Hi all, I'm new to writing in response to messages but I wanted to let you know what I've discovered re quilting in sections. Years ago (hate to say how many, it was during the 1970's) Georgia Bonesteel wrote several books using the quilt-as-you-go method, she called it Lap Quilting. Recently Marti Mitchell wrote a great book on this subject. She explains it very well, and offers several patterns that are adaptable to quilt-as-you-go. Nancy Zieman tells how to do a reversible quilt done in strips, in her book 10-20-30 Minutes to Sew for Your Home. She recently demonstrated this on QNNTV. Hope this info is helpful.

Good morning Norma. I have tried what you call "quilting in sections" and I really like it for some situations. I have always heard it called "quilt as you go". I was always one of those quilters that pieced the top by machine and hand quilted because I had so many disasters at machine quilting. I am making a bedspread right now for a king size bed. I just cut out 12" blocks for the top colors, 12" blocks of the bottom (in my case muslin, but you can make it reversible with any colors), and 12" blocks of quilt batting. Machine quilt any pattern in the middle but leave at least 1" open all the way around. There's some websites that can show you how to proceed from there (I'll try to find the one I used to learn on and send it to you). That is the hard part to describe how to do. write me back after you have some practice blocks made and I'll try to describe it to you if you can't find the website. Stay in touch- and happy quilting!
Beaker

I do all my quilts in sections, no section larger than crib-size. Any larger and it becomes difficult to manage through the throat of my machine. Smaller is better. A quilt that is in the works now, has 40" square sections.

After the quilt sandwich is made (backing, batting, top), I machine quilt it, leaving a 1" or so perimeter where it can be attached to its neighbors.

This is only the sixth quilt I've made. I'm retired and can procrastinate as much as I want, which is why there's a Log Cabin UFO in my workroom now.

In the mid-'80s of the last century ( :lol: ) I met a woman who became my sewing mentor and she directed me to Georgia Bonesteel's lap-quilting books and videos. My mentor's lessons are still the most vivid, because they were personal. Our friendship lasted until her husband died; she moved away and we lost track of each other. I think of her often when I use a tool she gave me, or complete a corner the way she showed me.

By all means, try the method; you'll enjoy it. You could make a small project first. A crib-size quilt divided into four sections is big enough to make mistakes on (learning experiences) and small enough to be easily fixed.

I have found that quilting in sections works very well if you're using your regular sewing machine. Look at the way you can divide the quilt into sections that will fit and will be easy to work with. Divisions do not have to be of equal size. Marti Mitchel's book is my most usable reference as to how to work it out. I've been very satisfied that now I don't hesitate to do a king sized quilt.
E. Margaret

It is just so darn much easier, and faster. And they are real pretty to. It works for me real well. I love it, I Love It.

Hi Everyone in Quilting in Sections...

Golly, when I started this subject, trying to get some idea of what Quilting in Sections was all about, I never thought so many people would have both tried it already and knew what it was!

Thanks, so much for all your help. I agree that, for me, Marti Michell's book has been the easiest to understand and follow. Sure wish I had bought her book first!! Oh well, we all like to have big quilting libraries, don't we?

Thanks, again, to everyone that contributed their ideas and know-how.

Norma

Be sure to read what Marti Mitchell has to say. She explains several ways to join your sections together and some pros and cons of each. You can do the backing in sections,too. something I've done when I didn't want to do the backing in sections is to quilt my sections without a backing, or with a thin, lightweight muslin backing, sew them together to make the full sized quilt, and then added the backing in one piece. Then I quilted in the ditch vertically and horizontally to hold the backing. Consequently, you have more quilting on the front than shows on the back, but I have liked my finished product. Sometimes when I do this I use fleece for the back, and don't want to do a lot of quilting on it.

Hi Margaret,

I like your backing and quilting idea. Do you not use and batting between your square and backing fabric? Do you mean you use fleece for the batting and then use the large pieces of backing fabric you can now find in most fabric and internet stores?

Norma

I do use a thin batting behind the sections I'm quilting. Sometimes I put a lightweight mustin on the back of this so that it moves smoothly when I'm quilting, especially if I'm free motion quilting. Then I sew the sections together and put the fleece on the back, and connect the layers with several lines of in the ditch. The binding can be fleece carried to the front, or you can make it like a pillow case and turn it with no binding, simply stitching around the edge, or you can add a wider binding. I don't find it too easy to hand sew the binding to the fleece, so I machine sew the binding to the wrong/fleece side, and do the hand stitiching to the front/cotton side.

Hi, again, Margaret,

Wow, what a great idea! Boy, I learn something new every day. Sounds like you have been quilting a long time. Do you or have you ever used Marti Michelle's book on quilting in sections or do you have one you prefer?

Just started on an Underground RR quilt in a local quilting guild. Finished my first patch yesterday. Had to cut out the pieces twice because they came out too small! What a waste of material. The second time around I cut everything 1/8" more than was called for so I square up everything to size needed.

I'm doing the 12" square and I'll be darned if when I went to square up the unfinished square, it was 12 1/2" on 2 opposite sides, & 12 1/4" on the other 2 opposite sides. Figure that one out!! I did square up each of the individual (9) squares at 4 1/2" each. I guess I'll just wait until all 15 squares are done before I do any squaring up of finished squares. Very perplexing, indeed!!

Any ideas as to how this problem is coming about? We are to wait on buying batting and backing until we're done with squares, so I think I will try the quilting in squares method. The finished quilt is supposed to be 60"x90".

Norma