Oh, my word…I’m so excited to tell you about the latest quilt book I bought. It’s a book about free motion quilting called Free-Motion Combinations by Christa Cameli.
Before I tell you about this book…I want to tell you that this author is my favorite when it comes to free motion quilting.
I have her first book…First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting. I enjoyed this one.
Then I got her next book, Step by Step Free Motion Quilting. This book, I adored!! I still reference back to it often. It has been my favorite free-motion quilting book. I have used the design on the front cover of the book several times. I just love it.
So…You can imagine how excited I was when her latest book Free-Motion Combinations came out.
Do you see the front cover of the book, these combinations are exactly the style I have been looking to do. I’ve seen this on quilts in magazines and have wanted to do something like this but didn’t have a clue of where to start.
Here are some of the designs from the book…
Aren’t they so pretty??
I don’t need every quilt I make to look like this but WOW! I wish I could do this on a few of them.
I can do a single motif but coming up with the combinations…nope, I haven’t really ever done that.
Now about the book…
I’ll explain a bit about how the book is laid out.
I loved this design on the back cover. It is the one in the corner that has the half circles with the design inside the circle. Of all the designs, I thought I could try that one the easiest. I’ve free-motioned the baptist fan design before so maybe I could do this one.
I ended up going to the front of the book and seeing the section about making the half circles.
Then I went to the center of the book and saw how they put that into practice. There are the semi-circles and there were some ideas on how to execute the design…hmm. I love that.
Here is another design. To make it, I would need to perfect three designs, a swirl, a pebble, and a star…and then I would practice to put them all together. Oh my…I love this idea too.
I think I need to spend a night with a dry erase board and marker and play. That’s how I typically practice designs and I will definitely need some practice.
Here are the different combinations that the author shares in the book. Oh my, there’s not a single one that I don’t like. Just beautiful!!
I will be looking and dreaming about this book and the designs in it for a long time. All of the combos are artwork all on their own. Even if I never am able to execute any of these, I sure am having fun looking and practicing.
If you are interested in any of her books, you can find them by following the links.
First Steps to Free-Motion Quilting
Step by Step Free Motion Quilting
Free-Motion Combinations
I love the last two books so much and am so happy to have them in my collection!
I have really liked having all three of these FMQ books over the years. I practice drawing and stitching but I have not gotten as good as you are, by any means. Glad that you like these books and patterns, too.
I have also been able to take a few ZOOM classes with her, too, along with several Craftsy classes.
I am practicing FMQ on Dog Mats that I donate to ARF, a homeless animal shelter in Walnut Creek, CA.
Such beautiful quilting. I am just starting to learn FMQ on my domestic machine. I am having fun but one design seems to be my go-to. I call it my “no rhyme or reason” design – lots of loops. I’m just having fun. I have always thought the quilting you do is mighty good. Her design no. 96 is one I would like to learn.
These designs are beautiful but when it comes to actually putting them on a quilt for me they are often too much quilting. I finish a lot of “grandma” quilts and they want them soft and snuggly. I’ll have to choose one of my own to play on.
I have her 2nd book and LOVE it!! Thanks for sharing your review of Christina’s new book. Your enthusiasm sold me on giving it a try!
Fabulous quilting. I know you’ll crack them, you’re a superstar with (and without) a quilting machine. I look forward to seeing your quilting.
Regards from England
I’ve given up on these books. Sure, I can do a 14 inch square of fabric/batting/backing great and my sample looks like the book. It’s easy to manipulate the sample but it never translates to doing an entire quilt. I am in awe of people who do this on their domestic machine.
Be sure to look up Angela Walters tutorials on free motion quilting. It is so helpful to actually watch the motion and movement as she too goes from one design to another. Her Midnight Quilt Show has inspired me for years
I’m starting a 12 week FMQ class next week, we just did a Q&A session. Looking forward to learning this!
I just took her Combos class last week at QuiltCon and had so much fun. She’s a great teacher and leads you step by step through her process. She doesn’t just teach her designs but also how to approach making your own combinations. Have fun with it!
Looking at the picture where she had all the patterns done in small squares to fit the page .it would be fun to see a plain quilt using simple 12 inch blocks in many complimentary colors with a different pattern on each block. It would be a lot of work but worth it.