Butterflyblue

Okay, found the other quilt I did - it is a miniature sampler, 4" blocks. Obviously there is no reason to quilt something so small in sections except I wanted to test the technique out. Done in basically the same method as the first sampler quilt I showed, only straight out of the book, no variation (I made this one first). As I recall, my variation was to ensure that the layers of batting aren't sewn together, thus leaving less bulk. I cut half an inch off of one edge of the batting so that they butt together instead of needing to be sewn into the seam. But to hold the edge of the batting down, I sew it to the backing. I don't trust it not to curl up and get lumpy during washing. So some people might not like the extra line of stitching on the back. Anyway, this was done without that variation, and with cotton batting, and I did not care for the feel of the bulk and was afraid it would wear out the fabric faster with washing. Not an issue in a miniature, but definitely an issue with a bed quilt. You can see how with a busier print, the covering strips don't show much.

The covering strips are very similar to a quilt as you go technique that Sharon Pederson shows in the book "Reversible Quilts", except Sharon Pederson uses strips on front and back, and the batting is not layered, so there is no bulk. But her technique limits the width of the sashing that can be used, because it isn't true sashing but a cover strip. My quilts use fairly narrow sashing, because that is what I prefer, and no cornerstones, also because that is what I prefer, but it is not a limitation of the technique. I do recommend Sharon Pederson's book too, though. You might see if a library near you has it. I like to check out quilt books from the library before I spend the money on them, if I can.