Quilt as you go methods
 

OK, I've made 2 quilts in the QAYG methods and wouldn't do it again. One was the Jenny join from Jenny Haskins, very bad choice IMO, the other was bringing the larger back up, make a seam then fold on top of the block forming sashing and stitching down. What am I doing wrong? Or have I not found the right method?

Check Georgia Boonsteel. She is the queen of Quilt As You Go.
There are also methods to quilt in large sections and then put the large sections in quilt as Your go technique.

Made a Fun and Done but it is heavy and only one seam holds the blocks togather. Some seams are coming apart.

I used the methods in Marti Michell's book, Machine Quilting in Sections, for several large quilts before I got a longarm. I liked the fact that her methods could be used on (almost) any quilt, and you didn't have to do it on a block-by-block basis. The construction was also very strong. The other thing I liked about the book was that it shows several different methods and explains how to choose which method to use, based on the design of the quilt you're making.

I did the cotton method, I really like how the quilt came out BUT it is very heavy and stiff. Mind you I have not washed it, but it is really nice.

Dunster - thanks for the hint, I love Marti and was looking for some QAYG methods so I will check out that book

I tried one method where the sashing was stitched down with decorative stitches and it was quite stiff afterwards. DH liked it so he got it. I'm planning to try something different next.

There are probably 12 different methods. Some people don't like any of them because of how they prefer to work, so don't beat yourself up over it. My favorite is to quilt in sections and then assemble. Using Sharon Pederson's method is also very nice. One that I haven't tried yet - you still have a whole front and back. You cut the batting into 3rds. You only have the batting in the center. Quilt that. Then attach the batting for one side to the center. Quilt that. Then do the same for the other side. This method reduces the bulk so that you can get the center done. You also don't have to do a bunch of assembly at the end. You are just attaching the batting to batting.

I tried QAYG and gave up halfway through. I didn't like the way the sashing felt lumpy. I don't think I would try it again.

Have you checked out this thread?
http://www.quiltingboard.com/quiltin...e-t196192.html

I'm going to start a quilt tomorrow that will be a QAYG. I'm planning on using the method described in this video. I hope it turns out ok. I don't want to have to quilt the whole thing or pay to have it done, so I'm hoping this method works well. In my mind, I don't see why it wouldn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_qyb7XxY4k

I'm afraid I don't know what this method is

I made a QAYG years ago and it turned out beautiful. My niece still treasures it as I made it for her first baby 30 years ago. She used it often and it is still very nice and all stitching is like it was when I made it. I would make another when I get caught up on the 50 others in process,at least it seems like 50 as the ideas come faster than I can sew. This is my first time on this site and it looks great!!

look for Reversible Quilts by Sharon Pederson. they are gorgeous.
the Cotton method is by a lady named Cotton and she's been on Nancy's Notions a lot. she folds and folds seams over and stitches them down. it tends to make a heavy quilt I'm told. just another way of joining seams.

I love QAYG, it takes all the stress out of trying to manipulate a big quilt around your sewing room, I sew because I love to sew, not to get stressed out, there are plenty of other things you can stress out about, but not quilting

I use a modified QAYG method for smaller, baby-type quilts and am going to try it on a bigger one at some point.

I prepare the whole backing and the whole batting (I use fusible Hobbs 80/20) Then I fuse the first whole strip of blocks to the batting-backing, and then continue sewing whole strips, fusing them, one at a time, either starting at the top of the quilt or in the middle, until the whole length is covered.

Once the strips are all sewn and stable, I can come back and FMQ the individual strips. The whole quilt is done pretty quickly! This can be done in a 'log cabin' center-out design too.

As several posters mentioned, there are lots of different QAYG techniques. There are several that I personally haven't been successful with, and the 2 you mentioned fall into that category. If you are going to quilt on your domestic sewing machine, I think it's really worth your time to experiment with other QAYG methods to find one you like.

The Marti Michell book is good:
http://www.amazon.com/Marti-Michell-...+michell+books

She shows several techniques, and the thing I like is that you don't have to quilt individual blocks as you go, you can do manageable section of your quilt, then join those, although you certainly can do it block-by-block if you would like to.

The technique that works best for me is the one by sharon pederson:
http://www.amazon.com/Reversible-Qui...ersible+quilts

I've done 2 large quilts QAYG in a way that works for me; may not appeal to others as the back of the quilt is very plain. I make and quilt the individual blocks with just batting & block. I join them all together with sashing. I then attach my backing in one (or pieced) large piece and stitch in the ditch along all the sashing strips. The back only has a grid style quilt pattern on it when finished but the front is quilted as I want. If you don't mind a rather plain looking backing (I always pick a nice print) this is a pretty easy method. The only time the whole quilt is in the machine is to quilt along all the sashings.

Once took a class on learning QAYG by doing a table runner. That was enough for me to know I didn't like it. Can't imagine doing a large quilt that way.

This is the best and easiest to watch video on how to connect quilted blocks that I can find. No book has such a simple method - if you watch this a few times it comes to you like a light bulb over your head! At least it did for me. Love this. There are Two but this one is the second she posted and really the only one that shows the method.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...Eo34PEEh4&NR=1

Here's a tutorial I found. http://maureencracknellhandmade.blog...-tutorial.html , I haven't tried it yet but it looked easiest of all I looked at.

This is called The Cotton Theory and it does make a very heavy quilt. Betty Cotton is the lady who does it.

I like using quilt as you go in rows. That way you get the help with smaller sections to quilt but you don't have as much hand sewing as you would if you used quilt as you go on each block.

I've made several now--should finish up two more today using 4" blocks--I sewed the 4" squares together in rather large squares (8x8) just to use them up and put together a charity quilt. I followed the video that Leah Day has...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7_lwOfZWM8

Except that I think attaching the sashing the other way around is better as I prefer top stitching on the top and not from the back side.

Last week my daughter observed me hand stitching one and said, "Mom, wouldn't it be much faster to sew it on the machine?" When I told her, yes, but it isn't quite as accurate--unless you do it from the top."

So, I did...and it is working out great. I will be using this method more often for a change from quilting big pieces.

I only make QAYG quilts. I've tried all the methods posted. My favorite is posted on The Quilting Edge.

I made a fun & done lap quilt. I didn't think it was much fun & I was glad when it was done. I never wanted to see it again, so I gave it away.

I am going to try this on quilt strips hanging in my closet. I like to use fusible batting but gets daunting on a whole quilt. Your method sounds very workable.

Isn't that funny. I made one and thought, wow, this is fun, and now it is done! I gave to an elderly aunt who loved it.

I haven't made a quilt using either of the two methods you mentioned, but want to try the one that you bring the back forward to make a sashing strip. However I have made three quilts using Sharon Pederson's Reversible quilts which is bqasically the same method. With Sharon's method you cut strips and join the blocks to make the sashing, and with her method you do a lot of hand sewing. You might want to try her version of making quilt as you go. I don't know how much you enjoy hand sewing. I am not a great fan myself, but the three that I made using her method were large quilts, two king size and one queen. If you check out the pics. sections on this board and view "Hope's Rose Garden" by Gerbie is one of the quilts I made using her method, and it was a king size quilt.

This is actually my favorite method too, except, I cut the back binding 1 5/8 rather than 1 1/2. I fold over the back binding, press making sure the binding covers the seam (glue basting would be great here) then SITD from the front. From the front it looks like narrow sashing. On the back, there is a tiny flange, but I don't have a problem with that.
Also, if you are doing smaller blocks, you can join several together using traditional sashing methods to give you a 1/2" finished sashing, quilt that section, then join. You really can't tell from the front where the joins are. i usually use a print on the back to hide the joining strips.

I did this method, you do a lot of extra steps and you end up with a "heavier" quilt, also with stiff seams because of the bulk.

wow lots of info here Thank you. the quilt I am working on is for a un-sashed QAYG and I was trying to find how to do it. Lots of reading and video watching for me now. Thanks alot!

I dislike this method of quiltmaking! The seams on the backside are often very bulky and give extra work
with the added stips of fabrics to cover them. A few years ago I used a lovely log-cabin quilt-as-you-go pattern
in the traditional way of first joining the blocks together for the quilt top, followed by the next steps of putting the
rest of the quilt together. I cannot imagine why anyone would prefer this method above the traditional way of
making quilts!

Good idea!

I learned to quilt back when Georgia Bonesteel was the rage. I have some of her books, and I am sure they are still in print. If not, get back to me and I will see what I can do. She made it very easy and quite good. Good luck.
Judy

The name Boonsteel brings back memories of when I first started quilting. I learned to quilt from a lady in Columbia, SC who followed Boonsteel's method and even improved on it somewhat. I made quite a number of quilts (all hand quilted) and put them together one block at a time. Now I am seriously considering going back to that method because of the arthritis in my hands. I really cannot afford the LA method over and over, and I cannot quilt on a frame because my hands and wrists are about gone. If only I knew where my stored notes were... Well, that is the story of my life. I have enough good notes from the first class I took to make a book. But who can tell where those are now? All I know is that the quilts I made back then and gave to relatives or friends have endured. They did not come apart.

This is it. This video shows the method I used more than 20 years ago, but I did not quilt it with a sewing machine back then. This really does work and the fronts of the quilt never show it is done this way! I can add a few ideas we used in our class that might make the whole business easier.

1. When putting the fronts of the blocks together, trim the batting back to where you want to make the seam on each block. Make the seam joining two blocks just like you would if the batting and backing were not there, and then the batting should be butted together. We never sewed through batting at all. We always used a whip stitch to join the two battings together making sure it did not separate after the top blocks were sewn together. Of course the whip stitch could not show on the front.

2. Then turn the blocks over and do what you saw in the last half of this video. You can use the glue or not. I never used glue for mine.

This method encourages speed and it also encourages portability. When I have a project going, I want to be able to carry it with me everywhere I go. QAYG definitely saves the aching back and arthritic wrists and hands. Sure it is nice to sew a complete top together and see your work within a day, but not so nice trying to quilt it later.

Okay, I am still a rookie at this (just a little over 2 years and retired) and I have found that I like to make the quilts in 3 sections. I love to hand quilt something on all of them but I also like the stitch-in-the ditch around the squares. And I have not yet had the courage to free motion. I always have "evening" quilting that I can do while sitting with the DH "watching" TV. Here are some pictures that might help.

After watching the video I am really curious as to how it goes. Please let me know. It would be nice not to have to pay to have it quilted by someone with a long arm machine. Please keep us updated.