If you are a quilter active online, you’ve undoubtedly run across the beautiful work by Christa Quilts. I had the chance to meet Christa a few years ago at Sewing Summit, while we were waiting to grab lunch. She’s very passionate about teaching and modern quilting, and a great person, too!
Machine Quilting with Style: From Walking-Foot Wonders to Free-Motion Favorites by Christa Watson is a recent release from Martingale. I noticed they are running a great deal where you can get both the print book and e-version together in a bundle. This is nice if you like flipping through a book, but also prefer to have access to patterns on your laptop or tablet, to take back and forth to your machine!
So, I own quite a few books on free-motion quilting. In fact, my goal last year was to become really confident at my quilting and branch out into different patterns. Although I can rock the meandering stitch and interlocking squares, I have to admit that I’m afraid to branch out and try different techniques. I almost never venture into straight-line quilting, but then I see a dynamic quilting motif like this (in the “Little Man’s Fancy” project), and my mind is blown. Why didn’t I think of that? So doable and yet so striking.
The truth is, you can do some really great things with quilting designs that I’ve never thought of! Christa teaches you how to do all this on your home sewing machine. The book covers 8 designs you can quilt with your walking foot plus 10 for your free-motion foot. Add to this the 12 patchwork quilt patterns, and you have everything you need help you piece AND quilt your next masterpiece. This “Square in a Square” quilt is one of my favorites from the book, and Christa shows you how to combine straight line quilting and free-motion designs in the same project.
Quilting a continuous spiral is something I’ve only attempted once in my Turntable Quilt, and honestly, I just winged it. It came out a little oblong. The next time I try this quilting pattern, I’m going to use Christa’s tips to get an accurate circle. This “Focal Point” quilt is another fun patchwork design from the book, and I like this one because it’s a baby quilt size. Very doable and would make a great gift!
This is an outstanding book, and I’m so glad to have added it to my library of quilting resources. Want to win a copy for yourself?
Giveaway!
Martingale is generously offering a copy of Machine Quilting with Style to one lucky Craft Buds reader! Leave a comment on this post telling us your biggest challenge when it comes to quilting (any stage of the process), and we’ll choose a random winner on 1/19/16! Good luck!
If in the U.S., the winner will receive a hard copy. International winner will receive a digital version.
Congrats to commenter #11, Cecilia!
54 comments
My biggest challenge in quilting is doing the quilting. I can sew the blocks together, and find it much harder to get the quilt under my sewing machine and quilt — either free-motion or just stitching lines.
I’m very new to quilting and when I try to sew through all the layers the backing always gets bunchy.
My biggest challenge when quilting is the actual quilting because it’s my least favourite part but I do feel such a sense of accomplishment when I’m actually done and sometimes I wonder why it took me so long to actually start the quilting process ????
My biggest challenge is choosing a pattern that adds to the design of the fabric without taking away from the fabric design.
I think it’s the quilting ….Do I tie it or quilt it is the big ???/ …..And how free motion or stitch in the ditch….I love it after its done but boy dont i procrastinate on it…lol……………………[email protected]
Hi Lindsey,
My biggest challenge is getting the quilt quilted. I love the process of designing the front and piecing it, but I don’t enjoy the machine quilting. I can’t seem to find a comfortable way of doing it on my machine at home. Is there a way to baste easily and then quilt on my home machine? I’d like to do large quilts for the beds of my married grandchildren. I’ve followed Christa for a while now and enjoy her quilt a longs.
Sincerely,
Alice G
My biggest challenge is deciding on what design to quilt. I am new to fmq so I need any help I can get.
I just took Christa’s class that goes to this book. Let me tell you that as a beginner quilter; she made this class easy and fun!! I highly recommend her class if you can take it. However, her book details her class very closely and it’s easy to understand.
Thank You for a good class Christa!
Looking forward to more!
The whole quilting stage is a challenge for me. I like minimal and modern style quilting with no puckers. What design do I use? How do I achieve the desired motif or design? I need all the help I can get.
O meu maior desafio é fazer o quilt quando é uma colcha grande, em uma máquina doméstica,porque eu alinhavo toda a colcha primeiro.Quando coloco na máquina,tenho que dobrá-la.Depois que eu termino o trabalho eu gosto muito,mas fico muito cansada.
The most challenging part for me is trying to decide on the quilting design. Thanks for the chance to win a copy of Christi’s book.
That should be Christa. 🙂
I think the biggest challenge was to actually get started 🙂
I have need this book, my challenge is to find the good pattern for quilting my projects.
Thanks for the giveaway.
My biggest challenge is that I am a beginner and am scared to start quilting on my machine. I really want to and I have a quilt ready to start and the second challenge is how do I quilt it.
I think Christa’s book would help me. Thanks
My biggest challenge is choosing a quilting design.
My biggest challenge is doing the actual quilting. I love, love, love making the quilt tops, but the quilting is such a chore.
Having shattered my dominant hand’s shoulder in a fall, and the subsequent reverse shoulder replacement not working that well, I have difficulty manipulating the quilt top, batting and backing cloth in my sewing machine, even though I have a supposed quilting edition of this sewing machine! I have contemplated sending my quilts to a long-arm quilting service, but they are so expensive! So this all leads to great procrastination!
I hate pinning and then stuffing it into my small home machine.
I have a hard time figuring out what design to quilt that compliments the piecing!
My greatest challenge in quilting is free motion quilting anything larger than a baby quilt. I can quilt larger quilts with straight line quilting, but I cannot manage free motion on my domestic machine. Your book looks really interesting. I would love to have a copy.
My biggest problem with quilting is trying to relax and let the design be smooth and natural, but I get tense with my shoulders up my ears and things go downhill from there. I believe this new Machine Quilting with Style book would help my confidence in order to relax and just quilt. Thank you for the giveaway you are offering and it looks like a great book that will help anyone, at any level of quilting!
I am so very interested in this book and improving my quilting skills! My biggest problem when quilting is simply managing the girth of fabric on my sewing machine. It gets to the point where I’m frustrated and make mistakes just trying to move the mass of fabric around. I love all of the rest though!
The biggest challenge for me is executing the quilting design that I would like. I often simplify to make the quilting more doable on my domestic machine.
The hardest part for me is picking the colors to use!
I just never know what type of quilting designs will look good on my finished quilt. Christa’s book looks great.
With way too many UFO’s, it’s nice to get ideas to finish them off and combine but then too to use up material to make nice blocks.
I have a problem with FMQ. It never looks right!
My biggest challenge is the quilting. Since arthritis won’t let me do hand quilting anymore I am having to learn how to machine quilt. I’m anxious to learn if my quilts will still tell me how they want/need to be quilted now that it will be by machine instead of hand.
Thank you for the chance to win an opportunity to improve my quilting.
My biggest challenge is picking fabric! Once I have them pulled, I am usually off and running!
Thanks for the chance to win. My biggest challenge is the bias at the corners and mitreing the corners. Even after all these years, I still end up with at least one crease.
Keeping the amount of quilting consistent from area to area in a quilt is my biggest challenge. Thanks for offering the give a way — hope to win!
I am still struggling with FMQ. Can’t seem to develop a technique that works for me, so I’m constantly looking for helpful books and articles.
I’m new to quilting and luckily for me my future mother in-law is not, and was able to give me pointers. I think the most challenging part for me is the basting and quilting. I have to sandwich it together on the floor which means I have to vacuum then move furniture just for the basting. When that is done the I have to put the living room back together and try to win a losing fight with my machine to quilt. In the, I did make 7 lap quilts for Christmas for various family members and ended up with pains in my hands and one elbow. 😀
My biggest challenge with quilting is finding a big enough space to lay out for sandwiching the batting to prepare for quilting. I used to do it on the floor but age has a way of preventing that now. It’s just too hard to get up. Thank you for the give away. The book would b a great addition to my library. I love Christa Watson’s quilts!
My biggest challenge is the quilting ….choosing the design and then the density of quilting.
My biggest challenge is wrestling my quilt through my machine–and remembering how I got that good-looking design, so I can replicate it, row after row.
Like many other quilters, my biggest challenge is getting that big ol’ masterpiece under the needle of my sewing machine. I usually have a pattern in mind by that time, but if it’s a larger quilt, it can be quite a challenge to manage the bulk. Of course, I could make smaller quilts or go out and buy a small long arm, but where’s the fun in that?! I’d really like to create some of those lovely modern quilts I keep seeing.
Thank you so much for this offer!
My biggest challenge is free motion quilting, which I would love to get better at this year!
My biggest challenge recently has been starting and getting the inspiration for any new quilt.
Once the top is pieced & squared up, I sort of “lose interest” in getting the back pieced. But once I get it layered and machine ready to quilt, usually it will “talk to me” and let me know how to quilt…they all have a life of their own!
My biggest challenge is choosing the fabrics. I LOVE fabric, and figuring out how to choose fabric that complements the style of the quilt and the colors of the rest of the fabric really put my decision-making skills to the test.
I love quilting! Making the top is a relaxing process for me. I usually put the top aside and wait until I have an idea for the actual quilting (which can sometimes take much too long). I have practiced a few FMQ patterns but really don’t feel comfortable doing it. This book seems like it might be just what I need to gain quilting confidence. Thanks for the chance at this giveaway!
Squaring up a quilt is my biggest obstacle.
For me, the hardest part is choosing the free motion design to use on my quilts.
I love to quilt and selecting fabric to design a quilt is FUN! I fear the actual quilting the most. ????
My biggest challenge is deciding how to quilt the quilt. So far, I’ve stuck with straight line quilting.
Two challenges….choosing a design and the getting started!
My biggest challenge is making the quilting look even . My lines quilted always are very crooked. I’m still learning.
Firstly choosing a design then manipulating the quilt under my machine!
The biggest challenge for me is the fmq! I have only done the basic lines or stitch in the ditch. But I am going to learn fmq in 2016!
I have trouble iwth the basting step. i don’t have a big space so finding a willing friend’s floor is sometimes hard.
My biggest challenge is the quilting! I learned at a young age how to hand quilt. Hand quilting is something I enjoy, however it takes me FOREVER! I would love to quilt my on tops and do a better job. I love the process- start to finish.( ok maybe not the cutting out of the fabric???? So much to be honest) keeping at , it keep practicing , keep reeling watching and taking classes…..
My challenge is the B word….bias binding, as well as FMQ, but this is the year I conquer both 🙂
Comments are closed.