I have finished my third baby quilt. I want to do a queen size but scared. The baby quilts are quick to do and I am afraid I will get bored doing a large one..Is this normal??? I have the one picked out. It is the one on the front of the new quick quilt magazine..It is easy...

I don't think you will get bored. You will have something great to look forward to.

Maria

Yes, it's normal to be scared by making such a large quilt! I didn't have any idea how I would handle the weight, how to push thru the arm of my little machine, how to baste it properly, etc, etc. But trying is the best way to learn and I ended up loving it!

Be sure to buy some good quilt clips so you can keep your roll wound up while you're quilting.

The hardest part for me is basting the layers together on such a large item. I haven't tried spray adhesive yet so the easiest way I've found to baste is by laying half the quilt on the table and let the rest drape off. I start in the middle and pin my way up, keep it tight. I then rotate it 45 degrees and do it again, continuing in that manner until its finished. I've got a strong suspicion that spray basting is easier so I'm going to try that on my next quilt.

Also, if the table your machine is on is rectangular, turn your machine sideways so that the quilt pushes out the length of the table. That will give you more support. Be sure to leave room behind you as well so that the quilt roll can drape over your shoulder.

I started with small quilts for my DGD. The first big quilt I tried was a king size. I didn't get bored. It was fun watching it come together. It was harder to quilt than my smaller ones and that was enough to prompt me to buy my Juki (9 inch throat helped alot ). I have to say now that the bigger quilts are my favorites now. Go for it and have fun.

I know I am a very old quilter but when did we begin to assume that every quilt would be machine quilted. I will confess I had a king size top that I was going to have a longarmer baste for me. I guess it goes along with the whole atmosphere of "instant gratification" in our society. It often takes me longer to piece a large quilt than it does to quilt it by hand. It is also something I can do in a social setting, while watching TV or holding a conversation with other people. I do machine quilt the many Linus Quilts I make because they will be cared for by persons who usually don't know how to care for handwork. On the other hand I routinely launder my hand done quilts when necessary. I returned from a brief vacation this past week to discover that our cat had thrown up in the middle of my quilt covered bed. The quilt went into the washer and dryer with no problem.
I have read that hand sewing or quilting lowers your blood pressure. Many of us could use a little non chemical help with our blood pressure.

Thanks for all the advice...What are quilt clips? I am going to have to quilt in lap. I don't have a frame...I can't wait to get started....

If you are afraid of starting a larger one all at once, work you way up to it. Try a lap sized one or a twin and then larger, a full sized, ect. It is all a matter of getting used to making things in a big way.

There is always using a pattern tat works up into say four or five small squares and then is sewn together. That is a little easier to manage and will get you the results of a large quilt at the end.

Check out a couple books on quilt as you go. It might just give you the answer to your problem.

If you can do a baby quilt, you can do a queen. A queen is nothing more than 4 baby quilts together. There are quilt as you go methods, which make the quilting easier on your regular sewing machine. You will not be bored making the larger quilt, especially if you do a sampler or another quilt pattern with multiple block types. And you can always start the larger quilt and periodically switch back to do a baby quilt. No one says you have to do the large quilt all at once.

I am currently completely a king size sampler...and it is really big! The large ones are fun - I can't decide whih I like better, the smaller quilts or the larger ones!

in terms of basting your sandwich when the top is done, test the spray baste on some scraps and then sew it - my Janome hates the spray baste yet my kenmore doesn't mind it!

good luck!

Do you have a deadline for this quilt? If not, I would say don't worry about getting bored or how long it will take to finish! I have several projects at different stages - including a double bed quilt that I'm hand quilting. It's hanging over the bannisters where it's been all summer - too hot to sit with it draped over my knee. I have another throw of which I've pieced the blocks but not yet joined them together and another largeish lappy top pieced but not yet basted which will also be hand quilted.

So unless you're absolutely someone who MUST finish one project before moving on to another (ie a serial quilter! :wink: ) I would say start it, work on it as long as you're enjoying it, break off to do a baby quilt, wall hanging or whatever if it stops being fun and come back to it. That's what I do - that's why I have so many WIPs! :oops: But they'll all get finished eventually! :D