Just popping in with a fun giveaway this week! I’m excited to be the featured designer in December for Cotton Cuts, a fun business that offers all sorts of fun quilty subscription boxes. As part of this fun feature they are giving me a Modern Maker box that I get to give away to one of you (located in the US).
All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment letting me know which fabrics you prefer to work with: yardage or precuts. I’ll select a winner at random this Wednesday and notify them via email.
It’s that time of year again when fabric designers are prepping for their new fall/spring releases. I’m excited to announce a followup to my best selling Dazzle Dots fabric line. The new collection is Dazzle Dots 2 which a wonderfully soft complement to the original. I’ll be sharing sneak peeks at Benartex’ Virtual Fabric show next week, and the fabric will hit stores in the spring.
The Virtual Fabric Show is free to watch and will be recorded if you can’t view it live. However, for those who ARE able to watch live, there will be prizes and a chance for some designer Q&A. The entire event will run for 2 afternoons and you can watch it all, or pick and choose your favorite designers. The full schedule is below:
In my quest to explore the concept of geometric abstraction, I felt compelled to take a perfectly interesting quilt top and cut holes in it, then inset some circles.
It’s been very liberating to play with color, line & shape, without the need for my design to represent anything concrete. It’s a risky move for sure, but I just couldn’t move forward until I explored this idea.
Below are a few in progress pics while I was inserting the circles. It’s not a tutorial, but it was more of a journal exercise to write down my thoughts while making this top because it was bold and risky move for moe to even attempt to do something like this, LOL!!
First I started by making a sample circle. This obviously was not going to go in the quilt and I just grabbed some scraps I had lying around to test the technique (ahem… you may see more of these fabrics shown in the circle a bit later this year… just saying!!). I pinned it to the sewn top to see if the scale looked right.
The basic idea is to cut your focus circle 1/2″ larger than your finished size. Then cut a circle into the background that’s 1/2″ smaller than your finished size.
I wanted 12″ finished circles so I drew out 12 1/2″ and 11 1/2″ circles using EQ8 and printed them out on paper, then taped them together. I know there are templates and rulers for this, but since this is all one big experiment I just used the supplies I had on hand.
The hole in the peach background was cut 11 1/2″. The lilac circle was cut 12 1/2″.
By creasing both units you can match up the 4 quadrants and then sew with the background fabric on top. The hardest part is pinning the circle to the background. I used a million pins! There are tons of tutorials on youtube, google, pinterest etc. showing how to insert a circle into a block, using lots of different methods like using freezer paper, glue, etc, but I just went old school with pins.
It’s also super important to heavily press the back and front until it lies flat. With the successful test block complete, I was ready to dive in and start adding circles to my quilt.
I created a bunch of low volume improv units – way more than I needed, but I set aside any leftovers knowing I could probably use them up in some way on the back.
These are actually the wrong side of a bunch of low volume prints from my various collections. I really like the softer effect this gives to the fabric.
I traced out the circle shape onto the pieced background fabric, then very very carefully cut a circle with a super small rotary cutter. I made 3 circles like this with subtle shading. One was all light grays and whites (below), one had the light grays and just a little color (not pictured); the third was all light colors (above).
I pinned the circles roughly in place where I wanted them on the top; but then I needed to trace the smaller 11 1/2″ circle size using a paper template (NOT the 12 1/2″ cut unit), so that I could account for the seam allowances. Now the scary part – cutting holes in the quilt top!
This was a bit scary, but I wanted to take a risk and really explore this idea. The whole time I kept reminding myself it’s just fabric – I can get more!!! I only cut and sewed one hole at a time just in case anything went awry.
Oh no!! There’s a hole in my quilt top, LOL!! By the way there are no tutorials I know of showing how to insert a circle into a whole top, so I just sort of winged it and hoped for the best! I treated the whole top as the background or concave unit and folded it so that the circle was folded in half both ways, first horizontally and then vertically.
I used pins to mark the midpoints of the circle in 4 places. I’ll do the same for the inset circle so that I can match up the pins and they act as my registration marks for proper placement.
Can you see my crease lines? I’ll match up the background pins to circle pins.
Then it was just a matter of subdividing each quadrant evenly and adding more pins to distribute the bulk. I actually looked into the idea of using a freezer paper method as the circle template and sewing on the paper, but it looked way too complicated.
Even though this method used a ton of pins, it made more sense to my brain. Basically I’m sewing wrong sides together and matching up a concave (background) curve with a convex (inset circle) curve. The actual sewing just uses a straight stitch, sewing in a line, but very slowly.
Dealing with the bulk doesn’t bother me because I’m so used to moving a large quilt when I’m domestic machine quilting. It gave me similar happy vibes like that. 🙂
I wasn’t sure about this after I put in one circle, although I was pleased that the technique worked. But by the time I added the 2nd circle I knew it was going to be ok. So if at first you aren’t sure – just keep going!! More than anything I wanted to try out a technique that’s been on my bucket list for years (perhaps decades).
When adding the inset circles I didn’t overthink it. I let the orientation of the circles be random and I’m really pleased with how it turned out.
Thinking ahead to basting and quilting, I’m planning to use a Hobbs Silk batting to quilt it. I like the drape and texture this adds to the quilt. I took a picture of the finished top with the batting I plan to use so I don’t forget!
I have big plans to use up all the leftovers on the back, so stay tuned for the next step! The nice thing about sewing without a deadline is that I can make this quilt on my own time frame. Let me know what you think about my experiment so far. I’m loving inset circles and will definitely do them more in the future!
My Color Weave Quilt along kicks off Monday, Sept 16th and I’m doing something a little a little different this time around. I’ll be sharing everything via email rather than here on my blog. Lately I’ve been rethinking my social media strategy and looking at numbers. Because I get higher engagement via my direct newsletter, this will be an experiment to see if that format works best for a quilt along. Keep reading below to see how you can join in the fun….
Now, not to confuse things, but this is my blog post you are reading right now. You may get this delivered to you via email if you’ve signed up for that. But that’s a totally different system than my regular, weekly email newsletter. So if you aren’t sure if you are on that list, you can sign up here. This link will take you to my free patterns page which automatically signs you up for my emails. Got it??
Everyone already on my email list will automatically get the Quilt Along emails, and the best thing about it is that it’s free and you don’t even have to make the quilt! I will share tips and tricks for making the entire quilt from start to finish, including basting, machine quilting AND binding. These are techniques that will apply to any quilt you make. I really love empowering others to actually finish their quilts and reduce their UFO piles!
And while supplies last, I’ve put together kits made from precut strips of my Dazzle Dots fabric line. This includes the beautiful rainbow colors as well as both the light and dark grey strips. This is everything you’ll need for the quilt top – including the binding.
I’ve been sitting on a feeling for awhile that I need to change up a little bit of what I’ve been doing. I will still be doing all the fun things: designing, writing, traveling & teaching, but I’m starting to make space to work on some more “experimental” ideas.
A current “What If?” Idea in progress…
A few years ago I started getting an itch to explore new concepts and ideas in my quilting work. As a full time professional quilter, that can cause somewhat of a conflict because most everything I currently make is for commercial consumption. Meaning that I have to sell what I make or design in order to pay the bills. It’s a fun job for sure, but it often times leaves little space for trying out new ideas that may not be financially viable. It’s the old adage, that “if you find something that works, don’t fix what isn’t broken!”
A couple of times this has pulled me into a direction I’d rather not go in and I have to course correct. I can also be slow to change because I’m not a boat rocker. All this is to say I’ve finally decided to prioritize the “what if?” ideas.
I like where this is going, although I’m not quite sure what to name it yet….
The biggest issue I’ve had to navigate is how to actually carve out the time in my already busy schedule to make this happen. And without any external deadlines, the exploratory concepts keep getting pushed to the side because I can do them at “any time,” right?? So to actually make time and space for what I want to do, I’ve decided to make 2 tweaks in my routine.
First of all, I’m going to post less on social media. My accounts aren’t going away, but rather than being a slave to the algorithms, I’ll post what I want, when I want! There may be periods of time when things are more quiet, and other times where I may want to share a boat load of new ideas! Along the way I may even write longer blog post like this one.
This has been fun to work on for a few minutes each day, and I’m already getting ideas on how to machine quilt it while I piece.
The second thing I’m doing is actually getting back to what first got me noticed in the quilting industry in the first place: participating in quilt shows again. I do love sharing my work publicly, and I don’t enter my quilts to win ribbons (although it’s a nice bonus when they do)!
However, having that external deadline of finishing something for a show really motivates me to explore, experiment and push the boundaries a little bit. I’ve come to accept that fact that it’s hard for me to make a quilt “just because.” For me, each quilt needs to serve a purpose. So I’ve given myself permission to use those external deadlines as a catalyst to keep me sewing, exploring and just playing. It feels very refreshing to make what I want to make and share what I want to share!
I’m at a pause point with this design, so now I’m thinking through what comes next….
So… I’ll continue to document my process of both my commercial work and my experimental work. I’ll continue to share both my successes and lessons learned along the way. But it will be more random and less scheduled.
Have YOU ever had an a-ha moment, or a strong feeling when you know it’s time to pivot? Let’s definitely continue this conversation in the comments, and I’m sending hugs to everyone who’s continuing to support me on this journey!!
I recently returned from my trip teaching – and judging – at Pacific International Quilt Festival, which took place in Santa Clara California in July of 2024. The quilts of course were amazing, and my students were well prepared for success!
Best Mid Century Modern Quilt: Retro Living by Tami Graeber
For the record I am NOT a certified quilt judge, but I’ve had many years experience entering my own work into quilt shows. I’ve also volunteered numerous hours in judging rooms as a scribe or quilt handler, and I’ve judged several shows (both in person and online) when the occasion arrises. I’ve also served on the jury of large shows and I’ve sat on committees that help formulate rules for their particular shows. So before we get into sharing what that’s like, let me define a few terms for you.
First of all, what’s a jury? This is a select group of quilters who are chosen for their knowledge of quilting, and/or design. This group pre-screens all of the quilts that are submitted for entry to a show, and they determine which quilts will be accepted for exhibit into that show. A quilter who wishes to submit a quilt to a large, juried show will submit photos of their quilts along with an entry fee. The requirements are usually 2 photos – a clear image showing the full quilt, plus another detailed photo showing a small section of the quilt to show techniques and workmanship.
Judges and Scribes at Breakfast on Judging Day
Not all quilt shows are “juried” but most large international shows are. This is because of the sheer volume of quilts submitted. There are usually many more quilts entered into a well known show, compared to how much space is available to showcase them. So it’s simply a numbers game. The jury is “blind” meaning the jurors do not have any information on who made each quilt. They may or may not be able to read the artist statement but that’s it.
A scribe is someone who records the judges’ comments during evaluation of each quilt. The scribe is usually given a separate sheet of paper with the name of each quilt and the judging criteria, along with room for comments. The judge will then evaluate each quilt according to the criteria which is set by show. A handler is literally someone who helps handle each quilt as they are being judged. Quilts are usually judged together as a group by category. That means each quilt is evaluated relative to all of the quilts in the same category.
Best Handwork, Modern: Katzen Krankenhaus by Katherine M. Dossman
There can be 1 or more judges at the show and shows are usually judged one of two ways: with the quilts by category laid out flat on a table, one on top of another. Or the quilts can be hung on the show floor first, and the judge(s) walk around the show looking at each quilt by category. Each show is different and the judges are given instructions on how to judge. Some shows require their judges to be certified, but most large, international shows do not. Many shows invite some of the teaching staff to also serve as judges due to their expertise in their particular field. And usually the shows hire different judges each year for variety.
Just like a jury, the judges do not know whose quilt they are evaluating at any given time. They may be able to read the artist’s statement but they are evaluating the quilt on its own merits. When more than one judge is involved, the judges can discuss each quilt together to decide on the final evaluation of each.
My judging partner Mel Beach and I hanging out during the “meet the teacher” event.
So here’s how it worked at PIQF. There were 4 of us judging, and we were divided up into two teams of two, along with one scribe for each team. At this particular show there were 4 main categories (Traditional, Innovative, Modern, and Wall) so it worked out nicely for each team to judge half of the quilts. We all met for a working breakfast on the morning of judging day, and were given instructions by the show organizer. The instructions included how to evaluate each quilt along with the numbers of ribbons and prizes that would be awarded in each category. In addition, each of the 4 judges got to select our own judges’ choice for a special ribbon.
At this show, the quilts were hung on the show floor and we were given a map along with a binder for each team that had all of the evaluation sheets for each quilt we were judging. So we walked around the show floor looking at each quilt one at a time. They had numerous special exhibits for display only, so these were not a part of our evaluations.
My judges’ choice ribbon: The Chairs by Deborah Ryan
First we looked at each category we were judging to get an overall impression of the quilts. The scribe helped us note which particular quilts stood out and started writing down some of our preliminary comments. We discussed and evaluated each quilt as a team and then took our time in deciding which quilts would be awarded.
After the winners were chosen, we went back and looked at each quilt we had awarded to ensure we were happy with our choices and that we followed the judging criteria. Once that was done, we turned in our results to the show organizers so that they could begin moving the “Best Of” quilts to the front of the room and then begin pinning ribbons onto the winning quilts.
Below, I’ve made a short video showing all of the quilts entered into the Modern Category, which I helped judge. Can you see how it’s difficult to choose the winners? I could have awarded them all!!
Click on the image below to start the video. It’s about 8 minutes long.
While the volunteers were shuffling a few quilts around, and as the vendors were setting up on the show floor, we once again looked at each quilt and made comments for each and every one. Not every show includes judges’ comments with each quilt, but I really loved that this one did. We tried our best to be very fair and positive, even when giving constructive criticism.
I can tell you that at this show, and most high level shows like this, the work is top notch so most of the comments are very positive. The most common advice we included in our team’s judging was that it could benefit from additional quilting. When a quilt is hung at a show it can become very apparent if the quilting isn’t balanced. The quilt can sag a little or look a little wrinkly in some areas and can be fixed with additional quilting. Since this is my area of expertise, it’s one of the things that often catches my notice.
Best Modern Wall Quilt: Out of the Blue by Linda Branting
I was very pleased to be involved with this show so intimately and I can tell you that getting up close and personal with the quilts like that is very joyful. I will be teaching and judging at another show run by the same group – Mancuso Show Management – next February. If you are in the Virginia area, I’d love for you to join me at the Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival. So stay tuned for more details about that!!
I’ve said many times that teaching machine quilting is my favorite thing that I do! Nothing beats the look of satisfaction on a student’s face when they realize that can indeed quilt their own quilts. That’s one of the reasons I’ve written so many quilting books. I use them as my textbooks in class, and they are great for “independent study” for those who can’t take a workshop from me in person.
My first book was published in 2015 and my latest volume came out nearly 2 years ago – can you believe it? I’ve worked with 2 publishers and purchased the rights to my first 4 books once the original publisher went out of business. Although 4 of my 5 books are now out of print, they are all still available as PDF downloads. Last year I put together a fun little video showcasing all of the projects from all of the books.
In case you missed it, click the image below to watch the video on my YouTube channel.
Now I know asking which book is my fave is asking me to pick a favorite child!! But I want to know which one (or more) of these has changed *your* quilting life?
Just for funsies, here’s a throwback pick of my now 20 year old daughter reading my first book when it came out. Although she’s not a quilter, she *is* an artist currently working on her BFA 🙂
My family and I recently took a fun trip to Washington DC. I’ve actually been a couple times before, but it was the first time all 3 of my kids have visited as adults. It was amazing and so educational! We visited as many museums as we could, took time to view all the monuments, and enjoyed riding bikes around the national mall – easy rentals were everywhere!
The best views of Washington DC are by bike!!
Because 2 of my kids are currently studying art in college, we spent a LOT of time at the art museums. I found that I really love abstract art, but I was blown away at how old some of the paintings on display are. We visited the National Gallery of Art and I made a fun game of finding all of the quilty designs in many of the paintings.
This ancient painting below really blew me away. It dates back to the 13th century and looks to me like 2 angels holding up a quilt behind the madonna and child.
Take a look at the tiled floor details in this painting below. Doesn’t that look like a square in a square block? Who knew that was such an old design??
While we were there, we got to view a special exhibit on display, called “Woven Histories – Textiles and Modern Abstraction.” This was right up my alley! I put together a super quick little 2 minute video showing some of my faves below. I think so many of these designs are just begging to be made into quilts!! (Click the image below to watch.)
To balance things out, especially for my oldest son and hubby who are the computer science & technology guys in the family, we also visited both of the national air and space museums. Not only did we get to see the real airplanes flown by the Wright brothers, we were able to view the actual space shuttle Discovery on display. It was absolutely mind-blowing!
One of our favorite spots in the Udvar-Hazy museum was the restoration hangar where we could watch them working on antique airplanes in real time. Of course I got a kick out of the fact that they had a “fabric shop” used for recreating or restoring textiles. Too bad it wasn’t open to the public, LOL!!
Overall it was an amazing time and the older my kids get, the more I appreciate spending time with them as adults!!
This summer I’ve been working a lot behind the scenes, preparing for upcoming teaching events and it’s my favorite thing that I do! Registration for Road to California just opened and already 2 of my 4 workshops sold out right away. It’s so exciting when that happens because I know folks are hungry for machine quilting education!
The good news is that there are still spaces in 2 of my workshops (as of this writing). I know they’ll fill up fast so if you are even thinking of attending, be sure to sign up asap. Read below for more info on both:
Learn how to quilt modern, geometric spirals and swirls using both walking foot and free-motion techniques. Students will learn how to quilt stunning designs such as large continuous spirals, geometric spirals, and several swirl variations. Spirals can be quilted in different areas of your quilts, or used as an allover design. Combine motifs for even more possibilities! Students should be comfortable with basic machine quilting techniques. Bring plain fabrics to practice with, or leftover orphan blocks.
Mix and match multiple motifs to create a modern free-motion mash-up! This technique can be applied to any quilt, whether you want your quilting to be the star of the show, or you simply want to add a bit of background texture to your quilt. This jam-packed class will teach how to combine and design two or more filler motifs into something entirely new. Students will practice drawing the designs on paper, then apply what they’ve learned to sample swatches or orphan blocks. Note: Students should be comfortable with basic free-motion quilting.
I hope you’ll be able to join me for one or more of these workshops. And if you aren’t able to attend this show, be sure to check out my current travel and teaching schedule. I update it on a regular basis. If you want to take a workshop from me, but I’m not coming to your area, be sure to pass along my name to your local quilting group and they can invite me to come. Did I mention it’s my favorite thing that I do???
My recent teaching trip to Alaska was amazing! If you’ve never experienced full daylight in the middle of the night, I can tell you it sort of messes with your mind, LOL! I flew into Anchorage and landed at about 10:30 PM local time. My body was tired after a long day of travel that started at about 6 AM, but my mind kept saying, “you can’t be tired – it’s still bright outside!”
It was about an hour drive to Palmer, which is where I was staying for my visit with the Valley Quilter’s Guild. It’s surrounded by mountains, with incredible views of Pioneer Peak. To give a better perspective, the 2 pictures below were taken on the same day at 9 AM and 9 PM. Can you tell which is which??
There are absolutely no filters applied to the images above. Isn’t it breathtaking??
In addition to the scenery, the quilters I taught were fabulous, too! I started off the first evening with my signature lecture, “How Do I Quilt It?” based on my book of the same name. It was a full house, and they really made me feel welcome!
I always bring lots of quilts with my to illustrate my techniques and it’s fun to show how the same quilting motifs can be applied to different quilt designs. I include lots of photos of closeup details in my presentations and allow students to get up close and personal with my quilts throughout the weekend.
My lecture/trunk show was followed by 2 full days of domestic machine quilting. I teach students how to ease into machine quilting with quick and easy walking foot designs that anyone can do. Then the next day I teach them my favorite free-motion techniques and it’s fabulous to see how much progress they can make in such a short amount of time!
Take a look below at this short video showing some of their work. I think they did an amazing job – don’t you?? (Click the image below to start playing.)
I also got to sample some of the local cuisine. Everyone recommended that I try the reindeer sausage and it did not disappoint!!
On the way back to the airport we spotted a couple of live moose by the side of the road. It was the first time I’ve seen these majestic creatures in the wild, but it happened so quickly I didn’t even think to snap a pic. Fortunately, the airport had a stuffed version on display to greet visitors, LOL!!
All in all it was a great way to kick start my quilty summer, and I’d definitely go back there again! If you’d like to learn more about what & where I teach, check out the links below for my books, patterns and teaching schedule.
Christa Quilts 