I have completed my Row By Row quilt and used the quilt as you go method. This was my first time doing this, and I found it very easy – I plan to use this method again.
The reason I did it was because the first row I picked up, had the digitized design with stipple quilting and instructions to layer it with batting and backing, so I thought “why not, let’s try it”. The other rows I made by just fusing the pieces on, and then using the stippling in the hoop from the first shop’s row. I did not do any appliquing around each fused piece.
When it came time to connect them, I found a tutorial by Leah Day and that is what I used.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7_lwOfZWM8 This gives you ½ inch of fabric between each row.
Once I had the quilt bound, I added the embellishments.
I just turned in my quilt last week and won the prize for being the first at that shop. If I had had to layer and baste it, and then quilt it, I would not have gotten it done in a timely manner.
By the way, I used my Silhouette Cameo to cut most of the applique pieces. If the pattern had each piece separated then I just had to scan the pattern and create a jpeg. If the pattern was just a drawing (like a bird with 4 fabrics), I had to separate the pieces in the Cameo software, so that took much more time. All in all I was very happy with the method, it saved me the pain of cutting so many small pieces.
I have a goal to try something new with each project, so with this one, I learned several new things.