Tag: Precuts

Make More Quilts from Your Favorite Precuts: My Stop on the Benartex Precut Hop!

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Today is my stop on the Benartex Precut Project Hop and I have a load of fun ideas for you! I’ve rounded up a collection of precut-friendly quilts I’ve made from my 5 Benartex fabric collections, including a mix of free patterns, paid patterns, and remakes from my books. I hope this will inspire you to put those precuts to use!

The Freebies

Click here to download any of these free patterns shown below.

Rainbow Taffy Made from Charm PacksRainbow Taffy by Christa Watson made from Modern Marks

By using 4 Modern Marks Charm packs +  white background I was able to really show off the rainbow in my debut collection. You’ll get a different look when using scrappy charms, but it’s just as much fun to make!

Beaded Lanterns Made from Strip-Pies

Beaded Lanterns Finished Quilt

This quilt solved the dilemma of how to use precut 2 1/2″ strips + background all from the same collection. With the introduction of the gray print from my Fandangle line, I designed this quilt so that it uses 36 (out of 40) Fandangle precut strips. That gives you wiggle room to leave out a couple of fabrics if needed and still get a cohesive looking quilt.

Paid Patterns

Click here to purchase paper versions of my paid patterns
Click here to purchase PDF versions of my paid patterns

Improv Squares Made from 10″x10″ Squares

Improv Squares Quilt Pattern using Modern Marks Fabric

The original version of this quilt was made from 10″ squares of my Modern Marks line. Since the Modern Marks 10″ squares have long since sold out, I’ve been itching to remake this quilt using gone of my other fabric lines. All you need is a contrasting background fabric to really make those precuts pop!

Bling Made from Fat Quarters

Bling Quilts with Geo Pop

I love this quilt pattern so much I made it twice! Both of these versions hung in my trade show booth to showcase my Geo Pop fabric collection. I wanted to show what it would look like using the exact same block fabrics, but with a completely different background fabric in black or white. Which one is YOUR favorite??

Color Weave made from Precut Strips (or Fat Quarters)

Color Weave Quilt Abstract Garden Fabric

This has been BY FAR my most popular pattern ever. This rainbow-colored quilt was really quite satisfying to make. The pattern comes with instructions to make it from precut strips (I made my version from Abstract Garden). If you don’t have duplicate strips (2 of each color), you can also make it from fat quarters to get the rainbow gradation effect.

Lattice Work Made from Charm Squares

LatticeWork quilt by Christa Watson

This pattern is such a great design to show off a favorite bundle of precut squares! I love charm pack patterns because they are super versatile; if you don’t have enough charms, you can use 10″ squares instead and then cut them into 4 squares each.

Terrace Tiles Made from Fat Quarters

Terrace Tiles by Christa Watson

I loved this design I made it three times to show off 3 different colorways of my newest line, Gridwork. Fat Quarters are actually my favorite precut because they are the most versatile. You can cut ANY precut you like from fat quarters, and you’ll always have enough.

From My Books

Click here to get signed copies of my quilting books.
The patterns below are all included in my book Pieced and Quilt with Precuts

Star Struck Made from Fat Quarters

Modern Starstuck by Christa Watson

Dot n Dash made from 2 1/2″ Precut Strips

Dot 'n Dash quilt by Christa Watson

Squiggles Made from 5″ Squares

Squiggles by Christa Watson

I love precuts so much that I wrote an entire book on what to do with them!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this virtual trunk show and are inspired to put them to good use.

Enter My Giveaway!

To celebrate my love of precuts, I’m offering 3 lucky winners a PDF pattern of their choice from my current pattern line below. Most of them are precut friendly and they are all fun to make!

ChristaQuilts Patterns

To enter, first take a look at all of the projects that have been shared so far during the hop. (Click this link for all of the participants and check out their amazing projects.) Then leave me a comment on THIS POST letting me know which has been your favorite project (and who made it if you can remember)! The giveaway will run through the end of the month, March 31 and the winner will be notified via email.

Sneek Peek alert!!

I’m now in the midst of sewing up a plethora of new precut friendly projects and patterns fro a future fabric line… so stay tuned!!! There will be precuts-a-plenty later this summer. 🙂

good vibes by christa watson for Benartex

 

Benartex Precut Project Hop Starts Next Week!

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Do you love working with precuts as much as I do? Well, I’m excited that my fabric company Benartex has decided to host a precut project hop to help you decide what to make with your collection of charm squares, strip-pies, 10x10s and fat quarter bundles. And the best part is, most (if not all) of the projects featured will include a free pattern or tutorial. How cool is that??

Benartex Precut Project Hop

Designer Schedule

Below is the schedule of fabric and pattern designers who have cooked up some fantastic ideas for you. Of course, we prefer to use Benartex precuts which is why we love working with this fabric company, but  these projects will look fabulous in any precut bundle you’re dying to use!

Bookmark the sites below, then follow Benartex and all the designers on their respective facebook pages and instagram accounts for more fun and inspiration. There just might be a giveaway or two thrown into the mix, so be sure to check in each day!

Monday 3/16:

Pat Sloan – https://www.patsloan.com/

by Annie – https://www.byannie.com/

Tuesday 3/17:

Debby Kratovil – https://debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com/

Wednesday 3/18:

Modern Quilt Studio – https://www.modernquiltstudio.com/

Thursday 3/19:

Charisma Horton – http://charismascorner.com/

Friday 3/20:

Amanda Murphy – https://blog.amandamurphydesign.com/

Saturday 3/21:

Andy Knowlton – http://www.abrightcorner.com/

Sunday 3/22:

Shelley Cavanna – https://www.corasquilts.com/

Sandra Walker – https://www.mmmquilts.com/

Monday 3/23:

Wendy Sheppard – https://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

Tuesday 3/24:

Cherry Guidry – https://www.cherryblossomsquilting.com/

Wednesday 3/25:

Nancy Halvorsen – http://www.arttoheart.com/

Nancy Scott – http://masterpiecequilting.blogspot.com/

Thursday 3/26:

Heidi Pridemore – https://www.thewhimsicalworkshop.com/

Friday 3/27:

Christa Watson – https://christaquilts.com/

Lisa Ruble – https://lovetocolormyworld.blogspot.com/

The Fandangle Precuts are Here (At The Precut Store)

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I’m excited to announce that the Fandangle Precuts have now made their way to our Precut Store which means that most orders qualify for Amazon prime and free 2 day shipping – whoo hoo!!

The Precut Store

Click here to check out The Precut Store

For those that don’t know – my husband started The Precut Store back in 2012 as separate site to sell precuts exclusively, plus some Aurifil thread. Thanks to your support it’s been tremendously successful and has allowed me the free time I’ve needed to develop my professional quilting career. (Prior to him taking over, I used to cut and ship fabric orders all day long which was fun but left very little time for quilting!)

Fandangle Precuts Available

The Fandangle Strip-pie is of course the most popular precut and you can pair it up with other fabrics to make quilts from many of my patterns, or any jelly-roll friendly design.
I really like how Benartex has packaged it to lie flat and separated it into warm and cool colorways. You get 2 strips of each of the prints in the line.

Fandangle Jelly Roll by Christa Watson

Click here to purchase Fandangle Strip-pies

Charm Packs are the second most popular precut and very versatile! You can whip up a small baby quilt from one Fandangle charm pack with the squares sewn together edge to edge and set 6 x 7. Or you can combine them with a background or multiple charms for a larger quilt.

Fandangle Charm Pack by Christa Watson

Click here to purchase Fandangle Charm Packs

In fact, I’m playing around with the idea of making another version of my popular Charming Chevrons quilt pattern using charm packs from both Modern Marks and Fandangle.

Charming Chevrons Quilt pattern with Christa Watson Fabric

On my wish list – remaking Charming Chevrons with Modern Marks + Fandangle Charms

10 x 10’s (aka Layer Cakes) are also a popular precut. You get 42 squares just like in the 5″ charms, but the squares are twice as big. This allows versatility to make a super fast and fun throw size quilt. It also provides enough fabric to make a scrappy quilt without breaking the bank.

Fandangle Layer Cake by Christa Watson

Click here to purchase the Fandangle 10×10.

Just like the 5×5’s, the 10×10’s include two squares of each fabric in the line, plus 2 bonus squares for a total of 42 pieces. I specifically created 20 prints for the collection so that the math works out nicely.

Fandangle fabrics

All 20 Fandangle Prints

I’m super excited that we are now able to offer Fandangle Fat Quarter bundles, too. We are working on convincing the folks over at Benartex to offer fat quarter bundles for all of their lines. (They currently offer 80 FQ boxes of every collection which include duplicates and are meant for brick and mortar stores to display – but they don’t work so well for online sales.)

Fandangle Fat Quarters by Christa Watson

Click here to purchase 20 piece fat quarter bundles of Fandangle.

And remember, if you make anything with my fabric, I’d love to see. You can share your projects and progress any time in my Christa Quilts facebook group. On Intagram, be sure to use the hashtag #fandanglefabric so I can see what you are creating!

Fabric Friday – Desert Bloom Fabric from Amanda Herring

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It’s been awhile since I’ve shared some of the pretty fabrics we carry over at The Precut Store. But today I couldn’t resist telling you about my friend Amanda Herring’s new fabric collection called Desert Bloom, from Riley Blake.

AmandaHerring

Amanda at Spring Quilt Market. She matches the fabrics in her new line!

Desert Bloom is a pretty collection of florals and geometrics in trendy shades of red and aqua with a little gray thrown in. The thing I love about Amanda’s fabrics is that they are all so different, yet stand alone on their own. They usually sell out pretty quickly, too!

desertbloompalette

The fat quarter bundle includes one of every print from the line, shown above.

Riley Blake recently started offering all of their new collections in full size precut bundles, which thrills me to no end. As a designer, it’s much easier to design quilt patterns using precuts when they are all a standard size. I’m pleased to say that we have all of the Desert Bloom precuts currently in stock: 21 piece fat quarter bundles, 42 piece 5 inch squares, 42 piece 10 inch squares (stackers), and 40 piece 2 1/2″ strips (Rolie Polies).

desertbloom

The rest of the precuts include duplicates of each print.

Click here to view and purchase Desert Bloom Precuts, and thanks for your support!

Craftsy Review – Pre-Cut Shortcuts Class by Amy Smart

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My talented friend Amy Smart (from Diary of a Quilter)  just released her first Craftsy class and it’s right up my alley! It’s called Pre-Cut Shortcuts: Quilt Tops in Less Time.

From now until June 9th, you can get 50% off using this link, available only from me!

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As you may or may not know, I am a huge fan of precuts and run The Precut Store with my husband, Jason. In fact, we stock many of the precuts shown in the class!!

Amy’s class is chock full of information as she walks you through how to make several different patterns from precuts. In addition to the Q&A sidebar and easy to follow class materials, a new feature to this class includes animated illustrations.

For each pattern, Amy does a voiceover of the steps she’s going to perform while images move around the screen showing what the final layout will look like. Then she hops on the machine and shows each step of the process. It’s a great way to learn!

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My personal favorite quilt from the class is the Gumball Quilt which is hanging behind her in the picture above. Watching this one come together was so fun to see. I picked up a few tips that I’m definitely going to incorporate in my piecing from now on!

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The camera angles in the class are fantastic – you can really see what she’s doing!

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The Basket Weave Quilt in Progress – No you don’t have to cut any little pieces!!

Amy cleverly starts with precuts, sews them into units which are then cut up into other units, using shortcuts like disappearing blocks and strip piecing. In fact, after viewing this class, there are several quilts I want to make!

Screen Shot 2016-05-11 at 11.54.52 AM

I really liked the Crosshatch quilt Amy made using the Valley Collection by Sheri and Chelsi for Moda. In fact, I recently made a quilt from these fabrics, and they are in stock now!

Pre-cut Shortcuts is broken down into a total of 6 segments, of about 15-20 minutes each. It’s the prefect length to watch a segment and get a little sewing done at the same time! And the last section of the class is worth the entire price of the class!

Amy walks you through step by step how to bind your quilts. It’s very similar to the way I bind mine, but she throws in a a few speedy tricks which I’ve never seen before and definitely plan to incorporate going forward.

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Check out that yummy Elizabeth Hartman Pacific rollup! We have it at The Precut Store!

Amy also includes tips on working with multiple precuts and how to measure them or deal with inconsistencies between different precuts.

I’ve known Amy for several years now and can truly say she’s a cheerleader for fast and fun quilting. She’s also a great teacher with a very calming voice that you can listen to for hours on end.

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I hope you’ll give Precut Shortcuts a try. Click here to save 50% off until June 9!

 

Snuggle Saturday – Cuddle Cakes and Kits from Shannon Fabrics

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At the most recent quilt market, Jason and I decided to take the plunge and expand our offerings. We met with the wonderful folks from Shannon Fabrics and bought two of all their Cuddle Kits and precuts. If it sells well – we’ll stock more!

elephant_quilt

I love this quilt kit – it comes in pink and blue!

Cuddle cloth, is Shannon Fabrics’ brand name for minky fabrics. These are super soft and plush fabrics that are softer and thicker than fleece, and they make the most adorable baby quilts and blankies!!

lamb_ziggy

All of Shannon Cuddle Kits are simply adorable!!

Right now, you can purchase Cuddle Cakes (10″ squares), Cuddle Charms (5″ squares), Scarf kits, and the most adorable baby quilt kits I’ve seen. The charms and squares come in sets of 20 and the kits include fabrics for the quilt top, applique and binding.

cuddle_cakes

When we first got these, my kids begged me to make them some quilts because they are so soft and cozy!! The nice thing about the charms and cakes is that you can easily mix and match them to make a bigger project (though one set of Cuddle Cakes will make a nice sized-patchwork throw).

cuddle_charms

The cuddle is easy enough to sew through, especially with a walking foot and you can add some basic quilting on top with no problems. In fact, depending on how bulky or lightweight you want your project to be, you can even skip the batting if desired!

Click here to see our entire line of Cuddle precuts.

I’m curious – have you ever sewn with minky before?

Fabric Friday – The Christa Watson Designer Palette

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My precuts are finally here! The Christa Watson Designer palette from Robert Kaufman comes in Fat Quarters, Ten Squares, Roll Ups and Charm packs.

Click here to purchase!

Christa Watson Designer Palette

Each bundle includes 28 shades of reds, orange, yellows, and greens. I chose these fresh citrus colors because they are warm and inviting. The pops of green cool it down a bit and the whole bundle sparks excitement (at least for me)!

christawatsonpalette_

Click here for a list of the color names that are included in my precut bundles.

I originally chose these colors to make Facets, my favorite quilt from my book Machine Quilting With Style. Just one fat quarter bundle will be plenty of fabric to make the quilt top. You can throw in an accent color like I did, or make all of the blocks from crazy pieced fabric. I used Kona Snow for the background, and it really sets off the bright colors!

Facets_Kona

Facets, from Machine Quilting With Style

Of course, I couldn’t just stop there! I really had an itch to tweak my Charming Chevrons pattern and see what it would look like with the new colors! All it takes is 4 charm packs (or one set of Ten-Squares) plus background fabric. This time I went darker with the background, opting for Kona Coal to make the colors pop.

feathered_chevrons_eq

I’m calling this version Feathered Chevrons – it’s my current WIP!

Finally, I thought it would be fun to design a quilt using nothing but roll-ups. Puzzle Box is available as a free PDF download when you sign up for my email newsletter.  It uses just one roll-up of my designer palette, plus one roll up of background. Of course, it would look great in your favorite precuts, too!

Click here to join my newsletter list and get your free pattern!

Puzzle Box Pattern

Puzzle Box, a Free Pattern made from Roll Ups (Jelly Rolls)

When you purchase your precuts and start sewing with them, please share what you make in my Facebook Group: Quilt With Christa.  You can also hashtag your work in progress on Instagram, using #christawatsonpalette. I love to see what you are making!

Fabric Friday – A Little Cotton and Steel Love

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I’ve mentioned before that I carry Cotton and Steel bundles in my precut store. Today I’d like to give them some love and also let you know that I also decided to get the double gauze bundle, too. Now, I’m not a garment sewer so I’m not really sure what to do with double gauze, but it looked so pretty, I couldn’t resist!

cs_double_gauzeDouble gauze – 15 half yard cuts – what would you make?

Other luscious bundles include Kim Kight’s Cookie Book (my favorite):

cs_cookie_bookAnd Mesa by Alexia Abegg – I just can’t resist graphic, southwest designs!

cs_mesaNow here’s the best news, several of the older bundles that haven’t sold out are now on sale! Be sure to scoop them up before they are gone.

Click here for all Cotton and Steel precut bundles and happy shopping!

Fabric Friday – Global Shipping for Precuts and a Giveaway!

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For this week’s Fabric Friday, I thought I’d do something a little different – let’s have a giveaway!!

But first, I have some great news for my international friends: most of our precuts are now available for global shipping! Whoo hoo! I believe this is a pilot program, which if successful, will hopefully mean that all items will be available for international shipping in the future.

Click here to see which precuts this applies to. 🙂

PrecutsOne of you will win these precut bundles by signing up for my newsletter!

And now for the giveaway…

One lucky winner will receive the precut bundles shown above: a Skinny Strip (1 1/2″ x 40″ strips) of Valori Wells Blueprint Basics in Summer, plus a charm pack of Bella Snow.

Enter to win!

Click here to subscribe to my weekly email newsletter and you’ll be automatically entered to win! I use a double opt in system which means you’ll receive a confirmation email once you’ve added your name to the list. Be sure to find that email (check your spam box just in case) and open it to ensure you’ve been registered.

blueprint basics summerFabric swatches from Blueprint Basics – Summer

If you are already signed up for my newsletter, you don’t have to do a thing – you are already entered. Imagine that – you don’t even need to leave me a comment! Though of course you still can if you want to. 🙂

The giveaway is open to everyone worldwide through Monday, January 19th at midnight PST. I’ll draw a winner’s name and announce it on the blog during the day on Tuesday.

Have a happy sewing weekend!

Fabric Friday – Junior Jelly Rolls and Layer Cakes

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It’s the  first Fabric Friday of the year! Whoo hoo! That means it’s time to introduce you to some fun new precuts. Moda has recently introduced junior precuts – smaller bundles of precut strips and squares.

The Junior Layer Cakes include 20 squares, precut into a convenient 10″ x 10″ size. Right now they include the most popular bella solid colors, with all the squares being cut from the same fabric. These are so versatile for backgrounds, or to combine with other layer cake squares.

jrlayercakesClick here to view all Junior Layer Cakes.

The Junior Jelly Rolls include 20 precut 2 1/2″ x 42″ strips that are all the same color, also bella solids. I think if these are successful, Moda will probably expand to include the print strips.

jrjelly1jrjelly2

Click here to view all Junior Jelly Rolls.

Want to keep up with the latest and greatest new precuts?

Click here to sign up for my weekly newsletter.