Many of you know that I send out a regular weekly email note. My Friendly Threads newsletter keeps you informed about what’s going on at Christa Quilts HQ. In addition to my blog and other social media outlets (Facebook, Instagram, etc.), I’m trying to reach as many friends and fans as possible, since I know that not everyone is in all of the online spaces.
About a year ago, I launched a wholesale newsletter, especially for shop owners and teachers. The focus is to make it easier for quilt shops to carry my books, products, and patterns. Plus it’s a great resource for teachers who would like to teach using my books, products and patterns.
If you haven’t had a chance to sign up for either of my newsletters, I invite you to do so now and get a free PDF download of Puzzle Box. It will be sent to you automatically once you confirm your subscription. 🙂
I’d love you to meet my friend Alexis, who blogs over at Persia Lou. She’s my neighbor and running buddy and we’ve known each other for a long time. She’s a very creative person who dabbles in all sorts of crafty things: sewing, crochet, paper crafts, home decorating, and more. A few months ago, she shared about my book with her readers and today it’s my turn to introduce her to my quilty friends!
Meet Alexis from Persia Lou. She’s super crafty and fun!
When I gave Alexis a copy of Machine Quilting with Style, she picked out Rain, one of my favorite quilts from the book, and then created this awesome piece of embroidered wall art that’s a mini version of the original, made from paper, paint and thread. So clever!!
How fun is that?? We’ve been talking for awhile about doing some kind of collaboration in the future, like a quilt along/crochet along where we each make the same design, but in two different mediums. Let me know if that sounds like fun and we’ll try to organize something for later next year.
Don’t get me wrong, Alexis can quilt like a madwoman, too. Check out these two versions of Herringbone, made from my free quilt pattern.
Now, I’m excited to share the word that Alexis recently released her first Craftsy class: Silhouette Savvy: Venture into Vinyl. In the class, Alexis teaches you how to cut and make 11 different vinyl projects using the Silhoutte Cameo machine. She’s been an ambassador for the brand for a little while, and recently went to Craftsy HQ to film her class.
If you haven’t yet checked out Craftsy’s huge library of creative classes, be sure to get started with a free mini class so you can familiarize yourself with the format. They literally have any creative class you can think of!
I love listening to quilting podcasts, but it’s even more fun to be on them! I’m super excited to be returning as a guest on one of my all-time favorites: American Patchwork and Quilting Podcast, hosted by the one and only Pat Sloan.
How to Listen:
To listen live at 1 PM Pacific Time on Monday (4 PM Eastern time) visit Toginet.com and click “live on air.”
To listen on your phone, download Stitchr or Itunes, or your favorite podcast app to listen. Search “American Patchwork and Quilting Radio” and be sure to subscribe.
Pat and I will be chatting about Machine Quilting, of course!! Plus she’ll have some other fabulous guests on. I know one of them for sure, but can’t wait to hear them all! 🙂
My Previous Interviews
Here are direct links to listen to my previous appearances on the show:
We’ve come to the end of the quilts in my book Machine Quilting with Style! Thanks so much for going on this journey with me, taking another look at all 12 quilts in the book. Writing this book was a dream come true, and as a successful quilting author once told me, “writing a book will change your life.” That’s the truth!
Pearl Gray at my local guild’s quilt show in 2016 – 1st place, single entrant category.
Pearl Gray shown above is a remake of my original String of Pearls quilt shown below. I made the newer version slightly larger and switched up the background to create a checkerboard effect. I also went with a softer palette in the remake compared to the brighter original.
String of Pearls at my local guild’s quilt show in 2014 – 1st place, single entrant category.
I love sharing my quilts in quilts shows and every now and then one of them snags a ribbon. However, for this quilt to get the same ribbon in the same category at the same show 2 years apart was definitely a feather in my cap.
Pearl Gray Re-Imagined
Since I designed the quilts in the book in EQ7, it was so fun and easy to switch out the fabrics to give you some new ways to imagine how these quilts can look. Let’s explore a couple of options for Pearl Gray, using some newer fabrics that are available now.
I recolored this fun version above with Tula Pink True Colors. If you’ve been hoarding some pretty prints, this is the perfect design in which to show them off! Play around with different background and contrast colors to see how the design pops!
Yes I love writing books. Yes, there will be more!
Giveaway Time!
And now, for the last giveaway! I really, really enjoy writing books. Like really! Although it takes a ton of time to write all the patterns and make all the quilts, the process is so much fun. What’s also enjoyable is being a part of someone else’s book. It’s a smaller time commitment but still very rewarding.
For the last present to celebrate the one year birthday of Machine Quilting with Style, I’m giving away two copies of I Love Churn Dashes. The release date is Dec 20th, so you can win it before you can buy it!
This book is the latest collaboration from my publisher, including 15 fabulous quilts, all from different designers. Come back on Friday for a full peak into this book and the reveal of my quilt! For now, see that orange and gray block on the cover near the logo? That’s mine. 🙂
Martingale/That Patchwork Place will send an e-copy to one international winner, and I’ll send a signed, physical copy to one US winner. To enter, leave a comment on this post telling me your favorite quilt book ever (other than mine!!) I’d also love to know what makes it special. I’ll select the winners on Monday and notify them via email.
Pearl Gray by Christa Watson, 66″ x 77″. Photography by Brent Kane for Martingale.
When you make any of the quilts from either of my books – I’d love to see them! Please share your in-progress photos and finishes in my Facebook group: Quilt with Christa.
Local Vegas friends! I’ll be teaching my last machine quilting class of the year at the Christmas Goose Quilt Shop this Wednesday, Nov 16 from 6-9 PM. Stop by the shop or call 702-877-1158 to register. There’s only a few spots left!
I’m teaching Free-Motion Alternatives to Straight Line Quilting from mine and Angela Walters’ book The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting. This class is already sold out at QuiltCon next year, so here’s your chance to get in on the action! Here’s the full class description:
“Go beyond the straight line and use your free-motion quilting skills to their fullest. In this workshop, students will learn how to turn basic shapes into linear free-motion quilting designs.Quilt them as allover designs across the surface of your quilt, or use them sporadically to create custom quilting motifs. Students should be comfortable with basic machine quilting techniques.”
Award Winning Quilting Techniques
Plumb Lines earned a second place ribbon at HMQS earlier this year.
Although I can’t promise that your quilting will win an award, you’ll definitely get my seal of approval for learning how to let go of machine quilting perfection in my class. The secret to quilting success is to choose thin blending threads and quilt the heck out of it! Then all you will notice is the yummy quilted texturerather then each individual stitch.
Where I’ll be Traveling to Next
If you can’t make it to this class, click here for my complete teaching schedule. I keep it up to date for myself as well as my potential students. In fact, my family regularly checks my schedule so they know when I’m available for family trips! 🙂 I may just be traveling to a city near you!
**As always, thanks for your support! This post contains affiliate links.**
One of the biggest reasons for going to quilt market this year was to launch my Piece and Quilt Thread Collection for Aurifil. This has been a dream of mine a couple of yeas in the making and it feels so great to finally share them with the world!
Christa and Aurifil CBDO Alex Veronelli at Fall Quilt Market 2016
I first began using Aurifil 50 weight cotton back in 2013 after trying out numerous brands, thread weights, and fiber contents. After making dozens of quilts for publication and for family and friends, I can definitely say these threads are prefect for everything I do: piecing, machine quilting, machine applique, and binding.
My favorite thing about sticking with the 50 weight cotton for everything, is that I always have the right color on hand. Plus, any leftover bobbins from machine quilting can get used up when I piece my next scrappy quilt!
The Piece and Quilt Collection comes in both Colors and Neutrals and I really took my time choosing them. I wanted to make sure I offered enough variety that you could literally piece and quilt any quilt with just these two collections:
Piece and Quilt Colors Include:
2425 Bright Pink
2250 Red
4020 Fuchsia
2520 Violet
2130 Medium Butter
1133 Bright Orange
2920 Light Brass
2884 Green Yellow
2886 Light Avocado
1148 Light Jade
2725 Light Wedgewood
2783 Medium Delft Blue
Piece and Quilt Neutrals Include:
2311 Muslin
5021 Bamboo
1246 Dark Grey
5007 Light Grey Blue
2326 Sand
2372 Dark Antique Gold (Brown)
2315 Pale Flesh
2405 Oyster
2024 White
2615 Aluminium
2605 Grey
4241 Very Dark Grey
Color selection tips:
When you don’t have an exact match, go a shade or two lighter with your thread. A lighter thread on a darker fabric will blend in better than a darker thread on a lighter fabric.
Use very dark grey instead of black on black fabrics so you can see the texture of the thread rather than having it disappear.
Use the darker neutrals when piecing dark or very highly saturated fabrics.
Try out the lighter neutrals like oyster and bamboo (in addition to white and muslin) when piecing lighter to medium colored fabrics.
Today I’m continuing to share the 5 part series of articles that I originally wrote for the National Quilting association as part of my Quilt as Desired column. This article first appeared in the Summer 2015 issue of the Quilting Quarterly.
Last week I shared an article that Jacquie Gering and I had written for the National Quilting Association which dissolved last year after 46 years as an organization. Now that a period of time has passed and the rights have reverted back to me, I thought it would be an appropriate time to share with you the series of articles I wrote for them about Machine Quilting. There’s a total of 5 articles (2 of which were never published) and I plan to share them with you approximately once a week. Hopefully you’ll pick up a tip or two. Happy reading friends!
Note: The following article was written as a sample of my writing style and helped me land the free-lance writing gig. NQA asked if I wanted to go ahead and use it for my first column, but I chose to write on a different topic which I’ll share next time. So this is the first time this article is being shared in public.
Modern Machine Quilting
Whether you prefer to quilt by hand or machine, or send your quilts off to a professional for finishing, I’m here to share my expertise and offer advice on how to enhance your quilt’s overall appearance with appropriate quilting choices. This will be a regular feature in each issue of the Quilting Quarterly. We hope you enjoy it!
I love to make modern quilts and explore how to quilt them. Functional modern quilts are meant to be used and washed and they often include vast expanses of negative space. For bed quilts, the quilting should provide enough texture and interest to fit into a modern décor, without being so excessive that the quilt becomes scratchy, stiff and unusable.
I will illustrate an example of functional, modern machine quilting on a quilt I designed named Abacus. It’s made from circular blocks that are machine appliqued. It is sewn together in rows with increasing lengths of grey strips forming the background.
The first thing I do when considering how to quilt a quilt is take a picture of the actual quilt top or the quilt pattern, and print it off in color on a piece of 8 ½” x 11” paper. I will then sketch different quilting ideas until I come up with something I like.
The pen marks indicate the quilting lines, but not necessarily the color of the thread. I will quilt Abacus with a series of gently waving lines, using my walking foot on my home machine and slightly turning the quilt to form the waves as I stitch. This can also be accomplished by using a decorative stitch and maxing out the length and width. (Be sure try out different stitches to find one you like!)
Next, I will practice on a smaller sample piece with the same fabrics, thread, and batting I plan to use for the quilt. I think grey is a nice neutral thread choice, and I will use the seam lines between the rows to give me a relatively straight guideline to follow. Spending time on these steps now helps prevents disappointment down the road when a quilt doesn’t turn out like I envision it in my head.
Finally, I will quilt the real quilt, starting in the middle of the quilt and quilting the wavy lines from top to bottom, moving halfway across the quilt. When I get to the edge, I will turn the quilt around and quilt the other half.
If you are using a long-arm machine to quilt this quilt, just load it from the side and quilt the wavy lines back and forth horizontally across the quilt, advancing the quilt as you go.
I love being a cheerleader for modern quilting. When I stumbled upon the style in 2012 and attended the first QuiltCon in 2013, it really changed the course of my quilting career in so many positive ways. I was able to meet people making art that really resonated with me and I was able to find my voice within the larger quilting community.
Back in 2014-2015 I wrote a regular column about machine quilting for the National Quilting Association, which sadly, went defunct at the end of last year. During my time writing for them, I was also able to co-author an article about QuiltCon with Jacquie Gering for NQA’s magazine, The Quilting Quarterly. Because I’ve grown my readership quite a bit since that time, I wanted to republish this article so that any of you who missed it the first time around get a chance to read it. This is especially important for those of you who may not have yet attended QuiltCon, or might be going for the first time in 2017. It will give you a better idea of what to expect when you go. I’m re-sharing it here with Jacquie’s permission as well as the former editor of NQA magazine. Enjoy!
It’s time for a birthday celebration, even though it’s not technically my birthday. Although my daughter did make me this lovely cake when it was my birthday last month.
My favorite cake – German Chocolate with Coconut icing. The strawberries were a nice touch.
Happy Book-Birthday!
What I’m excited to celebrate is that it’s my first book’s first birthday, this Thursday, September 8th! (The fact that I published another one less than 9 months later makes them almost like twins right??)
But anyway… I can’t believe it was just a year ago that I released Machine Quilting with Style, with the help of my friends at Martingale/That Patchwork Place. Now, some might call this an “anniversary” celebration, but writing a book really did take as much time and effort as having a child, so I think “birthday” is an appropriate word. 🙂 And what a fabulous year it has been!
Click the image above to see each of the quilts in the book, plus an alternate version.
I have to thank so many loyal friends and followers for helping this book be so successful! It really does mean a lot to me when you guys cheer me on. 🙂 In the last year, I’ve met so many fabulous people, while Machine Quilting with Style has reached some milestones, too.
It’s consistently stayed in the top 100 for patchwork books on Amazon, and it’s been one of my publisher’s Top 20 bestsellers. Seven of the quilts have been in local and national quilt shows, and three have won ribbons. All of this furthers my goal of reaching a wider audience and helping people understand that it’s okay to make “perfectly imperfect” quilts!
Quilts ON Display from Machine Quilting with Style:
In order above: Facets won 2nd at AQS Paducah, Candy Pop and String of Pearls won ribbons at my local show, Rain and Focal point hung at QuiltCon, Lightning and Square in a Square were juried into Road to California. The rest are: Little Man’s Fancy, Static, Ripples, Color Crystals, and Broken V.
If you haven’t yet seen the book, take a look at this awesome video review from the folks at Chatterbox Quilts. Honestly, it made me tear up a little. I mean, you love what you create, but when other people do, too, it can be quite a humbling experience!
Let’s Celebrate!
To celebrate this huge milestone, I thought it would be fun to re-color each of the quilts in EQ7 (the software I originally used to design the quilts), and then showcase them side by side along with the original quilt so you can compare the two. I’ll share one new colorway each week, starting this Thursday. After all, sometimes a quilt can look completely different just by changing up the fabrics.
And of course, no birthday celebration would be complete without gifts! So along with helping you imagine what the designs would look like in different fabrics, I’ll be hosting 12 weeks of giveaways, one for each quilt. Won’t that be fun??
I love all of the detailed photography in the book, shot by the talented Brent Kane for Martingale.
Sharing is Caring
As I re-share the quilts each week, I hope you’ll also share your versions of them in my Facebook Group: Quilt with Christa. This will provide loads of inspiration for those just starting out on their quilt-making journey. Many times, I end up liking my friends’ versions even better than the originals!
Click the image above to join my facebook group and share your quilts, finished or not!
Where to Buy
So I’ll meet you back here on Thursday to get this party started!! In the meantime, you can purchase Machine Quilting with Style from your favorite local quilt shop, or these locations:
The very first copy I received is the most special because it was signed by all those who helped produce this book. It really does take a village to write a book!
Christa Quilts 