Have you ever been put off making a quilt because it will be too big to quilt? Or maybe your quilting confidence is much higher when the piece you are tackling is smaller. For either of these problems, Quilt-As-You-Go is the answer! Quilt-As-You-Go (QAYG) is a process which joins pre-quilted quilt pieces together. With this method a quilt is built in pieces, the pieces are quilted and then those pieces are joined together and bound. This differs from the traditional quilting process when quilting happens once the quilt top is joined together.
During the lockdown period in the UK this year, many of the quilters in my regular groups were making my Phoenix Quilt. It was the perfect applique quilt to keep us all absorbed by sewing during this period. Whilst I will quilt it as a complete quilt, most of the quilters are using a Quilt-As-You-Go method to quilt the pieces in different sections. The picture below shows you the sections being quilted independently and then joined.
There are many methods for QAYG but those below are the two I find the most successful. The method you choose will depend if sashing between panels is acceptable for the look and feel of the final quilt. If it is not, then the second method is for you.
Method 1 – Using Sashing on Front of Quilt
Sashing strips are used front and back to hide the join. If sashing strips are acceptable on the front of a quilt then this is a slightly quicker method to use. It also allows for quilting right to the edge of each of the pieces to be joined 
For the Phoenix Quilt which has sashing as part of the design, this was the perfect option.
Method 2– No Sashing on Front of Quilt
If no front sashing is preferred, then this is the right option for you! The pieces are quilted to leave a ½” unquilted area around the edges of the piece to be joined. Sashing is added to the back as in the first method, to hide the join.
Below you will find my complete notes for these two QAYG methods that I prefer. They also include options to tweak each process slightly.
QAYG is a great technique. I hope you enjoy using it in your own work.
