with pebbles, alternating the quilting design to emphasize the colorful blocks.

Modern X

Click here to get Modern X for $4.95 with Free US Shipping

This has been one of my all time most popular modern designs. It’s simple yet eye catching and one of these days I will remake it using my own fabric prints in similar colors.

Irregular straight line quilting brings a wow factor to this modern minimalist quilt. I was thrilled when it won a ribbon at my local quilt guild’s show several years ago.

Improv Squares

Click here to get Improv Squares for $4.95 with Free US Shipping

This quilt pattern is a fun way to ease into improv piecing and it’s made from one layer cake + background fabric. I only have a couple of these left, so grab it before they are gone!

Click here for all printed patterns on clearance.

PDF Patterns on Sale

Once the paper versions above are gone, that’s it! I need the shelf space for new stuff to come!
However, if you prefer instant download patterns, many of my current line of my PDF patterns are on sale in my Etsy shop for 15% off the regular price.

Click here for my entire line of PDF patterns on Etsy.

Happy Sewing, Friends!

Block Chain QAL Week 1 – Cutting the Fabric

March 16, 2020March 7, 20202 Comments

Welcome to the Block Chain quilt along! This week we will be cutting all the fabric needed to make this quilt. It will be super easy because the center of each block features precut squares which are already cut for you (one of the reasons I love working with precuts)!

My version uses 36 out of the 42 squares included in the Gridwork Charm Pack.

Sorting the Charm Squares

You will need one charm square for each block in your quilt. Because the throw size consists of 36 blocks and my Gridwork charm pack includes 42 squares, I pulled out 6 squares of the black and gray prints. I like the random coloring below with just two of the black/white squares included for interest. Refer to the Block Chain pattern for the number of squares you’ll need for the smaller or larger sizes.

The important thing to remember is that as long as there is contrast between the squares and the surrounding frames (black in my quilt), it will still look good. Here’s another tip: if one of your squares is the same color as your background, it will look like there’s a hole in your block, so avoid that if possible.

Click here to get the Block Chain quilt kit wile supplies last.

Cutting the Black and gray Fabrics

Refer to the Gridwork quilt pattern on page 3 to cut out your accent, background, and binding strips. Here are closeup images of the fabrics that I used:

The black is called Square Grid. I included this one in the Gridwork line specifically for this quilt!!

There are several great grays in Gridwork but I really like the look of the gray Hourglass print for the background. It gives the quilt just the right amount of interest and texture!

I especially love using fun geometric bindings for my quilts, so I picked the black Circle Grid print to finish off the edges of the quilt.

Here’s a tip to save for the end: if you want a super narrow binding thats finishes exactly 1/4″ evenly on front and back, cut your strips 2″ and sew the binding on with 1/4″ seam allowance.

Click here to stock up on yardage and bundles of your favorite Gridwork prints.

Looking ahead to next Week:

Next week we will start sewing all of our cut units into blocks. Just remember, you can work at your own pace, faster or slower as you wish. I’m here to cheer you on each step of the way!