blog hop, book tour

Machine Quilting With Style Christa Watson

The longest in person chat I’ve ever had with Christa Watson was in the Aisle of Sample Spree at Quilt Market. We did our best to chat with quilters bustling from vendor to vendor, chatting loudly with one another,, while finding all the best deals on the latest fabrics, and notions…while we thought we weren’t in the way standing in the middle of a 10 ft. wide aisle, we were. We both agreed that the middle of an aisle, in a room filled with shopping quilters, was not the best place for a long chat on the finer points of machine quilting. I remember it being a lovely chat.
Since that time Christa finished writing Machine Quilting With Style. Christa approaches teaching machine quilting with both the walking-foot and free-motion stitching. In her introduction Christa says,  that the “most important tool you need for successful machine quilting is a ‘can-do’ attitude.” Like most machine quilting teachers her first machine was pretty bare bones, giving her the greatest opportunity to learn most of the techniques she presents in the book. After covering the basics from machine set up to thread, and batting she heads into to some really cool techniques with the walking foot, including a continuous spiral. That alone is worthy of purchasing the book. And that can happen here on the Martingale/That Patchwork Place site.
My favorite thing about Machine Quilting with Style is Christa’s project based approach to teaching machine quilting. She presents some great quilt patterns then answers the one question that puzzles quilters, “how do I quilt that?” and those words at the end of every pattern: “Quilt as Desired”.  Doesn’t get much better than that.

Christa is doing a fun thing with the blog book tour. The first group of bloggers is remaking one of the quilts in her book. The second group are giving a book review, interviewing, or making sample blocks. At each book tour stop along the way there is an opportunity to win a copy of the book, some bloggers are offering other prizes as well.

9/14 Christa

Makers of Quilts in the Book
9/14 Color Crystals – Vicki Reubel from Orchid Owl Quilts
9/14 Technicolor Backing – Ida Ewing Ida Rather be Quilting
9/15 Pearl Gray – Alyce Blyth Blossom Heart Quilts
9/16 Broken V – Sharon McConnell Color Girl Quilts
9/17 Candy Pop – Linda Hungerford Flourishing Palms
9/18 Ripples – Melissa Corry Happy Quilting
9/19 Little Man’s Fancy – Tina Guthmann Mod Geometry
9/21 Square in a Square – Stacy Cooper Farm Road Quilts
9/22 Static – Lee Heinrich Freshly Pieced
9/23 Rain – Cheryl Brickey Meadow Mist Designs
9/24 Lightning – Leanne Chahley She Can Quilt
9/25 Facets – Kristy Daum St. Louis Folk Victorian
9/26 Focal Point – Amy Garro 13 Spools

Insights, book reviews, interviews, sample blocks
9/15 Andover Fabrics
9/16 Amy’s Free Motion Quilting Adventure and Leah Day’s Free Motion Quilting Project
9/17 Do You EQ from Electric Quilt and Darlene from Quilt Shop Gal
9/18 Jacquelynne Steves’ The Art of Home and Scott Hansen from Blue Nickel Studios
9/19 Moda Fabrics – The Cutting Table
9/21 Katy Cameron from The Littlest Thistle
9/22 Debbie Grifka of Esch House Quilts and Generation Q Magazine
9/23 Rebecca Bryan of Bryan House Quilts
9/24 Stitch This – The Martingale Blog and Riley Blake Fabrics
9/25 Michele Foster of The Quilting Gallery and Teri Lucas from TerifiCreations
9/26 Pellon Projects and Amy Ellis from Amy’s Creative Side

To win a copy of the book (hard copy in the us; digital copy international) leave a comment here and share your biggest quilting goal. What is that One thing you’d like to do?

Happy Quilting!

Teri

67 thoughts on “Machine Quilting With Style Christa Watson”

  1. Christa’s “can do”/positive attitude approach has permeated all of her writings and quilt teachings which can’t help but spur one one!!! Great review for a great learning tool!!!!

  2. I would like to get more confident in FMQ on my domestic sewing machine. If I can manage to quilt beautiful feathers or pebbles and all the other designs that Christa does on her quilts, I would be so happy! Imagine those beautiful designs on a perfectly pieced queen/king size quilt! (First I need to get a sewing machine with a bigger throat space…)

    1. Anita, you are certainly welcome to get a machine with a bigger throat space. I do love that however, it’s not necessary. All of my award winning quilts were quilted on my regular size home sewing machines. Christa learned to quilt on a regular size home sewing machine. The trick i learning to manage the bulk and that takes a little time and patience. Go for it!!

  3. I’ve only been quilting for a year but I definitely have a “can-do” attitude so far. I made a king size quilt for my daughters wedding using a QAYG method I found on Leah Day’s site. I’m teaching myself how to appliqué & my next goal is to master feathers. I’m loving being retired having the time to devote to this amazing hobby!

  4. My husband has been pestering me for a few years to make a Christmas quilt for our king size bed. That is a huge undertaking for someone who makes table runners and mini quilts. And quilting it on my regular machine, oh boy! I need Christa’s book! Thanks for the chance to win it!!

  5. Biggest goal: to make a bed-size quilt that is entirely my own, from the pattern to the fabrics to the quilting designs. At the moment that goal is pretty far in the distance!

  6. I would like to start finishing quilts for my friends and family. I’ve been using charity projects to reboot my craft, feeling like it would be good to do charity and keepers for family! Christa’s book has so many great projects – would like to try them all! Thanks for the chance!

  7. I’m coming back to quilting after many years. I’m older now and I hope more patient. Still cutting things out exactly has always been an issue even with a rotary cutter. Id like to blame it on being left handed, but it’s all user error 😊My goal is to someday not cut each piece out separately, but rather make a stack of 5-6 pieces of fabric and zip right through them.

  8. One day I would love to make a Baltimore Album quilt completed with my own FMQ. Christa’s book would be a tremendous help for improving my quilting skills. Thanks for sharing and thanks for the great giveaway.

  9. I would like to obtain this book, and learn mare about using my walking foot to quilt smaller projects myself. Not only to save money but to feel I can master this skill. Thanks

  10. I would really like to be able to expand my design repertoire. Books like Christa’s can really help do that. Thanks for the review and chance to win a copy.

  11. I’d like to get a little “looser” with my quilting–not worry so much about doing things “right” and learning to play a little more when quilting or piecing 🙂

  12. Mary D – I have been sewing and crafting for 40+ years. I was educated in clothing design and made clothing for many years specializing in custom children wear. Now I enjoy quilting and creating crafty things.
    Mary D says:

    I have tried FMQ before and would love to create beautiful designs on my domestic sewing machine. I know it will take practice and gleaning tips from those who already do it. I discovered Christa’s blog a couple of years ago and have enjoyed immensely her creations.

  13. I want to learn to do FMQ on more than Practice Squares! lol This Hop has sure been encouraging!! The Projects are amazing…and the Reviews have been Awesome! Thanks so much for chance to win this great book! 🙂

  14. I would like to finish at least half of my UFO’s. I put a lot of time and money into making them, but there they sit. I like the way Christa’s designs make the quilting more interesting. I will definitely use some of her ideas on them.

  15. I am new to quilting so I would say accomplish a full size quilt (pieced, machine quilted, and bound). So far I’ve stayed with small projects, afraid of working larger.

  16. I would dearly love to make a queen sized quilt for my daughter as she is getting married next year. I have never made any quilt so large, but I dream of doing it all…from start to finish, so they can have this with them all of their years together!

  17. I’m new to quilting, so I have lots of goals- mostly learning how to actually quilt a quilt 🙂 I would love to learn some fun quilting techniques- free motion, etc.

  18. Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats – The story behind Tu-Na came about a couple of years ago when I asked my five year old grandson, “What do you call me?” "Nana" he replied. I turned to my four year old grandson, seated across the table from him and asked, “What do you call me?” “Tutu” (which is Hawaiian for Grandmother) he replied. “So” I asked, “What should the new baby call me?” as I pointed to my two week old grandbaby being held by his mother. After a couple of seconds, my oldest grandson's face brightened and he exclaimed “Tu-Na.” While the boys don’t call me Tu-Na as they each have their own names for me, the name is cute because of how it started. I wasn’t ready to be called grandma when the oldest was born and Nana seemed like a good idea. When the second grandson came along his mother didn’t want him calling me a name that is so close to banana that most kids say nana for anyway and since we had just returned from a trip to Hawaii and learned that Tutu is Hawaiian for grandmother, it seemed like a good idea. After raising four sons and one daughter, I rejoined the workforce briefly to decide I have more important things to do. Come follow along on my journey as I document the things I love to do; quilt, travel, and eat.
    kthurn says:

    I would like to be able to free motion a king size quilt on my home machine. Or maybe buy a long-arm but that is really a lofty goal.
    kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

  19. I want to make a modern looking quilt that has a really fun illusion effect. I also want to learn how to play around and finish the quilt with a spiral! N.snaer at gmail dot com

  20. My biggest goal…..to quilt on a regular basis. Not just occasionally. Then and only then, I can be a better quilter.

  21. The one thing I’d like to do is do free motion quilting without the Intelliquilter. I love it, but I feel like I’ve lost my creativity.

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