Quilting - assembly line style or as you go?
 

I'm not talking about QAYG, I'm talking about making the quilt top, then quilting it, then making another quilt top, then quilting it, as opposed to making all of your quilt tops one right after another, then quilting them one right after another.

Myself, since I tend to put projects off till the last minute then complicate them as they are made, I quilt each top after it's made, then gift the quilt well after its intended occasion! The last wedding quilt I made was given in March or April of 2012 - the wedding was November 2011.

And I have a quilt top ready to be quilted for a housewarming that was 3 weeks ago.....for some reason I just can't get motivated to get this one done.

So, which method do you prefer?

I have a tendency to have multiple projects going at different times in different stages. One in the cutting stage; one in the assembly stage and one in the quilting stage. I hand quilt so this way I still have something quilty going on al the time. I can usually manage to make the important deadlines but otherwise I don't worry about the 'race'. I pretty much just quilt for my own pleasure and usually leave myself plenty of time to make my self-imposed deadlines.

I prioritize my quilts as to which is needed NEXT and which can wait. Mostly, once I begin a quilt I finish it. I have 2 UFOs, both from a class I took several years ago, and neither expresses who I am or anyone I know that might like either one. I plan to make them into quilts for children or lap quilts, just as soon as I have time:D. Then I'll give them away.

For me, an unfinished quilt is just too sad (if it's really mine). The two UFOs aren't "really mine!"

Depends on what I'm doing. Right now I'm making three quilts from the same pattern. They're not exactly the same but it's the same pattern. I cut quilt 1 and 2 at the same time. Then I pieced quilt 1 and then cut quilt 3 while I was piecing quilt 2. When quilt 2 was ready for borders I pieced quilt 3. Quilt 1 is ready to be basted and quilt 2 and 3 will get borders today. Then I'll set up my basting set up and baste all three of them and then quilt them one after the other.

For me the quilt is done when I put binding on it. If I leave a top sitting too long it will never be done since I am a procrastinator by nature. I am trying to change that about myself so I do it all in order - patchwork, sandwich, quilt, bind, wash, done!
I have a quilt which is due end of November and I am almost done with the patchwork. Since I am accident prone when it comes to quilting process, I want to have enough time to make another one if I screw something up on it between now and than, or if my life throws me a curve ball. I am far from disciplined but I am trying to get there, eventually.

I have lots of projects lined up, but I work on them one at a time. I sort of have them prioritized in my head so hopefully I'll get them all done! I think that if I had two machines available for use all the time then I might work on two quilt projects. Although, the way my brain works lately, I'd probably mess them both up! :)

I have always completed quilting and never started the next quilt until the last stitch was done on the binding, and I hand quilt! However, a few years ago when preparing to move back to the US from overseas, I made a few quilt tops, one after the other, thinking I probably wouldn't have a machine for a while once in the US so I would have plenty hand quilting to do( my old machine was 220 volts), but I did get a new one and was so excited to have access to fabric shops (which I didn't overseas where I lived), I quickly started on new ones. I felt guilty just letting the other tops sit (most were queen size), so sent them to a LA from this board. Now, I am tempted to send her most of my tops, she did such a fantastic job. However, currently, I am into making purses and totes, so my quilts have been on the back burner for a year!

LIFE tends to dictate when I do what. My sewing room is the hottest room in the house so I do any sewing I have in the mornings...and after 7pm. So I plan ahead and do all my cutting and designing etc during the hours I can't be in the room! Now, my kids are back with me so my sewing room is now in my b edroom and the weathe rist starting to cool off. I do the cutting and such on the kitchen table while they are gone and then can sew pretty much anytime in my bedroom. I also have several going at once...for diff reasons. Right now.. I am working on ones for my grand kids for christmas as I work ont he one for the GD that lives with me in the mornings while she is in school. Once home... I pull out another quilt to work on. I also have to wait for supplies sometimes, so I will start on while waiting for the money to get the supplies to finish the other. I have a civil war quilt in the works and have made those blocks while waiting on other things.

I tend to make a bunch of tops and then quilt a bunch in a row. I was thinking about this question just yesterday as I was thinking about how I have several projects going on at once. The thought of only one project completely stops my creativity as soon as it gets a bit on the tedious side. If I have several going on at once, and don't feel like doing something boring at the moment, I can work on the other project. Plus, I tend to prefer to do a lot of pressing/ironing at once and so I prefer to have a lot to iron to make turning on the iron worth it.

For example, I had some 9 patches done and needed to lay them out on the ping pong table to get the colors in an okay position (I had previously sewn them). I have a QAYG project ready to layer and quilt (but I needed batting--finally bought batting a few days ago, so started on that--am now on the hand sewing part of that), had my embroidery machine going and was working on a disappearing 4 patch (I'm finding it not very interesting, so having a hard time pushing myself, but managed to make myself do a few blocks.)

I find that if something isn't really interesting, i can usually MAKE myself do a few blocks or a few seams before going on to something more fun. If I KEEP doing that day after day, eventually I will finish that project that wasn't as fun to do as I thought it was going to be. So, the idea of doing only one project at a time, is, to me, rather awful. It is areal "creativity stifler".

But I currently have about 60 quilt tops to quilt--all pressed and ready to go. I just bought two 50 meter rolls of batting, however, so I'm planning on getting to work on them. (Many of these are charity quilt tops and will be tied--some I will continue to practice my FMQ on and some are personal and will be quilted by machine.)

I get bored easily so have multiple projects going at once. I love to piece, so most of my UFOs are pieced tops or blocks that haven't been sewn together yet. I'm trying to change my stumble areas (sandwiching, quilting & binding) by choosing several UFOs to focus on for the rest of the year and I'm mixing in a few new Christmas projects too. I'll never be a start-to-finish one project at time person, as much I admire those who are. I need choices.