I have found it easiest to quilt the blocks separately and then assemble them using a quilt as you go technique. Supporting the weight of a big quilt so it doesn't bog down the machine is a pain. You have to hoop something, so doing a block at a time, I hooped the backing, then smoothed the batting over it, then did the same with the top fabric. I just pinned the sandwich in place and used the baste feature on my machine. I did not use stablizer