From Behind the Scenes: Christina Cameli’s New Harmony and Light Quilt-Along!

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One of the perks of my job that never grows old is having early access to the information and inspiration from working with quilt instructors on videos! I recently had the pleasure of working with Christina Cameli on her Harmony and Light Quilt-Along.

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The quilt’s design is truly unusual—these 60-degree wedges aren’t a typical cut for quilters. And yet, the end result is a radiant delight.

Being behind the scenes on a video shoot is often like getting one-on-one instruction. The five video lessons in this Quilt-Along cover… everything. There are tips for trimming and pressing that are eye-opening, and advice for organizing the colors you’re using that will make achieving radiant results more intuitive.

And of course, because it’s Christina Cameli, the video on free-motion quilting the final top is illuminating. Like many of us, I have anxieties when it comes to quilting the top. Christina’s frank joy in free-motion quilting comes across, and I found it inspiring. She uses a domestic machine to achieve designs that look complex and flatter the design. (The swirling motif in the white center wedges make them look like unicorn horns, in my opinion. But maybe that’s because I believe this quilt top is magical.)

Christina generally prefers a side-loading bobbin, feeling that it is better adapted to free-motion quilting than a drop-on or front-loading bobbin. For this video, she used a limited-edition HD9 from Janome. This beautiful, heavy-duty machine is a powerhouse that is designed to piece and free-motion smoothly. (The limited edition is black, which give it a cool, old-fashioned vibe.)

After filming the videos with Christina, I immediately headed home and experimented with the techniques she used for cutting.

Christina’s approach for taping paper templates to a standard ruler to cut the wedges is simple, and unlike anything I’ve done before. A lot of quilters here in our office, on first seeing Christina’s design, assumed it was paper-pieced. It sure could be, but no, each piece was rotary cut and sewn without a foundation.

Generally, I’m hesitant to invest in specialty rulers. (I’ve already got plenty, thanks!) So I played with a couple of Omnigrid rulers I had—I tried one with a 60-degree angle, and then I modified a 9-1/2” square ruler with Glowline.

Because I don’t have a 60-degree ruler for trimming, I used template plastic and traced the template from the pattern. It worked pretty well!

For my test blocks, I used dark green fabrics for the right and left wedges, and used ombre fabric for the center wedge. I figure I could achieve a different colorwash using the ombre centers.

That color combo has potential, but honestly, after making a few wedges, I decided to hold off making more wedges until I could order the kit from Bear Creek Quilt Company.

The fabrics that Christina selected for her quilt just add such a joyful sparkle! The subtle metallics, the saturated colors, and the glowing brightness of the white centers—it’s really a perfect combination for this quilt.

Having all the fabrics picked out and ready in a kit means I don’t have to hunt each fabric down half-yard by half-yard.

And once I have those, I’m on my way!

For a limited time, sign up for the Harmony and Light Quilt-Along with Christina Cameli, and you’ll get the complete pattern free! You’ll also be entered to win a grand prize package from our sponsors.