Quilt as you go vs Quilt top method
 

Hi,

I am new to quilting and would appreciate some advice. I know how to sew and feel comfortable sewing straight lines. I would love to start making lap quits for Christmas gifts this year. I plan on using pre-cuts to start. For my first quilt what would be easier to learn? Quilt as you go technique or making a quilt top then quilting. I feel confident with my ability to piece the quilt but I'm very nervous about quilting it. If I decide to go with the quilt top method should I use a long arm quilting service? Is it expensive?

Thanks!

you could contact your local quilt shops or guilds to find someone who would be able to give you an estimate on quilting services... that way, no mailing of the quilt would be involved.
for myself, i found quilting the whole top easier than QAYG... but i'm new to QAYG.

I have not tried quilt as you go yet. I do quilt the majority of my own quilts as the cost of a LA quilter is beyond my budget most of the time. I can also tell you that I am not good at free motion quilting either. A lap quilt is doable on your home machine. You can do a cross hatch, stitch in the ditch or 1/4 in. From there you can learn FMQ or to use stencil for something fancier

QAYG blocks are time consuming to put together. There's alot of hand stitching involved.

Lap quilts are not difficult to quilt on a domestic sewing machine. Depending on your pattern and personal preference, straight line quilting may work well for your quilts.

There are pros and cons to each of the methods of quilting. There are some who pay to have the quilting done and others who do their own quilting because they want the quilt to be 'all theirs'. I fall into the last category. I have done the QAYG method and I have wrestled a queen size quilt through my home sewing machine. I just finished a king sized quilt for a grandson's wedding. My solution was to take a class on the long arm at my local LQS and arranged to rent time. I planned the quilting so I could do about 2/3 on the long arm. Then, I finished it on my own machine. It worked beautifully and cost me about $100. Part of the cost was due to my inexperience. The biggest plus was that I could get the top, batting and back (which was decorative with left over squares and fabrics from the front) straight and nicely basted. I felt that I did a good enough job-there is certainly a learning curve. I am sure that I will do this again with big quilts. It saves lots of time and stress on back and shoulders. I really cannot justify more cost for a quilt. I have a fairly generous budget but I like to feel it is well spent. So, check out the options.

I've done QAYG with no hand-stitching not even the binding.

Orphan blocks are great to practice your FMQ. You can make the blocks as large as you want then do the QAYG. YouTube has videos of QAYG with or without sashing.

First of all, welcome from Michigan!
Quilt as you go (QAYG) is a blanket term for many different techniques. Some involve hand stitching, many do not. Some use sashing (also called lattice) others don't. Some lend themselves to quilts made from blocks, others from strips. There are many you tube videos on different methods.
The tutorial forum on this board
http://www.quiltingboard.com/sitemap/f-10.html
has several. Here are the most recent:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...s-t276464.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...l-t283918.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...h-t285382.html
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...l-t285474.html
My advice would be to take a beginning quilting class at a quilt shop. Even if you are a confident seamstress, there are a enough things unique to quilting that make a class worthwhile. The class also will go over finishing: how to sandwich, quilt and bind.
As mentioned lap quilts should be do-able on a domestic machine. You can do straight line quilting or gentle curves with a walking foot.

Longarm quilting prices vary by geography. Check with your local quilt shop (LQS) or contact a guild to get the names of quilters in your area. Many have brochures with pricing.
Finally, if you don't take a class, before starting one of your gift quilts, make a small quilted project or two, such as a place mat, to try a couple different techniques.

Have you checked out Missouri star quilt company? Jenny has many tutorials using precuts and they also offer a l/a service at reasonable price.......
Since this is your newbie stage...consider "quilting by check"

Thanks for the quick replies. I started to research LA quilting services and they are pricey in my area. I think I may start with a quilt top first since I am planning smaller lap quilts. I have been watching QAYG techniques on Youtube and they seem time consuming. I purchased Quilt as You Go Made Modern book and I am intrigued with her method. She still runs the entire quilt through the machine at the end to stitch in the ditch. Has anyone tried this method?

This book was recommended by a poster and I am so glad I got it. I quilt all my quilts on my sewing machine. I use spray basting.

http://www.charlottewarrandersen.com...line-at-a-time

I'm doing a king size quilt now using Marti Mitchell's Quilting in Sections technique which is similar to QAYG but uses larger sections. I've found it work well for quilting on a DSM for those of us who don't have enough experience to work with a large quilt on our regular machine.

I checked out having it quilted for me but it was going to be pricey and this is a quilt for our bed which means the 3 dogs will be on it all the time. I didn't feel that I wanted to pay a lot of money to have it quilted for me.

Welcome to quilting, Butters2013! I struggled with this question when I made my first quilt, but then I reasoned, correctly, that my quilting would get better over time just as my piecing would. I would hate to be an expert piecer and then "ruin" my quilts with my inexperienced quilting, so I decided to start practicing both at the same time. Really, by the time you are finished with your first quilt, you will have gotten the hang of it. Carry on without fear!

I have done both and prefer the full sandwich to quilt. The QAYG from individual blocks seems a bit stiff in the seams to me. However, there is a way to finish a quilt QAYG in long sections. You may want to check into that.

I would suggest you try a small project from start to finish on your machine. Maybe the size of a doll quilt or doggie blanket. Knowing you aren't under any pressure should make it more fun. If that goes well, do a larger size, maybe baby quilt size. That will give you an idea of how you can maneuver the quilt through the machine.
If you don't have scent sensitivities, get a can of 505 spray to make basting the quilt sandwich easy. (I can't smell it but some folks can)
You could buy a charm pack, 42 (I think) 5" squares, and just sew them together. Missouri Star has them on sale for as little as 1.99 sometimes. Or go buy 5 or 6 fat quarters from Walmart, and play with them.
I'm all for easy!

Welcome! Funny you should ask... Only today I was sandwiching a throw size quilt to quilt for donation, AND quilting 12.5" blocks to be QAYG. It was so much fun to quilt those blocks... it's a sampler quilt so each block is different and I got to play with lots of curved walking foot designs. I had 30 blocks and got half of them quilted in no time! I could have done them all today but I used up all my batting.

I am one of the people who posted a pictorial tute on the board for joining these blocks. I don't do any hand sewing. And it goes together pretty fast.

If you are only making a throw size quilt you can probably quilt it in one piece on your machine, no problem. Or, if you want to play with QAYG, check out my tute on joining the blocks.
http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutoria...l-t283918.html

This works well for me. You might begin by quilting the rows or just half of quilt and then adding the sections together until you feel comfortable doing a whole lap quilt.

I think you would enjoy trying to quilt your own quilts vs paying a long arm quilting service because your quilts are throw size. Starting with a throw size is a great way to learn. If you wish to try quilting the top, one way is to divide the quilt into 4 equal sections by drawing a cross. (painters tape or 1/4" tape sold at sewing centers can be used if your fabric is too busy to see the marks). Quilt one section at a time, keeping the bulk of the quilt to your left of the needle. Lines can go horizontal in 1 section, and vertical in another. You are the designer, so you can choose.

Qayg Method: The link below has a video on the QAYG method that I just used. It is fantastic. *1 change I made was that I did not use fusible batting. I used my batting and spray basted the quilt top row to the batting and then the backing fabric to the batting, while making my quilt row sandwhich. Watch the video and/or the photo tutorial with written steps to explain the details. If your blocks are small, you can sew several rows together and then make your row quilt sandwich.

https://www.candiedfabrics.com/2014/...go-no-sashing/

Last idea: Rag Quilts are a great first quilt because the quilt is done after sewing the blocks together. The Missouri Star Quilt Company has a video as well as many others on u-tube. Good Luck and have fun!

Welcome to the QB from Wisconsin! Either technique would give you a different look as far as the finished product. There is a bunch of info out there about QAYG - maybe you should try one of each to see which you prefer best! Keep us posted on your decision and progress - we'd love to hear!

I agree. Look up to see if there is a local quilt guild and ask them for some longarm quilter names.

I saw an episode of Sewing With Nancy where she did what she calls column quilts. She has a book called "Quick Column Quilts". It's a QAYG method by column, not by block.

https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Column-Quilts-Beautiful-Designs/dp/1440239215/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1490791601&sr=8-1&keywords=quick+column+quilts

Welcome to our amazing board! I have tried several QAYG techniques. I personally really like the "quilting in columns" & I think is doable for a beginner. There is a you tube video for this technique. For the quilting part you can straight line quilt. Doesn't have to be fancy quilting. There is no hand sewing. Also there are just tons of beginner quilt blocks to piece. Maybe try a fence rail. Have fun & Happy Quilting

My first QAYG project was "the Betsy Quilt" by Valori Wells. The top comes together in three large pieces so I quilted each piece separately leaving 1.5 inches on that side that I would connect, then I put two pieces right sides together and did the top, the batting, and finally the backing. Worked very well and I only had to do it twice. If you look there's a line on the back where I stitched thru all the layers, I was able to hide it in the front but it shows on the back. My daughter didn't care, she sleeps with it every night :) I recommend the pattern, easy for beginners and a great way to use solids or fun large prints.

I quilt smaller sized quilts as a whole. I'm working on a row by row quilt using qayg because each row has lots of embellishment and it's easier to handle that way, plus I don't have a definite plan for how it will end up!

I am teaching myself QAG and it can be challenging. My first real, planned quilt, I paid to have quilted ('quilting by check' they call it). The quilter did an amazing job for me, but I quickly realized that the quilt I was making for me no longer felt like my work since she had done the hard part for me. My next four quilts I quilted myself using SID ( stitch in the ditch), but my shoulder objected strongly due to arthritis. I hand quilted a "cheater" panel years ago, but my "death grip" on the needle bends them. I am now trying to master QAG so that the whole quilt stays 'my work'. Your experiences will influence how you quilt yours. Do what feels good and makes you happy. Just plan to try different methods since you have time until Christmas. Enjoy and Welcome from Oregon.

I'm doing the 365 challenge quilt, quilt as you go. and quilted by hand or machine, I'd highly recommend Thermore batting.
https://www.connectingthreads.com/ba...g__D20825.html

How do I love thee, let me count the ways...
Originally designed for quilted clothes, it is super thin, very drapable, and I'm even splitting that in half!
Great for my little blocks, but this batt, halved, makes it a lot easier to machine quilt that bulk in a full size

It is SO light, a monster quilt would never be heavy!
(poly, guaranteed to not beard) so even thin you get a nice effect from the quilting.
I haven't needed to baste my blocks (6.5") for marking or quilting, cotton Sticks to it!

A good friend to my pocketbook, my 90"X 108" was under twenty dollars. Under ten dollars if you count that I'll be getting two quilts out of it :)
I'm also self facing the blocks bringing the backing around to the front, so no sashing...

The image is a baker's dozen blocks ...so you can see how thin and light these blocks are.

edited to add: Welcome butters, nice folk here, glad you've joined us