Hello everyone, I am new to the Quilting Board and just finding my way around. I am a shocking quilter at the moment, no idea other than squares ... :oops: :oops:

Looking around, I can see that there is a quilt as you go method and that has interested me. My thumbs do not allow me to do much hand sewing, so is it possible for quilt as you go to be done all by machine.

I would so profoundly grateful for help with this please, as I dearly want to become a good quilter.

Thank you in advance, and thank you for this wonderful forum, so uplifting and inspiring, lovely people.

It is almost 4pm in Australia, so I will be back a little later to see replies, but thank you again in advance, I am very grateful for all ideas.

Hi jayway -try doing a search on here for 'Fun and Done', I know we have discussed it a few times. I saved a tute on You Tube but I can't find it! :oops:

Here's a link to show one method - http://www.quiltersshowcase.com/fun-...uilt-patterns/

it requires a template but I seem to remember a discussion on here a while ago when someone (I think butterflywing?) came up with an alternative to having to buy one. I'll go see if I can find it.

Here's a link - it was butterflywing and if you have a read you should get the idea! http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/30/16894.page

Have fun! :D

I have done several and they are quick and easy I will include a link to the one I had on the board my template pattern included in this link. Simple and quick!
http://www.quiltingboard.com/posts/list/17329.page

Have you tried the "Fun and Done" method???? goggle it

Oh yes, most quilt as you go is done by machine. lots of help online for that. just type in the search bar quilt as you go. and machine quilting in sections too. I have three quilts waiting to be finished that i intend to do in sections. king size and i just cant' push them under my machine anymore when they are "whole". good luck. :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
here is one site
http://www.quiltingworks.com/cabin-f...iltasyougo.htm
and another one
http://www.secretsof.com/content/624

I think you could use a machine blanket stitch instead of hand stitching the sections together or on the sashing type strips. The only down side to machine sewing them, is that it has been mentioned it may make the quilt stiffer feeling and that makes it not want to drape as nicely. But that could depend on the method you end up choosing to use, also.

Fun and Done is the easiest method, no hand sewing. You cut the batting at 7 1/2 inches (same size as block) and the back at 9 1/2 inches.
The back is what you fold to the front for your sashing. Bayside quilting has a video on how to do it.
I will try to attach a photo of the one I made but I never know if HP will let me.

Hello everyone, thank you so very much for the information and the pictures, and I have watched the Bayside demonstration video also, as well as looked at all the sites, it makes it look so easy, I am going to give it a try.

I can't piece yet without making it look cross eyed so to speak ... :mrgreen: so perhaps if I just start with some ordinary patterned fabric?

Is it that the 'sashing' (oh heck, what is sashing?, the strips down the middle that have been folded?) ends up two inches wide between blocks then.

Oh dear, I know I must sound a bit dense, most of this is new to me ... :shock: , but I am very willing and able to learn, and really appreciate very much everything I am told.

I love the quilts you have shown me, and I will aspire to that and show you my progress if you are interested.

Many thanks again.

Back a little later to see replies.

Yes that is the sashing, I didn't know that last year either! LOL It is SO easy and so much fun!

The sashing ends up being 1 inch wide and made up of two blocks sewn togather and then top stitched. The blocks are strips sewn onto the batting and backing. It really is simple to do but be sure and use a zipper foot when you connect the blocks so you can get as close as possible to the block and batting. This is the only seam that holds the quilt togather.
The pattern I used has little strips in the middle of longer strips but a simpler pattern would be to use just strips without the little pieces in the middle. The strips are cut 1 3/4 inchs wide.

Good evening everyone. Well, it looks as though my first attempt at getting just two sample blocks together hasn't exactly worked .. :oops: .. and I'm having trouble getting a picture on here of it.

I did the sandwiching which seemed to work well close to the batting of each block, but when I turned the two flaps over to make the strip, the strip seems to now make the blocks unbalanced as the strip ended up on just one of the blocks to the left.

Oh my, even though I watched the video several times, by the time the sewing machine is in the picture, it turns into a Frankensteinien experience ... :shock: :?

Should I remove my thumbs? .. :mrgreen: :shock:

I will have another go tomorrow. I suspect what has gone wrong is my getting disoriented with the flappy parts.

It's 9pm here, so I'll come back in the morning, our time .. try not to laugh, I promise to try harder and get it right, many thanks.

Hi Jay, don't stress! I don't think I ever got ANYTHING right first time! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again and this time try and keep your flappy parts in order! :lol:

Yeah, those flappy parts can really cause a headache!

I've never done this technique but I'm wondering if I can do a center for a twin quilt the "regular" way and then make and quilt the borders and add them using this technique. I have Marti Mitchell's quilt in sections book, but I think it requires joining the front pieces by machine and hand stitching the back seams. In theory I think it would work?

I've done a quilt in sections and added quilted borders after quilting the centre - the only thing i would say is be sure to leave a good inch of fabric unquilted all round the edges where you'll be joining the pieces together. And I did turn the seams under on the back and slipstitch by hand, having joined the top sides on the machine. It worked fine!

Good 'morning' everyone, it's 1.20am here and I have just finished another test drive fun and done with two more blocks :(

Um well, what can I say, other than to describe it as enraged sandwichy looking soggy tongues with entrails running out .. sort of? :oops: :oops:

Oh my, it's the flappy bits again, and this time, the batting fought back and ended up doing its own thing inside the backing and front... :?

There must be a simpler way, because I am coming out of this as simple .... what could be simpler. I've watched the video again, but perhaps my machine is from another planet (or I am) because I just can't get a grip on it... :shock:

Well, off to bed now, and back in the morning. It is just so frustrating, but just as determined. What am I doing wrong?

Hope everyone here has a wonderful day wherever you are in the world.

Jay way,
You are too funny!The discription of your quilt block and the flappy things made me laugh.
On a more serious note ,keep trying ,the fun and done is really easy after you get the hang of it.Are you using your iron to press down your folded seams? I found that pressing them before sewing helped a lot.
Good luck and keep us informed on how your doing.

I hope you can see what to do from this picture, Once you get it it is easy,

It is the wee small hours again here, almost 12.30am. Hello Gramysews and Up North, thank you for the pictures,

My blocks don't quite look like that ... :roll: I think my third attempt today was a little wincy bit better, however, it is as though an invisible magnet has been pulling my middle sashing thingys to the left, because my middle bit appears to be missing.

How to explain that? Well, I have somehow managed to fold the flaps together to the left, kind of something like putting a nappy on a little one? Come to think of it, I can't remember a nappy trying to bite my fingers off like this has been doing..sigh. I am sure my flappys are growing teeth, the more I do it, the more the flap flaps over ... :evil:

Okay then, tomorrow being Friday, I shall lurch into the sewing room again, and beat the wretched things into submission, and try to make it look like your pictures.

Failure shall not be contemplated .. however, failing again means I shall toss the lot into the river and let the platypusses enjoy it ... :cry:

Thank you again ladies, I do appreciate it. Seriously though, if round four does not work, do you have pictures from go to whoa so that I can follow it like a well greased jigsaw puzzle ... the simpler the better.

Hugs to everyone on this very cold morning.

I did use spray basting to hold the 3 parts together. Maybe that would help? can you post pics of yours so we can better help?

Jay Way,This a picture of one I have finished and a close up of the seams.Hope this helps.

The Bayside quilts video looks so easy I keep thinking I will try this, but all this talk of rebelous batting and flappy things is getting me nervous!

Don't be afraid to try it.It really is easy once you get the hang of it .Think of it as a sanwhich with the bottom square 2 inches bigger than the top,the batting same size as the top.( The top of my block is 10 " so my backing was cut 12") Lay your 10 inch square of BATTING on top of your 12 inch square of BACKING lay your strips of fabic or whatever pattern you want to make on your batting and sew thru all three layers(I used strips in mine so will give directions for strips) .Lay first strip with right side down. After you have sewed one side of strip using 1/4 " seam flip it to the other side,press ,then add second strip right sides together and sew again,continue untill you have the batting covered.Trim any batting Or fabric sticking out around the edges (takes care of the flappys) .
After you have first block to this stage,make another block the same way.When you have two blocks done join them by sewing only the BACKING part right sides together using a 1 inch seam.Press this seam open then fold in two on each side then sew one side to each block,sewing as close to edge as you can.You now have 2 blocks together and you just continue in same way for the whole quilt.
Is this clear as mud! Hope it helps a little anyway.

Would the same process work on blocks not pieced that way? Standard pieced blocks but quilting in that fashion?

Yes. As long as you cut your backing piece 2 inches bigger than your top and batting piece it will work. If you use an already pieced block for the top then you will need to quilt your layers together just like you would on a full size quilt ,then fold and sew the backing to make the sashing or binding. Someone else suggested using basting spray to hold layers in place while quilting.I think that would work great .

I'm thinking about trying that on my fall block swap blocks. The video looks so easy.

Just stumbled across this posting and am intrigued by this method. I watched the Bayside video demonstration and this looks relatively easy. My only concern is that the batting isn't actually sewn together. The only thing holding the quilt together is the seam joining the pieces of the backing. Any of you who made this quilt (and they are really beautiful)...does this quilt hold up to normal use, or do the row seams eventually start to need repair? Any input you could provide would be appreciated.

OH! I had not thought of that! Smart lady. I'm interested in seeing what the experts say on this one.

I'm far from being an expert but I have made three of these so far .Two were given away and the one I have kept has only been washed once and doesn't get very much use so I can't really say how well they will hold up.I thought about going over all the "hold together seams" with a small zigzag stitch but didn't do it.Guess only time will tell. :oops:

Well, I hate housework anyway. Maybe I can use that as an excuse not to wash the quilt. :D

Hi Jayway!

I'm new to the quilting world too! I was pretty sure I would be able to finish piecing a quilt top, but was positive I'd never get around to actually quilting it, so I drew this design, and am now in the process of creating it. I'm piecing the sections by just pinning and machine sewing, then I press everything to make sure it's square(ish). I then apply black bias tape (I made this myself), and quilt through top, batting and backing by machine sewing the edges of the black tape. I have finished one of the nine 2ft x 2ft sections, and will put them together with 4in wide black sashing, like the sections in a stained glass window.

You could probably adapt this method to the Chinese Coins pattern (which was my inspiration), and machine quilt smaller sections then put them together with sashing.

Also -- just to cover all the options here -- make sure you PIN PIN PIN PIN PIN everywhere that the machine won't hit! You can see the edges of my block are still pinned with safety pins -- I've removed the ZILLION pins I had in the green pieces to keep all the layers together. Another quilter I know said she uses her office stapler when she can't get pins in close enough, but I'm too attached to my pretty fabrics to risk that!

There are videos on YouTube that show how to layer it all up -- but you basically stretch your backing out on the floor (or large table, if it fits), tape it down tight, smooth out the batting (some people apply the batting with spray adhesive to keep it in place), and top with the pieced top. Then PIN PIN PIN PIN PIN!!! :D

If you're sewing in straight lines, there is a special presser foot for the machine called a 'walking foot', that counteracts the action of the feed dogs on the bottom, so all the layers move together. This reduces the risk of the bottom layer going faster, and the top getting out of synch.

I'm loving the tips for joining the sashing 'back to front' as it were! May use that technique for the borders of this monster, which will be little strips of 'piano keys' ... I'm thinking I can stitch in the ditch to quilt the borders, then use the sash technique you've described to attach the borders to the main panel

Hope this helps -- you can tell I've been doing a LOT of reading on this lately! :wink:

I have been wanting to try this method so i will keep watching to see how you are doing . And Welcome to the board :lol: