Originally Posted by SandyQuilter

Lucy:
Please, please do not do quilt as you go in individual blocks. It's an absolute crazy maker trying to join four quilted corners together, especially on the back. That is the reason I wrote my first book, Quilt-As-You-Go, back in 1983 and its second edition 5 years later. All told, the books were in print for 15 years and my method got rave reviews. Instead, sew the blocks into long strips. For instance, if the quilt is 4 x 5 blocks, sew 4 strips of five blocks. Cut the batt the same size and the backing slightly larger. Baste together as normal. You can quilt it in a frame similar to a needlepoint frame, rolling the quilt as you go. Start in the center of the strip to quilt and go to one end, then roll back to the center and quilt to the other end. The only accommodation you need to make is stop quilting ½ inch from the joining seams. Leave threads hanging so that the quilting can be hand finished, or tied off and machine quilted. When two strips are quilted, join the top as you would normally, then butt the batting edges together so they lay flat (trim if necessary) and whip stitch with a loose tension and white thread (you don't have to outline quilt). The final step is to lay one side of the backing flat, lay the adjoining backing edge over it, fold the raw edge under, trim if necessary and hand stitch the edges down, catching into the batt, but not the top. The final step is to finish the quilting over the seam lines.

The ONLY difference with this type of assembly is that you have seams where every strip is joined, but you usually have back joining seams anyway. From the top, the quilt is identical. And you have a portable project that joins with straight seams--no matching corners. Even machine quilting can be done with this method. No forcing a large quilt through a small machine throat.

Good luck.
SandyQuilter