Quilt As You Go, No Handwork: A Tutorial

 Welcome to Treadlestitches!

I do most of my own quilting on a domestic machine.  Baby quilts are easy!  For larger quilts, I either quilt a simple grid, or use a quilt as you go technique.

I started these blocks in Feb. 2021, as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  The pattern comes from Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Christmas in her book Scraps and Shirttails II, and is called Poinsettia Star.  The poinsettia "petals" were in the color of the month.  In October, once the blocks were done, I had to figure out how I wanted to quilt them.

I didn't make a top first, because I was going to quilt in sections.  I laid all the blocks out in 7 rows of 6 blocks each.

I made sashing strips from squares to go between the blocks and rows, and then I laid out the sections.  The center 3 rows are divided into 3 small sections of six blocks each.  The top 2 rows, plus sashing, are a section, as are the bottom 2 rows.  (Please excuse the bad lighting!  The sun was very bright that day.)

Also, not shown in the photos, I cut backing and batting for each section.  These pieces are just pinned together to keep them straight, NOT BASTED YET.

In this technique, you work from the center out.  I layered the center section with batting and backing, spray basted it, and quilted it.  In some places, I quilted right up to the edge.

One of the reasons I wanted to use this method was because I wanted to do outline quilting, rather than a grid.  Outline quilting, that is, following the seams of the piecing, was often done on quilts long ago, and seems appropriate for a reproduction quilt.  I quilted inside and outside each of the "petals", and around the edges of the blocks. 

This is the completed first section.

Now what?  

The basic principle of this particular version of quilt as you go is this: 

If you add an unquilted piece to a quilted piece, you don't need to do any hand sewing.

Here's how this works.

I'm going to sew the unquilted section on the left to the quilted section on the right.  The unquilted section has now had the blue border attached to it.  Please note, the unquilted section does not yet have batting or backing attached.  The quilted section has been trimmed on the edge that will now be sewn.

I lay the unquilted section face down on the quilted section, and stitch a quarter inch seam.  It's helpful to have a built-in walking foot for this.

I press this seam toward the newly added section with a hot iron.  You want the seam to lay flat, with no puckers. 

Then I add the backing piece, right side down, to the backing of the center section, also with a quarter inch seam.  I press this seam also.

Here's what it looks like on the back.  As you can see, I'm using different toile prints for the backing. 

Now I add the batting between the two layers I just added.  I use basting spray to spray just the batting, and then smooth the pieces over it.  I do the back first, then the top, but it would work just as well the other way.

Now I'm ready to quilt the second section.  So I do!  I'm leaving the border to be quilted last, when all the sections are done.

Here's what it looks like on the back, after quilting.

So that's the technique:  For each section, add the top, add the backing, add the batting, quilt the new section.  And repeat.

Now for some time lapse photography (well sort of).

Section 3 added, middle 3 rows complete.

Section 4, the top 2 rows, added, then quilted.

And the last section, the bottom two rows added.

Once all the sections were together and quilted, I marked and quilted the borders.  I used a wavy stencil, and marked with a chalk pounce.  It reminds me of a waving flag.

 The binding is a red patriotic print, also sewn on completely by machine.

Because I'm quilting from the center out, the sections are easier to maneuver.  As the quilt grows, I'm always working on the outer edges.  It can get a little tight at times turning the quilt to outline the piecing, but it's still easier than doing the whole quilt at once (ask me how I know!). 

I definitely don't mind doing handwork, but it's nice not to have to worry about it.  It makes the process go faster.

I wouldn't use this method for every quilt, but it's handy to know, especially for medallion style quilts.

Is this helpful?  If you have questions, I'll be happy to answer.

Happy Quilting!

Sylvia@Treadlestitches