Fabric Friday – Kona Solids Designer Palettes

December 19, 2014December 10, 20143 Comments

It’s no secret that I love Kona solids. When I look back at the quilts I’ve made this year, the majority of them have been made with solids! I think Robert Kaufman is smart by partnering up with some of your favorite bloggers to create curated designer palettes. Let me introduce you to a couple of them:

Elizabeth Hartman’s Designer Palette includes 25 luscious shades of lilac, pink, yellow, teal and grey. The fat quarter bundle is perfect for anyone’s gift list, and it comes in all of the other standard precuts as well.

With the release of Elizabeth Hartman’s new book, Patchwork City, there are 3 color groupings to go along with it: Patchwork City solids in Autumn, Winter and Summer. Aren’t they just luscious??

Next up, popular blogger Rita Hodge of Red Pepper Quilts has her own blogger bundle consisting of pretty pinks and purples with a touch of brights and neutrals. I’m already thinking about what I could make from this palette!

There will be more designers on tap for 2015 and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next!

Christa’s Soapbox – On Acceptance and Rejection

December 18, 2014December 18, 20145 Comments

First off thanks to those of you who responded to my post from yesterday! The response has been great so far and I truly appreciate it!

For this week’s soapbox I wanted to tread lightly on the whole notion of acceptance and rejection, alluding to the very vibrant and passionate discussion that has been going on in blogland and on instagram since people received their notices about their QuiltCon entries. As I mentioned earlier, I got 3 accepted and 2 rejected so I got to experience both emotions.

Remember this? It really is how the process works most of the time!

I think most of everyone’s disappointment stems from the fact that we are so used to uplifting and encouraging each other in the online community, so it can hurt when all of a sudden that seems to be taken away, even momentarily. We begin to question ourselves, our worth, and even our reasons for making. That’s totally normal, and fortunately, for most people, that initial frustration and disappointment dissipate with time so we can get back to the fun part of making.

I will admit that I’m an optimist, but I’m also a realist. My friend Leanne (from She Can Quilt) put it best when she said that anything she enters she expects to get rejected. I totally echo that sentiment. You guys know quilting is my career and I try to do all I can to further that career in an uplifting, positive way. But trust me, I have had my share of rejections along the way.

If at first you don’t succeed – just keep sewing, just keep sewing!

I was sharing with some friends at a quilting meeting last night, that it’s not a smooth path to success. For every positive experience I’ve had, there have been an equal number (or more) negative ones, too. The thing is, I just don’t dwell on them. I move on to the next thing because I just don’t have the time to waste on negative energy.

I know my perspective may be a little different in respect to this. Because quilting is my business, along with my passion, I just see a rejection as something that didn’t work out on my way to my goal. But I don’t let it stop me from doing what I want to do.

So if you experience rejection, disappointment or frustration in anything you do – please don’t let it stop you from achieving your goals either. As I said in an earlier soapbox, the only one standing in your way is you. 🙂

Now, what fun things are you working on this week??

Help for Sydney – Doing My Part, Spreading the Word

December 17, 20146 Comments

I just read about the idea that Josh from Molli Sparkles has come up with to help comfort those affected by the tragedy in Sydney, (which occurred near where he works). He’s inviting the online community to come together to donate their time, money, or quilt blocks so that he and his fellow Glitterati in Australia can make at least 6 quilts for family members consisting of about 1080 blocks plus materials for batting, backing and quilting.

Click here for complete details.

I made a small paypal donation to help defray the cost of materials; then I got to thinking – how could I contribute more?

So I decided to make you guys this offer: from now through Sunday, December 21st, I’ll donate 50% of the sales of all my PDF patterns to the cause. (Of course, you are also welcome to donate directly or help out in the other ways stated on Josh’s blog).

I currently only have 5 patterns for sale, so it may not make a big dent, but every little bit helps, right?

It sickens me when I hear of such tragedies in the world, but it does give me comfort when I see quilters band together to offer love and support where they can.

Check out Me Being Crafty Podcast and Listen to My Interview

December 17, 2014December 17, 20142 Comments

Hey guys, have you heard of this great new creative podcast? It’s called Me Being Crafty and it’s hosted by Tsoniki Crazy Bull. When Tsoniki reached out to me and invited me to be on the show, I immediately listened to all the past episodes to get a feel for her audience and presentation style. After just a few minutes of listening, I quickly said yes!

Tsoniki encourages you to find your creativity every day, no matter what you do. She interviews fun people like quilters, sewists, lifestyle bloggers, and all sorts of creative folks. On the podcast, Tsoniki shares her passion for creativity along with snippets of her life as a mom and military wife currently living in France, along with a touch of her Native American culture.

Click here to listen to my interview. There’s a player at the top of the page. Just click play to listen on your computer.

You can also subscribe to the podcast via Itunes or Stitcher.

Tsoniki and I chatted about modern quilting, the importance of quality tools, why I love teaching, and a little bit about my journey as a quilter.

She publishes podcasts twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with one guest per episode. Each podcast runs about 20-30 minutes. They are fun to listen to while sewing!

Click here for my publicity page to check out my other interviews and features. 🙂

Make a Modern Mini Quilt with My Mini Churn Dash Pattern

December 15, 2014December 9, 20149 Comments

I’ve jumped on the mini quilt bandwagon with one of my latest finishes, Mini Churn Dash. I actually made it over the summer, but I’m able to share it with you now that it’s been published in the latest issue of The Quilting Quarterly by the National Quilting Association.

I was actually able to use this mini for two features in the magazine – the pattern on how to make the mini quilt, and my regular recurring column, Quilt As Desired.

I used a few fabrics from Bonnie & Camille’s Miss Kate line, generously provided to me by Moda Fabrics. I had so much fun making this mini!

I wanted to keep both the quilting and the binding in scale so I reduced my quilting stitch length and I finished it with 1/8″ binding rather than the standard 1/4″. It really wasn’t that hard to do. I used single-fold binding strips that were only 1 1/4″ wide and sewed with 1/8″ seams.

I love using Wonder Clips for binding my quilts. The more clips, the better!

In case you missed the magazine issue, you can purchase the individual pattern here.

I’ve been enjoying seeing quilts made with churn dash blocks and am so glad I was able to combine two trending ideas, mini’s and churn dashes into one quilt. If you are inspired to make your own Mini Churn Dash, I’d love to see it! You can share a picture with my via email, on my flickr page, or on Instagram with the hashtag “minichurndash.”

Optical Illusion – The Finish

December 12, 2014December 10, 201427 Comments

I was able to finish Optical Illusion just in time to submit it to QuiltCon (the all-modern quilt show and conference). Then I got the exciting news that it was selected for judging along with two of my other entries, Abacus and Spiraling Out of Control. There were over 1300 entries submitted this year which totally blew away the amount of entries received the first time around. What an awesome show it’s going to be!

Optical Illusion, designed, pieced and quilted by Christa Watson

Here’s a detail shot where you can see the quilting a little better:

I had a lot of fun sharing this one on Instagram, because when my followers scrolled the reduced sized picture up and down, they could get the lines to move. What a fun trick! See if you can get it to move when you scroll this blog post up and down – it’s an interactive quilt!

Another “optical illusion” for this quilt was totally unintentional but added a fun surprise: when you hold it up to the light, you can see the geometric backing fabric shining through the white squares, creating a “stained-glass” effect. Cool huh?

This quilt is as fun to play with as it was to make! Since I finished ahead of schedule, I took a little time to make a not-so-fancy but utilitarian label for it, using the embroidery stitches on my machine. (It’s a Bernina 710 – since I know you are going to ask!)

I know several of you have asked for a pattern for it, so that’s in the works. I probably won’t release it though until after QuiltCon, to give me plenty of time to get it ready (and to see how it does during the judging process, LOL!!)

Now, it’s onto the next quilt….

Enter Your Modern Quilts into NQA’s 46th Annual Show

December 10, 2014December 9, 20141 Comment

Ok guys and gals – you are going to see me blogging a lot about the National Quilting Association as I gear up to do a lot of fun things with them over the next year!

First up on the agenda – enter your quilts into their show! Of course they have all of the regular show categories, but I am so stoked that they also have a Modern category. And you know what’s even more exciting? It’s not a juried show which means that you are automatically guaranteed to get in! But here’s the catch – the show is limited to the first 400 entries! Wouldn’t it be amazing if so many of them are modern?

The deadline for entries is April 1st, 2015 and NQA members get a discounted entry so please become a member if you haven’t already! I will be going to the show myself (more about that later) – and I hope to see your quilts!

Sneak Fabric Peek of Some New Projects

December 8, 2014December 7, 201414 Comments

I’m excited to get a jump start on some quilts I’m hoping to finish next year. I wanted to play around with precuts and scraps and I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to sew with so many colorful pieces of fabric!

I’m currently making a quilt using Pat Sloan‘s latest fabric line The Sweet Life which will be in shops (including ours) around February of next year. These are some leftover triangle trimmings from the quilt blocks. I decided they are so fun and colorful that I think I’ll make a bonus project from all of the leftovers. Got any suggestions?

I also started cracking open some mini charm packs and regular charm packs that I have accumulated over the last couple of months (and this is after attending quilt market and giving most of it away already!!)

Not quite sure what I wanted to do with them, I first sorted them into piles of lights and darks because I knew I wanted high contrast. I was able to flip over quite a few of the medium prints and they turned into pretty low-volume pieces on the back. I just love versatile fabric, don’t you?

I just love the contrast between bright prints and more muted low-volume designs!

I’ve now got the perfect idea in mind – it’s based on a traditional quilt I made years and years ago that I’m going to tweak into a more modern design. I’ve been having a blast sewing together all of these little squares and playing with all these luscious colors and prints!

Teaching at John C. Campbell Folkschool in March

December 4, 2014December 4, 201411 Comments

One of my goals I stated for 2015 was to seek out new teaching venues. I am excited that my first national teaching event of the year will be a week-long class at the John C. Campbell Folkschool in Brasstown, North Carolina. Click here to register and come join the fun!

The accommodations at the Folkschool are just lovely!

From March 8-14, 2015, I will be teaching “How to Make a Modern Quilt” featuring my Modern Logs pattern and I couldn’t be more thrilled! In this intimate setting, I’m going to walk you through the entire process of making a quilt from start to finish, including cutting, piecing, basting, machine quilting and binding. How fun will it be to get away for a week, enjoy some beautiful mountain views, and come back with a finished project?

How to Make a Modern Quilt featuring Modern Logs

I have to honestly say that I’d never heard of the Folkschool until they contacted me earlier in the year inviting me to teach. When I took at look at their website, read through their rich history (the school has been around since 1925!), and checked out their accommodations, it was easy to yes!

In addition to year-round classes with different instructors every week, the Folkschool features community events, craft auctions and a number of different festivals. It really is a community unto itself!

Arts & crafts, music and dancing are all to be had at the Folkschool!

So here is the deal with registration: sign up for the week long class and pay your deposit which will hold your seat in class. Then select your choice of lodging and meal packages to fit your budget. For example, my class runs the entire week with orientation beginning on Sunday evening, 5 full days of instruction (Mon-Fri), and a show ‘n tell presentation on Saturday before everyone leaves.

It is a big chunk of change since it’s a week-long event, but compared to the daily rate of other venues I’ve attended it’s quite a bargain. The total instructional time with me is 30 hours and the class sizes are very limited so it’s going to be quite the experience! It makes me giddy thinking how awesome it will be to make new friends and spend an entire week with them focusing on nothing but quilting. I’m also looking forward to evening strolls and early morning walks before class!

I can’t wait to experience those views!!

So if you are even thinking about it, I encourage you to sign up now. Tell your loved ones you’ve been good this year and that this would make the perfect holiday gift. 🙂

Countdown to Christmas with Free EQ7 Designs

December 2, 2014December 1, 20146 Comments

I’m excited to be featured on the Do You EQ blog today by my friends over at Electric Quilt! For the next 3 weeks they are sharing 15 free downloadable designs by many of your favorite EQ7 designers. Of course, you need to have the software to use the designs, but once you’ve saved them, you can play around with them and change them up however you like! Click here to join the fun. 🙂

Modern Trees, my most popular Quilt Along is being featured today!

Speaking of EQ7 fun, I just got the latest version of EQ Stash, a downloadable collection of hundreds (thousands?) of fabric swatches by all the major fabric companies including Andover (Allison Glass Handcrafted anyone?), Art Gallery, Free Spirit, Kona Solids, and much much more. This will save me tons of time when picking out palettes! Click here to check it out (it’s like super-cheap).