Have you ever wanted to add custom quilting texture to your quilts but were afraid to mess up your quilt? Well, with this week’s video I’m taking the fear out of free motion by breaking down my custom quilting process step by step. I’m featuring 2 different versions of Charming Chevrons, but you can apply these techniques to any quilt in your UFO pile! Click play below to watch:

Here’s my custom quilting process in an nutshell: first, stitch in the ditch in key areas of your quilt to anchor or secure the quilt. This is usually quilting an outline around the main block areas in between each row. Then, quilt one design in the background areas, and a different design in the blocks. It really is that simple!

Grab the Goodies While They Last!

• Click here to get the Charming Chevrons quilt pattern – pdf download version
• Click here to get the Charming Chevrons quilt pattern – printed booklet
• Click here to get the Charming Chevrons kits & Good Vibes fabric

Here are a couple of detailed images below. Both versions of Charming Chevrons are quilted using my “divide and conquer” technique, but the designs – aka quilting motifs – are completely different.

My secret is to utilize walking foot style quilting to create separation between the different design elements of the quilt. That allows your eye to move across the quilt taking in all the gorgeous texture!

Get the Optional Charming Chevrons Kits

Fun fact: I designed my Good Vibes fabric collection to include half lights/half darks. This is so that I could utilize all of the fabrics in the collection to create sparkle and contrast in my quilts. My philosophy is why use just 1 background fabric when 20 will do?? While supplies last I’m offering kits to make both versions of Charming Chevrons.

Click here to view all Good Vibes fabric & kits.

The smaller version is made from 5″ squares while the larger version is made from 10″ squares. I used 2 different binding fabrics (peach and blue) to make the original versions, but sadly those are now out of print. So for the kits, I included the lime green Gumballs print for binding which is just as much fun!!

Now I’m curious to know – have you ever made a quilt completely from precuts?

Are you having fun quilting along? Even if you don’t make the Ticker Tape quilt, you can still follow along virtually. And the best part is, you can apply many of the tips and tricks I share to any quilt you plan to make!

Once your pieces are cut (click here for last week’s blog post), it’s time to sew them together into blocks. Be sure to follow the Ticker Tape quilt pattern instructions carefully for proper layout of the blocks. You can actually arrange the colors a few different ways. In the navy version, I used 2 of the same fabrics in each row of the block.

However, in the Turquoise version, I decided to change things up and make it super scrappy with a different fabric in each area of the block. Remember – there’s no right or wrong way to arrange the colors in the blocks – that’s completely up to you!

Here’s another tip: when sewing the block units together, if you sew with the background fabric on top each time, that will switch sewing directions each time you piece the units together. This helps prevent warping of the blocks, so it’s a good habit to get into. Check out my short video demo by clicking the image below:

I prefer pressing all of my seams open because that ensures that the blocks will lie super flat which makes it much easier to machine quilt. My tips are to use pins when joining seams and sew with a shorter stitch length, for example 2.0 instead of 2.5.

Contrary to popular belief, you *can* stitch in the ditch with seams pressed open, and in my experience it does *not* weaken the seams. But remember, these are techniques that work for me – you are welcome to use any processes that work for you.

So your “homework” for this week is to sew all of your blocks! The pattern includes instructions in several sizes, so make the number of blocks according to the size you have chosen. Set aside the leftover squares for borders which you can finish up next week.

Click the video below to see my pretty stack!!

Grab the Pattern, Fabric, or Optional Kits

Be sure to grab the Ticker Tape quilt pattern to follow along if you haven’t done so already. It’s available in both print and PDF.

• Click here to purchase the PDF download version of Ticker Tape quilt pattern.
• Click here to buy the physical printed copy of Ticker Tape that will be mailed to you.

And while supplies last, I’m offering Ticker Tape quilt kits made from my Dazzle Dots fabric. Aren’t they fun??

Click here to view all available quilt kits.

Next week, we will join all the blocks together to make the top, and sew the pieced borders. Stay tuned!! If you’d like to share your progress or get extra help, be sure to post pics in. my Christa Quilts group on Facebook.

For this week’s video, I’m demoing how to use my 5 sewing notions that will help you make amazing quilts! I use these in each step of the quilt-making process: cutting, piecing, basting, quilting AND binding. Take a look by clicking play below:

Click here to view my complete collection of notions for sewing and quilting.

You can grab the whole set, or just collect them one at a time. The large shears cut through thick batting like butter, and the gloves add extra grip while pushing bulky quilts through the machine, reducing hand fatigue.

The crease marker – also known as a Hera tool – allows me to mark guidelines on my quilt to follow when stitching. The ergonomic rotary cutter is comfortable to grip and pairs up nicely with my mini mat and ruler set. Be sure to watch the video above to see them all in action!

Don’t they look pretty with my Stitchy fabrics?? I love how they coordinate!

Add my notions to your quilting toolbox and make magical quilts!

By now you all have probably figured out that I love making more than one version of the same quilt. So during this fun quilt along, I’m going to share some “making-of” photos & videos of 2 different versions. I made a smaller version of Ticker Tape with a Navy background last fall, and I’m making the larger version with a Turquoise background now.

So for this week’s assignment, make sure you have a copy of the Ticker Tape quilt pattern and choose the size that you’ll be making – from Lap to Queen. Then gather the fabrics you’ll need for the size you’ve chosen. For the Turquoise Double Size version, I’m using my Dazzle Dots Snazzy Squares in Turquoise for the background, along with one full Dazzle Dots strip-roll.

• Click here to get the Ticker Tape quilt pattern
• Click here to view all Dazzle Dots fabrics, precuts and kits

I specifically chose how many strips of each color I wanted in the precut bundle when I designed my Dazzle Dots line. There are 22 fabrics in the collection and a total of 40 strips in the bundle, but I only included 1 strip of a few fabrics I thought would make great backgrounds, and 2 of everything else. That way you can set aside that one strip (like the turquoise I chose) and then still have enough fabrics to make all the blocks.

After you are happy with your chosen fabrics, follow the cutting instructions in the pattern on page 2 to cut out all of your pieces. Now here’s a bonus tip: I prefer to cut all of my pieces to the correct size rather than strip piecing them. This will make your blocks more accurate, reducing the chances that you’ll stretch your blocks out of shape.

Here’s what it looked like after I cut out all my pieces for the Lap Sized Navy version:

Keep all of the background units together and organize your colors so that all of the same fabrics are together. Thinking ahead to sewing the blocks next week: you can make the blocks coordinated, or super scrappy. Since I’m making 2 quilts, I’m doing one of each technique – so stay tuned for more details next week!

Let me know what questions you have as you make this quilt. I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way! If you’d like to share pics of your progress and get feedback from me, please share them over in my Christa Quilts Group on Facebook.

Until next time, happy quilting!!

The biggest hangup I see in my free-motion quilting workshops is students’ fear of not knowing where to go next. However, after getting comfortable with some warm up exercises, and with permission to just have fun, the vast majority come out of class loving free-motion quilting and that really makes me happy.

In a nutshell, practicing one design edge to edge over the entire quilt is the best thing you can do to improve your skills. So that’s what this week’s video focuses on. Take a look by clicking play below:

My other big tip is to practice on real quilts (and then give them away)! In my Jewel-toned version of Terrace Tiles I showed how to quilt one of my modern go-to designs called Jagged Stipple. It’s my answer to those who want to quilt something more interesting than regular stipple, but still want to get ‘er done quickly.

• Click here to grab the Terrace Tiles Quilt Kit
• Click here to grab the Terrace Tiles PDF Pattern

For a limited time, you can grab the Jewel colored quilt kit in addition to the Citrus kit that I introduced previously. (Check out the Terrace Tiles Citrus video if you missed it earlier – it has a completely different quilting plan!)

In addition to showing details of my basting and quilting progress, I included a bonus section on machine binding in the video above. Sometimes when I’m in a hurry, it’s a great option. I also love using up leftovers to make a scrappy binding.

Let me know if you plan to make this quilt (or have done so in the past). Can you believe I’ve made six of them so far?? It really is one of the fastest & easiest quilts you can make!

Have you visited the sale section on my website lately? Each time I get in a new fabric line, I like to consolidate and clean out some of the earlier stuff because I only have so much storage room in my studio. So now that Dazzle Dots is here, it’s time to clear out the remaining Geo Pop & Gridwork Yardage.

I’m also doing something different this time around. I took about a dozen or so “end of bolt” pieces fabric and am offering them at a better discount.

• Click here to see everything that’s still available on sale!

In addition to offering the larger chunks, I also cut out more fat quarters from my several of my previous fabric lines. Check out the Stitchy bundle right next to Dazzle Dots. Wouldn’t they look fantastic together in a quilt??

• Click here to view my fat quarter bundles

Finally, I reissued a couple of popular kits made from my Bling quilt pattern. One showcases Stitchy in a fun random looking layout, while the other version forms huge Hashtag blocks made from my Black, White and White collection. Hurry though, as once these are gone, they’re gone!

Can you believe that both of these quilts are made from the exact same Bling quilt pattern? It’s fun to see how different they can look due to fabric choices and block layout.

• Click here to check out my custom quilt kits.

In case you missed it the first time around, you can watch this fun video showing how to assemble land quilt the Hashtags version of Bling. Now — don’t you want to make another one (or three) of these??

Can you guess that teaching live, in person workshops is my favorite thing to do? For this week’s video, I’m excited to share my 2024 travel agenda with you! I’ll be heading to some bigger quilt shows like QuiltCon, Paducah, and Pacific International Quilt Festival. Plus I will be headlining a few regional events like a really fun Stitchin’ Heaven retreat along with several shops and guilds around the country. I can’t wait!

Click here to view my updated teaching schedule for 2024.

Will I See You In Class?

Please let me know if you’ll be at any of my events mentioned above. It sure is fun to meet and chat with quilty friends in real life! And don’t forget to grab my books to use as your textbook during class. Each workshop will list the specific book and supplies needed, but of course I highly recommend the entire set, LOL!

• Click here to grab signed physical copies of 3 of my books still available.
• Click here to grab digital downloads of all 5 books I’ve written.

I was recently checking out my Etsy shop stats and blown away by how many people love the ease and convenience of PDF downloadable patterns. For the record, I offer my patterns in both print and digital downloads. But the nice thing about the PDF versions is that I can continue to offer them, long after the printed versions have sold out.

So from now through Friday (Jan 26, 2024), I’ve put a dozen of them on sale at 25% off!
Click here to view all PDF quilt patterns on sale.

Click here to view all PDF quilt patterns on sale.

These are some of my older patterns that are now out of print, as well as a couple of them that haven’t gotten as much love as some of the others. So add these to your bucket list and get started right away!

Bonus Machine Quilting Video Tutorial Featuring Churn Dash Slide

If you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch my tutorial showing how I made my Churn Dash Slide quilt, which is one of the patterns currently on sale. Even if you don’t make the quilt, you can apply the basting, quilting and binding tips to any quilt in your UFO pile! Click below to watch:

First of all, thanks to all of you who chimed in about which quilt along you wanted me to host next. It was close, but Ticker Tape just barely edged out Color Weave. But not to worry, for those of you who voted for Color Weave, scroll to the end of this post. You won’t be disappointed! Take a sneak peek of the Ticker Tape quilt pattern by clicking play below:

So here’s how it’s going to work. Each week, starting on February 6th here on my blog, I’ll share which steps of the quilt you can work on, in order to complete the entire quilt over 6 weeks. You’ll need a copy of the Ticker Tape quilt pattern to follow along, but the quilt along itself is absolutely free! Below is a general overview of the timeline, but remember – you can always work at your own pace!

Ticker Tape Quilt Along Schedule

• Week 1 Feb 6 – Cutting
• Week 2 Feb 13 – Sewing the Blocks
• Week 3 Feb 20 – Sewing the Top
• Week 4 Feb 27 – Basting
• Week 5 March 5 – Quilting
• Week 6 March 12 – Binding

Click here to grab the printed booklet version of Ticker Tape quilt pattern.
Click here to grab the pdf download version of Ticker Tape quilt pattern.

Optional Ticker Tape Quilt Kits

While supplies last, I’m offering 4 different Ticker Tape quilt kits, all made from my Dazzle Dots quilt fabric. They all use one pre cut strip roll for the blocks, along with 5 yards of contrasting fabric for the background.

Click here to get your Ticker Tape Quilt Kit.

If you’d like to choose your own fabrics, that’s great too. You’ll just need one standard sized strip roll (40 strips, 2 1/2″ x 42″) plus background fabric to make the double sized quilt shown on the pattern cover.

I actually made a smaller version of this quilt with the dark navy background, and will be making the larger size with the turquoise background along with everyone else. I can’t wait!

Sharing is Caring

Let me know if you plan to quilt along! You can use the hashtag #tickertapequilt on social media, and you can also share pics of your progress and ask any questions you have in my ChristaQuilts group on Facebook.

Now is a great time to gather your supplies so you are ready to roll on Feb 6th!

Bonus Color Weave Video!

I made the original version of Color Weave from an earlier fabric line that’s no longer in print. I filmed a video at the time, so you can still successfully make this quilt any time you wish. Grab the Color Weave quilt pattern, and click below to watch:

And rest assured, I still plan to remake another version of Color Weave using Dazzle Dots, too. So if you had your heart set on making this quilt you still can. I’ll probably start on it after I finish making Ticker Tape, and I’ll still plan to make another video when I do!