A make several 60 x 72 quilts a year for kids going through confirmation at church. At first it took me 4-6 hours just to do the quilting on the sewing machine. Now, about 2 hours. I did one last week and I sewed about 1/2 hour took a break and that is about the way I quilt best. Breaks help ease any tension I may get in my shoulders. All added together I was so excited to complete this one in 2 hours. I do a diagonal. I have done so many that I do not premark the lines, now. I use a disappearing pen and mark only the lines in the borders to connect to the first square block so I get my beginning angle correct. This was my fastest ever. I do not get bird's nest. My back looks as good as the front. I use a Janome 6600P. My speed just gradually got faster as I learn how to hold the quilt as I stitch. Music is relaxing also.
Different speeds for everyone. I personally don't quilt to get it done quickly. I enjoy the process, buying the fabric, planning, caressing the fabric etc.....

Most of the ladies have answered your question about like I would have. Each person sews differently; thinks and plans differently; gathers fabrics differently. I too have tried to estimate what amount of time I have spent on working a quilt up from beginning to end. If I have done the selections, piecing, and quilting myself my estimate would be one workweek 8 to 5 and ready for a Friday Night Out on a regular or queen size quilt. I have a LA, piece with a FW, and cut out all over the house, even though I have my own personal sewing room. I am not including clean-up time.....I have been a professional seamtress in years past, but now spend all my sewing time quilting. My grannie taught me how to quilt during the l950s, and I have taken about three quilting classes at Jo Ann's. I have won several blue ribbons at county fairs, etc. and a few second and third place ribbons. Bragging this morning, huh????? I keep thinking I might tackle something serious and enter it at Paducah. Maybe.....

I'm with Lynn.......sometimes a day or two on the mid-arm, depending if I "work" at it, or do other things in between. A few from years ago still arent' quilted :)
I have hand-quilted, and do a lot on my Pfaff. a few pictures are on my web sites.

I generally say 6-9 months for a Queen size - but I'm a hand quilter. 60 x 72 is about 1/2 a queen so I would estimate 3-6 months. Depends on how much free time I have. I work full time and am currently attending college full time. So I can go several days without touching a quilt and even then only have an hour or so.

Thank you everyone for your answers. The ONLY reason I asked was because I think I take to long to get a quilt quilted so I try to speed up but end up messing up. Now, since I know that it takes a good amount of time no matter how you go about it, I will stop being so hard on myself and do as people say and enjoy the process.

I'm with Buckeye as I can probably look at a quilt trying to decide the pattern longer than it will take me to quilt. I drape the quilt over my large cutting table and I can see it every time I pass the room (several times a day). Never know when an idea will just go "pop". I do the same thing when trying to decide on colors or fabric combos.

once i've decided on the pattern, I'm fairly quick. For a quilt that size with custom quilting perhaps a 3-4 weeks (working evenings and weekends only with many breaks to ease the muscles).

long-arm --somewhere between 1 hour & 10 hours- depending on the quilting design- how detailed/dense the quilting is to be
by hand- a quilt teacher told me once if you quilt for 1 hour every day you can do a queen sized quilt in a year---so that would be 365 hours---again that would certainly be dependant on the density/design of the quilting- and of course some people stitch much faster than others- ive hand quilted a 54" square quilt in about 25 hours.

You just made my day by saying you're a starter but have trouble finishing things. That's so me!! Good to hear I'm not alone! Thanks.

Totally different story whether it's for me or for a customer. Mine take however long it takes. I try to have a 2 week turnaround time for clients. I machine quilt on my Janome Horizon, both tabletop and on an Inspira frame (older style)