Quilt-As-You-Go Quilts
Posted by Judy Gauthier on Jul 11th 2024
How many people hear the term Quilt-as-You-Go but never really know what that means?
They like the sound of it. It could mean a lot of things. Quilt-as-You-Go sounds like something that you take with you and do on your lap. Nope. It’s not that you are on the go, it’s that you are quilting the quilt while you are building the blocks or rows. That’s what quilt as you go means.
If I had to give Quilt-as-You-Go a definition, this is what it would be: Quilt-as-You-Go is a process in which a block or row of blocks or a section of a quilt is created and then layered with batting and backing. It is quilted on a domestic machine and then joined together once all the sections have been quilted. Several methods can be used to join the sections.
Great! So, we know we need 3 things: The section of the quilt top, the batting, and the backing. My book “Quilt-as-You-Go for Scrap Lovers” takes you through the entire process. You will be amazed at how you can develop your quilting skills by creating your quilts in this manner.
Don’t be fooled by videos that show Quilt-as-You-Go as quilting the block or section with only the batting underneath. That is not Quilt-as-You-Go. That is going to cause a major issue once you have to have a backing on your quilt!
Here is a picture of my quilt section. You can see that it’s a row of blocks and the batting and backing are underneath because you can see the basting pins. I divided this quilt into 5 sections, quilted them, and then brought them together using a method that is taught in depth in my latest book.
Allow me to show you the quilt that I am the most proud of.
I did quilt as you go on it and it’s a very large quilt. It’s actually an incredibly easy technique as well, in terms of building the quilt top. The quilt top is all scraps.
This quilt was created in sections and then quilted on a domestic machine. It’s an intricate feather pattern. But don’t feel like you have to have something super intricate for Quilt-as-You-Go. You can also just quilt straight lines in your quilt. Or, you can do a simple meandering. It’s completely up to you. That is what is so wonderful about this. You get to decide how to place the quilting, and the finished project is 100% yours. You didn’t have to send it to someone else to finish.
Remember that quilt that I showed at the beginning of this post? The section of the quilt? Well, here it is. You cannot tell at all where the sections were joined. It’s a fun and simple technique. You will want to check out my book, Quilt-as-You-Go for Scrap Lovers.
You will be sold on this technique!
Below are more photos of some of the quilts from the book.
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Find Quilt As-You-Go for Scrap Lovers at C&T Publishing.
Judy Gauthier owns Bungalow Quilting and Yarn, a modern quilt shop. A fabric designer with Andover Fabrics and a Certified Critical Care Nurse, Judy has four children and two grandchildren. She lives in Ripon, Wisconsin. Follow more of Judy's work on her website bungalowquilting.com.
Love scrappy quilting? Check out Judy's Creative Spark courses!
