World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of September 14, 1998:

Our question this week comes from Margot Kummer

I am going to try piece machine quilting just doing sections at a time and adding on instead of machine quilting the whole thing. Is there any advice as to the best method or would you even try this?

Dee :
I haven"t tried this as yet but am also very interested to hear how to best go about this method.

lenore matray :
be prepared to do lots of hand sewing when you join the sections together...

Suzy S. :
There is a wonderful book written by Beth Donaldson using this method.
"BLOCK BY BLOCK' published by That Patchwork Place.

Joan :
I made a full size quilt this way and am currently working on a second. It worked out great for me..I could take a basted together block (or 2-3) with me when on a trip and not have to worry about finding room for the entire quilt. I piece and quilt by hand but imagine this method would make machine quilting easier as well.

Linda :
Yes!! I would try it as my good quilting buddy Pat (a sucessful teacher and former shop-owner) has done this sucessfully several times. All sizes can be done this way. Sometimes, she would piece larger sections of the quilt together to machine quilt instead of just blocks. The overall design of the quilt can add to the ease of this kind of quilting method. Also remember that print fabric "hides" joined seams and sashing better than solid fabric. Best wishes.

Gretchen :
We started a month by month class,machine
quilting the pieced blocks as they were
finished. We too, used the Lap Quilting
book as a reference. We allowed extra
fabric, on each block, to attach the
blocks later. We also plan on quilting
those sashing pieces once the top is
complete. Go ahead and try it. Maybe
experiment with a few blocks to start!!

Suzy :
You might check out one of Georgia Bonesteele's books on Lap Quilting. That method made complete blocks (quilted) and then she tells you how to join them together. Would I try it???? I think it depends on what pattern you are planning on quilting. If you laid all your blocks out as if you were going to quilt it as a whole and marked your design(s), it would probably work...... GOOD LUCK!

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