Machine Quilting with Style by Christa Watson

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We are participating in Christa’s book tour for her new book Machine Quilting With Style. Read below to see how Christa designed her quilts with EQ7 and enter to win the program!!

We just love the quilts in this book! And yes, they were designed in EQ7!! EQ Artist, Teacher and Author, Christa Watson tells us about herself, her book and how she uses Electric Quilt design software to create such fantastic quilts.

I am super excited about my brand new book, Machine Quilting With Style. It includes 12 complete patterns along with step-by-step instructions on how to quilt them on your home sewing machine.

I’ve always enjoyed teaching others the entire process of making a quilt from start to finish, and it thrills me to no end when I help someone conquer their fear of machine quilting. For beginners, I recommend trying out some of the designs that utilize your walking foot for quilting. In the book I show several alternatives to plain-old stitching in the ditch. Once you are comfortable with the process, I encourage you to give free-motion quilting a try. It’s not as scary as you think and the key to success is letting go of imperfection (along with a little practice)!

Christa Watson For me, designing quilts is just as fun as making them, which is why I love using EQ7. Many times, I’ll have an inkling of an idea but am not sure where it will take me. I start by sketching out a basic block or quilt design in EQ. From there, I will make several variations – changing sizes, adding or removing lines, testing layout options, and building several versions of the quilt. In fact, I’ve created many different quilt designs that you would never know all originated from the same idea! I’ll also audition multiple colorways and love that I can easily import swatches of fabrics that I plan to use.

Recently I have been playing around with adding quilting motifs to my quilts, because I also like to know what the quilting will look like before I start!

Once I’m happy with the design of the quilt, then I’ll create a rough pattern to work from. I’ll figure out the math and write out the steps to make the quilt. That way I can follow my own directions, and pattern test the quilt as I go, making notes along the way.

 Facets Using EQ7 really came in handy when I submitted my book proposal to the publisher. I was able to show them all of my design ideas in full color and they approved every single one with great enthusiasm!

I’ve included images of some of the design sketches I created in EQ7, and you can see how closely they resemble the actual quilts in the book!

My personal favorite quilt from the book is Facets. I used some of my favorite solid colors and am excited that they will soon be available as a precut bundle through Robert Kaufman. Just look for the “Christa Watson Designer Palette” in October. In fact, I love these colors so much, I created another design using them called Puzzle Box. It was so helpful being able to use the Kona Cotton Palette directly in EQ while I designed! Of course this quilt would look great in your favorite fabrics, too!

Puzzle Box I’m offering my design, Puzzle Box, as a free EQ7 download as my way of saying thanks to the EQ community who have supported me in my journey.

CLICK HERE for Christa’s free EQ7 project download, “Puzzle Box.”

CLICK HERE for the blog hop schedule, giveaways and to see all the quilts in the book.

CLICK HERE to get your copy of Christa’s new book, Machine Quilting with Style.

EQ7 GIVEAWAY

To win your very own EQ7 (for PC or Mac), leave a comment answering this question: If you had EQ7, what would your first project be?

(Winner will be chosen at random. Contest ends Friday, September 25th at 9am. One comment per person.)


Click below to see more of Christa’s EQ7 designs and how closely they match her finished quilts!

Lightning Focal Point Square in a Square


Love Christa’s style? Want to learn EQ7?

Sign up for Christa’s EQ7 class: Getting Started with EQ7!

EQ Academy 2016