I have sewn a few clothes (not very successfully) in my day and can wholeheartedly say that quilting is easier. There are very involved quilt-top techniques so they may be on par with some of the clothing embellishments, but for construction - quilting is the way to go.
That said, I am actually planning to take some lessons with my new machine and make some garments (no, not wearable quilt art). I just need to find a pattern where I can square up the crotch or fussy cut the sleeves....lol
Thinking HSTs for a bikini.