A Few Words About Judged Quilts Part 2 – Starting to Get the Hang of It

June 17, 201316 Comments

This is the second part of my thoughts about entering quilts for competition. You can read part 1 here which explores the beginnings of my journey into showing and sharing my quilts.

Charlotte Warr Anderson Quilt
Road to California 2011

In 2011 I attended Road to California and was literally blown away by the caliber of quilts presented.

I knew these were the kinds of quilts I wanted to make! Now please don’t misunderstand, I love all types of quilts.

There was just something about these knock-your-socks off beauties that stirred something within my soul.

I took a fantastic machine quilting class from Charlotte Warr Anderson whose amazing award winning quilt is show at left.

I attended Road to California again in 2012 and this time decided that I had to improve the quality of my quiltmaking. Not just wanted to – had to! I mean look at the quilt below. When I saw this fabulous work of art, it literally made my heart sing!

American Woman made by Jo Ann Blade & Kim Diamond
Road to California 2012

So I began attending as many classes as I could, and I started entering my local show again (after an 8 year absence). My goals were very clear – how do I better my techniques so that I can make outstanding quilts that satisfy my need to create?

Here are a few of the quilts I entered into my traditional guild’s show (Desert Quilters of Nevada) between 2011-2012. They are a mix of commercial patterns mixed in with a little bit of my own design sense. They are not exactly show stoppers, but I am pretty proud of them and they are a step in the right direction. The judges’ comments are below.

USS Jason by Christa Watson
Desert Quilters of Nevada 2011
2nd Place, Juvenile Quilts

From the judge: Piecing techniques good, quilting is good with patterns well chosen and stitches regular. The recipient will love the quilting texture. Sashing and borders well chosen, binding close and tight. Corners are stitched closed.

Floral Applique by Christa Watson
Desert Quilters of Nevada 2011
2nd Place, Applique

From the judge: Button hole stitch applique well done. Echo quilting well handled. Border designs well chosen and metallic thread adds sparkle. Corners are well mitered with close tight stitching in borders. Quilting stitches are good with good tension.

And just so you don’t get the impression that I’m all about the ribbons – here a couple that did NOT get an award. But they were still fun to make and fun to show!

Batik Double Wedding Ring Quilt
By Christa Watson 2012

Judge’s comments: Traditional quilt with non traditional fabrics. Piecing is generally good. Machine quilting is well done. Use of variegated threads adds interest. Binding by machine well done. However, I would have chosen something different for the back of a wedding quilt.

The comment about the Day of the Dead backing fabric cracked me up, but my sis-in-law, for whom the quilt was made, absolutely loved it! This is totally her style, though definitely not the judge’s. 🙂

But seriously, I never take offense at a judge’s critiques. After all, I am the one who asked for their opinions!

Here’s my other sister- in-law’s wedding quilt, hung at the same show:

Wedding Hearts and Stars
Made by Christa Watson 2012

Judge’s comments: Your use of value has made the stars pop out. Piecing is well done but some slight distortion noted in the sashing. Machine quilting and binding are very well done.

Come back next Monday for part 3, the conclusion of this (gripping) tale! I will talk about what I’ve been able to accomplish in the last year and where I go from here. 🙂

A Few Words About Judged Quilts Part 1 – The Beginning of a Journey

June 10, 2013June 17, 201316 Comments

I’ve had a few people ask me to go into detail about some of the comments I’ve received for quilts I’ve entered into quilt shows. I thought that would make a pretty good blog topic! It will take more than one post to explore this idea, so be sure to follow my blog for updates.

First, here’s a little background – I’ve been quilting off and on over the last 18 years, but up until this year have previously entered my quilts only in local shows. I have received my share of ribbons in this time and have earned a variety of critiques, most of which I never thought about keeping for “quilt posterity”.

Christa’s Quilt Ribbons – and one for Jenna!

I’m getting smarter now about keeping all the documentation relating to my work. I’ve also realized that if I want to enter my quilts in shows I’ve got to be able to take the heat, even if I don’t agree with a judge’s comments (but for the most part, good or bad, I do see their point!)

So here goes, I’ll start with some of my earliest competitive quilts and work my way forward. I don’t have the judge’s comments but I’ll share what I remember.

This mini quilt was the very first thing I ever entered, way back in 1997 – can you believe it? It was for a guild challenge and all that I remember was that we were supposed to use a a basket, a heart, and a flower.

It’s one of the very few hand quilted pieces I’ve done and my first attempt at mitering corners. Now I only use straight borders and I machine quilt all of my quilts. ‘Nuff said! But I did earn a second place from a vote of the members so that was my first taste of “competition”. I just ate it up!

Over the years I started getting better at my machine quilting and was pleased when my pieced heart quilt won a second place at my traditional guild’s annual show in 2002. I enjoyed adding lots of detailed quilting which has kind of set the stage for my style of quilting – more is more!

The big mistake that I made on this quilt was using too many busy prints, so that all my fabulous quilting was hard to notice! You just can’t see the gorgeous cabled border I quilted in metallic threads (really!) Hmm, maybe that’s why I’m so fond of solids now?

The 2002 quilt show was a banner year for me – nearly every thing I entered won a ribbon. I finally landed a first place with my original Hugs and Kisses. (I did a remake of this quilt recently for one of my quilt alongs). I remember only one written comment from the judge – “I love this quilt!” That made my day until I realized this quilt was the only one in it’s category.

This was the first year our guild started separating out professionally machine quilted quilts into their own category. Since I was definitely NOT a professional and I quilted this one myself, there was no competition in the home-machine quilted category, LOL!! But we’ve come a long way and more members are machine quilting their own quilts, for which I’m very proud! (And the organizers told me a judge won’t give it a blue ribbon unless the quilt deserves it – regardless of the number of entries).

Next, I got into my applique phase and won a couple of 1st place ribbons for these appliqued beauties. They were fun to make but since I followed a pattern, they weren’t exactly originals.

You can see I was definitely a traditionalist here but these quilts are where I realized my techniques – small machine button hole stitches with matching thread and lots of quilting. Now to translate these techniques into more modern quilt designs!

After this I kind of took a break for about 8 years where I didn’t enter hardly anything. Sure, I taught a lot of quilting classes, made tons of samples and got into stipple-overload. I also started my fabric business, but the competition side of me really waned. I also sold quilts at a local craft mall for several years. This threw me into mass-production mode which really stifled my artistic spirit!

Tune in next Monday for part 2 of this (breathtaking) saga!

Christa’s Soap Box – Everything Old is New Again

June 7, 2013June 6, 201315 Comments

I haven’t done a “soap box” post in awhile but I was at a (traditional) quilt guild meeting yesterday which sparked a bit of discussion about modern quilting. One of the members brought in an antique machine quilted quilt that I just fell in love with.

Antique Quilt – Look at all that negative space!

She purchased it a long long time ago and said it was made and quilted by machine in the 30’s. Can you believe it? Just like we like to shun the quilt police nowadays, back then, this quiltmaker did her own thing and broke convention by finishing it on her machine.

Antique Top with “Modern” Quilting

The most interesting thing to me about this quilt is that it had some quilt designs that we would now define as modern. Look closely and you can see some loops and a few swirls.

The quilter probably did not have a lot of space to work with and even though it’s a little hard to tell from the photos, she quilted it in rows. There is a gap in between each row of quilting which I think adds to the charm.

Loops and Swirls Quilting

Another of our members said she just didn’t quite understand modern quilting and I told her, just like this antique quilt, much of modern quilting is rooted in tradition. The best definition I’ve heard was from Heather Grant when she spoke at QuiltCon earlier this year. She said, “Modern Quilts are to Art Quilts like Graphic Art is to Fine Art.” Very evocative and descriptive!

Traditional Quilt Guild Meeting – Look at that quilt on the wall, it’s “almost” modern!

I recently read a comment on one of the blogs I follow where a commenter was complaining that Modern Quilters act like all of this stuff is brand new. (No we don’t!) The blogger’s reply was, “what is old to some is new to us!” Well said! 🙂

Christa’s Soapbox – Blogging Goal Accomplished

April 8, 2013April 8, 20136 Comments

I am a very goal-oriented person and I work well with to-do lists, schedules and check boxes. At the end of last year, I made a list of Quilting Goals and I get a certain sense of satisfaction when I can cross something off my list and move onto the next item.

Today, I get to put a “done” next to my goal of improving my blog. Jason and I have worked really hard over the last few weeks to update and organize the blog so it’s easier to read and more fun to follow!

Here are just a few things we’ve accomplished:

Renamed the blog url to ChristaQuiltsBlog.com. It’s still located on WordPress and the old links will still work. But it makes it easier for Google and others to find me!
Set up the domain ChristasQuiltAlong.com. It points to my blog with a page set up exclusively for my quilt alongs. Now you can find them all in one place!
Cleaned up the sidebar so it shows organized, pertinent information and links.
Have now attracted over 1000 blog followers – can we make it 2000?
Added links at the top to more easily find my tutorials, quilt alongs, and flickr group with more to come!
Reorganized my blog categories to make them easier to find and read.
Added a button for other bloggers to spread the word about my quilt along:

<div align="center"><a href="http://christasquiltalong.com" title="Christa's Quilt Along" target="_blank"><img src="https://christaquilts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/christas-quilt-along-175-2.png" alt="Christa's Quilt Along" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Wow! It felt really good to check that off my list. 🙂

Christa’s Soap Box – Defining Modern Quilting

April 2, 2013April 4, 20139 Comments

Ever since attending QuiltCon in February, I’ve been giving some serious thought to modern quilting and what it means to me.

While filling out a recent application to teach a quilting class, I was asked to define how I interpret modern quilting.

This is what I said, “I’m attracted to quilts with bright clear colors, bold geometric designs, and lots of negative space to showcase extensive machine quilting.”

I was very pleased to find that the Modern Quilt Guild has refined their definition of modern quilting to the following statement, taken from their website:

“Modern quilts are primarily functional and inspired by modern design. Modern quilters work in different styles and define modern quilting in different ways, but several characteristics often appear which may help identify a modern quilt. These include, but are not limited to: the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space, and alternate grid work. ‘Modern traditionalism’ or the updating of classic quilt designs is also often seen in modern quilting.”

Modern Log Cabin at QuiltCon, made by members of the Las Vegas Modern Quilt Guild

I love this because coming from a traditional quilting background, I find myself drawn to modern traditional quilts. Probably the thing I love most about modern quilting is seeing all of these quilters taking classic quilting patterns like log cabins, stars and hexagons and interpreting them in new ways.

Modern Hexagon Table Runner and Placemats by Alyssa Lichner

One of the definitions I heard at QuiltCon was that modern quilting was definitely not “art quilting”, although one could argue that they are very artistically well-done and they certainly are beautiful works of art!

I appreciate the quality workmanship that goes into making a modern quilt and the fact that modern quilters are not afraid of doing handwork or projects that may take a little longer to complete. I recently wrote a blog post about slowing down and enjoying the process and I think that is the epitome of modern quilting.

Christa’s Modern Quilt Blocks

Many modern quilters will also dive right and and quilt their own quilts, something that thrills me immensely! (Read my soapbox post about quilting your own quilts!)

So am I a modern quilter? I think I find myself heading in that direction, yet the whole point of modern quilting is not to narrowly define oneself or one’s quilts.

As one of the lecturers at QuiltCon noted (I forget who), I am a quilter first, a modern quilter second.

Christa’s Soapbox – Why I Teach Quilting

March 26, 2013March 23, 201316 Comments

Teaching quilting is in my blood. I love it, I need it – I can’t live without it! I began teaching quilting classes nearly 16 years ago when my oldest son was just a baby. It kind of happened by accident when a local quilt shop (who’s no longer in business) needed a shop teacher and I was in the right place at the right time.

Hugs ‘n Kisses Quilt Along

Fast forward 16 years, 3 kids and a business later, and I am finally returning to what I love.

I’ve been doing my quilt alongs for a few months now and it gives me such joy and satisfaction to see my students create a beautiful work of art from just a few bits of cloth.

I love the entire process – designing an original quilt, putting together photos and instructions, making the quilt, and editing and rewriting until everything is clear.

After attending QuiltCon and meeting up with editors and publishers last month, I’ve decided I want to take things to the next level.

One of my strongest desires is to start publishing my work in magazines and books.

I feel like I have so many ideas it’s hard to pinpoint where to begin. The biggest eye opener for me after speaking to a few editors was learning that things I want to publish in print cannot be published on my blog first. That’s okay because I have so many ideas that I can’t possibly blog about them all in the first place.

My plan is to continue developing my quilting techniques with free patterns here on the blog. Then I will take what I’ve learned to create original patterns for publication. I will also learn to practice patience.

From talking to friends of mine who’ve written books and magazine articles, I’ve learned it takes anywhere from 18 months to 3 years to get a book written and on the shelves. That means if I start today – you won’t see anything from me in print until at least 2 years down the road! But that’s ok, too.

In the coming weeks and months you can be my cheerleader by continuing to follow my blog, joining my quilt alongs and giving me your honest opinions about how you like the techniques I’m teaching. And maybe someday soon (or not so soon) you’ll get to see me in print!

Original X and O Quilt, 1st Place Pieced, DQN Show 2002

Christa’s Soapbox – Why I Prewash My Fabrics

March 18, 2013March 19, 201384 Comments

This was a very difficult post to write and I debated about even talking about it. But since I promised on my blog to show my failures as well as my successes, I need to get up on my soap box and implore you to pre-wash your fabrics whenever possible.

Here is my ruined quilt that just devastated me (but I am getting over it after lots of crying!) Do you see the distinct outline of blue? That is from the back bleeding to the front!!

After countless hours of sewing and machine quilting this puppy, I decided I wanted to block it. Since one of my quilting goals is to enter more competitions, I have been learning about starching, blocking, burying my thread tails, and all of the other “little” details one does to make a quilt really stand out.

Because I had used precut squares for both the front and back of the quilt, I did not prewash them. I didn’t have problems when soaking the top with a spray bottle to erase all of my blue marked quilting lines. But then I submerged the quilt in my bathtub to completely soak it so that it was ready to block (lay out smooth on a flat surface to dry into place).

The next day after it started drying, I noticed blue ink seeping through the top and I about had a heart attack. Apparently dye from one of the large blue squares from the pieced backing soaked through to the top. I kept waiting for it to dry thinking I was only seeing shadowing. But no, it really did bleed through to the front. Now, the weird thing is that this exact same piece of fabric is also on the front of the quilt and it did not bleed.

In this picture you can see the pieced backing squares showing through to the front. When it dried you couldn’t see them anywhere except in one very distinct spot where the fabric bled.

So I’m not sure if it was just a fluke, or if somehow the water reacted with the wool batting in a weird way or if it was just my day to have bad quilting luck. I really don’t know. But no matter what – I’ve learned a few things with this quilt.

1. Always, always prewash as much as possible. I will be experimenting at some point on how to wash precuts since they are more delicate. If anyone has tips on how to do this please let me know!

2. Even when using precuts that are not washed, I will always use a shout color catcher in the wash from now on. Subsequent quilts I have made from precuts have not had this problem. In fact, I generally throw in 2-3 color catcher sheets to the wash just for good measure.

3. Pieced backings are ok but just make sure they are lighter than the majority of the fabrics in the top – not a good idea with all of that white fabric.

4. After all, it is just a quilt and there will always be another one. This has been the hardest lesson to learn. I will move on and there will be more amazing quilts. But this did break my heart.

You can still see some of the shadowing where the darker fabrics show through the top. But there is a distinct light blue patch on the front where it’s fabric bleeding, not shadowing.

Oh well, at least it still hangs nice and flat – so blocking does work! 🙂 Maybe I will dye the whole thing light blue some day. I can always keep it as a sample of what NOT to do!

Christa’s Soapbox – Faster Doesn’t Always Mean Better

March 4, 2013March 19, 201328 Comments

Since attending QuiltCon last month, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to quality versus quantity. As a shop owner, I feel a certain drive to sell as much fabric as possible, as quickly as possible, to support my family.

Busy Hands Quilting

This means attendingallthestradehows and makingallthequiltkits and meetingnewdesigners and findingasmanyfunnewpatterns as I can.

This can lead to quite a hectic life at a frenetic pace, with not as much time for personal fulfillment.

My hands are so busy with so many things, that, as a quilter, there’s a part of me that needs to slow…..things….. down!

I have been contemplating what I feel is turning into the fast-food-ization of quilting. We all love to sew and complete a project, but how much of the creative process is being lost in the rush to get things finished?

Yes, I know there’s a time and a place for the last minute baby shower quilt or Christmas present.

But the rest of the year, why don’t we focus on making quality quilts, whether or not they can be completed in a day?

The workmanship at QuiltCon, Road to California, and other top-notch shows inspires me to make good quality work and to hopefully share more of that with you.

Hugs ‘N Kisses

If you have followed along with any of my Quilt Alongs from the beginning, you will notice that I have started adding more tutorials over a longer period of time.

This is a project I have committed to doing on a long-term basis so that I can inspire you to make a quilt from start to finish. My joy is full when I see more of you completing your own quilts!

Although I will still be offering quilt kits for many of them as a convenience, starting this week you will begin to notice more customization and tips on how to truly make it your own.

Going forward, Jason and I have big plans to not only expand our store, but to get back to the roots of what attracted me to quilting in the first place: making a unique hand-crafted work of art!

Christa Quilts!

Christa’s Soapbox – Defining My Style

February 17, 2013March 19, 201310 Comments

We took a quick trip this weekend to Knott’s Berry Farm so the kids could ride some roller coasters and we could have a fun little getaway.

Knott’s Berry Farm

During the drive, and most of the time Jason and I were in line, we spent a lot of time talking business. We discussed our plans for the future, goals for our store, and most of all, what styles of quilting and fabrics I want to pursue.

First Quilts

I’ve been trying to find style or my “voice” for quite a while now. I’ve been quilting for nearly 19 years and started off very traditional. The first quilt I ever made was a flannel 9 patch and the second quilt I made was a scrappy log cabin.

Over the years I have tried nearly every technique or style to see what I like.

I have tried hand applique (too much work), hand quilting (not fast enough), paper piecing in the early 90’s (too messy), paper piecing in the new millenium (much more fun with better tools), art quilts (too abstract), contemporary styles (better), machine applique (now we are onto something here), machine quilting (in love with it) and finally modern quilting (by George, I think we’ve go it!).

My current focus is definitely on modern quilting, yet even within that style I don’t love absolutely everything. I’m not into hexagons, pixelated quilts, or too much improvisation. I really lean toward the “modern traditionalism” side of modern quilting. It’s everything I love about quilting: simple, clean lines, bright clear colors, with lots of negative space to show off gorgeous machine quilting. This style is “safe” enough to satisfy my need for order, yet versatile enough to let my inner artist come out.

First Modern Quilt – Charming Chevrons

Now, how does this translate into what we will carry in our store? I recently read an industry magazine article for quilt shop owners reminding us not to try to be all things to all people. Going after too many “styles,” a shop owner can end up pleasing no one. That’s great advice which I’m taking to heart!

After much talking and soul searching, Jason and I just may have come up with a plan. (By the way, the kids were very well behaved and quiet during the drive – thank goodness for portable electronics!)

We summed up who ~~we are~~ I am in 3 words: Fresh, Modern, Eclectic. It may take a while for this to be apparent in the store, but it’s already showing up in my latest quilts. I feel much happier now that I have a focus, and I love what I do!

Love Quilt

Christa’s Soapbox – 300 Words About Quilting Published

December 6, 20124 Comments

I am very excited that I am actually working through my list of quilting goals that I listed at the beginning of the month. I will post updates every month or more often if applicable.

One of the goals I stated was #2. Get Published in a Quilting Magazine.

Although this goal has not been achieved exactly as planned yet, I am getting closer! An essay that I wrote about Dreams and Goals for my quilting was accepted by Quilter’s Newsletter Magazine as part of their Web Extras for their December/January 2013 issue. While there wasn’t enough room for my essay in the magazine, they published it on their website along with a few others. What a thrill!

What I learned from this is by setting goals, I may actually take steps to accomplish them! Here is my essay below. You can read other essays here, with rules on how to enter.

SECRET DESIRE by CHRISTA WATSON

Whenever I see a beautifully quilted masterpiece at a show, my heart skips a beat. I can feel the pounding in my chest and I have almost a shortness of breath. The painstaking application of precision piecework or applique, combined with the most intricate of quilting designs literally takes my breath away. While others around me exclaim, “I could never do that!” I secretly whisper to myself, “I can’t wait to do that.”

To say quilting makes me happy is an understatement. I never feel such peace and serenity as when I’m stitching alone with needle and cloth. I do have other habits that are supposed to help me stay balanced – I keep fit and healthy, spend quality time with my family and read a lot of good books. But is it too selfish to say that sometimes I just want to toss all my cares aside and make my masterpiece quilt? My magnum opus?

My award-winning masterpiece of a quilt is somewhere inside me, just waiting to escape.

So why haven’t I made it yet? In a word, FEAR! Fear of failure. Oh sure, I’ve entered quilts into my local guild’s show and have accumulated my fair share of colorful ribbons to show for it. But I’ve never entered a quilt into one of those big-time, knock-your-socks-off, national or international shows.

This is my secret desire—to enter and win a prestigious award at a major judged and juried show for the entire world to see. Do I dare say that out loud? What if my dream never comes true? I guess I’ll never know until I try.