I recently wrapped up my quilt along for my Blooming Wallflowers quilt. I took all of the individual quilt along videos, and edited them together into one longer video, showing how to make the entire quilt from start to finish. Click below to watch the full video tutorial; it’s just under an hour and shows every step of the process: cutting, piecing, basting, machine quilting, and binding:
It’s been a minute since I updated you all on my current teaching schedule. All I can say is that I’m thrilled to be out there among quilters again. It really fulfills me. I had a fabulous time teaching at QuiltCon earlier in February and I have an amazing line up of events coming over the next year or so.
View from a student’s machine during one of my quilting workshops at QuiltCon 2022
I tried the online teaching thing and didn’t love it. There’s a huge difference between releasing pre-recorded, highly edited videos on Craftsy or YouTube and conducting a live online class, so for now I’ll stick to in person teaching as much as possible. Don’t worry – there’s still plenty of free YouTube content coming, but these are more of a tutorial format than an interactive quilting class.
So, with all of that said, I’m pleased to announce that I’ll be the featured quilter at the upcoming Quilt Show for the Brazos Blue Bonnet Guild June 17-18, 2022. See details in the image below
Basically this means I get to hang out at the quilt show the entire time and give a couple of presentations. This is a new type of event for me and I’m looking forward to it. I can’t think of anything more fun than chatting with quilters all weekend. I’m pretty much an open book, so if you are planning to attend, be sure to stop by and shoot the breeze. The “hang out” time will be unscripted and fun!
The next event on the agenda is a lecture and workshop for the League of Northern Colorado quilters on August 1. If you are nearby, you can contact the group directly for signup info. After that, I’ll be heading over to Always in Stitches Quilt Shop in Noblesville, Indiana October 6-8. I believe the shop will be promoting signups soon so stay tuned.
I love teaching machine quilting and meeting so many lovely quilters in person!
And finally, here’s a super secret sneak peek announcement: I just got the unofficial word that I’ve been selected to teach at The International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas this fall. I’m really pleased because I was very disappointed last year when I had to cancel last minute due to some family illness. Knock on wood things are looking much better this year! I’ll have more details for you all as soon as the official announcement has been made. But the dates of the event will be November 3-6, 2022.
I’m booking more events into 2023 and you can keep track of my complete travel schedule here. I keep it updated on a regular basis so that I know where I’m supposed to be, and when! Be sure to leave me a comment if you plan to attend one of my events. I love putting a name together with a face when I travel. Meeting fun quilty friends in person is the best!!
How is your Blooming Wallflowers quilt progress going? This week is the last of the video tutorial series, showing how to make this fun quilt from start to finish. Click the video below to learn how to bind your quilt, using double fold, straight of grain binding. It’s the same process I use to bind ALL of my quilts!
Bonus Video: Binding by Machine
I finished my Blooming Wallflowers quilt by hand. However, if you’d rather finish quicker with machine quilting stitches, be sure to check out my earlier video tutorial below. I’m demonstrating two different methods of machine binding on my Color Weave quilt and also on my Infrastructure Quilt. Just remember, you can bind any way you want, because you are the boss of your quilt!!
Machine Quilting is my favorite part of making a quilt and it all starts with making a quilting plan! Watch this week’s video below (about 15 minutes long) for my demo showing how I planned the quilting and then executed the design. Remember to subscribe to my YouTube channel so you don’t miss a thing!!
Get My Aurifil Variegated Thread Set!
This is the thread that I used to quilt the entire quilt. It’s called Marrakech, #3817 and is part of my Variegated Thread collection from Aurifil. Because there’s so much thread on the spool, it only took 1 spool to quilt the entire quilt. And that includes the top and bobbin thread. In fact any of the threads in this set would look great on this quilt!
Get Blooming Wallflowers Quilt Kit or Pattern
If you are new to my blog, or my quilt alongs, it’s never to late to join in! You can grab the optional kit below (while supplies last), OR grab the Blooming Wallflowers quilt pattern and choose your own fabrics. This quilt is so fun to make, you’ll want to sew more than one!
In case you missed it, click play below to watch the previous segment: part 5 spray basting tutorial. If you haven’t tried this method yet, trust me – it will change your quilting life!
Share Your Work!
I like to say, “sharing is caring” so please post pics of your progress in my Facebook Group (see link below), or on social media using the hashtag #bloomingwallflowersquilt. I love to reshare and spread the quilty love!!
I designed my Interlinked Quilt on a whim and fell in love with it, but wasn’t prepared for how much others would love it too. I originally released the pattern as PDF only, but it’s now available in print, too. Most of the original fabrics I used to make it are long since gone, but I created a couple of kit options in that I think you’ll love!
I love recoloring my quilts in EQ8, using current fabrics I had on hand. I thought you might love them too, so I created a couple of quilt kits that you can grab, while supplies last:
The colorway above has only 3 fabrics, black, white and gray, but it is still high impact when it comes to graphic design. The hardest part about playing around with this design is there are soooo many possibilities to choose from!
Isn’t it fun to see how different a quilt can look in other colorways!! The blue version above, or jade version below would add a touch of color to your sleek, modern decor.
I love listening to quilty podcasts and chatting about quilting to anyone, anywhere, anytime!! So I was very pleased when Stephanie Socha of Make & Decorate invited me back on her podcast for some laughs and giggles!!
This was actually my 3rd time on Stephanie’s podcast, and it really feels like we are long-time friends now! We talked about the time she rescued me when I was stranded in Chicago, and a bit about both of our adventures with AccuQuilt.
I also gave some teasers about my next fabric line and book, too! So click any of the links below to listen in, and be sure to subscribe to her podcast for more fun episodes!
For this week’s video, I’m showing how to turn your leftovers into an interesting secondary composition that you can use on the back of your quilt. It’s a great way to use up your scraps! Click play below to watch and learn:
Get the Blooming Wallflowers Quilt Pattern
You can jump into this quilt along at any time! The videos will stay up indefinitely so you can refer back to them at your convenience. Just grab a copy of the Blooming Wallflowers quilt pattern to join the fun!
My latest Benartex fabric collection has been out for a few months now and I love that people are loving it! If you want to get your hands on the full line, but don’t want to break the bank, I recommend grabbing some of the Black, White & Bright precuts. They are like quilter’s candy but are high in fiber and good for you too, LOL!!!
Fat Quarters are always a great place to start because they are the most versatile precut. Each of the fabrics in this 20 piece bundle measures approximately 18″ x 22″ which is a much more usable size than a standard quarter yard cut.
If you are wondering what you can make with one fat quarter bundle, check out my Modern Logs quilt pattern, shown below:
If you are looking for a fabulous quilt pattern to show off these beauties, might I recommend my Charming Chevrons pattern? You can use either precut depending on the size. I’ve recolored the original and it’s on my bucket list to make!!
Finally, I think everyone’s favorite precut is the ubiquitous Jelly Roll: 40 strips, 2 1/2″ x 42″ each. You’ll get 2 of every print and it’s okay if you don’t even use them. Collecting is just as much fun as quilting, right??
If you’ve made a fun quilt from my fabrics, I’d love to see them! You can post your pics in my ChristaQuilts Facebook group, or on social media #christaquiltsfabric.
Now I’m curious to know – what’s your favorite precut?
For this week’s video, learn how to utilize a design wall to lay out and assemble your Blooming Wallflowers quilt top, also known as a flimsy! Click play below to watch, and use this technique on ANY quilt you choose to make!
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a design wall, click here for my design wall tutorial. It’s pretty easy to make and is an integral part of my sewing setup!
I used my design wall while making my Bling quilt. I use it for every quilt I make!
Christa Quilts 