That's why I hand quilt. No way can even think about hiring the quilting done and I don't have the physical strength, energy or stamina to machine quilt and I make either twin or queen sized quilts. I do quilt as you go and work in panels. When the first panel is ready to hand quilt, while quilting it, I'm busy piecing the next panel. By the time it's pieced and ready to quilt, the first panel is quilted so attach the 2 panels and begin quilting it and at the same time I'm piecing the last panel. When all 3 panels are completed (twin or queen) I lay it out and decide on the borders and begin building out my borders one side at a time and quilting as I go. Yes that does mean my quilts do have seams on the botton but when you look at the quilt from the top, you can't tell that I quilt as you go by panels - see my avatar. It was done this way. I'm always busy quilting. Yes I can't turn out a quilt in a week the my machine quilting friends do but my family and I love the quilts I do turn out and each family member is thrilled to get one because I haven't inundated them with too many quilts. Each one is loved and appreciated. I machine piece and hand quilt and do NOT use a hoop or frame which makes my quilt very portable. Each week a quilt goes with me to a quilting chapter and another Happy Stitchers group that I'm a member of. Give it some thought. I could be an answer for you.
If you can't hand quilt or prefer to machine quilt, there are ways to work in panels while machine quilting. Quilt as you go - do a search on this board for quilt as you go.
Also check out Marti Michell's Machine Quilting in Sections. It's actually a modification of her technique that I use in my hand quilting. My panels are machine quilted together. Where there is a will and determination, there is a way. Go for it.
Forgot to add, there is no reason you can't stitch in the ditch and machine stitch your sashing and straight areas and then hand quilt in detail in the squares. I did that on a sampler quilt this winter for our block of the month quilt we each made this past year in our quilt chapter and it came out beautiful. I won't hesitate to that again. If there is something I want to add and don't want to tackle on the sewing machine I'll do it by hand but it did save a lot of time by machine sewing the sashing. It was a sampler with a lot of sashing and it was a whole lot easier doing them on the machine.
Patty
Originally Posted by Kryssa
I own a Janome Magnolia 7330 and I am about to kill everyone in the house at the thought of sitting down to finish quilting a twin XL quilt.
I'm guessing most of you send your bed quilts to a long arm quilter? But I can't afford that.
Maybe it wouldn't be as bad if I was just quilting straight lines, but I decided to SITD around some of the shapes.
I am about half way done. Maybe I will get another quarter done tonight if I can stand to sit down and start. If I could finish the quilting this weekend I would be so happy.
And I will probably never stray from lap-size and baby quilts again!