Color Weave Color Options – The Quilt Along Begins Next Week!

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We are less than week away from the start of my Color Weave quilt along and I can’t wait! I love getting people excited to quilt their own quilts and I’m going to be there, cheering you on every step of the way from cutting to binding!

Color Weave Quilt Pattern

Three Color Version

Below is an earlier version of the quilt I made for a magazine when testing out the design. It’s actually smaller than the one in the pattern, but it shows the same quilt using 3 solid colors instead. I will be focusing on the rainbow version during this quilt along, but the Color Weave pattern includes step by step instructions for both options.

Color Weave by Christa Watson

The same color option (in the larger throw size) is included in the pattern.

Make it Scrappy

My friend Pam, (who with her cohost Lynn produce The Stitch TV Show on YouTube) is making a wonderfully scrappy version of Color Weave. In her screen shot below you can see how she still gets the woven color effect, but if you look closely, each section of the weave is a different piece of scrap fabric. How cool is that?

Scrappy ColorWeave from The Stitch TV Show

You can click here to watch Pam’s process as she sorted through her stash, deciding which fabrics would work and which wouldn’t. Her approach is super versatile and used pieces as small as a 5″ charm square. The units are all cut the same size as given in the pattern, but using multiple fabrics for each woven strip really gives it a ton of depth and sparkle.

Rainbow Option

If you choose to make the Rainbow version like mine, you can use one Abstract Garden strip roll, or select 2 precut strips of the same fabric per rainbow weave as shown below. Then choose two contrasting background fabrics. I used light and dark gray, but other combos will work, too!

Color Weave Quilt

Click here to purchase the Color Weave Quilt Pattern – Print version.
Click here to purchase the Color Weave Quilt Pattern – PDF version.

Color Weave Quilt

Click here to buy the Abstract Garden strip roll.

Color Weave Quilt by Christa Watson

Click here to get additional yardage and precuts of Abstract Garden

All you need to get started are some rainbow color strips, the pattern, and a can do attitude!
Click here  for the complete supply list and quilt along schedule. I can’t wait to see your progress!

Free Fat Quarter with $50 Purchase!

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I was cleaning and organizing my sewing room and realized I have a TON of leftover fat quarters from quilts in progress, bolt ends, and fat quarter bundles from all four of my fabric lines: Modern Marks, Fandangle, Abstract Garden, and Geo Pop.

Christa Watson FQ's

Don’t they look like colorful candy?? This is just a small sampling of my freebies for you!!

Rather than trying to cram them in somewhere and let them collect dust, I’d rather give them to you!! So from now on, all orders of $50 or more from my little online store at shop.ChristaQuilts.com will get one of these beauties as a surprise in their package!

Modern Marks Fabric swatches

Click here to shop all remaining Modern Marks fabric.

Fandangle fabrics

Click here to shop all remaining Fandangle fabric.

Abstract Garden by Christa Watson for Benartex Contempo

Click here to shop all remaining Abstract Garden fabric.

Geo Pop by Christa Watson

Click here to preorder bundles of Geo Pop fabric.

I’m very much a minimalist, and although I’m keeping plenty of yardage of all my collections on hand for personal use, I have a hard time storing smaller pieces of fabric. So I’m excited to send them your way instead! 🙂

Click here to shop my fabrics, patterns, books, and thread at Shop.ChristaQuilts.com.

Quilt Shops that Carry Abstract Garden

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Below is the current list of shops I know of who’ve purchased Abstract Garden from Benartex. Keep in mind that I don’t get a report of who orders from distributors or international stores unless they tell me. So if you know of another shop, I’ll be glad to add them to the list!

Christa Watson Abstract Garden

Click here to purchase quilt patterns seen above, plus many more!

Clickable links are included for shops selling online.
For all others – contact them directly.

Note: shops that have purchased the full line are indicated with ***
fabrics may go in an out of stock and this is by no means a complete list.

1915 Inspired – Raleigh, NC
A Stitch in Time – Franklin, NC
***Always in Stitches – Nobelsville, IN***
***Bernina Sewing Center – Greenville, SC***
Bernina Sewing Etc. – Ridgeland MS
***Blue Bar Quilts – Middleton, WI***
Carolina Quilt – Vorhees, NJ
Checker Distributors – Nationwide
***Christa Quilts  ———– That’s Me!!***
***The Crafty Bundler – Online***
Distribuidora de Tejidos SLU – Valencia, Spain
***E. E. Schenck Distributor – Nationwide***
eQuilter.com – Online Only
***Fabric.com – Online Only***
Fabrics Plus – Anacortes, WA
Heirlooms Forever – Tupelo, MS
Highered Hands – Hopewell, NY
***Homestead Hearth – Mexico, MO***
***Kennard & Kennard – Australian Distributors***
Kiki’s Quilt Shack – Fresno, CA
***Long Teh Trading Co. Distributor – Taichung City, Taiwan***
***Jordan Fabrics – Grants Pass, OR***
***Meissner Sewing – Sacramento, CA***
***Niemanns-Land Quiltshop – Germany and Online***
Mennonite Quilt Center – Reedley, CA
Midwest Textiles & Supplies Distributor – Nationwide
Patches & Stitches – Huntsville, AL
***QBFabrics – Distributor to the Netherlands***
***Quilt Basket – Wappingers Falls, NY***
Quilt Nuts – Sand Springs, OK
Quilting Gardner – McLouth, KS
Quilts & Treasures – East Longmeadow, MA
***Sew Many Ideas – Jackson, TN***
Sew Much More – Waukesha, WI
Stitchin’ Heaven – Mineola, TX
Stofgalleriet Engros – Distributor to Denmark
The Quilted Nest – Collingswood, NJ
The Sewing Source – Lake Villa, IL
***The Vintage Owl – Silsbee, TX***
Trend-Tex Fabrics – Distributor to Canada
Watt A Find – Mesquite, TX
Whale’s Tail Quilt Shop – Ketchikan, AK
Wooden Spool Boutique – Odessa, TX
Zweigart & Sawitzki,GmbH&Co.KG – Distributor to Germany

Abstract Garden Fabric

Click here to get Abstract Garden yardage, bundles and kits from me while supplies last.

Color Weave Quilt Along Supply List and QAL Schedule

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Let’s dive into a summer full of color! In two weeks I’ll kick off my free Quilt Along featuring Color Weave – the perfect quilt that you can work on at your own pace and on your own schedule! This should give you enough time to gather your supplies and be ready for some quilting fun!

Color Weave Quilt Abstract Garden Fabric

This quilt was originally made for the February Quilty Box and they had exclusive rights to it for the first couple of months. Now that the rights have reverted back to me, I was able to release the pattern (in print and PDF) to share it will you all.

It’s made from one Abstract Garden strip roll, plus approximately 3 yards of each of the grays from Fandangle. But you can certainly use whichever fabrics you like to make it your own.

Color Weave Quilt Along Supply List

So here’s what ya need to get started:

**Click here to purchase a complete Color Weave quilt kit, while supplies last.**

Here’s the complete pattern cover front and back. You can change it up and use just 3 colors for a completely different look, and I’ve included backing requirements, too. Click the image below to enlarge.

Color Weave Quilt Pattern

Color Weave Quilt Along Schedule

Each Monday for the 8 weeks, I’ll write up a post with bonus content and tips on top of what you’ll find in the pattern. Each time a post goes live, I’ll update the links below so you can refer back to it any time you are working on your quilt.

Just like all of my quilt alongs, I’ll guide you through the entire quilt making process from cutting to binding. After all, I want you to have just as much fun making this quilt as I did!!

Color Weave Quilt Pattern by Christa Quilts

The fun begins next week, so gather your supplies, and join the fun anytime right here on my blog. If you want to receive a notice each time a new blog post has published, enter your email in the subscribe box (found on the left of the screen on a computer, or scroll down to the very bottom of your screen on a mobile device).

Click here to join my ChristaQuilts Facebook group to share your progress!

Quilts and Projects from my Booth at KC Spring Market 2019

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As promised, here’s a virtual tour of my quilt market booth, where I showcased my brand new Geo Pop line (shipping in Aug/Sept) and shared new things made from my current line, Abstract Garden. Quilt Market is an industry only trade who which took place in Kansas City, MO. Ready for a bunch of inspiring pics??? Here goes:

Christa Watson Spring Quilt Market 2019

Here’s the whole booth at a glance. I features some brand new quilt patterns, along with some fabulous projects made from my designer friends. Putting up a booth is no easy feat; fortunately I do get help from Benartex with booth setup, but it still takes all day!

Make These Fun Projects from Geo Pop

Mini Quilts Made from Geo Pop by Christa Watson for Benartex

Two of my talented friends made the projects above. You can get the Sew Speedy quilt pattern from Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill of Whole Circle Studio.  The Retro Runner pattern is brand new from Margaret Travis of Eazy Peazy Quilts.

Colour Maze quilt with Geo Pop

This amazing strip-roll quilt is called Colour Maze, from the uber talented Linda Sullivan of Colourwerx. How fab would it look made from an Abstract Garden Strip Roll?? On the benc above left, you’ll see the adorable rope bowl made by Vicki Arnold of SewPositivelyVickie on Instragram (who also made my adorable name tag below.)

I displayed my Geo Pop fat quarter bundle (which you can pre-order now), plus my quilt patterns that work great in any of my lines (or other fabrics for that matter.) Shops really liked being able to my current patterns directly from me and take them home from the show!

Woven Bag with Geo Pop

Don’t you love this woven bag made by Sherry Shish of Powered by Quilting? I believe she’s currently working on a pattern for it, so stay tuned!!

Spark Quilt by Tammi Silvers

Tammy Silvers of Tamarinis chose white and gray, with pops of blue and green for her brand new Spark quilt pattern, coming soon. Isn’t it super cool and modern? On top of the quilt are the new patterns being released this spring , so stay tuned for more info when they are ready!

Sprinkled throughout the booth were more pops of color – bags and accessories from the folks over at ByAnnie. They make quick gifts and give you a fast finish!

Mally the Maker and Miss Bunny

Domestic machine quilting goddess Leah Day recently released her first fiction novel, “Mally the Maker” about a young girl on a quest to find her missing grandmother. Her companion is Miss Bunny, her beloved doll. Leah created a pattern to go along with the book and even made a miss Bunny for me (which my daughter quickly claimed.)

Geo Pop Dress

You can see above that Miss Bunny and I are both wearing matching dresses – from the Mosaic Dots print in green. Just behind me and left I showcased my Pieced Primrose pattern made from Abstract Garden fabric. Because the line is currently in stock, I wanted to show how nicely the two colorful groups play with each other.

Aurifil Thread

I also displayed my newest Aurifil Thread kit – The Variegated Collection. I used it to quilt the Pieced Primrose quilts as well as Color Weave. It was fun to share quilting tips with anyone who stopped by!

I displayed a few Abstract Garden fat quarter bundles throughout the booth, so shops could touch and feel the actual fabrics.

Bling Quilts with Geo Pop

The highlight of my booth was two versions of my Bling pattern that I made, with either black or white background from the line. It just takes 20 fat quarters of Geo Pop (or your favorite fabrics) and it goes together super fast!

Click here to pre-order the Bling quilt pattern – shipping mid June.

Abstract Garden Color Weave Quilt

Color Weave Quilt from Abstract Garden

By far, my Color Weave quilt got the most attention because of its striking color gradation. I wrote the Color Weave pattern to showcase the Abstract Garden strip roll, and paired it with the grays from Fandangle which has been reprinted several times.

Although it was a ton of work to pull this together for 3 days of display, it was worth it seeing all of the smiles of everyone who’s ordered it so far for their shops. I hope you enjoyed this virtual tour, and believe it or not, it’s already time for me to start prepping for fall market, LOL!!

Where to Buy Geo Pop

My Finished Terrace Dresses (and Matching Shoes)

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I’m finally recovered from Quilt Market last week, so I can share with you how my dresses turned out using my new Geo Pop fabric line. “3-D” sewing is new to me, so this was a fun adventure! I began by pairing up my new fabric samples with some of my favorite Fluevogs…

Geo Pop Fabric Fluevog Shoes

Which do you think came first – the fabric or the shoes??

Then I made a “muslin” – a practice version (using my Modern Marks fabric) without all the finishing touches so I could test for fit. I used Liesl & Co’s Terrace Dress pattern because it looked easy enough for beginners, and it really was!!

Making a dress from Modern Marks

I used Crossmarks in pink for my “practice” dress before making the real thing.

I don’t have many in-progress pics because I was a hot mess while sewing on a deadline. But I tried tissue fitting and making an FBA (full-bust adjustment) before I finally settled on making a version of the dress according to the size I thought I was on the pattern, without any adjustments. This actually seemed to give me the best result.

Black Yellow Terrace DresssCut pattern pieces all laid out on my design wall – it’s not just for quilts!!

I made a total of 4 of this dress using each color of the “Mosaic Dots” print from my new Geo Pop fabric line from Benartex (shipping in August). I put pockets in the first version which was awesome! But they took a lot of extra time, so I skipped that step in the other 3 versions since I was in a hurry. I also changed up the hem length a couple of times, just to see which I liked better (slightly longer for sure!) I missed getting a good pic of me in the yellow version, but here are the other 3 versions below.

A purple dress with matching purple shoes!!

Terrace Dress in Geo Pop Fabric

I admit it – sometimes my fabric color palette is influenced by my shoe collection!!

Geo Pop Terrace Dress

You can’t go wrong with classic black and white!!
It was fun to try out different sash/belt configurations.

I really enjoyed making these dresses, and am excited to make more clothing. I got a great tip from a seamstress I met when I wondered why the top had a few small wrinkles between the bust dart and shoulder area. She said  I should look for patterns with set in sleeves rather than a cap sleeve – that it would fit my shape better. I’ll be sure to look for that next time!!

If I’ve piqued your curiosity about my new booth and fabrics, don’t worry. I’ll share more about the items in my booth at the of the week, so stay tuned!!

Come See Me at Spring Quilt Market 2019 in Kansas City!

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This week I head off to Kansas City, Missouri for Spring 2019 international quilt market – the quilting industry trade show. I’ll have new fabric, quilts and patterns to share plus loads of inspiration! Catch live daily updates from me on instagram @christaquilts – and if you’ll be at the show, please be sure to come say hi during my in-person events below:

Geo Pop by Christa Watson

Ask your local quilt shop to order Geo Pop from their Benartex sales rep.
Click here to view Geo Pop fabric swatches.

Schedule of Events

  • Thursday 1:55-2:25 PM Schoolhouse Session, Room 2209
  • Friday 8-9 AM Business Seminar – click here to register
  • Friday-Sunday during show hours –  meet and greet in booth #2111

  • Friday 2:30 PM Designer Showcase Booth 2111 – free goody bags for attendees
  • Saturday 11 AM Designer Showcase Booth 211 – free goody bags for attendees

Benartex Designer ShowcaseJoin me and the other Benatex designers shown above to learn more about our new collections, grab a goody bag and take pics of our booths – it will be super fun!!

Quilt Market Newsletter Feature

Speaking of quilt market, I was pleased to be featured in the April Edition of eInsider – News and Trends from Quilt Market. Click here to read my interview.

Geo Pop by Christa Watson

Click here to preorder Geo Pop FQ Bundles, shipping Aug/Sept 2019.

WHERE TO BUY Geo Pop – SHIPPING IN AUG/SEPT

QUILT SHOP OWNERS:

Click here to view the entire line from Benartex. You can order directly online from Benartex, from your independent sales rep, or from most major distributors:

FANS AND FRIENDS:

Please ask your favorite local quilt shop to carry it. If you don’t have one nearby,
click here to preorder FQ bundles for a limited time (one per person, please).

Geo Pop Fabric

Geo Pop includes 25 skus of saturated geometrics with black and gray neutrals.

Sneak Peek of My Newest Fabric Line – Geo Pop with Benartex!

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Today I’m excited to share a quick sneak peek of my newest fabric line, Geo Pop from Benartex/Contempo Studio. It will debut at quilt market next week and I can’t wait!

Geo Pop by Christa Watson for Benartex

Click here to pre-order Geo Pop 25 Fat Quarters – shipping Aug/Sept, 2019.

Geo Pop is my fourth fabric line and I was super stoked to add black, white and gray to the mix of fun, bright geometrics. It mixes well with my previous collections: Modern Marks, Fandangle, and Abstract Garden. More info and patterns to come, so stay tuned – I’d better go pack!!

Where to Buy – Shipping in Aug/Sept

Quilt Shop Owners:

Click here to view the entire line from Benartex. You can order directly online from Benartex, from your independent sales rep, or from most major distributors:

Fans and Friends:

Please ask your favorite local quilt shop to carry it. If you don’t have one nearby,
click here to preorder FQ bundles for a limited time (one per person, please).

Geo Pop Fabric

Quick Update on Aurifil Thread Kits – Get them for just $99

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Good news for those wanting to purchase my Aurifil Thread collections: I have them in stock at shop.ChristaQuilts.com for just $99 plus shipping. This includes my new Variegated Collection as well as my Piece and Quilt Collections in Colors and Neutrals. Here’s what’s included in each:

The Variegated Collection

Variegated collection by Christa Watson

Variegated collection by Christa Watson

PIECE AND QUILT Varieagated INCLUDE:

3660 Bubblegum
3770 Stone Washed Denim
3817 Marrakesh
3840 French Lilac
3852 Liberty
3910 Lemon Ice
4150 Crème Brule
4250 Flamingo
4650 Leaves
4652 Licorice Twist
4654 Turquoise Foam
4667 Nutty Nougat

Piece and Quilt Collection Colors

PIECE AND QUILT COLORS INCLUDE:

2425 Bright Pink
2250 Red
4020 Fuchsia
2520 Violet
2130 Medium Butter
1133 Bright Orange
2920 Light Brass
2884 Green Yellow
2886 Light Avocado
1148 Light Jade
2725 Light Wedgewood
2783 Medium Delft Blue

Piece and Quilt Collection Neutrals

PIECE AND QUILT NEUTRALS INCLUDE:

2311 Muslin
5021 Bamboo
1246 Dark Grey
5007 Light Grey Blue
2326 Sand
2372 Dark Antique Gold (Brown)
2315 Pale Flesh
2405 Oyster
2024 White
2615 Aluminium
2605 Grey
4241 Very Dark Grey

Each collection includes 12 spools of 100% cotton, 50 weight, 2 ply threads with 1422 yards each They work perfectly for everything I do: piecing, quilting, machine, applique and binding.

Click here to purchase any of my thread collections while supplies last.

New Color Weave Quilt Pattern Now Available in My Etsy Shop!

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I’ve had something under wraps that I’m finally excited to share! My latest quit pattern – Color Weave is now available as a PDF download from my Etsy shop.

Rainbow Weave Quilt

Click here to get the Color Weave quilt pattern PDF from my Etsy shop.

Color Weave is made from one Strip-pie of Abstract Garden plus about 3 yards each of my light and dark grays from Fandangle.  For a limited time, you can also grab a quilt kit to make one exactly as shown here.

Abstract Garden Strip-pie

Click here to get the Abstract Garden Strip-pie or Color Weave quilt kit.

I enhanced the original pattern and also included an option to make it from a single color instead. But of course it would look fabulous in any fabric combo! You just need two strips of the same fabric when working with precuts. That’s why I designed my Abstract Garden precuts with 2 of each!

Click the image below to enlarge so you can see the materials requirements.

Color Weave Quilt Pattern

I had an amazing time making this quilt! The instructions are easy to follow and I’ve included step-by-step full color diagrams for both versions shown above. I’ve also included a quilting plan to quilt one of my favorite walking foot designs – random crosshatch.

Machine Quilting Random Crosshatch

I’m here to cheer you on every step of the way when you purchase any of my patterns. I want you to have just as much fun making this quilt as I did!

Color Weave Quilt Pattern by Christa Quilts

Sharing is caring! While you are making your version, be sure to share your progress in my ChristaQuilts Facebook group or use the hashtag #colorweavequilt on instagram. I’m happy to guide you every step of the way!