If you love crafting, sewing, and cozying up with a warm quilt, then you've probably heard about the quilt-as-you-go. But for those new to the quilting world, fret not! This blog post is here to guide you through this innovative and efficient quilting method and how you can get started today.
A quilt is a multi-layered textile traditionally composed of three layers of fabric or fibre:
A top layer with a design
Batting
A backing layer.
These layers are all quilted together by hand or machine. To make a quilt, you would start by making a quilt top in your chosen design, which can be patchwork or applique.
Once you have made the quilt top, layer it with the batting and backing fabric to quilt.
As you can see in the picture of the unfinished quilt, the quilt top needs the batting for softness and the backing to hide all the raw seams to make it complete. To finish the quilt, you would pin all the layers together and quilt them through a domestic sewing machine or by hand. If you are just like me, and the thought of doing that overwhelms you, but you want to be able to whip up a stunning quilt from start to finish, then quilt as you go is for you.
What is Quilt as You Go?
Quilt as You Go, often abbreviated as QAYG, is a quilting technique where you create smaller quilted blocks individually and then assemble them together to form the final quilt. Instead of quilting the entire quilt top at once, you work on smaller sections, making the process more manageable and less intimidating, especially for beginners.
This photo is an example of a stitch and flip quilt-as-you-go block, which shows the process of creating a complete quilt block in one. From there, you would combine all those blocks to create a complete quilt.
Here is the finished quilt!
Stitch and flip quilt blocks are a great beginner method for making your first quilt-as-you-go quilt. You can also add fancy quilt-as-you-go borders; the sky is literally the limit.
Here is an example of an advanced king-sized quilt-as-you-go quilt from the Pattern Poole private collection. As you can see, quilt-as-you-go can have limitless possibilities, and you can also make full quilts that don't look quilt-as-you-go!
Shades of Indigo: Monica Poole, 2001: 94" square.
No pattern.
How Do You Join The Blocks Together?
Quilt-as-you-go can be done in numerous ways with various methods (joining techniques); however, as this is a beginner guide, we are going to explore Monica's easiest method, 'The Easy Cover Strip Method', as it is perfect for beginners and you can get started today.
Things to note:
Each quilt-as-you-go method has a set of rules and will produce a different aesthetic when the quilt is complete.
For example, Monica's Easy Cover Strip Method, the easiest and most popular method, uses 1" trams (cover strips) between the blocks.
However, you can add them to the front or back of the quilt or make them the same colour as the background fabric to make the blocks look like they are floating.
Easy Cover Strips on the back of the quilt
Easy Cover Strips the same colour as the background fabric
Easy Cover Strips on the front of the quilt
Easy Cover Strip Tutorials:
This first tutorial is for the dabbler interested in quilt-as-you-go but isn't inspired to start just yet. The video shows the basic gist of The Easy Cover Strip Method and was also our first YouTube tutorial.
This tutorial is for the curious overthinker who wants to visualise the entire process before getting started. I know this as I am the same, hence why I made a 50-minute full-length video on joining 36 stitches and flipping blocks together quilt-as-you-go. It is long, so grab a beverage and enjoy the journey. By the end of this video, you will fully understand the Easy Cover Strip Method and may even start designing some quilts in your head.
This tutorial is for anyone ready to make a quilt-as-you-go quilt right now!!
It is another long one, but you will learn the entire process from start to finish, and it also has a free pattern that you can download below:
This is another tutorial for any quilter with a ton of scraps. It is also very long, but you will see the entire process of making our classic 'Strumb Quilt'.
Next Steps:
Once you have watched those tutorials, you are ready to dive into the world of Quilt-as-you-go. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced quilter, quilt-as-you-go is for everyone.
You can also check out this playlist on our YouTube channel, which shows more of our quilt-as-you-go joining methods.
You can also join our Facebook Group with over 14,000 international quilters to connect, be inspired, make friends, and learn more about quilting as you go the Pattern Poole way.
Or, if you are especially eager to learn more about quilt-as-you-go, please check out our book. Quilt-as-you-go is Monica's life work, and her book is 25 Years of her tips and techniques compiled into one book to help you make your own quilt-as-you-go quilts from start to finish.
Some Fun QAYG Patterns With Full Joining Instructions:
You have literally changed my life!
Making 6 QAYG quilts for grandkids and close friends-totally in the dark-from you tube videos all over the web. I discovered Pattern Poole at age 72! I enrolled for A Time to Bloom almost 6 months ago, and gaining confidence with every block I make. I ordered Monica’s book, which is to be delivered at a friends house in Australia-I cannot wait🇿🇦