Yesterday I finished binding the QAYG quilt. It turned out really great! I'm very exciting about the quilt and loved doing it Quilt As You Go.
Here is a snapshot of the back:
Some pictures of the front can be found here.
Below is a recap of the project.
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Design
I decided on using a very traditional block pattern called Log Cabin. This block originated in the 1800s. Traditionally the center is red to symbolize the hearth of the home. Then the top and bottom are generally a contrast between light and dark. The light part symbolizes happiness, while the dark part represents sorrow.
My quilt doesn't have a strong contrast between the light and dark parts, but I did make an attempt to use light scraps on the lower right part, and dark scraps on the upper left part. Sometimes it was a toss up whether the scrap was light or dark, so I relied on the background color of the print to decide.
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Quilt As You Go (QAYG) Method
As far as I can tell the QAYG method was either invented, or at least became a popular quilting method, in the mid 1800s during the time when many people were migrating West in covered wagons. Back in those days I think most quilting was done by hand with the quilt stretched on a giant frame. So being able to quilt one small square at a time was something the women could do in the cramped wagons.
The basic idea is to make a bunch of quilt blocks, quilt the individual block and then attach the quilted blocks together using sashing (like mine). There are some other methods, but I don't know enough about them to explain. You can see how I attached mine here.
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What I Liked about QAYG
No Special Tools Needed: I did NOT use a walking foot, and did all the quilting using the standard presser foot. There might be a pucker or two, but nothing like what would have happened if I tried to quilt the entire top without a walking foot.
No Sewing Machine Wrestling Match: It was a huge relief to know that towards the end I didn't have to shove the whole thing through my machine. This quilt was much easier to work on than either of the two baby sized quilts I made before. When it came time to attach the blocks together, all the sewing was done with the quilt to the left resting on the table. At no time did I have to roll it up and fit it through the space between the arm and motor.
Doing It Myself: Since I could quilt the entire thing myself, it saved me a lot of stress and money. I have not had a quilt quilted by a professional with a long arm machine, but I think it costs several hundred dollars for the quilting labor.
Relaxing: Overall, it was a lot of hand stitching. But I also watched several movies, so it was a relaxing and pleasant task.
