Your Chance to Win the Kit from my Craftsy Class – Startup Library: Quilting!

August 10, 2017September 1, 2017226 Comments

It’s just been a month since the launch of my new Craftsy class, Startup Library: Quilting, and already I’ve taught hundreds of students how to make a complete quilt from start to finish!! I love how the Craftsy platform allows me to interact with my students and see their progress, even though we might be thousands of miles apart! For those of you who are new to the blog, or Craftsy, let me tell you a little more about this class. Then see the end of this post for a giveaway to get you started!!

Click here to get 50% off Startup Library: Quilting (valid thru 10/8/17)

In class, you’ll explore a range of key tools and techniques as you learn to make a quilt from start to finish. I’ll guide you step-by-step through preparing your fabric, cutting out the pieces and sewing them into blocks, as well as basting, machine quilting, and binding to help you finish your quilt with ease. Plus, when you learn with Craftsy you can work at your own pace and ask me questions as you go. By the end of my class, you’ll be quilting with confidence in no time!

WHAT YOU NEED

Lesson 1: Fabrics & Tools (28 min)
It’s every quilter’s favorite part of project prep: shopping! In this first lesson, I’ll explain the fundamentals of quilting and what to keep in mind when shopping for supplies.

Startup Library Quilting

Lesson 2: Know Your Machine (24 min)
Understand what type of sewing machine best suits your needs, including the features worth splurging on (or not!). Then, get familiar with your machine as you learn to thread it, wind a bobbin and keep an accurate seam allowance.

SETUP

Lesson 3: Working with Patterns (9 min)
Follow along as I go over the information included in your quilting patterns. Find out how to work with patterns as you piece your tops, plus get tips for successfully choosing projects.

MAKE IT

Lesson 4: Cutting the Pieces (38 min)
Before you begin sewing, you’ll need to cut the pieces for your blocks. Learn to work with a rotary cutter and mat as you cut yardage, fat quarters and more.

Christa Watson Craftsy Class

Lesson 5: Chain Blocks (24 min)
Get right into action by sewing up your first quilt block, the Chain! Find out how to keep track of all nine pieces as you sew and press the first block, then make quick work of the piecing by sewing several blocks together at once.

Lesson 6: Star Blocks (32 min)
Ready to throw some half-square triangle units into the mix? Here, you’ll sew the second block of your quilt. Find out how to tame stretchy edges and ensure all of your star points face the right direction.

Christa Watson Craftsy Class

Lesson 7: Assembling the Quilt Top (27 min)
Now, it’s time to have some fun! Arrange and organize your quilt blocks before you sew them together. Then, sew blocks into rows and rows into the inner top – you’ll love my method for keeping blocks in order as you sew!

Lesson 8: Borders (27 min)
Your quilt top is almost done! All you need to do is add the solid and scrappy borders to set off the design. Learn how to piece and add each border, and fix it if it’s slightly too long for your quilt.

Lesson 9: Backing & Batting (11 min)
In this lesson, you’ll prepare the remaining layers for your quilt. Learn how to choose and prepare batting — the center layer of the quilt — and piece the backing fabric.

Christa Watson Craftsy Class

Lesson 10: Basting (8 min)
The secret to quality quilting? Basting, which holds all of the layers together securely. I’ll teach you how to spray-baste the layers and assemble your quilt, explaining why pressing helps you ensure solid results.

Lesson 11: Find Your Quilting Path (38 min)
Quilting — the stitching that holds layers together — can really accentuate your piecing work. Discover different ways to accomplish this, from working with a long-arm quilter to using your domestic machine. And, see how to stitch-in-the-ditch and apply decorative wavy lines using your walking foot.

Lesson 12: Free-Motion Quilting (23 min)
Ready to dip your toes into free-motion quilting? This method allows you to move your needle in any direction. If you’d like, stitch a stipple and continuous curve design on your quilt, or practice for your next quilt project.

Christa Watson Machine Quilting Craftsy Class

Lesson 13: Binding (13 min)
Finish the edges of your quilt by applying a binding. I’ll show you how to prepare for this step. Learn to cut and piece the strips to create the binding, calculate the length you need for any quilt, and square up — or trim — your quilt.

Lesson 14: Binding the Quilt (37 min)
You’re almost there! In this final lesson, find out how to sew the binding to the quilt and finish it by hand. Easily turn with the corners and join the tails with my expert instruction, then get ready to enjoy your quilt!

Christa Watson Craftsy Class

For a limited time, you can get 50% off the regular price of my class when you use this link. The regular price will show on the home screen, but once you click “add to cart” you’ll see the discount. Just for comparison, this class is approximately 2-3 times longer than a “regular” Craftsy class, so it’s a tremendous value, especially when you get it on sale!

GIVEAWAY TIME!
Here’s a behind the scenes secret to share: as I was making the quilt, Craftsy sent me extra fabrics just in case. I ended up with enough fabric for an extra kit. Since I’ve already made the quilt twice (once ahead of time to test it, and a second time on video) – I don’t need to make a third, so I’d rather pass the extra fabric along to you! The kit includes one fat quarter bundle + background to make the quilt top and binding as shown in the class.

Lily and Loom Fabric

This giveaway is open to all (int’l winner just pays shipping). To enter, leave me a comment letting me know how many UFO’s (Unfinished Fabric Objects) you currently have! Once you take my class, you’ll be armed with the skills to finish them up! The giveaway will remain open through Sunday night, Aug 13, 2017 and I’ll choose a winner first thing Monday morning.

Click here to learn more and watch a preview video for Startup Library: Quilting

Update: Winner Selected and Comments Closed

Congrats to Susan M. who has been contacted via email.

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Last Chance to Get a Free Pattern with Book Purchase

August 7, 2017August 1, 20171 Comment

First of all, thanks so much to those of you who have supported me in this fun quilting journey!! Many of you pre-ordered my book Piece and Quilt with Precuts sight unseen and I’ve now been getting lots of fun notes and comments about how much you all are enjoying it. That gives me the warm fuzzies!!

Because of your tremendous support, the number of sales of my third book from my own site have already surpassed the other two and I couldn’t be more thrilled!!

I’m also realizing how heavy it can be to load up a box of packaged books to take to the post office every couple of days, LOL!!

Shipping Books

Just a reminder that from now through the start of my book blog hop next week, I’m throwing in a bonus pattern when you get your signed copy from me. It’s my way of saying thanks for purchasing direct!

Currently I have six stand alone patterns in print, and each one includes instructions for 4 sizes. Just like my books, I want to help you finish your quilts, so each individual pattern includes machine quilting suggestions, photos or diagrams to help you finish the job! When you place your order for the book simply comment in the notes letting me know which of the 6 patterns you’d like to receive. If you don’t leave a note, I’ll pick one at random for a fun surprise!

I released the first four patterns shown above before I wrote Piece and Quilt with Precuts. Then I released two more shown below, once the bulk of the manuscript was complete. Now that I’m not in the middle of a huge deadline and have a little more breathing room, I’m looking forward to releasing the next batch of patterns this fall. There are so many ideas!!

Christa Quilts Patterns

I’m super excited about the blog hop which starts on my birthday, August 17th! During the hop, I’ll be sharing images of each of the quilts in the book along with friends who have remade them in their own colors and fabric choices. It will be so fun to see all of the variety!! Plus, there will be plenty of gifts (aka giveaways) to celebrate!

Piece and Quilt with Precuts Blog Hop

Now it’s time to go sign and ship another stack of books!! And start dreaming up possibilities for the next round of fun ideas….

Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

Click here to browse my books and patterns

My Trip to Quilt Nebraska 2017

August 3, 2017August 1, 20173 Comments

I’m trying to carve out more time to share a little update each time I teach. Although I repeat a lot of the same classes, it’s so fun to meet such a variety of fun quilters when I travel! In each workshop I teach, I’m always taking mental notes of what works well, what could use some tweaking, and which of my silly jokes get the most laughs!!

Teaching at Quilt Nebraska 2017

Ahem, there’s no Las Vegas in NE, so I made a simple fix!

Last weekend I was in a tiny, but adorable little town callked Kearney, as one of the teachers they brought in for Quilt Nebraska, the annual retreat of the Nebraska State Quilt Guild. (Next year’s event will take place in Omaha if you are nearby and inclined to go.)

Although it took me 10 hours, 3 different planes (including the tiny one below), and 2 layovers to get there, it was worth the trip. Whenever I’m among quilters, I truly feel at home among friends.

The Glamourous Life of a Traveling Teacher!

This is what the “glamorous” life of a traveling teacher looks like, LOL!!

On Friday I taught my most popular class – a full day of Modern Machine Quilting. I teach this class using a sampling of designs from all 3 of my books. First, we tackle walking foot quilting in the morning, which builds up the students’ confidence. My favorite part of this class is when students realize that YES, they can quilt their own quilts and they can do more than just stitch in the ditch!

Walking Foot Quilting: Spirals

Although I teach several different walking foot designs, spirals are always a favorite!

Then after a nice lunch break, we practice free-motion quilting in the afternoon. In a relatively short class like this (6 hours goes by fast!), there’s not enough time to quilt on an actual quilt, so students practice on sample sandwiches consisting of fabric and batting scraps. The best part about getting to play is that it’s okay to learn and be a “perfeclty imperfect quilter”, since it’s all just practice.

Free Motion Quilting: Student work in Christa Watson's class

Here are some great student examples of the free-motion favorites we tackle in class.

Not only do students learn how to quilt the actual motifs, we also have a discussion on how to apply those motifs to an actual quilt. It’s similar to the process I teach in my Craftsy class, The Quilter’s Path. If students can make a plan to tackle their quilting, and break it up into bite size pieces, it’s much easier to handle and they don’t get overwhelmed.

Carol Ann Waugh Lecture

Carol Ann Waugh shared her inspiring creative journey.

Friday evening we were fed a yummy dinner and treated to an inspiring presentation by Fiber artist, Carol Ann Waugh. I’ve long been an admirer of hers and I got to have some fabulous conversation with her and another amazing instructor, Becky Goldsmith of Piece O’ Cake Designs. It’s fun to talk shop and compare notes with these teachers on how best to interact with students so they get the best possible experience!

Christa Watson, Carol Ann Waugh and Becky Goldsmith

I love getting to know other instructors along with the students!

On Saturday, I taught students how to dive into improvisation piecing while make the Facets quilt from my book Machine Quilting with Style. I teach this class a lot, and it never gets old!! The beauty of improv is that no student’s quilts look alike, even if they are using the same fabrics, and making the same design!

Student work on Facets from Machine Quilting with Style

Just a few of the gorgeous blocks being sewn in class.

Saturday night capped off the event with an excellent lecture about Modern Quilting from Kristy Daum. Kristy and I are online friends and we’ve gotten to chat for a few minutes here and there at quilt shows and industry events. She was even part of my blog hop when my first book came out a couple of years ago. Click here to see the version of Facets that she made!

Kirsty and I had a great time chatting over dinner and getting to know each other better. She told me more about her experience judging QuiltCon earlier this year, and I think it was the most we’d ever talked to each other in person!! We even realized we will both be teaching at Maine Quilts next year and it will be fun to see her again!

Christa Watson and Kristy Daum

Kristy shared a bit about her creative journey along with the evolution of modern quilting. It was fun to watch many of the audience members get excited about what she had two say, and I think between the two of us, we made quite a few modern quilt converts over the weekend!!

Kristy Daum Modern Quilt Lecture

Community in quilting is so important – whether you find it in a guild, class, or online!!

It was a fabulous weekend and I’m happy to be home for a few more days before I head off to Houston to teach for a couple of guilds there: The Coastal Prairie Quilt Guild of Texas and the Houston MQG. I can’t wait to meet more fun friends!!

Scrap Happy Quilt on the Cover of American Patchwork and Quilting

July 31, 2017July 23, 201715 Comments

It’s time to share another fun finish! This is Scrap Happy, patterned in the October issue of American Patchwork and Quilting (available now) and I’m pleased that it happened to make the cover!

Scrap Happy by Christa Watson in American Patchwork and Quilting

One of the things I love best about American Patchwork and quilting is the photography. Even those this quilt is about the piecing, I love how well you can see the quilting on the cover shot and in the pattern directions themselves.

The quilting on Scrap Happy is a good example of my “divide and conquer” method I teach in my quilting classes. First I stitched in the ditch around each row of blocks (vertically on each side). Then I outlined the ditch using the edge of my walking foot/dual feed as a guide for spacing. Once the straight line quilting was done, I moved onto the free motion motifs.

Here’s a closeup shot of my own camera-phone photo that I took while making the quilt:

Free Motion quilting detail

I love combining walking foot quilting with free motion in the same quilt! Fabric selection tip: flip over the back of many medium prints to get more variety of lights.

In the scrappy blocks I quilted “woven switchbacks”, which is basically rounded back and forth lines that go in alternate directions in each square. Finally, I quilted “swirls and pearls” in the light backgrounds, combining elongated swirls with pebbles for an interesting design.

Here’s another beauty shot of the whole quilt as photographed in the magazine:

Scrap Happy American Patchwork and Quilting

As you can see – this is a BIG quilt, and yes I actually quilted it on my regular home sewing machine. The key is to “scrunch and smoosh” the bulk of the quilt out of the way as you go, rather than trying to fold it or roll it. Just remember that you are only working with a small part of the machine at any time and if you can keep that area nice and flat, you won’t have any problems.

The design for this quilt is based on a traditional block called “Mock Log Cabin” because of it’s half light/dark coloring. Just like a log cabin, you can set the block a million different ways. I originally designed and made a quilt from similar (but larger) blocks back in the 90’s when I was going through my dusty pink and blue phase, but I prefer the newer version with updated scrappy bright prints. It’s also perfect for using up precut scraps! (In fact, I actually threw in many of the leftovers from my latest book when making this quilt!)

Mock Log Cabin Alternate Layout

An alternate layout for the blocks (not included in the pattern).

Thanks to EQ7, I was able to play around with many different settings before I chose the final layout. Here’s another tip: when working in EQ7, I don’t always have to color the quilt exactly how it will appear. If I’m making a scrappy quilt, I might just mock it up in one colorway as shown in these two examples, knowing it will look great in any color scheme.

Alternate Layout for Mock Log Cabin Blocks

Another alternate block layout – it’s so fun to play!

When working on this design I thought I would make it smaller – but when I realized how many scraps I had, I ended up making it much larger! I really like quilt designs that are easy to size up or down, simply based on the number of blocks that can be made.

The best tip I can give when making this quilt is to just make a few blocks at a time as your scraps accumulate. It’s quite a lot of pieces and you’ll go a little stir crazy trying to make all of the blocks at once. Plus if you use your scraps as you go, you’ll get a really fun scrappy look that will add to its charm.

Click here to see more patterns in the October issue of American Patchwork and Quilting and pick up your copy if you don’t already have a magazine subscription. If you end up making this quilt, do let me know!

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Book Reviews: Walk and Free Motion Quilting 1-2-3

July 28, 2017July 23, 20177 Comments

So by now I hope you all know how much I love incorporating BOTH walking foot and free-motion techniques in my quilts. So I thought it would be fun to share two of my favorite books on those two techniques! Jacquie Gering’s WALK is THE definitive guide to Walking Foot Quilting, and Lori Kennedy is a whiz at showing you how to create fabulous free-motion motifs step by step.

Walk by Jacquie Gering

I ran into Jacquie at quilt market last year and we both swapped copies of our books. I love how encouraging the quilting community is, even when many of us are teaching the same subjects!

By far one of my favorite things about WALK is that Jacquie shares her “wall basting” method in step by step photos. This is similar to the method I used, and it’s worth it to own this book just for this section! Of course, the rest of the book is fab, too as Jacquie walks you through over 60 different designs that you can do, all with a walking foot (or dual feed).

I love it how Jacquie sets you up for success through a series of “test drives” to get you comfortable with her process.

Walk by Jacquie Gering

Take a look at these two exercises from the book, shown in the photos above and below (photography credit Lucky Spool):

Walk by Jacquie Gering

Jacquie’s methods involve marking and are a little more precise than mine, but I love it that there are a whole range of options to explore. She gets you comfortable first with basic straight lines, and then she moves on to gentle curves, decorative stitches, and several designs you can do incorporating the reverse feature on your machine.

Whether you are new to walking foot quilting, or want to expand your horizons with this fast and fun technique, I encourage you to give WALK a try – you’ll be glad you did!

Free Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3

Moving on to free-motion, take a look at Lori Kennedy’s debut book, Free-Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3. Based on Lori’s step by step photo tutorials, this book is a beautiful center piece for you sewing room and I know you’ll spend time poring over its pages!

Free-Motion Machine Quilting 1-2-3 features over 400 photographs plus oodles of trouble shooting tips. My favorite part of the book is where she shows the difference between good and bad tension, and what to do to avoid thread buildups (it’s all about the starting and stopping point of each design). Just having a visual guide is such a huge help when you are learning to quilt!

Take a look at just two of the 60+ designs that are shared in the book (photography courtesy of Martingale/That Patchwork Place and Brent Kane):

Free-Motion quilting loops

Loops are a perennial favorite and probably the easiest design to learn! Follow Lori’s step by step tips and you’ll be finishing your quilts with a flourish!

Lori Kennedy Spirals

Once you learn Lori’s basic spirals, you can then move onto Spiral Rose, Spiral Heart, Reverse Spiral, and more! It’s like anything new: learn the basics and build your skills from there.

So whether you prefer to quilt with your walking foot, or free-motion or both, these books have got you covered. After all, even though I teach similar techniques, I always recommend that my students learn from several different sources. You ever know when someone is going to explain an idea in a different way that will resonate you!

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My Relaxing Week at the Beach

July 26, 2017July 23, 20176 Comments

I usually try to keep my blog all quilting related, but I’m sharing an update from last week’s beach vacation because I think it’s sort-of work related. I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed workaholic, but I’ve realized I do my best work when I’m relaxed and well-rested. Besides, some of my best ideas occur when I’m doing other things.

View from the Beach

Pretty much my view all week. I can sit and listen to ocean waves for hours!!

My annual family beach vacation was especially relaxing because it’s the first summer in three years that I haven’t been working on a book, LOL!! But even still, I did manage to firm up a few new fall projects, design some new quilt patterns, and finalize plans for my book blog hop coming up in August. Thank goodness for mobile internet!!

So while I wasn’t on the computer or my phone, I had a great time taking bike rides with my family along The Strand….

Family Beach Bike Ride

We took a bike ride nearly every day. It was great fun AND great exercise!

Watching some beach volleyball…..

Beach Volleyball Tournament

Can you believe the bleachers were temporary just for the tournament? It was fun to watch!

And we even took a side trip over to Universal Studios one day. (Frozen Butterbeer from Hogsmeade is definitely our favorite treat!!)

Universal Studios Hollywood

My kids are much happier about being in pics when I take them from behind, LOL!!

There was of course plenty of beach-side relaxing, too. It was nice to unplug for a bit each day, so I made sure to bring along my “low tech” designing supplies: a graph paper notebook and some colored pencils.

Old School Beach Side Sketching

I’m not sure yet what this sketch will ultimately become, but it was fun to play!

Jason and I even managed to squeeze in a little “on-location” photography for some of my quilts, so be on the lookout for some beach-side beauty shots later on.

Photo shoot of quilts on the beach

Doesn’t everyone bring quilts on vacation to the beach??

All in all, it was just what I needed to relax, recharge and get ready for what I know will be a very busy end of summer and fall. One thing I didn’t bring with me was a sewing machine, so I’ve been taking advantage of lots of sewing time this week until it’s time to head out for my next work trip!

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The Books Are Here! Piece and Quilt with Precuts Ships Ahead of Schedule

July 24, 2017July 23, 20177 Comments

I have some exciting news to share today! My third book, Piece and Quilt with Precuts has arrived ahead of schedule! That means that all of you who have pre-ordered my book directly from me should be getting it in the mail over the next few days.

Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

Click here to order Piece and Quilt with Precuts – and get a free bonus pattern!

Needless to say, I plan to spend all day signing and shipping them off. This is always such an exciting day!! Huge thanks to those of you who pre-ordered directly from me. Not only will you get your book ahead of schedule, you are helping me to break a record for pre-sales compared to my other two books. Wowza and thanks!!

Squiggles Quilt from Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

Sneak peek of Squiggles, the first quilt shown in the book. I start off with super simple walking foot quilting like gentle wavy lines. They are such a fun and easy design to quilt!
Photo credit Brent Kane for Martingale/That Patchwork Place.

Now, if you ordered the book from somewhere else, that’s totally fine. I just can’t guarantee when it will arrive since that’s out of my control. But I’m grateful for your support wherever it comes from!

If you haven’t yet ordered Piece and Quilt with Precuts, now is your chance to get your hands on a signed copy ASAP, plus a special bonus. For each book you order directly from me, I’ll throw in one of my printed patterns for all orders placed through my birthday August, 17th! You all have given me the best gift by being my loyal friends and fans – now it’s my turn to give something back. 🙂

Now is a great time to announce that August 17th also kicks off my epic blog hop for the book. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate and party with you all!! The blog hop will run through the end of August, featuring 30 different talented bloggers I met through the Quilt Pattern Designers Facebook group.

You’ll be able to check out each of the quilts I made, plus you’ll be able to see how 30 other “real quilters” were able to easily follow my tips and techniques for piecing and quilting success!

Spools from Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

Spools, is the final quilt shown in the book. It utilizes both improv piecing AND quilting – my favorite combo! Photo credit Brent Kane for Martingale/That Patchwork Place.

And you can’t have a party without presents, so I’ve rounded up some special giveaways throughout the event, plus an extra freebie for everyone who participates!! So save the date and plan to join the fun! It all starts here on August 17th!

Box of Books - Piece and Quilt with Precuts by Christa Watson

It was so exciting to get back from vacation and find several boxes of my books waiting!!

Click here to get your copy of Piece and Quilt with Precuts, signed by yours truly.

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A Crazy Sewing Weekend (and a Bit of a Back Story)

July 18, 2017July 18, 201717 Comments

I was a little MIA last week due to a crazy sewing weekend a few days before. Crazy, but fun!! So it all has to do with my latest big project which will officially be revealed later this year: I designed a line of fabric for Benartex!! Say what???

So here’s a (not-so) quick back story and then onto my latest sewing adventures….

Sew Pro 2016

Discussing the value of joining professional associations at Sew Pro in 2016

Last fall I attended Sew Pro, an industry event for those wanting to make quilting their business. Although it was mainly geared toward those that are just getting their feet wet in the industry, I thought I would attend in order to decide whether or not I wanted to add fabric design to the list of things I do. Tula Pink was one of the keynote speakers along with other fabric designers like Alison Glass and Pat Sloan. After listening to them share more about their process (and seeing their joy in loving what they do), I decided that yes, I wanted to give fabric design a try – so I set about trying to learn how to make that happen, thinking it would likely take a long time to break into that area of the industry.

But then – literally two days after I arrived home from Sew Pro – I got a call from Benartex asking if I wanted to design fabric for their Contempo division. (“What the what??” was my initial response, LOL!!) I’ve never had such a case of the universe listening to me and acting so quickly. For those that don’t know, BERNINA owns Benartex, and since I’m a BERNINA ambassador I guess I was already on their radar. But getting that phone call so soon after I decided I wanted to design fabric was really uncanny. Had they contacted me a week before, it very well could have been a different answer…

So to make a long story even longer… I’ve spent the time from then until now (in between other projects) working with Benartex on my debut line which will be in stores this November.

Designing and producing fabric is such a huge process that revolves around creating the images, translating them into digital printable files, finalizing them on paper, and then getting samples from the overseas mill to make sure it all looks good. The timing is always tricky and it’s hard to plan long term until you are on a regular designing schedule. (In anything new I do, there’s always stuff I don’t know that I don’t know, LOL!!) So that brings us to my crazy sewing weekend.

Modern Marks Swatches

Finalizing fabric swatches on paper before they go to the mill for printing…

While images were being sent to the printer and strikeoffs (small samples from the mill) were sent to me, I was also coordinating with BERNINA to teach a couple of machine quilting classes at their annual flagship event for dealers, BERNINA University. This year it was happening right in my backyard here in Las Vegas (again – thanks, Universe!!)

As luck would have it, my sample yardage arrived 4 days before the start of BU. Benartex told me that if there was anyway I could get a few sample quilt tops made in time, they’d be happy to hang them up in their booth at the event, and allow shop owners to order early.

Modern Marks by Christa Watson

Sample yardage for me to work with…

Now, I usually do all my own “stunts” – priding myself in creating every stitch of my quilts myself. But with just a 4 day lead time, I knew I’d need to call in the reinforcements. Thank goodness for a mom who sews and was willing to drive the 3 1/2 hour drive to my house on a moment’s notice. Between the two of us, we were also able to wrangle a few more sewing friends who took shifts throughout the weekend sewing, pinning, pressing, and helping us keep our sanity.

Sample Sewing Sweatshop!

With the help of 8 friends over 4 days, we were able to sew up 5 quilt tops!!

All in all, we were able to complete 5 tops just in the nick of time, and the feedback I received from attendees at the event made all the craziness worth it! Needless to say, I’ll have a bit more time to quilt them in time for fall quilt market, thank goodness.

Now, I know I run the risk of spoiling the surprise by sharing so much so early, but I just can’t help it – I hate keeping secrets!! If you happen to run your own shop, or you want to recommend my collection to your favorite local shop, please let them know they can contact Benartex directly for more info about Modern Marks by Christa Watson. The collection images won’t be up on Benartex’ website for a few more months, but shops “in the know” can pre-order now (wink…. wink…)

Modern Marks at BERNINA University

I enjoyed sharing sneak peeks of my fabric with attendees at BERNINA University.

Click here see the promotional flyer showing off digital images of the 5 quilt tops I made. I was in such a rush that I didn’t even photograph them when they were done, but I’m sure I’ll share a few more sneak peeks as I finish quilting them over the next few months. So stay tuned!

And now… I’m off to enjoy a much-anticipated family vacation at the beach. After the crazy busy (but fun) year I’m having, I’m looking forward to unplugging for a few days…

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My Craftsy Class is Now Live and You can get 50% off the Regular Price!

July 10, 2017July 10, 20172 Comments

Today’s the day!! It’s launch day for my brand new Craftsy class: Startup Library – Quilting. But first things first. Congratulations to Annie B. and Ursula (from Germany) who each won a copy of the class. I’ve emailed them their winning link!

I am so thrilled about this class. It’s very long and in-depth covering all the basics of how to make a quilt from start to finish. The total run time is 5 hours, 43 minutes which is nearly 3 times as long as one of their regular length classes. What can I say – I have a lot to teach!

Now before you get a bit of sticker shock for the price of the class (since it’s so much longer), I have a special 50% off instructor discount you can get by clicking this link below:

Click here to get 50% off Startup Library: Quilting (Through October 8, 2017.)

Christa Teaches on Craftsy

Fun Fact: I made this quilt twice!! A finished one to display and then the one I show step-by step in class. I was able to follow my own instructions while making it so everything is accurate.

You are welcome to share the discount link with your friends – the more the merrier!! It works a little differently than their normal discount, though. First you click the link and the coupon is automatically added to your cart, but the class sales page will still state the regular ammount. However, once you click “buy now” the price reflected in you shopping cart will be at the discounted rate. Clear as mud??

Friendship Stars Quilt

Fun fact: Craftsy photographed me “fluffing” the quilt top about 20 times to get some great “action” stills. It was a great exercise for my arms, LOL!!!

Just like any class, I’m here to help you every step of the way. You’ll have 24/7 access to the class platform and can post your progress. I usually answer any questions within 24 hours or less. In fact, one of the first things I do each day is check in and see if anyone has questions. It’s become such a fun part of my morning routine!

Cuting Fabric for Friendship Stars Quilt

Fun fact: I cut out several duplicate fabric pieces just in case – it was a big job to keep them all organized and in order; but also tons of fun!!

I was so thrilled that I was able to include instruction on my methods for spray basting and binding in this class. It was fun to work out the logistics of how to film that and I’m pleased with how it turned out!

basting a quilt

Fun fact: during the basting lesson, my Craftsy content editor makes an appearance as my helper. I think I’ve now converted her to basting using my method!!

The class materials include the complete pattern and supplies to make the Friendship Stars quilt, a beginner’s glossary of common quilting terms (that was fun to write!), a startup checklist, and quilting diagrams for you to follow.

Christa Quilts on a BERNINA

Fun fact: I purposefully made the entire quilt on a smaller sewing machine so that students could see how I manage a quilt of this size under the machine.

For your convenience, Craftsy has put together a quilt kit using the exact same fabrics as shown in the sample. Of course, you can use any fabrics you like, but these were so fun to work with! The basic kit includes all the fabric needed for quilt top and binding. There’s also an option to get the kit with the backing included.

Friendship Stars Kit

Click here to get the Friendship Stars Strawberry Fizz kit on sale.

I sure hope you’ll join me in class. I can’t wait to see how you interpret the quilt and make it your own!! After all, the whole reason I wanted to present this class is so that you can walk away with a beautiful finished quilt and you can proudly say, “I made it myself!”

Start to finish quilting

Click here to enroll in Startup Library: Quilting.

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Road to California Registration Opens Saturday and I’m Teaching!

July 7, 2017July 5, 20176 Comments

I’m heading to Road to California as a teacher next January and I couldn’t be more thrilled! But before I get into the classes I’m teaching, I have to tell you a story about how this amazing show has been part of my professional quilting journey.

Road to California was the first national quilt show I attended in 2011 and was the catalyst that made me want to enter my work in national shows and become a national teacher. It was also really the first time I started getting to meet some of my favorite “sew-lebrities” like Eleanor Burns of Quilt in a Day. Like many others before me, I watched her quilting TV series on PBS when I first got into quilting, and was instantly hooked on her warm, inviting teaching style and funny television antics (such as tossing scraps over her shoulder onto the floor behind her).

Christa Quilts Meets Quilt in a Day

Meeting Eleanor Burns at Rd 2 CA in 2011 was awesome. My bangs back then? Not so much!!

When I returned the following year in 2012, I took a class from award winning thread-painting artist Nancy Prince and we really connected. I ended up helping her out during a demo at the show and she was very encouraging when I mentioned that I wanted to become a national teacher and write books.

She turned to me and said, “I bet you’ll be back here as a teacher some day.” You can imagine how happy I was to run into her 5 years later at the Vermont Quilt Festival and tell her that her prediction had come true! (She even gave me a ride to the festival one day when we were teaching at the same location – what a peach!!) It’s amazing people like Nancy and Eleanor who’ve motivated me to always be kind and encouraging, especially to beginning quilters. And their willingness to pay it forward has been a great example for me to follow!

Christa and Nancy Prince

Meeting Nancy Prince in 2012 (and sporting a sleeker, shorter hairstyle).

My Road to California Teaching Schedule

And now before I get too sappy with all the warm fuzzies – onto the schedule! I’ll be teaching a total of 4 full-day free-motion quilting classes, Monday-Thursday, Jan 15-18, 2018. Click here to book mark the site. Registration opens on Saturday, July 8th at 7 AM Pacific Time, and classes can sell out quickly.

Click each of the links or images below for more info and a supply list for each class:

Monday, 8 AM -3 PM: Fun with Free-Motion Swirls

This sample is from “Cornered,” showing how to combine swirls with other designs.

Tuesday, 8 AM -3 PM: Free Motion Designs with Lines

“Plumb Lines” includes modern free-motion alternatives to straight line quilting.

Wednesday, 8 AM -3 PM: Free-Motion Improv

“Free-motion improv” is a great way to show off all your favorite quilting motifs!

Thursday, 8 AM -3 PM: Modern Free-Motion Fillers

Modern machine quilting on “Candy Pop” means little to no marking, and tons of great texture!

All 4 classes will all be taught on sit-down longarm machines and the best part is that students will each get their own machine! I’ve taught at other shows in the past where students had to share and that’s kind of a bummer. But in these classes, you’ll have plenty of time to quilt and practice my motifs and methods. All l you need to bring are your sample swatches to practice on, and a “can-do” attitude!

Let me know if you plan to attend as I’d love to see you there!
Click here to see who else is teaching.

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