Facets Quilt Along Week 7 – Free Motion Quilting

March 18, 2016March 17, 20164 Comments

Free-motion quilting is probably the most exciting, but scary part of making any quilt! But never fear, help is here. I have written numerous times about machine quilting that can help you out as you make your Facets quilt.

facets_quilting Machine quilting is my favorite part of the quilt-making process!

Read my articles about machine quilting here.
Purchase my machine quilting books here.

Writing and teaching about machine quilting is just as much fun as doing it!

This week, we are free-motion quilting switchbacks and swirls. They make a great combo when quilted together!! 🙂 Notice how I quilted the switchbacks using white thread (Aurifil 50 wt cotton). I quilted the red swirls with red Aurifil thread and quilted the improv patchwork with a blending light yellow Aurifil thread.

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Detail of Facets, from Machine Quilting with Style

In Machine Quilting with Style, I give you some practice exercises on how to quilt switchbacks and swirls on pages 69-70. Then, the Facets instructions include diagrams with a suggested free-motion quilting plan on page 95.

Take a peek at the beautiful Facets quilts being made by members of my facebook group:

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Renee gets a gold star for practicing on a sample first before quilting the full sized quilt!

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Katherine’s quilt is dramatic and beautiful with the black sashing. Her switchbacks look great!!

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Can you believe it’s Suzy’s first time doing FMQ? Way to go Suzy!! Keep it up!

If you are just finding this quilt along now, here’s the introductory post to get you started!

Las Vegas Quilt Show This Weekend! (And Special Modern Exhibit)

March 17, 2016March 16, 20164 Comments

I love spring. Every year at this time, my traditional guild, Desert Quilters of Nevada puts on their annual quilt show and it is such fun! If you will be near the Las Vegas area, be sure to stop by!

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The show features lots of quilts, dolls and wearable items along with awesome vendors. I’m super happy that there is a modern category, and I’m even a little bit more involved this year.

On Friday and Saturday at 11 am and 1 pm each day, I will be presenting a modern “bed turning” of quilts made from members of DQN and Las Vegas MQG. Quilts are literally stacked up on a bed and I’ll go through each one, talking about what makes it modern, plus sharing a little history and info about modern quilting. Of course, I’ll share a few of my own quilts, too. Plus there will be a display of modern minis for viewers to enjoy. The lecture and exhibit are free with paid admission, so stop by and say hi if you are there. It should be fun!

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Show prep, from @desertquiltersofnevada on Instagram. Clockwise: hanging art quilts, photography of each and every piece in the show, quilt frame assembly, judging.

This year I put 4 quilts in the show and can’t wait to see them hanging and learn how the judging went. I love this show because even though my style is definitely modern, I love my traditional roots! I’ll be sharing live updates from the show on instagram, so follow me @christaquilts. I’ll be sure to share a wrap up of the show here on the blog next week!

Aurifil Designer of the Month – March 2016 (That’s Me!)

March 15, 2016March 15, 20168 Comments

It is with great pride and honor to announce that I was chosen to be the Aurifil Designer of the Month for March. I’ve designed this exclusive “Improv Star” block as part of the Aurifil Designer Series, hosted by Pat Sloan.

Each month in 2016, you’ll get free access to a brand new blue and white 12″ finished block pattern. Make them each month, share them on Pat’s website and enter for your chance to win a box of thread – 12 large spools for your creating pleasure!

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My 12″ Improv Star block – click here for the free pattern.

I have to tell you what a whirlwind of a journey it’s been, falling in love with Aurifil threads and using them exclusively for all of my sewing and quilting. I first discovered Aurifil 50 weight cotton thread just a few years ago and it was love at first stitch! Like any other aspect of quilting, at first I struggled to know which materials to use, what threads to try and how to put them all together.

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This is just one of my drawers full of Aurifil thread – I love all that color!

I soon realized that being a prolific quilter, Aurifil satisfied my need to keep things simple and organized. Rather than buying ALL the threads in ALL the colors in ALL the different fibers and weights out there, I could do everything I needed with Aurifil cotton! (And yeah, I still do own almost ALL the colors!!)

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If you are an Aurifil thread fan like I am, you can find all your favorite colors and kits at The Precut Store.

New around here?

Be sure to sign up for Friendly Threads, my email newsletter, and get a free PDF quilt pattern!

Facets Quilt Along Week 6 – Straight Line Quilting

March 11, 2016March 9, 20161 Comment

This week it’s time for my favorite part of making a quilt – the machine quilting!! Seriously, whenever I design and create a quilt, I enjoy every step of the process. But there’s something about shoving the whole thing under the machine for quilting that is very therapeutic for me.

I prefer to quilt the heck out of my quilts, but contrary to popular opinion, it doesn’t make the quilt stiffer! Just wash it and use it, and it will soften up!

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My Aurifil thread stash – I love thread as much as I love fabric!

My favorite thread is Aurifil 50 weight cotton because I love the simplicity of using it for both piecing and machine quilting (and binding, of course)!

So the biggest question people have when making their own quilts is, “how do I quilt it?” Not as in – “what quilting designs do I use?” but as in “how do I actually approach the quilting??” I tackle this one step at a time. I start by “anchoring” the quilt – stitching in the ditch in key areas across the quilt to secure it for more decorative quilting later.

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Keep most of the quilt to your left, and add a small table forming an L shape to hold the weight.

In Machine Quilting with Style on page 95, I’ve included quilting diagrams that show you the order in which to stitch in the ditch on Facets to make it easier to accomplish. Then we go a step further and add straight lines of quilting away from the seams, echoing the ditches to add a pop of texture to the quilt.

Here’s a great detailed shot of Suzy K’s quilt, stitched-in-the-ditch and echoed, and ready for free-motion quilting next week!

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To see more fabulous quilts in progress – pop on over to my Facebook Group: Quilt With Christa

Click here for all of the Quilt Along posts. You are welcome to jump in anytime!

The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting Available for Preorder

March 8, 2016March 8, 20167 Comments

Good news! Signed copies of my next book, The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting are now available for preorder! I’ve been hinting about this new book for awhile but wasn’t ready to pre-sell it until now – I wanted to make sure I had all of my ducks in a row first.

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My fabulous co-author Angela Walters and I were pondering how we could both sell signed copies of the book directly to our fans, since we won’t be at any public events together until QuiltCon 2017 (and that’s too long for most of you to wait). Jennifer Keltner from Martingale was kind enough to send us labels which we both signed and will add to each of the copies that we sell ourselves. And of course I’m happy to include a personalized message or add your name upon request when you order. 🙂

Here’s another bonus when you buy directly from us – you’ll get the book first! The official release date is April 5th but Amazon’s release date isn’t until April 19th. Now don’t worry – I’m not offended in the least if you’d prefer to buy it somewhere else – do what works for you!! I’m just thrilled that this book was able to follow so quickly on the heels of my first one.

As it gets closer to publication date, I’ll start telling your more about The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting, how the concept came to be, and of course I’ll share projects from the book. For now, pop on over to the Martingale site for sneak peeks of what’s inside!

As always – thanks for your support!!

Facets Quilt Along – Catch Up Week

March 4, 2016March 4, 20163 Comments

I decided to throw in an extra week for Facets Quilt Along, to give those following along a chance to catch up, and to invite any new followers to join us! Just grab a copy of my book, your favorite fabrics or scraps, and jump on in. 🙂

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Click here for the supply list and complete quilt along schedule (with links to each Quilt Along Post).

Enjoy these gorgeous work in progress pics from members of my facebook group:

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I love Gina’s color combos so far and can’t wait to see more!

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Jan is auditioning possible background fabrics. What do you think?

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Suzy has finished basting and is ready to quilt!

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Don’t you just love Paula’s rainbow colored version?

Just remember, whether you are following along each week, or are just getting started, work at your own pace and enjoy the process. There will be prizes for all who participate and share their progress in my Facebook group: Quilt With Christa.

Lines by Design Quilts by Debbie Grifka – Blog Hop

March 2, 2016March 1, 2016157 Comments

I’m still recovering from the awesomeness that was QuiltCon 2016 and one of the amazing quilts I fell in love with was Clerestory by Debbie Grifka of Esch House Quilts. FYI I hadn’t heard this word before, so I looked it up. It’s an architectural term that refers to a section of wall that contains windows. Since many modern quilt designs are inspired by architecture, the name makes total sense. 🙂

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Clerestory – 64″ x 74″

Well, today, I’m excited to let you know that you can get the pattern for this awesome quilt, plus 16 others in Debbie’s brand new book, Lines by Design Quilts.

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Fault Line – 52″ x 52″

I have always admired Debbie’s original quilt designs, and now I really like the premise of her new book book: patterns that explore the clean lines often found in architecture, furniture and clothes.

Lines by Design Quilts is organized into four pattern sections: squares and rectangles, diamonds and hexagons, circles and curves, and pictorial. I think the pictorial section is my favorite! Just look at a couple of the dynamic designs patterned in that part of the book:

deep_blue Deep Blue – 36″ x 45″

In the book Debbie explains how she uses bias tape applique to “draw” some of the shapes in her book. That is such a clever idea for those of us who are lacking certain artistic skills!

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Cure-All – 30″ x 30″. I imagine some yummy hot cocoa as a cure-all for myself!

Lines By Designs Quilts has a nice mix of both pieced and applique quilt patterns – something for everyone! I love how Debbie encourages you to either make these quilts as given in the book, or to use them as a jumping off point to create something new and unique.

The book includes plenty of clear illustrations, full size applique patterns and well written text, along with beautifully styled photography. I can totally imagine each of the quilts from this book in my home!

Your chance to win!

Each of the bloggers on Debbie’s book tour will be featuring a different quilt (or 3) on their stop, so be sure to view them all. You’ll also be able enter for your chance to win a copy on each stop (hard copy for US winners, digital for non-US).

Wed, Mar 2 Christa Watson (You are here)

Th, Mar 3 Casey York https://studioloblog.wordpress.com/

Fri, Mar 4 Heather Jones http://www.heatherjonesstudio.com/blog/

Mon, Mar 7 Kate Colleran http://seamslikeadream.com/blog/

Tues, Mar 8 Rossie Hutchinson http://www.rossiecrafts.com/blog

Wed, Mar 9 Amanda Jean Nyberg http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/

Th, Mar 10 Amy Ellis http://www.amyscreativeside.com/blog/

Fri, Mar 11 Lynn Krawczyk http://smudgeddesignstudio.com/blog/

Mon, Mar 14 Debbie Grifka http://eschhousequilts.com/blog

Then leave a comment below telling me if you’ve ever done bias tape applique before. I haven’t, but now I’m inspired to try! Winners will be chosen on March 14th, at the close of the hop.

Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Lines by Design Quilts!

New around here? Sign up for my email newsletter and get my exclusive PDF pattern for free!

It’s a Year Full of Giveaways from Electric Quilt

February 29, 2016February 26, 20162 Comments

I had so much fun teaching EQ7 to two groups of students at QuiltCon, and I’m looking forward to teaching a more in-depth 3 day class at EQ Academy coming up April 21-23 in Ohio. But one of the best things about being a designer and EQ7 artist is getting to know the wonderful folks behind the company.

EQ_academy_group Mary Ellen Krantz and I will be teaching EQ7 for beginners, Barb Vlack will be teaching an intermediate level EQ7 class and Yvonne Menear will be teaching EQ stitch.

The Electric Quilt Company was founded by Penny McMorris and Dean Neumann in 1991 (coincidentally the year I graduated from high school) and it’s been going strong now for 25 years? Can you believe it!!

To celebrate such a milestone my friends at EQ have partnered up with various companies in the quilting industry to bring you a year full of amazing giveaways! Each month, one of their industry partners will be giving away a copy of EQ7 of their site, and EQ will be giving a way a prize pack of quilting goodies on theirs. So there’s 2 chances to win each month!

Click here for the complete contest schedule.
You can also win when you share your quilty makes on Instagram with the hashtag #EQ25
Finally, there will be a grand prize giveaway at the end. Click here for details.

Who’s ready to win???

Facets Quilt Along Week 5 – Baste Your Quilt

February 26, 2016February 25, 20162 Comments

I can’t tell you much it tickles me each week to see so may of you making your own version of Facets. My version was recently on display at the AQS Quilt Show in Phoenix, and it was so fun to share it with a wider audience who may not have seen it before.

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Thanks to Susan Voight for sending me this pic of Facets at AQS Phoenix!

This week’s assignment is to get your quilt top basted in preparation for machine quilting which starts next week! Whoo hoo – my favorite part (the machine quilting, NOT the basting!)

In my book Machine Quilting with Style, I’ve included some tips on basting at the back of the book. You can also take a look at these tutorials I have put together from previous quilts I’ve made: