It’s fun to share some of the reasoning behind the fabrics I’ve designed. With my Good Vibes collection, I wanted to create a group of fabrics with an equal number of lights and darks so that they’d work well in lots of precut friendly patterns.
Speaking of precut friendly patterns made from light and dark, have you downloaded my FREE Puzzle Box quilt pattern? It’s made from 2 sets of 2 1/2″ wide strip rolls – half light and half dark! The picture below was taken at our favorite summer spot – Hermosa Beach in California.
Of course this quilt would look fabulous in any fabrics, but I just love the way it looks in the summery, citrus hues of my Good Vibes collection. You can grab 2 jelly rolls to make the quilt exactly as I did. Or, change things up and pair 1 jelly roll with a highly contrasting light or dark fabric that’s all the same. No matter what you do, it’s going to look great!!
Free Companion Video – Learn to Quilt Simple Wavy Lines
Nowadays, I can’t even make a quilt without recording a video while I’m machine quilting it. Nothing pleases me more than sharing my super simple domestic machine quilting techniques with all of you! Click the image below to watch my video tutorial and add this one to your quilty bucket list!
I have a little secret to share. I’m currently working on a followup to my popular Dazzle Dots fabric collection. But in the meantime, while I can’t share what’s new, I can revisit some of my earlier fabric collections, just in case you missed them the first time around!
I designed this grouping to add to my stash of black & white prints, but then threw in a few bright colors and fun backgrounds. In fact, the four prints shown below – called “Crackle” are my absolute favorites from the group.
You can use the front side shown below for a “low volume” background with a pop of color. Or turn them over and use the back side of the print to tone it down a bit. These are such high quality that they look great on either side!!
The other quilt I made from this grouping is called Blooming Wallflowers, a quilt that I’ve made in several different collections. This time around I made a scrappy version and I recorded a longer video sharing cutting tips and tricks, too!
I’m thrilled that my 4th book has now officially been released and I have a signed copy waiting for you! Take a look at my newest pride and joy called 99 Machine Quilting Designs from Martingale/That Patchwork Place.
As an author, it’s been great fun to open up boxes and boxes of my brand new book and get it out into the world.
99 Machine Quilting Designs includes a detailed photo, illustrated diagram, and step-by-step instructions on how to quilt 99 different machine quilting motifs, using walking foot AND free-motion techniques. I wrote the book from the perspective of a domestic machine quilter, but most of the designs will translate well to longarm quilting, too!
Here’s an example of one of the walking-foot designs from the book:
And here’s an example of just one of the dozens of free motion ideas in the book:
Each of the 99 designs also includes a variation to try, so it’s really like 198 designs in all! Plus there’s space on each page for you to practice your doodles and take notes right in the book! My hope is for you to get better at machine quilting by practicing as often as you can.
To make things even more fun, I created a bunch of cute buttons to promote the book, and I’m including one with each order, along with a signed message from me.
So what are you waiting for? If you haven’t already snagged your copy, you can click here to order 99 Machine Quilting Designs. Leave a note with your order if you’d like it personalized with your name, or as a gift for a friend. I PROMISE it will make you a better machine quilter!!
As always, thanks for your support, and happy machine quilting!!
Today I’m excited to kick off a 9 part series on Machine Quilting Tips and Tricks. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time, especially since I’ve written and taught on this topic extensively over the last few years. This week’s post will serve as an introduction to the series, and also as the landing page where I’ll update each of the links below as they are written.
I’m also happy to answer your machine quilting questions. So don’t be shy – ask you questions in the comments and I’ll include answers in a future post! So first off all here’s the schedule:
The very first question you’ll want to decide is whether you want to quilt on a regular home sewing machine (like I do), or if you want to purchase a specialty machine like a sit-down free motion machine or a stand up long-arm machine.
I like the feel of “scrunching and smooshing” my quilt through a regular machine, so that’s what I’m most comfortable with. Also, I like the freedom to quilt “walking-foot” designs with my feed-dogs up, or “free-motion” designs with my feed-dogs down. A free-motion only machine can be limiting, but it provides more room to quilt and can usually quilt a lot faster than a domestic home machine.
Domestic Machine Quilting
This throwback pic is from 2013 just after I got my first upgraded machine, but I still quilt the same way – in my studio while listening to music or a quilting podcast!
My recommendation is to try out both and do what feels most natural for you. Many quilters start quilting on their regular home sewing machine, then upgrade to a larger machine as they improve their skills. I’ve tried both and I prefer the feel of domestic machine quilting, so that’s mainly what the rest of this series will be about. However, if you are a longarmer, stick around – many of my tips and ideas can be easily adapted to your situation!
A great place to try out sit down “domestic” machines is at your local sewing machine dealer. I recommend visiting all of the dealers in your area and bringing in your own practice samples (or even a full sized quilt) to try out. Although I am a BERNINA ambassador and that’s my machine brand of choice, a good reliable dealer will go along way towards helping you be successful with home machine quilting. I don’t recommend buying a machine online or at a big box store, because you’re just not going to get the level or service you’ll need.
Long Arm Quilting
My friend Vicki Ruebel of Orchid Owl Quilts in her longarm shop in Las Vegas
For long-arm machines, I highly recommend testing out all of the major brands at local or national quilt shows. They’ll usually have a full-size machine set up that you can test out, and it will be prepared with a quilt already on the machine that you can practice on. Most shows will also have great deals on machines if you purchase it at the show. So keep that in mind and don’t be afraid to attend multiple shows until your mind is made up.
Many local quilt shops now offer longarm rental service so that’s also a great way to get your feet wet before making such a large purchase.
If you want further reading on the differences between machine quilting with a longarm versus a domestic machine, be sure to check out mine and Angela Walters’ book The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting. It’s where we get to share the best of both worlds!
In next week’s Tools of the Trade segment, I’ll share about the specific features I prefer to have on my domestic machine that make it much easier to get the job done, so stay tuned!
I’m looking forward to teaching during Virtual Quilt Festival Dec. 3 to 5. This online event is presented by Quilts, Inc., the parent company of International Quilt Festival.
Focused forum of 20-minute back-to-back presentations from five top educators, including live Q&A and chat for a truly engaging experience. Download a compilation of handouts from each presenter, new ideas, and information on products and processes.
My portion is titled Christa’s Top Tips for Machine Quilting Success:
Learn to become better at quilting on your home sewing machine with Christa’s top tips for machine quilting success. A few of these include proper work station setup, choosing the right materials, how to hide your mistakes, and learning why a “can-do” attitude is the most important tool in your toolbox! If you can sketch it, you can quilt it. See Christa’s “doodle” demonstration and learn up close how practice makes progress with each and every quilt!
Other presenters are Jenny K. Lyon, Sue Nickels, Catherine Redford and Cyndi Zacheis. We’d love to have you join us!
Stitch beyond the ditch and unleash the power of your walking foot! Learn how to stitch wavy lines, decorative stitches, grids, spirals, straight-line designs, and more! Christa Watson loves to share her modern machine quilting methods which emphasize texture over perfection in a warm and encouraging manner. After viewing this master class, you’ll feel armed with the confidence that yes, you can quilt your own quilts!
3 days of interactive content – classes, vendors, special exhibits, live connect to exhibitors and fellow VQF attendees, games, and more during show hours
3 months to continue to view beautiful quilts, experience Open Studios™, and shop the vendor mall
WHEN?
Show hours – December 3-5, 2020, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM CST
Special Live Lecture, December 3, 2020, 6:00 – 7:00 PM CST
Quilt exhibits, Open Studios™, and Vendor Mall – December 3, 2020 – March 5, 2021
HOW WILL THE EVENT WORK VIRTUALLY?
VQF includes elements of our in-person shows – special quilt exhibits, classes, vendors – brought to you online in a mix of live and pre-recorded content. VQF is accessible from any device on the web from any computer or tablet and through an app on mobile devices.
WHEN WILL CLASSES BE?
Exciting news – Classes are available throughout show hours AND recordings of selected classes will be available for one week post-show, December 6-12, 2020. This means you can register for any class that you might not be able to join live. It also allows you to register for more than one class that broadcasts at the same time because you can watch classes later.
IMPORTANT NOTE: A few classes will not be recorded and are only available during their scheduled time – these classes are denoted by the words “Live Viewing Only” in the class description.
I love it when we get to the machine quilting part of a Quilt Along! I’ve just finished my fourth book on machine quilting so I feel like that is one of my specialties. I’m excited for you to try free motion stipple quilting like I did on my Modern Logs, or another quilting design of your choice.
I made a video with all my best tips and tricks for quilting Modern Logs. Just nine minutes but it’s packed full of help and guidance! Click play below to watch.
If you’ve never tried free motion quilting or a stipple (also called a meander), layer up a couple of fat quarters with batting and practice there before you start on your real quilt. You can quilt on this practice sandwich many times over, using it as a warm-up if you like.
I can’t wait to see how you decide to quilt your Modern Logs!
Today I’m excited to share a sneak peek of a several designs included in my upcoming book, 99 Machine Quilting Designs. There are still few of days left pre-order my new book and get all the bonus premiums as well as reduced shipping.
When I teach in person, students stitch a series of practice samples to try out different walking foot and free motion designs. Now you can see 99 of those “in the cloth” along with a quilting diagram and instructions on how to quilt it.
Just imagine me cheering you on as you try out these designs on your next project! Delivery is February 2021. I know the time will fly and it will be here before you know it!!
Grab these Bonuses with Your Preorder by 10/20/20
If you pre-order my book by Oct. 20, you’ll get a complimentary fat quarter of my fabric from one of my 6 fabrics lines, chosen at random. (Don’t you love surprises?!)
You also get one of my patterns so that you can practice your favorite designs from the book!
I’ll also sign it for you – which I promise will be a good luck charm as you quilt!!
I am beyond excited to introduce my new book today! I’m really proud of 99 Machine-Quilting Designs. It’s full of ideas and options for walking-foot and free-motion quilting!
I’m super excited to offer special bonus premiums to people who place orders now. If you pre-order 99 Machine-Quilting Designs directly from me now through Oct. 10, you’ll get it at the lowest price of just $25.95 plus FREE US SHIPPING with no coupon required on your end.
After that date, the free shipping offer goes away.
The early bird gets the worm, so here’s the list of bonuses that will also be included in your package when it ships early next year:
My personal signature with an inscription of your choice
Free Surprise Pattern with Purchase for a Limited Time
That’s three bonus items, a reduced price, AND free shipping when you pre-order by Oct. 10. Oh yeah, it also includes a signed copy the book, LOL!!! The books have gone to print now and are slated to arrive February 1st. It will be here before you know it!!
You’ll be able to start practicing new machine quilting skills as soon as the book arrives because we’ll have special events planned at that time.
Here’s the fun part: This first 10 days of pre-orders is the only time free US shipping is included as a bonus. And we all love free shipping! (For my international friends, the shipping has been reduced for you for a limited time).
I will be offering pre-order bonuses for a limited time. Every 10 days, one of the freebies will go away, and the price of the book will increase, so act now for the lowest price with the highest level of perks!!
If you are still on the fence about pre-ordering my new book, Here’s a video so you can see how I make machine quilting accessible to anyone with a sewing machine. Watch for more indepth quilting videos next year after the book arrives!!
Get the whole set!!
While you are waiting for book #4 to arrive, be sure to stock up on my three previous machine quilting books while supplies last. If you’re looking to round out your machine quilting library, this is the perfect time to grab them at a reduced price of just $19.95 each!
Since I know many of you can’t be with me in class in person this year, I thought I’d do the next best thing and try to share more of my my best quilting tips and tricks online. Over the next several weeks I’ll be blogging about many of my behind the scenes secrets for successful machine quilting. Most of these are ideas are also in my machine quilting books so you can grab a copy of each and follow along!
My number one goal in teaching machine quilting is to help you understand how fun and carefree it all can be. Fortunately I WILL be doing some more online teaching soon, and my online Craftsy videos should be available soon on their revamped website, so stay tuned for that.
In addition, I’ve been creating and sharing more tutorials over on my YouTube channel, too.
So whether you are a newbie beginner, or seasoned pro – let me help you discover the joys of quilting your own quilts!! The series kicks off here on the blog starting next week so be sure to subscribe to my blog so you don’t miss a thing!
I’m really excited to be teaching three classes for Pacific International Quilt Festival Online, coming up Oct. 14 to 17. Registration is open and I’d love to have you join me!
Here are brief descriptions. You’ll find more complete information at the links below.
Liberate yourself from traditional quilting symmetry by mashing up your favorite motifs in a seemingly random way. Combine basic shapes with transitional designs and free-motion fillers to add amazing texture to the negative spaces in your quilts, or create your own unique work of improvisational art. Note: Students should be comfortable with basic free-motion quilting.
Cost: $80, includes $25 kit fee, kit includes your choice of one of my machine quilting books.
Example of my Free Motion Quilting Designs with Lines
Embrace the “hand-sketched” look when you learn to quilt modern geometric fillers that require little to no marking of the quilt. Go beyond the straight line when you learn how to create irregular linear motifs that look great on both traditional and contemporary quilts. Note: Students should be comfortable with basic free-motion quilting.
Cost: $80, includes $25 kit fee, kit includes your choice of one of my machine quilting books.
Modern Logs is made with improvisational piecing: easy and fun!
Put a modern spin on a classic block while you learn to create improvisationally pieced Log Cabin blocks. Choose two sets of fabrics that have good contrast, such as lights and darks. You’ll need 10 fat quarters of assorted lights and 10 fat quarters of assorted darks to make the 48″ x 54″ quilt. Pattern is included in the kit fee, and the pattern includes additional sizes. Suitable for all skill levels.
Christa Quilts 