I recently had the opportunity to view Christa Watson’s new Craftsy class, called Startup Library Quilting. I am a big fan of Christa’s work—I purchased her Quilter’s Path class as soon as it came out and learned a ton about machine quilting from it. I referred to it often when I did the Machine Quilting Blog Hop (which was based on the book The Ultimate Guide to Machine Quilting by her and Angela Walters). Christa is an excellent teacher—and I was intrigued by this class, which is a comprehensive course in quilting. (There is a code for 50% off this class at the end of this post–don’t miss it!)
Class Organization
Christa walks you through everything you ever need to know about quilting. Starting with the definition of what a quilt actually is, through fabric, thread, needles, and even a discussion about sewing machines. Is fabric grain a bit of a mystery to you? Christa covers it. She talks about how to read a quilt pattern, tips on starching, and how to use quilting rulers.
How to Make a Quilt–Beginning to End
Then she walks you through making an entire quilt from beginning to end. From fabric selection, to cutting, piecing, borders, making a pieced back, quilting, and binding. And this is an adorable quilt—with squares, rectangles, and even half-square triangles. It’s a very well thought out pattern; it teaches you a lot without being too easy or too hard.
This class is like having your best friend walk you through making an entire quilt, holding your hand and encouraging you every step of the way. And your best friend happens to be an award winning quilter! But the coolest thing is that you can go back and re-watch any lesson whenever you want. Do borders befuddle you? Watch that lesson right before you measure and cut borders for your latest project. Actually, I did exactly that—since I don’t use borders very often and found it very helpful. Ever wondered about spray basting? Christa walks you through it.
Have you ever wanted someone to walk you through all the steps of making and joining binding? Just pull up that part of the class to refresh your memory whenever you need it. I realized that my way of doing binding is a bit unorthodox, and I plan to watch this section again this afternoon when I cut and sew the binding for my latest project.
So Many Tips and Tricks!
Christa has been quilting for over 20 years and, as you can imagine, has compiled quite a list of tips and tricks. And she unselfishly shares those all throughout the class. Little asides like, “So, did those seams not quite match up? No problem, you can just leave them as is, or here are some ways to fix that”. Or, “You want to watch your bobbin thread when you are quilting. But if you forget and it runs out on you—here are a couple of ways to deal with it.” She basically makes every mistake that you are bound to make and then tells you how to fix it. It’s like saving you five years of learning things the hard way.
What If I’m Not New To Quilting?
Now, I am not exactly new to this whole quilting thing. So, was there much in there for me? Actually, yes!
As I mentioned before—I learned some things about borders, her approach to keeping the cutting process organized, ways to stack blocks for efficient chain piecing, ways to keep your rows organized for quicker assembly, and a better binding process, just to name a few So, basically, I feel that I have upped my quilting to the next level. I’ve already used several of these tips in my current project, and things are going much quicker and smoother.
Above all, Christa’s tone and manner are so friendly, encouraging, and genuine. I’ve actually met Christa in real life and can attest to the fact that she is just as she appears in the class—knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and really just there to help you.
So, wherever you are in your quilting journey—I think you would benefit from Startup Library. But especially if you are a newer quilter, or just thinking about quilting—this class will be a treasured resource—one that, after the first viewing, you will refer to over and over again—and pick up something new each time.
And I have some great news! You can get the class for 50% off if you click through from this link! Let me know what you think!
(Full disclosure: I was given free access to the class for my honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.)
