Riley Blake MQG Challenge Quilt Post #1 – The Start

December 13, 2013December 12, 201312 Comments

For Sew and Tell today, I’m excited to be participating in the Modern Quilt Guild’s upcoming challenge focusing on these Riley Blake prints:

Riley Blake MQG Challenge Fabric

Each of the challenge participants received a fat 1/8th of each of these fabrics. We can add any other Riley Blake fabrics to the mix to create any type of quilted item we wish. Finished projects are due by February 17th and if I know me, I’m sure I’ll be finishing right under the wire. 🙂

Since I’m not hosting any new Quilt Alongs for awhile (here’s why), I thought I would share some of my in-process quilts as they happen. I’m not sure how many blog posts it will take to complete this quilt, but I invite you along for the ride.

I started playing around with this block that I had designed a few months ago – parallel lines. I blogged about it here (including a free paper pieced template to make it).

Parallel Lines block by Christa Watson

What if I added additional lines, sewed them more randomly, and filled them in with color? I thought it would be fun to piece a few improvisational “string” blocks and leave a little negative space to add extra machine quilting texture (my #1 passion)! I’m thinking maybe light or dark grey for the background negative space. What do you think?

I started by doodling a few improv blocks in EQ7 and cutting out some strips. (Anyone else get the irony of planned improv blocks?) I’ll be back next time to show you how they are shaping up!

Guest Posting at Quilt Story – Log Cabin Wreath Holiday Tutorial

December 11, 2013December 11, 201313 Comments

Today I’m excited to share a holiday tutorial over at Quilt Story with Heather and Megan! Learn how to make my log cabin wreath wallhanging – or turn it into a pillow. 🙂

Log Cabin Wreath, Pieced and Quilted by Christa Wason 18" x 18"

Log Cabin Wreath, Pieced and Quilted by Christa Watson, 18″ x 18″

I made my Log Cabin Wreath last year for Christmas and I’ve re-created the instructions so that they all fit in one post. Pop on over to check it out!

Here’s the complete Holiday Tutorial Series. Enjoy!

Melissa from My Fabric Relish
Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation
Lindsey from Inspiring Creations
Jennie & Clara from Clover and Violet
Teje from Nero’s Post and Patch
Bev from Flamingo Toes
Stacy from Freshly Handmade
Christa from Christa Quilts
Erin from Why Not Sew?

New Block of the Month for 2014 – For the Love of Sewing

December 10, 2013December 5, 201310 Comments

Since I’m not planning any new quilt alongs for 2014, I thought it would be fun to share what my friends are doing instead! Alyssa from Pile O’ Fabric is hosting a fabulous new quilt along, “For the Love of Sewing” consisting of 15 blocks, finishing at 52″ x 56″.

I participated in Alyssa’s 2013 skillbuilder quilt along which was just fantastic! She covered many of the basics including piecing and quilting and it was a great chance to practice piecing modern blocks. Here are some of the blocks I made for the 2013 BOM:

And here are a couple of my quilted blocks from earlier in the year. Doesn’t this look fun?

Alyssa’s BOM’s are incredibly thorough and detailed. She’ll walk you through step by step on how to piece and quilt each block using quilt-as-you-go methods. New for this year, she’s set up an online “sewing room” platform consisting of video tutorials, downloadable PDFs and all the instruction you need to make this fabulous quilt.

She’s charging a nominal fee of $25 for the entire year which means you’ll have exclusive access to each monthly step! It’s quite a deal if I may say so myself. 🙂

Click here to join the fun and get ready for a terrific new quilt in 2014!

New Linky Party Coming in January – Let’s Bee Social!

December 6, 2013December 5, 20131 Comment

My friend Lorna who blogs over at Sew Fresh Quilts is starting up a new weekly Linky Party in January each Wednesday called Let’s Bee Social!

It’s all about getting to know other bloggers and sharing your work. Whether it’s a WIP, a great finish, or an older post about something you are really proud of, all are welcome to participate!

Lorna has created a special page explaining the details here.

You must read it as it’s full of play-on-words which will put a smile on your face! So buzz on over and bookmark the site. Then in January, get ready to make some new friends and find more fabulous blogs to follow. I’m sure I will. 🙂

Some of My Favorite Machine Quilting Books

December 5, 2013December 4, 20134 Comments

I buy a lot of books about quilting! I love to read them, be inspired by the pictures and fantasize about the quilts I’d make if money and time were no object! From time to time publishers or authors will send me copies of their books to review which I absolutely love to do. On many other occasions, I’ll simply buy and review books just because I want to. 🙂

I have a back-log of books that I’d like to tell you about, but for today I’ll just give a few snippets about several of my favorite machine quilting books. (Each of these will eventually have their own in-depth review, too!) The money I spent on these books has been a fantastic investment, and my skills have dramatically improved because of them!

First, I’ll start off with Free-Motion Quilting with Angela Walters. This is definitely a must have if you have an affinity for modern quilts and machine quilting.

The thing I like most about this book is that Angela shows you the design process behind the machine quilting with plenty of detailed diagrams to follow along.

It doesn’t matter that Angela prefers to quilt on a long arm while I choose to use a domestic machine. Many of the design principles are applicable to both.

Angela has written a fantastic follow-up book, In the Studio with Angela Walters which of course I promptly purchased an autographed copy of at QuiltCon. She’s also written a Free-Motion Quilting Workbook which I’m anticipating this spring. I’ll review it as soon as I get my hot little hands on it!

I recently purchased First Steps to Free Motion Quilting by Christina Cameli. She takes you through the steps of machine quilting with smaller projects to practice your skills.

Though I’m pretty comfortable with FMQ techniques, I still picked up a few tips from her books as well as some new free-motion quilting design ideas.

In fact, my Modern Trees quilt incorporates one of her motifs into my quilting. Can you guess which one?

Next on my list of favorites is Guide to Machine Quilting by Diane Gaudynski.

Written in 2002, this book is still relevant because Diane walks you through everything you need to know to successfully quilt your home machine.

Diane been one of my quilting muses for quite a number of years and her beautiful, traditional designs will take your breath away!

Finally, Harriet Hargrave’s Heirloom Machine Quilting is an oldie, but a goodie.

I own the 3rd edition (from 1995) and the 4th edition (from 2004). It was from this book that I first learned how to bind my quilts properly.

Although Harriet’s focus is on detailed heirloom quilting, it’s all done on a domestic machine and there are numerous tips on basting and moving the bulk of the quilt under the machine.

Weekly Giveaway Winner!

Speaking of fabulous books, I’m pleased to announce this week’s winner of my weekly giveaway: Barbara W. has won a copy of Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley.

Be sure to check back here on Monday when I will participate in Sew Mama Sew’s huge Giveaway Day as part of my weekly giveaway series #35!

Modern Block Finalist and a Free Paper Pieced Download

December 3, 2013July 1, 201515 Comments

I was so excited when my block, Parallel Lines was chosen as a finalist in the Modern Quilts Unlimited Fresh Ideas block challenge. The 9 finalists and 3 winners’ names were listed in the Fall 2013 issue (page 26).

Parallel Lines Block Designed by Christa Watson

You can view pictures of all the finalist blocks on MQU’s website. Each of us finalists gets a free one year subscription to the magazine, so that’s not a bad deal for a fun bit of designing. (Who else loves to quilt for for freebies?!)

The three winners got a few extra goodies and are each having their quilts patterned in current and future MQU issues, so congrats goes out to each of them. 🙂 The first one was amazing and I can’t wait to see the other two!

Modern Quilts Unlimited Fall 2013 – I love this magazine!

I designed and made my 12″ Parallel Lines block using paper piecing techniques. However, I’ve been toying around with the idea of what it would look like as a 6″ block repeated over the surface of the quilt.

Here’s a quick sketch I came up with showing what a quilt would look like using my block. I like to keep things simple, so I’ve chosen a clean grey/white color scheme. But wouldn’t these be fun to make in a rainbow of colors?

Parallel Lines Quilt Design, 36″ x 36″

Click here or the picture below for a free download of the paper pieced block template in the 6″ version. You can print it off as many times as you like to make the number of blocks needed. You can also enlarge it on a photocopier to a bigger size, if desired.

When you click the image below, it may not show correctly in Firefox. Be sure to save it to your computer first and view it in another pdf viewer (like Adobe Reader, etc.).

Parallel Lines – Click above to download the paper pieced template.

I’m not calling this a pattern because I haven’t included any instructions on how to paper piece it – but there are many wonderful blog tutorials out there including this paper piecing tutorial from the Quilter’s Cache.

I’ve also included an EQ7 download for the block and quilt here.

If you decide to play around with this block or make a quilt, please be sure to share it on my flickr group: Christa’s Quilt Along.

Christa’s Soap Box – Looking Ahead to 2014

December 2, 2013November 29, 201322 Comments

I set a precedent last year when I listed my 2013 New Year’s goals a month early at the end of the year rather than on January 1st. I kind of go my own way sometimes and realized I’m more likely to achieve my goals if I get a head start, LOL!

An unofficial goal – learning more about lighting and photography.

My 2013 quilting goals were pretty bold and ambitious and I knew I was taking a risk by stating them so publicly. However, I’m happy to say that I was able to accomplish most of them and feel like a lot of the hard work paid off.

And those that fell by the wayside? Well I learned a bunch, even from my failures. Some of the most memorable achievements of the year were getting accepted into Quiltcon, winning viewer’s choice in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, getting my first quilt published in a magazine, and winning an award at a major quilt show.

Charming Chevrons at QuiltCon

String of Pearls at MQX

So what’s on the agenda for 2014? In three words: Simplify and Focus. I only have two goals for the next year and here they are:

1. Write a book. (Notice that I didn’t say “publish” – that will be later.)

I’ve just submitted a book proposal to a publisher and now I’m waiting to hear back on whether or not it will be accepted. I know most people are usually hush-hush about this kind of thing, but since blogging for me is as important as sewing (or maybe breathing), I’m putting it out there (without revealing any of the juicy details). Besides, what’s the worst thing that can happen? They can say no, and then I’m really no better or worse off than I was before – other than having a ton of new ideas! So I might as well try. 🙂

What we do to stay sane in between projects and deadlines.

The one effect this will have on my blog is that I will probably take a break from my Quilt Alongs while I work on other projects. However, I’ll leave the finished ones up and since I’m used to blogging nearly every day, there will be no lack of content around here!

2. Get back in shape. (Again.)

Gotta run!

I know, I know – this is everyone’s goal, right? Well, after blogging recently about mine and Jason’s trail-running, I’ve decided this is the perfect time to kick it into gear. I just feel so much better when my clothes fit. Plus, I have much more energy to sew when I don’t wake up with a “food-hangover” from the night before! I look to my previous weight-loss journey as inspiration this time around.

So how about you? What’s on your goal list for the upcoming year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 28, 2013November 27, 20137 Comments

From all of us in the Christa Quilts family, we wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Black Friday – Cyber Monday Starts Now – Everything’s On Sale!

November 27, 2013November 27, 20133 Comments

Has the shopping craziness begun yet? Each year, Jason and I shop online for more and more of our gifts. The less time I spend having to fight crowds, the more time I have for fun sewing – yay!

All kits on sale including Sea of Squares – one of my best sellers!

If you are like me and love to shop online (especially for sewing related goodies) I’ll try to make it easy on you. Many of you already know I’m clearing out my online shop full of fabric and goodies at ChristaQuilts.com.

All fat quarters are on sale too – Pearl Bracelets and more!

Well, guess what? I just went through our entire inventory and have decided to put everything on sale. Yep, every single darn thing in our inventory is now on sale at least 20% to 50% off.

All novelty prints including Dr. Seuss on sale!

I had thought I would be okay selling it out slowly over time, but you know what – now I want it gone sooner rather than later! (This kind of goes along with my blog post earlier in the week about how I want things done NOW. 🙂 ) So take advantage of Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales now and feel free to clean me out!!

Click here to shop our entire clearance section – just over 900 items left and getting smaller each day!

All yardage is on sale including modern lines like Bungalow by Joel Dewberry.

It makes me happy to see all of the discarded bolts piling up and the empty shelves – someday soon we will be able to reclaim the extra work space, and I can’t wait. 🙂

The kids and I prepping our next Amazon shipment.

I’ve already been enjoying more free time to pursue the things I really want to do. And thanks to our precut store on Amazon, I still get to fondle and sell fabrics I love while working around my own schedule. It’s a win-win!

Book Review – Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley

November 26, 2013November 28, 201312 Comments

I’m excited to share another book review with you today: Simply Retro with Camille Roskelley – Fresh Quilts from Classic Blocks.

Building on the popularity of her amazing Swoon quilt, Camille has created 13 fabulous new quilts for this book, all based on traditional blocks with an updated twist.

Most of these delectable delights can be made from precuts (a favorite “treat” we both agree on), but Camille includes instructions for cutting from yardage, too!

In the book, Camille utilizes quick piecing methods such as chain piecing and she demos my favorite way of making HST’s (half-square triangles). She also scores bonus points from me for quilting a few of the quilts herself using Aurifil thread (my favorite).

My personal favorite quilt from Simply Retro is Baby Love – the large one block version shown below. Camille’s geometric chevron quilting is the perfect complement to such a bold modern design! (The pattern for a smaller block version is included, too!)

Baby Love by Camille Roskelley

Throughout the book there are plenty of detailed diagrams and yummy style shots to drool over. (Many times when I collect quilt books I don’t actually make the projects – I just love reading them and looking at the pictures for inspiration!)

One of the really fun things about this book is seeing Camille’s sense of style and color come through. Although she is an amazing fabric designer, she uses a wide variety of prints in the quilts presented in this book. She combines fabrics from her stash with prints from her lines as well as those of other designers for the most wonderful fabric combinations.

Dwell by Camille Roskelley. Aren’t the houses so sweet?

I love Camille’s philosophy of “making it fit”. She will often make several different versions of the same quilt, but each one is unique in its own way. Sometimes she’ll change up the block size, quilt size, or add or subtract borders. In Simply Retro, Camille walks you through the basics on how to adjust any quilt pattern to the size you want. She also includes steps on how to calculate quilt backings and bindings.

Camille includes quiltmaking basics at the end of the book and actually shows some ideas and process steps for machine quilting (yay!). If this book sounds interesting to you, it’s available for purchase on Amazon or your favorite local quilt shop. 🙂

Framed by Camille Roskelley. I love this one!