QAYG pros and cons

[Arloony]

Hello,

After viewing a few tutorials about this new technique that I have heard today of QAYG....(you can tell I am new to this...lol)...I would like to hear from you what you think about this technique?
What are the pros and cons?

As I am a quilter starter (twisted quilter starter!) and only got a standard machine, perhaps this could be the way forward?

Looking forward to seeing your comments 

[Efemera]

It’s not my cup of tea.... I don’t like the way it go has to be joined together. I think you would be  better making a small lap quilt with simple quilting before you start any free machining, which  is where QAYG has an advantage if you can’t manage a big quilt in your machine.

[Deafoldbat]

Some people like it. Personally all that …ing about joining the bits together seems more trouble than it's worth. I can get a huge quilt through my machine -6½ harp space. It just takes a little bit of thought and planning. There's a sticky somewhere about machine quilting, and possibly something about qayg if you dig through the archives.

[Lowena]

I agree with @Efemera. I don't like joining the parts together. The easiest way is with sashing but that's not always pertinent to the design. To join without strips is incredibly fiddly.....and don't get me started on joining the backs!!!
Start with a lap quilt and move forward from there.

[BrendaP]

There are several different ways of QAYG.  A common way is to use sashing strips, but that's not always what you want, and involves either topstitching the join on the back (shows on the front) or hand joining the back.  The way I did my big wedding pressie quilt was to join front pieced strip, join a strip of backing and slide a length of wadding between them.  Fiddly but looked better in the end. 

Whichever method of QAYG you choose it will interfere with what is possible for the quilting design, so plan in advance.

My advice is to start with something smallish - cot quilt or lap quilt - that you can get through your machine without too much effort and then think about something bigger.

[Iminei]

I think QAYG has its place and certainly when everyone starts their journey through the Darkside they want to make something of Import usually a double bed sized quilt ...

You may be a whizz and be able to achieve this but generally this is a slippery slope past frustration leading on to  disappointment and finally giving up on the whole damn thing .... Ask me how I know!!!

Even now I loathe layering anything of a size and at present I've just layered and am now slowly quilting a 63" quilt and finding it hard work and tedious!

Piecing a large quilt isnt the problem, its the layering and quilting ... Most people haven't the space to easily layer a large quilt, then you come to the quilting and especially if youre just starting your swing journey, they wont have the harp space on the machine and lastly and most importantly the skill level ( @Deafoldbat  has been sewing and quilting for years and years)

If you can restrain your ambitions and start with a cot quilt or lap quilt you will have a much better time of it!

But going back to QAYG if you must make something of some size it is a way to it ... My very first completed quilts were QAYG ... My very first completed top laid patiently for nearly 3 years before I had the courage, machine space and skill to quilt it.

Some pics for you

My very first completed quilt ... Parrots, reversible ... QAYG with Black Sashing 53" x 54" squareish !

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2nd Quilt ... For my then Mother in Law ... QAYG in 4 parts 44" square

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Getting bigger ... Rags to Richness Courduroy Quilt ... QAYG 60" square

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Obviously between these projects I was making and quilting smaller items as a whole...

I think the largest complete quilt I have ever quilted as a whole must be The Opus, the first one I pieced.
It only took 8 days to make and assemble the top but I simply hadnt got the experience, skill or machine space to quilt it until 1050 days later!!! 

The Opus pieced in August 2013 .... Finished July 22nd 2016  .... 79"  sq

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I do hope this hasnt put you off starting P&Q and really look forward to seeing your makes ...
Maybe join in with this years BOM or pick out some of the previous BOMs to see what you like?

[wrenkins]

This year's BOM will be my first attempt at QAYG. The blocks are all very different (for any number of reasons ) and when set out together they look a bit  . I set them out on a background of plain black which I will use for the sashing when I find out how and they look ten times better with a bit of definition setting them apart. I wouldn't say I'm a fan of sashing in everything but it certainly has it's place in this case.
Try everything and certainly come and stress with us enjoy the antics in the 2020 BOM thread. We're not the best pupils in the world but Imi is very patient. (I know that in her head she is screaming!!!  ).

[Button Nose]

Iminei, those are lovely! And don't look like QAYG which is usually what puts me off. I quite like a quilt with sashing but the ones in a QAYG quilt often scream 'QAYG!' to me and I can't see past it.

I'm doing one just now, it's definitely easier for the quilting and I'll use patterned sashing fabric so hopefully it won't be too obvious. It's the first time I've tried this technique (Gourmet Quilter on YT) but I've done a couple of others - the easy way by Not Your Mama's Quilt Store on YT which was quite easy and the result isn't too bad. I've also done sewing the rows onto the fleece backing (with no wadding) as I go, that didn't fill me with much joy but it worked not too badly.

Iminei, I tried the pool noodle way of layering for my last biggish quilt and it was a revelation - did it on the kitchen worktop  . I think you could use those pipe covering grey foam things from B&Q too.

[Iminei]

Susan (Claire Mayfield .. The Gourmet quilter) taught me via Youtube  how to quilt for which Im eternally grateful as it tempered my desire to make something of import straight out of the gates!

We are friends and I often help her at festival ... great fun!

There are definitely quilts you CANNOT Qayg with the sashing option and I've yet to build up the courage to do one with the alternative method outlined by BrendaP earlier in this thread.

The Opus couldn't have been QAYG as it would interrupt the pattern ... so I had to wait til my skill level caught up with my ambitions ... not, I hasten to add, that Im particularly skilled.

[Puzzler]

Pool noodle way????   

[Renegade Sewist]

Pool noodle way????   

Oh yes. The Way of The Pool Noodle. It's one of those Zen things, helps to keep you calm  and centered while wrestling a biggish quilt.

[Puzzler]

Oh yes. The Way of The Pool Noodle. It's one of those Zen things, helps to keep you calm  and centered while wrestling a biggish quilt.

I am guessing you mean the rolling up of part of the quilt to fit it under the harp. If so, I have experienced this Zen thing. Just didn’t know it had such a technical name.  :thumbsup:

[Renegade Sewist]

@Puzzler I've seen that, too awkward for me. You can use your noodle (haha) to help with layering especially if your table top is smaller than your quilt. As I understand it you roll each layer onto a noodle then unroll some, pin, repeat, and I guess roll the pinned layers onto a fourth noodle. Don't quote me on this. 

[Lowena]

@Puzzler It's a good way of layering a large quilt.
@Stitches and I bought pipe lagging from B and Q.
You roll each layer and it's easy to unroll, spray and smooth a bit at a time without puckers........that's the theory

[Ploshkin]

I tried it once with pipe lagging.  I couldn't get on with it at all.  I couldn't get the layers to roll on straight, it would be spiralling along the pipe.

The original (I think) method was done with flat boards.  I think @rubywishes does that.  Boards would be easier than rolling I would think.

Once I stopped overthinking it and being afraid of doing it I found it easy.  I don't mind layering and basting at all now.

I have a 5' x 3' table.  I've not layered a quilt wider than 60" so not had a problem. I just start from the middle, fold the layer back and do a section at a time until I reach the end then go back to the middle and work a section at a time to the other end letting the excess hang over the edge of the table with a couple of chairs for it to rest on if it needs to go that far.   I spray baste the batting and put the top layer on, turn it over, spray baste the batting again and put the backing on.