Christa Watson takes the fear out of machine quilting on a domestic sewing machine. She also designs quilt patterns and has her own fabric line with Benartex! She practices everyday, even designing new quilt patterns just to try out new quilt design ideas.
How did you get started designing quilts? Always an artist, or was there a “moment”?
I wanted to be an artist or performer ever since I was young. I couldn’t dance, sing or draw, so I thought it was out of reach, until I discovered quilting almost by accident.
A friend invited me to help make charity quilts over 25 years ago, and it was love at first stitch! At the time I was getting my degree in Business Administration and knew right away that I wanted to have my own business in the quilting industry. I began teaching quilting classes at local quilt shops in my hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. One thing led to another over the years until I finally had the confidence to write and publish patterns and books.
Where do you find your inspiration for your designs?
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I love the modern aesthetic with its emphasis on clean lines and simple, geometric forms. Many of my designs start with traditional block ideas and morph into something a little more contemporary.
When it comes to creating, are you more of a planner or an improviser?
I’m definitely a planner. I like to get all of the thinking done out of the way first. When it comes time to actually making the quilt, I can relax and enjoy the process.
What do you do differently? What is your signature that makes your work stand out as yours?
Not only do I design the quilts I make and teach to others, I also design the quilting plan to go with it. I teach others how to break down their quilt designs, so that they can plan their quilting, too!
I teach a style that I call “perfectly imperfect” machine quilting. It’s all about adding rich, dense texture to a quilt, so that it helps hide the imperfections. I embrace what I call “hand-crafted” machine quilting. You can tell the quilting was done by a person, NOT by a computer. It’s the little whimsical irregularities that give a quilt it’s charm and I absolutely love that!
Do you enter juried shows? Do you approach your work differently for these venues?
I love entering juried shows, and I’ve even won a few ribbons for my quilts in national shows. My quilting approach is exactly the same that I teach. Judges are more interested in the overall design and “wow” factor of a quilt, than whether or not the quilt is technically perfect.
I’ve even been a quilt show judge a few times. Being on the other end of things has opened my eyes to some amazing work that quilters are creating.
What is the greatest takeaway you want readers to gain from your new book, How Do I Quilt It?: Learn Modern Machine Quilting Using Walking-Foot & Free-Motion Techniques?
That they CAN quilt their own quilts and have fun doing it!! I teach a process called “Divide and Conquer” that teaches students how to break down the design of their quilt into smaller segments so that they can easily machine quilt their entire quilt step-by-step
Do you have a dedicated space for creating? If so, what does it look like?
Yes, I recently moved to our new home and was lucky enough to set up my dream sewing studio with plenty of work space.
What is your favorite storage tip for your fabric and creative supplies?
I love keeping everything behind closed doors in my studio. Unlike many others, I can’t work in a creative mess, so if I can keep my supplies organized and out of the way, I’ll be much more productive.
What are the indispensable tools and materials in your studio? How do they improve your work?
A couple of must-haves for successful machine quilting are a place to baste your quilt (I use my design wall) and a large drop-in sewing table that can hold up the weight of the quilt while quilting. I recently collaborated with Arrow Sewing to design and create the “Christa Cabinet” which is the perfect solution for domestic machine quilting!
If your quilt is nice and flat and smooth while quilting, you’ll have a much more enjoyable experience!
Do you use a sketchbook or journal? How does that help your work develop?
I make digital sketches of my quilt pattern ideas using Electric quilt software, and I take lots of inspirational pictures with my phone. Then I print off pictures of my quilt top onto paper and sketch machine quilting plan ideas on top of that.
The more that I can get my ideas out of my head and onto paper, the faster I can get to making and quilting my quilts.
What plays in the background while you work? Silence? Music, audiobooks, podcasts, movies? If so, what kind?
I love listening to podcasts while I sew. I enjoy listening to sewing and crafting podcasts as well as business podcasts. Some of my favorites are “How I Built This” by Guy Raz and “Sew & So” podcast sponsored by BERNINA. I also enjoy the “The Off-Kilter Quilt” podcast by France O’Roark Dowell, plus several others I hear about through word of mouth.
What do you do to develop your skills? How do you get better at what you do?
I practice every day.
Whenever I make a new quilt, I’m always trying out new machine quilting ideas to see how they’ll work together. In fact, I’ll often design a quilt specifically so that I can try out a new machine quilting idea.
What is your favorite tip for quilting on a domestic sewing machine?
Make a quilting plan ahead of time so you’ll have a roadmap for how to make your way around a quilt.
Also, practice on real quilts so that you can learn how to deal with bulky seams, then give them away. The recipient will love it and you’ll get better with each quilt you make!
Why does the machine quilting part of quiltmaking appeal to you so much?
I love adding that extra layer of design on top of the quilt.
Machine quilting is also a great way to add texture to the quilt while help hiding imperfections. If you have seams that don’t quite match up, you can make them less noticeable by quilting a fun meandering design across the mismatched seams.
I can safely say I’ve never made a perfect quilt, but I sure do enjoy the entire quilt making process!
Do you think that creativity comes naturally to people, or do you think creativity is a skill that people can learn?
I think it comes more easily to some people than others, but it can definitely be learned! The more time and effort you put into something, the better you’ll get. That includes exploring all ascpects of creativity to see what appeals most to you!
How do you get unstuck creatively?
I work on “fun” projects in between “work” projects.
Quilting is my full time job I’m also a fabric designer (for Benartex).
I’m currently in between design deadlines, so I’m sewing together lots of leftover bits into improvisational patchwork. I have no plan or direction for it; it’s simple mindless sewing that I can do at the end of the day to help me relax.
Tell us about your website. What do you hope people will gain by visiting?
Look for fun tutorials over on my blog at christaquilts.com and link to my free YouTube videos from it. I love for folks to visit and hopefully learn more about pursuing their quilting passions.
I also have a shop site at shop.ChristaQuilts.com where folks can find ALL of my books, patterns, notions and fabrics that I design. It’s a colorful, inviting place!
Do you lecture or teach workshops? How can students/organizers get in touch with you to schedule an event?
Yes, I teach worldwide on a regular basis, and I love to travel! Folks can contact me at [email protected] I’m usually booked a year or two in advance but it’s one of my favorite things to do.
Occasionally I’ll bring my family and we’ll make an extended trip out of it. If I have any quilty friends in Hawaii or Japan who want me to come visit, I may be willing to offer a bonus discount, just sayin!!!
Interview with Christa Watson posted February 2023
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