Butters2013

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!

Tartan

Welcome from Ontario, Canada. The advantage of QAYG is you can quilt the squares without moving a large quilt sandwich. There are many good tutorial on YouTube about it.
Learning to make a quilt sandwich and quilt the whole quilt does have learning curve but you can straight line quilt it.
As for paying so one to quilt it for you, that depends on the size and the quilting pattern you choose. I think Missouri Star Quilt co. is fairly reasonable for machine quilting. Your profile doesn't say where you are located so it is hard to say what the pricing may be like in your area.

QuiltnNan

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.

cjsews

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

JustAbitCrazy

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

PatPitter

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.

quilterpurpledog

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.

tessagin

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

tessagin

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.

PaperPrincess

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.