A Few Scraps

How Should I Quilt It?

Wed, 24 Aug 2022 22:40:10 +0200

(Hey there! I learned that my old blog delivery service stopped working, so I signed up for a new one. You'll still be getting my blog posts emailed - it may look different though!)

I've been waiting to get that fixed up to tell you about something special I cooked up! For the past two years I've been chipping away at this little project:

I recorded my talk about how I decide on quilting designs!! I categorized all the ways I look at a quilt top to come up with quilting ideas, and then showed examples of those ideas in action. I also made a worksheet to guide you to come up with your own quilting ideas! The talk is How Should I Quilt It? and it's available through Creative Spark and using my link will get you $5 off through the end of August. I would love to hear what you think!

Here's a video to show a little bit more about the talk:

I'd love to know how you like using the worksheet!

Oh, also, while email delivery was down you might have missed news of the free quilt along with Quilting Daily!

That's all for today loves!

The Harmony and Light Quilt Along!

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 03:24:18 +0200

Hey folks, quick update here!

I made this lovely quilt! It's called "Harmony and Light" and the pattern is in this month's Quiltmaker magazine. But if you don't subscribe, no problem - because it's available for free through the Quilting Daily Quilt Along!

The Quilt Along runs through October. When you sign up you can download the pattern as well as see videos of every step in the process, including how I quilted it!

You don't need a specialty ruler, just the printable templates that I'll show you how to use with your regular quilting ruler. I made the quilt using Saguaro fabric and Starlight Metallics. It requires quarter yards of each fabric, and fat quarters work too, so if you got a fat quarter bundle of Saguaro a while back, this would be a great use for it!

I look forward to seeing the quilts you make with this pattern!

Things I made with Saguaro fabric

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 16:28:00 +0200

Coming back to the blog after the Year Everything Changed, I see I forgot to post about some things I made. I am so proud of these quilts with my lovely new fabric, how did I miss this?? I remember writing about them, but now I remember that was in my newsletter. (Sign up using the link at the bottom of my website if you want to get on it!)

Well, my new fabric line Saguaro came out - I think I mentioned that in one of my posts! This is the flagship pattern, also called Saguaro. These cactus only grow in a narrow slice of the Southwest, where I happened to grow up. If you see a Saguaro with arms, it's at least 80 (!) years old! I love this tribute to the land I know so well. The quilt is out touring quilt shops and I can't wait until it's home!

I worked harder perfecting this pattern than any I've ever done. The Saguaro quilt pattern is available as a digital download, or as a printed pattern carried by quilt shops. I've really loved seeing the finished Saguaro quilts people have made. In prints or solids, it's striking and lovely!

Next up, this simple beauty called Cactus Flower. It's a sweet table runner that is english paper pieced. The digital pattern includes a link to a printable file to cut out your own pieces, or you can buy them from PaperPieces.com. I've been considering making kits for this one. It's satisfying to sew, and I'd like to make a single flower as a pillow for our couch!

Now for those who like a little challenge, here is a diamond-block based quilt called Painted Desert. The template is included with the pattern. This quilt is touring too!! Come home baby I miss you!!

The digital Painted Desert pattern is here. I really like how I quilted this one. It was not complicated or time consuming but it packs a nice punch of texture and variety.

Finally, here is a quick quilt with a twist, using a layer cake (10" squares). It's called Thunderclap. I really had a great time quilting this one too. I love the energy it has. The digital pattern for Thunderclap is in my shop as well!

OK now I feel better that I gave these quilts their moments! Have you made any of these quilts?

More Quilting Joy (even when it's late)

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 16:46:41 +0200

Well that title says it all. It's what I want to put out there in the world. More quilting joy!

I realize didn't even share my new book that released in October! I don't know what to say about how I missed this one, I'm filing it under "Last Year Was Bonkers".

Free-Motion Combinations is all about how you can get more free-motion designs into the same piece.

It's got so many of the lessons I've learned about HOW you make it all work together. I wish I had had this book to learn from 10 years ago! I think I would have tried new things sooner and my quilting would have gotten better a lot faster.

I teach you how to make these specific designs, but more importantly, I share the concepts behind them so you can use my approaches in your own way!

If you prefer learning from videos, I put some of those same "aha!" lessons in my new online class, Finding your Flow.

I recorded this class for Quiltcon Together and it got great reviews. I love the work my students have sent me after taking this class. Your feedback makes my day!

On the horizon I am working on a class about how I look at a quilt top to decide how to quilt it. If you have questions I can answer in this class I would love to hear them because I'll start recording next week!

Happy stitching all!

Scrappy Quarter Cabins rides again

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 20:41:03 +0200

You know who still knows how to blog? This girl! But here's something you might not know about blogging: a week after I hit publish all these spam comments begin to show up on my posts. Comments with links about joining the illuminati, or dish washer repair in Dubai, or how to wear a wig, or how to get your husband back. Sometimes the same comment 10 times. Yikes. I don't want that garbage all over my blog, so I set my comments to be "moderated" starting 3 days after publishing. And then those spammy spammers don't get to advertise on the blog, but also my readers' nice normal thoughtful comments also don't show unless I go to the blogger site to read and approve them. Which I forgot to do. For almost whole year. And there were so many incredibly sweet comments in there, that I just found today and if you're one of the people who left them, I'm not actually a jerk, I just forgot to check my comments! I'll be responding now that I know they're there!

Anyway, just popping in with a little news about a class I recorded called Scrappy Quarter Cabins. Here's the story: A while ago I wrote a tutorial on this blog about how to make scrappy quarter log cabin blocks. The tutorial was just on making the blocks, which was enough for some of you to make lovely quilts. I then taught the class in person once, just before the pandemic, which was wonderful, and then after I figured out how to teach online, I started teaching it live for quilt guilds on Zoom. I gave the participants a printable pattern for how to finish up a throw size quilt and it worked great! It was so fun to see their finished quilts in my email afterward!

As I continued to teach, I decided there were some things I could record to make online teaching to guilds easier/more efficient/more effective. And then I decided it could be a class available to individuals to watch too!

And that's where I stared to make things complicated. While no one would expect to see me finish an entire quilt in a 3 hour class, it is possible to see that in a recorded class. So I really should show the entire finished quilt, I figured. Which means I need to make one as I record. And I should really show how to quilt it too, right, since I teach domestic machine quilting? Of course! And that's how I started recording in February and didn't finish until April the day before we moved.

So then my life became about all the happy transitions happening, and the videos waited patiently for me to find more time. Which I will never find, because I keep getting too many good ideas and wow are there a lot of kids in this house.

Luckily, I am happy to say I figured out that I can't do it all (without even having a crisis first!) and brought in help in the form of a former nurse an all around super hero in my quilt guild named Erin. She took the videos, made them look and sound spiffy, and now we can all breathe a sigh of relief that THAT project got finished!

If you'd like to check out the free tutorial, click here. If you'd like the killer videos and pattern and quilting suggestions, click here! Happy stitching everyone. And oh my gosh leave your comments before the weekend is over or I might not see them until 2023!!!

Scrappy Quarter Cabin Tutorial

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:31:37 +0200

UPDATE: This tutorial has been expanded into an online class: to get access to the printable pattern and video tutorials you can sign up for Scrappy Quarter Cabins with Christina Cameli.

I promised a scrap busting tutorial and you all told me this was the one you were interested in! Wow there are so many pictures in here! If you enjoy this tutorial be sure to check out my new class on improvisational piecing, this is one of many ideas I share in the class!

The blocks in the piece above were made using an improvisational method based on a log cabin quilt block. It's a little different than a standard log cabin. Most people would call this a quarter log cabin. Ready? Let's do it. Starting with supplies.

Every log cabin block starts with a center. In the piece above I used charm squares (5" x 5" squares). True story about these squares: the very first time I went to quilt market I sat in on a schoolhouse session given by Cheryl Arkison and won a stack of low volume charm squares. That was six years ago and because I never get rid of anything, I finally put them to good use! You don't need charm squares, it's just what I used. Anything squarish or rectangley would work. If you like the sort of coordinated look of my piece, keep the centers all about the same color.

You'll also need some strips from your scrap bin. I picked a desert sort of color scheme that helped me narrow down what to pull out of my voluminous scrap collection. (Sharp eyes will spot a couple prints from my advance yardage of my new fabric line, Moongate! I just totally love that my own fabric scraps are finding their way into my work now. It's truly the best feeling.)

Something that makes scrappy work sparkle is little pieced strips. I piece little bits of scraps (I call them "crumbs") into longer strips. (I have a whole lesson on crumbs in my class!) I pulled some crumb strips out of my stash that worked with my color scheme.

So now we're ready to start. You're going to see me build 3 blocks.

I take each center (for a quarter cabin this will actually be more of a corner) and find a strip to add to the side. I trim the strip to about the length of the side I'm adding it to. We're not being finicky here. If you cut it a little too short or too long, no problem. This is improv. There are no wrong moves. Also, notice in the photo below I've got my scissors. When I started quilting I didn't have a cutting mat and rotary cutter. And you know what? I still made cool quilts. So if all you have is scissors and a sewing machine, you're ready!

After the strips are the right length, I flip them over onto the centers so they are right sides together. Then I stack all the centers with their strips on top of each other in a little pile. I place each block down a little from the block before so they will be easy to pick up as I go.

I stitch them together with about a 1/4" seam. Does it matter if your seam is not exact? No, it doesn't. We are not doing precision patchwork here. Low stress. Just sew.

When I finish adding one strip I just slide the next center and strip under the foot without lifting the foot or cutting the thread. This is called chain piecing.

After they're all added I press them open with my iron. I trim away any excess strips that extend past the edge of the block center.

Now let's do that whole thing again! Pick strips for the next side (going either direction) and trim them to size.

Stack and stitch again.

Press them open and now it's time to do it again. But wait! If this was a normal log cabin you'd go to the next open side of that center. But in a quarter cabin, we don't keep going around the center, we go back to the first side, leaving two sides without any strips added.

Also did you see me tossing in one of those pieced strips above? Yum. I usually get at least one pieced strip in each block.

As you trim your strips you will start to collect scraps. You might just sew some of those together to make your own pieced strips as you go!

When you get several little scraps sewn together, just trim up the edges to make them straight so they're easy to join.

Here's the next round I'm setting up. Oh no! I want to use the green polka dots on the left but that strip isn't long enough!

So I join a few more scraps to it and yay! It will be long enough.

I trimmed the edge straight after sewing those bits together.

That round is done.

Let's do the next round. Here's a subtle thing to notice: the top block has something special going on. If I was strictly following the pattern I would always go from one side to the next and then back. But for that block the last strip I added was on the left side and now I'm adding another one on the left side. Can I do that? Of course I can! You only have to follow the rules you want to. Also, some unpredictability makes for interesting patchwork.

I also decided there was a little too much of that gold brown so I cut it narrower. No rules folks. Trust your instincts.

There we go.

And below there's another round finished.

And now I'm starting to ask myself: how big do I want these to get? I think it's easiest when I trim each of these blocks to the same size. You don't need to do that of course, but it will sure make putting everything together at the end simpler. These are looking about the right size to me so I measure them. This one is 8" wide. That seems like a good size so I'm going to go with it.

But the other direction isn't 8" yet so it needs another strip or two added to make it big enough.

I picked out a few to bring the blocks to size...

After those additions they're quite big enough!

Using my quilting ruler and/or cutting mat, I trim all the blocks to 8" x 8". Notice in the picture below I cut off a significant bit of the center block. This is good. It creates variety in the centers so that even though I started with centers of the same size, I end up with different sizes at the end.

There they are! Three lovely scrappy blocks, trimmed to the same size.

Do that over and over and you get amazing patchwork!!

In the piece above, I set the blocks "on point". On point patchwork requires that you use some triangles at the corners and sides to fill in around whole blocks. I made my triangles by cutting up full size blocks. That's not how you would do it with precision patchwork because the triangles would be a little smaller than you needed for a nice smooth edge. But this isn't precision patchwork and losing a little bit of the edge won't be a big deal, so I recommend doing it the easy way unless you like quilt calculations.

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial! I would appreciate seeing anything you create with it! If you want a more in depth tutorial with videos and a quilt plan, have a look at my online class Scrappy Quarter Cabins. Happy stitching everyone!

Sonoran Star (free pattern) and a summer wedding...

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 16:34:49 +0200

Happy summer everyone!

I am back with the sweetest of news: I have a free quilt pattern and *love* is in the air!

First things first: my husband and I tied the knot earlier this month and we are officially a blended family with four kids! It absolutely could not have gone better and living together after four years of dating, I feel like the luckiest lady every day.

I feel like I want you to celebrate with us so here's our dance playlist on Spotify for when you need a musical energy boost! And our DJ also made a short video of the big day, which was so nice of him.

OK but this IS a quilting blog so let's get to the quilting...

Saguaro fabric is getting out in the world, hooray! I did a fun Facebook Live with local quilt shop Montavilla Sewing Center about the background of this collection. (They are a great place to call and order yardage from if you need some Saguaro in your life!).

And there's a free pattern to share! Maywood Studio and I have collaborated on this baby size quilt pattern that uses a charm pack. I named it Sonoran Star and you can download the free pattern here: Sonoran Star Free Quilt Pattern

Also Missouri Star Quilt Company recently used this pattern and fabric for a tutorial video! You can check that out here: Sonoran Star Tutorial

There are still some precuts in the shop if you didn't get in on my preorder. Every fabric order will be sent with one of my little Saguaro fabric stickers!

And speaking of precuts, Missouri Star is on a roll - a strip roll! They use a roll of Saguaro in their Lakeview Terrace Quilt, see the video tutorial here.

So that's all the links I can send you to for now! I'll try to get back later this week with a full roundup of the Saguaro patterns I've published too, as all the patterns are now available digitally in my shop!

Free Project: Green Thumb Tea Towels

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 18:20:50 +0200

Hello everyone! I have a great little project to share today. A sweet raw edge, free-motion stitched tea towel featuring some of my favorite things: houseplants!! Using by the yard toweling, this is a quick project to freshen your home!

I am so thrilled to hang these in my new kitchen. The little scraps just make me smile (of course, because I love scraps)

Download the pattern here (I did this video at the request of National Sewing Circle, they will ask for your email address to download the pattern.)

You can see a recording of my demo of how to make the towels here: Watch on Facebook

I'd love to see if you make one! Happy stitching!

Firework: National Quilt Museum free block pattern

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 20:00:03 +0200

Hello again!

I'm happy to share a pretty little block I designed for the National Quilt Museum's Block of the Month Program. The free pattern is available starting today at: https://quiltmuseum.org/blockofthemonth/.

The pattern includes a printable wedge template and is complicated but not too complicated. And you know me: I designed it to work with smaller scraps of fabric!

This year the NQM BOM is being done with each block quilted individually, and they will be pieced together at the end. So I also posted a little video of how I quilted mine: https://youtu.be/iub58_roahQ

We recently had a snowstorm in Portland, which only happens once a year or so, and I couldn't resist trying to get a "quilt in the snow" photo. But it was so icy I couldn't make it farther than my front yard! I'm including this questionable photo anyway.

I have enjoyed seeing how creative the NQM group on Facebook have been with each month's block and I can't wait to see how they approach this one.

Splashdown: Free Pattern for charm packs!

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 04:30:28 +0200

When Maywood Studio asked me to design fabric they let me know they usually offered a free pattern to go along with the fabric. They told me I could design it or they could. I decided I wanted to design it, because the whole collection felt like my baby, and this is what I came up with: a baby quilt that can be made with a charm pack!

The quilt measures 40" x 40". I called it Splashdown and it is a tribute to the way astronauts returned safely to earth in early space travel: their capsule would descend through the atmosphere, deploy parachutes and then land in the ocean. In the quilt, the center plus sign indicates the intended landing site, and the outward echoing half-square triangles represent the landing "splash"!

To see a PDF of the pattern, click here. You can then save the file to your computer if you wish.

Hot tip: the pattern is written for a single charm pack, BUT, if you have four charm packs (or a layer cake - a collection of 10" squares) you could make the pattern four times, for a larger, 80" x 80" quilt! Check out how that might look!

The thing I'm most proud of is making those diagonal geese in the corners easy to piece, without paper piecing. I'm sure other quilters have figured that one out before me, but all the same I was delighted when it turned out!

If you end up using the pattern I'd love to see how it turns out! Those of you who ordered fabric from me should be receiving it this week! Thanks for all the Moongate love!

There were a couple of non-critical errors in the originally published pattern but the link has been updated now.

Baby Vista Quilt, Reflected Variation

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 15:39:01 +0200

I recently finished a baby quilt for a special baby!

This quilt was made with half a strip roll of Moongate Fabric following the baby-size version of my pattern Vista. I used the pattern a different way than originally written, though. Below is the original baby quilt layout in the pattern, a mountain-inspired design.

I switched up which rows I used in this variation, and how I used them.

I kind of like that you can mix and match the rows in this pattern to get something totally unique. If you'd like to make this version, I've written notes below so you can do it too!

Vista Baby Quilt Reflected Variation

Start the pattern as written, through the "Make Strip Pairs" step.

Then, rotate each of the top 5 strip pairs, so that the strip that was on the top of each pair is now on the bottom of the pair.

Then, use the instructions in the "Make Rows" section to turn your strip pairs into rows.

Follow the list below to learn which instructions to follow for each strip pair. (Also shown in illustration below)

Strip set 1 (top): Row A

Strip set 2: Row B

Strip set 3: Row C

Strip set 4: Row B

Strip set 5: Row D

Strip set 6: Row D

Strip set 7: Row B

Strip set 8: Row C

Strip set 9: Row B

Strip set 10 (bottom): Row A

After the Rows are complete, rotate each of the top 5 rows again, so that the original top strip is back on top again and the triangles for these rows are pointing down. Join the rows as in the original pattern.

I quilted my version with this fluid textural design that I really love right now. It's a variation of the design I teach in my new Pathway Pillow class. I really had fun quilting this and it's already in the hands of the new parents!! I'd love to see your version if you make a Vista Quilt!

Listen in on the Quilt and Tell Podcast!

Sat, 04 Jul 2020 01:03:35 +0200

I had the good fortune of being invited to the Quilt and Tell podcast with Tracy, Ginger and Lori last week. I've been on a few podcasts and the interview was always 1-on-1, but I have to say, I love the sweet format of the group discussion! It felt natural and friendly to chat with them. If you want a little quilty company in a quiet moment, listen in!!

Oh also, good news that QuiltCon 2021, next February, will be held online! I think this was a wise decision and I'm glad they made it early. I'm teaching a few classes and giving a lecture during the event. The organizers at the MQG seem to be doing a great job planning ahead to make this a thoughtful and enriching experience. The classes will be recorded, and some in-person sessions available too. You can see the course catalog here. Maybe you'll find one you like! Registration opens next month for MQG members and then in September for non-members.

If you prefer smaller, real-time classes I am teaching a few classes a month on Zoom, generally limited to 8 students each. I'm having fun teaching this way and my students seem to be enjoying it too. We universally agree that it is very convenient to not have to pack up your machine and all your sewing tools for a class! It's also pretty great that ANYone can join in. So far I've taught students from Ireland, Canada, Singapore and London! What an unexpected joy!

However we do or don't cross paths, I hope you're doing well and getting some time for making these days.

I guess I'm an editor now

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 11:24:28 +0200

So...some big things went down with Bluprint. Most of you know already but for those who haven't: NBC decided to shut down the craft instruction streaming service. Not only does this make me worried for the many wonderful people I've worked with in my years of making quilting videos with the Denver-based team, it was a big snafu for me. Bluprint is a big chunk of my business income and they own the footage for the 6 video classes that I've poured my heart into making with them. It'll be hard to watch all that disappear.

The closure felt extra complicated to me when it was announced, because I was less than a week from shooting a class with Bluprint, in my home, about making these improvisational style quilted pillows. They were going to send me equipment and guide me through the lighting and filming over a web conference and then I would send them the footage so they could work their editing magic. After preparing for the class for a month, watching it go down the drain was a big disappointment.

I spent a day feeling cranky and stuck, and then the next day I decided to just go ahead and shoot the class anyway. The worst thing that would happen would be no one would want to watch it!

So that's what I've been working on for the last few weeks. I did not have "video editing" on my 2020 bingo card, that's for sure. Life is full of surprises! Not only did I learn how to edit, but my 11 year old daughter was my cameraperson! And she did great.

So the big news is that the class launched today. I named it "The Pathway Pillow". I've spent a lot of time figuring out where to host the class, writing the pattern and cleaning up the music in the videos. It feels so good to be able to say the class is ready!! I really hope you love it if you decide to join in. And I'm open to suggestions about what sort of class I should record next! I'd like to think the next one might be a little smoother now that we've made it through the first one. If you do check it out, I've created a discount code for 25% off that will be good for the next week: LEMONADE.

Happy stitching everyone!

Drawing Together

Sun, 26 Apr 2020 23:45:14 +0200

Hello all! Checking in with a few quick updates. Hoping you are healthy and have what you need right now. Life in lockdown is busy and weird and exhausting! First off, I am home from work, like so many of you. And helping my kids with school from home, like so many others are. Creativity is not coming easy but I'm of the mind that that's normal for times like this. I've been through times of less creativity and it always comes back.

I really miss teaching, and have had to cancel several classes. In replacement for that particular joy I've started doing a daily quilt design video. I'm calling this project "Drawing Together". You can see previous days' videos at : https://www.instagram.com/afewscraps/channel/ and I also post them on my Facebook page.

One benefit of being home is I have a little time to focus on my business. I've restocked fabric in my shop for those of you who are looking to buy fabrics right now. What an awkward time to release a first fabric collection, eh?! I've also added my pretty little enamel pins to the store.

Wishing for little moments of peace and color and joy for you!

All the news that is news!

Thu, 27 Feb 2020 19:37:11 +0200

Hi folks! I just got back from teaching at QuiltCon where I get to connect in person with folks I've taught through my books and online classes. Even though I taught 7 classes and gave a lecture, I came back full of energy. I love hearing about all the successes you've had with free-motion quilting from my classes, or how I helped you feel calmer about the whole thing. It's delightful. We are in this together!

I have a ton of updates for you. First, my new fabric is sooooo close to launching. If you follow me on Instagram you've seen a ton of it. Here are some photos!

Through this weekend only, I'm taking orders for precuts. Because of my well documented aversion to postal tasks, this is a one-time thing, and also I can only handle shipping to the US. As I like to say, I have a day job. But rest assured your local fabric shop can order this from Maywood studio or major distributors! Chat me up to your quilty folk!

To go along with the collection, I designed a bunch of patterns. By some oversight I haven't even showed the full shots of them here yet. Ridiculous! To fix that, allow me to introduce my quartet of quilts:

The photo above is my absolute favorite of the bunch. This pattern is called Hologram. It shows my new Horizon Ombres off in the very best light, with a shimmery glimmery magic. I am so proud of this quilt design. It's made with a wedge template (you can't stop me with the wedges!) but it's all really simple construction in rows. Do not fear.

Simple quilting on this one, just enough to reinforce the spirit of the piecing. You can make this with the 1/2 yard ombre bundle in the shop, and if you want you can add on the Hologram paper pattern.

Next up is Hive Mind. This little lady got to hang at QuiltCon. My goal was designing a pattern that looks like it wasn't made from a pattern. I think it succeeded! Bonus, this quilt is made from 2 1/2 inch strips, so if you have a couple of strip rolls, don't wait! It's a multisite pattern so you can go big if you want to. Here's a close up of the quilting:

And because Maywood studio said it would be good to design patterns that worked with precuts, I designed this pattern, Vista. It's cleverly designed to use just one strip roll. I love the modern mountains gleaming through, and how it really shows the color range in my collection. There is also a variation in the pattern to make a baby size quilt with half the strip roll, instead of the one large throw. As you can probably guess, this one goes together so quickly.

I took my time quilting this one and tried rulers for the first time on my sort of new longarm. So satisfied with the results! A little straight line quilting and a lot of FMQ is just right for me.

Finally, one I finished just recently, Bright Journey. I got a great shot of it in the desert while visiting my family. Besides the solid this takes just four different ombres, 1/2 yard each. I love the way the ombres just naturally create sparkle. This twin size pattern is a good choice when you're quilting for folks that traditional quilting patterns aren't quite right for. It's really about the graphic geometrics and color play. All that negative space was dreamy to just quilt without thinking too hard.

I can't believe I'm sharing so much good stuff in one little post!! Thanks for reading through it all! If you want digital patterns (or actual fabric), check out my shop on my fancy new website: www.christinacameli.com. Paper patterns can be ordered by your local quilt shop, I can't keep up with the post office trips to sell them myself. Tell your quilt shop what you want to buy; they like getting you what you want!

Bonus, for folks in the Pacific Northwest: If you happen to be in Portland March 6th, I will have a Moongate release party at Montavilla Sewing Center in Lake Oswego. Register on their site to get free fabric and be entered into the door prize drawing! They're also offering a discount for all fabric purchases that night to attendees!

Happy stitching everyone!

New website reveal, and a pattern for subscribers

Thu, 14 Nov 2019 19:59:52 +0200

Wow, two blog posts in one week. How unusual! As sometimes happens, months of work behind the scenes leaves me with a bunch of good stuff to share all at once!

I've been tinkering into the nights on a website. I've gone for years with just my little blog and now my business is growing to look like a business, with an email list, and its own website!

I designed it myself and it feels bright and happy and personal. Sitting down to organize all the work I've done had me realizing: I've really created a lot to be proud of! I should have made this website long ago!

There are no changes to the blog planned, and you should be able to continue reading it however you do right now. But you can also find me at www.christinacameli.com. There you can find links to my classes and patterns as well as see all my recent blog posts, such as this week's scrappy quarter cabin tutorial.

I have also started an email list, that allows me to send newsletters to my subscribers (without needing to post publicly, like on my blog). This will be a great way to share musings, special offers, and my favorite thing to share: inspiration. As a thank you for joining my email list, I'm sharing a pattern I've previously offered for sale.

This pattern for quilted nesting buckets takes 1/2 yard of fabric and turns it into a cute giftable set, with some free-motion practice built in!

I stacked them for the photo but you'll see they fit nicely together.

If you've subscribed to the blog by email, that is a different subscription. To get my newsletters and the link to download the buckets pattern, please go to the website and if the little subscribe form doesn't pop up right away, there is a link at the bottom of the page to join. If you subscribe to any other quilter's newsletters, I'd love to hear your advice about what makes you love a newsletter. I want to add good things to your inbox!

Curious cats might also take a peek at the new shop that I'm setting up. New patterns will be available soon and I'll be selling the digital versions on my site! I popped a couple in there already but haven't announced them yet.

I hope I see you on the email list. Happy stitching!

Scrappy Totes!

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 15:30:02 +0200

New Class Alert: The Scrappy Market Tote!

(this post contains affiliate links, which help me get paid more for my creative work!)

I recently shared a bunch of scrappy piecing I did this summer. (and I still remember I promised a tutorial! Coming!) This week I can share what all that scrappy stuff was for!

I made a class with Bluprint that is all about improvisational piecing with scraps. As in, you take whatever fabric scraps you have and sew them together however you like. The class turned out great: fast paced and full of beautiful things to look at and ideas to try.

In The Scrappy Market Tote we explore scrappy piecing in four different lessons. Using up scraps just makes my heart sing. And working without a pattern is so fun!! I show lots of variations of the basic ideas to get your wheels turning about something that would fit your style.

After making a scrappy panel, we turn it into a quilted bag that is just the right size and sturdiness for using as a market tote. I have used a pair of similar handmade quilted market bags for the past 6 years and they are still holding up. They start some lovely conversations in the checkout line!

I imagine there's a lot of ways this Scrappy Market Tote class will be used. Maybe you discover one particular technique that you love, and make a whole quilt out of it. Maybe you dip your toe into improv piecing for the first time, because making a bag is smaller and less intimidating than making a whole quilt. Or maybe you don't do the scrappy piecing at all, and you just use the included pattern to make yourself some sturdy quilted totes out of whatever quilted pieces you already have.

I'd love to hear how you use the class! And how your scrappy totes are received in the world! I've heard some great feedback about the class from some of you speed demons who already found it; thanks for checking it out and reporting back, you curious quilters! Bluprint subscribers, if you love the class you can choose it as one of your "keep forever" classes.

I feel like I've just been full of big news. There's been plenty to celebrate. I'm looking forward to some quiet time to get back to my scrap bin. I hope you get some too. Happy stitching everyone!

Moongate Fabric and Horizon Ombres sneak peek

Sat, 26 Oct 2019 16:11:53 +0200

I'm on a quick trip to preview my new fabrics at the twice-a-year trade show in Houston, known as Quit Market. It's a good chance to sit down and make a blog post to share the fabrics too! There are a total of 29 prints in the Moongate collection. I left a few out when I was hurriedly taking these photos before work but I think you get a good feel for the collection. Does it feel spacey to you?

8 of the prints are ombres. They have a very subtle quilting design of mine printed over them.

I'm also releasing patterns to go along with the collection. Oh my gosh writing a bunch of patterns at once is quite demanding! Also, placing an order for printed patterns involves high dollar amounts that kind of make me nervous!

In the picture below you can see the full color range of one of the ombres. Free motion quilting looks so good on it!! This is my Light Speed quilt that some of you tested for me. It's such a fun pattern.

One extra special detail about this collection is that on the selvage of each ombre there is a special message unique to that color. So a total of 8 messages in all. I had fun choosing them, in the hopes that they would find you at just the right time. One example is below, as well as a close up of something I made with....of course....the scraps!!

I brought to market 4 quilts I designed with the collection. But I only had 3 weeks from the time fabric came in to when I left for market. For a single parent with a day job that's wayyyyy too tight of a timeframe. Luckily I had the help of some stunt sewists in Portland who pieced two of the tops. I am happy to have a part in this industry and my commitment to myself is that I will do the amount of work that is sustainable and just be ok that having limits means I won't be meeting everyone's expectations.

I got to know my long arm machine better by quilting these on a deadline. There was no way for me to procrastinate and fuss. It was just what I needed and I'm feeling much more proficient now that I've quilted 8 (I think) quilts on it so far. The longarm is incredibly fast, which is why I got it. I knew I would need to be able to finish quilts faster to share more of my work.

That last quilt above is all ombres. They are just so fun and full of potential! I'm finishing up the print patterns and I will post full pictures of the quilts soon and patterns for all of them will be available in print or digital download! So here are answers to some questions you might have:

When does the fabric come out? It will ship to stores in February.

Will there be precuts? Yes! Charms, 10 inch squares, strip rolls and FQ sets will all be available.

Where can I buy them? This fabric is from Maywood Studio. If your local quilt shop already carries Maywood fabric, let them know you're interested in this collection! If you need to order online, I will be sure to share when I hear of a shop offering a preorder.

Happy stitching folks! More to come next week!

Scrappy and Fabulous things are happening

Sat, 14 Sep 2019 01:09:47 +0200

School started and so has the rain in Portland. We're no longer trying to camp and play in the water every spare moment! We ate soup this week and baked an apple crisp with our homegrown apples. The little delights that make it easier to say farewell to warmer, drier days. And moving indoors more means it's finally time to open the computer and send a report!

I spent a large part of my work time this summer sewing my scraps together. How about these little crumbs and strings??

As you can see, when I use my scraps up I use them improvisationally, without cutting them to a specific size first. I love working this way. It is so intuitive and spontaneous. I feel like it is profoundly therapeutic to just sit down and match fabrics together and sew them up.

Sometimes using a lot of scraps together can have a chaotic "too much" effect and so I used different techniques to control the chaos. Whether that's adding some solids for visual order, narrowing a color scheme, grouping by color or working light to dark, I think a little intentionality goes a long way.

I often throw myself into sewing when the kids are at their dads. It makes the time go faster and I can immerse myself in color and shapes in a way I can't when I'm also being a mom. That focused, deep work pattern lends itself to big projects!! All these samples were done as I was preparing a new class for Bluprint! Some shots taken by my producer, Brandon, give you a behind the scenes glimpse.

Shooting these classes is exhilarating and exhausting. There are always three cameras going! I usually come away feeling a funny mixture of warm pride and extreme self consciousness. Ha! Anyway, I think this will be a really fun class! I hope it gets people using up their scraps!

Bluprint's editing of my last class was very well done. It made it feel upbeat and happy, two things I love. But that great work takes time, so it'll be a month or so before this one is ready to share. I'm sure I'll be back here with blog tutorials on a lot of these scrappy things too, because there's only so much you can fit into a class! If you have a request for a tutorial on any of the specific designs I shared above please let me know so I can prioritize!

And there's one more happy thing on the horizon: Just today the news was also released that this year I took on a new challenge in the quilting world: fabric design. Maywood Studio, here in Portland, brought me into their circle of designers. My first collection is called Moongate and we will be showing more of it next month when Quilt Market happens. What we made together is beautiful, versatile, unique and sparkly. I'm so. excited. to share more, but for now, just this little graphic with hints about the collection will have to do!! Happy weekend and happy stitching everyone!

FMQ videos on You Tube, and book news!

Thu, 21 Mar 2019 22:03:02 +0200

Hi! Just a quick post today, because there's good things to share!

First, I've figured out how to quickly make little FMQ videos where I draw designs and babble about them. I posted my first one to YouTube, here it is!

If you like the video, you can subscribe to my channel on YouTube to get notifications when I post more of them.

And I'm so thrilled that my new book seems to be arriving ahead of schedule! I haven't told you much about it so how about I do that! If you're interested, preorder info is at the end of this post.

Step-by-Step Texture Quilting is all about how to get lovely texture in your quilting. It pulls together a lot of the things I've learned and tried since my last free motion quilting book came out in 2015. It covers the material I teach in my in person classes on textures and grids: including side by side examples to show you how small changes affect the look of your quilting.

Then we just jump into different free-motion (or free-motion and walking foot) designs that have great textural effect. All the designs you can see in these photos are in the book.

You'll see some of the designs are geometric, stitched in a grid: I show you how to set up different walking foot grids that will fit your quilt.

Other designs are done completely with the free-motion foot, what I call organic designs.

The photography and design of this book are beautiful. I could never have made such a beautiful book without the genius team at C&T Publishing. I hope this new book gives you lots of ideas of how to finish your quilts the way you want! The possibilities are endless, but I know when I sit down to quilt something I can forget how many options there are and I need something to help spark ideas. I wrote this book to share a bunch of ideas in a way that you could use them as is, or adapt them to your own style. I can't wait to hear what you think!

Amazon has Step-by-Step Texture Quilting right now for an unbelievable price. Seriously, I don't know how they can offer it this low and cover shipping. I wish I could do that. For my readers in the US, if you prefer buying from the little folks, I don't have as good a deal to offer but I can sign it for you! Ha! That's something Amazon can't do! The signed book is $27.50 total with shipping. To preorder, write your name in the text box below (so I know who I should sign the book to! For some of you the name you go by is not the name on your PayPal account.) and then click "Pay Now" to pay with PayPal. Preorders are now closed but you can still order the book through your local quilt shop or online!