Lorli, I think you have time to finish the quilt by Christmas.
1. You can baste the three layers (back, batting, top) together with long, running thread stitches or you can pin baste it. If you don't have any, I would suggest buying the quilter's safety pins that have a bend in them. They are much easier to baste a quilt with & also to take out when you are finished.
2. I generally sandwich my quilts on the floor but when I get a chance I take it to the Senior Citizen Center in my town & they let me use one of their large folding tables. Perhaps a library would allow you to do the same thing or even a VFW Hall or school.
3. I don't think you would have to quilt in every ditch. I do a lot of quilt in the ditch & don't always do every ditch. The closer/more quilting, the stiffer the quilt.
4. 10" seems a bit far apart. I think I would do mine a little closer.
5. Yes, I think you have time to finish it by Christmas. (of course it depends on how much you sew each day...everyone has different commitments. I would be able to finish by Christmas but I am retired & have a lot of free time on my hands.)
6. I would sandwich a small piece using the same backing, batting & top pieces & thread & practice on it for the main purpose of making sure your sewing machine tension is correct. Don't forget to use a walking foot as it will keep all your layers feeding through the machine at the same rate.
I say go for it without any trepidation.
Last edited by osewme; 10-28-2016 at 12:23 PM.