rhueluna

I too would rather see you tie it than send it off to a big machine with a computerized pattern after all the work you did making the top. Usually people don't agree with me. :)

wendsy

I have found that if I make the middle complete (I usually am making a twin sized quilt) top, batting, and backing-I can quilt the smaller area easier than the completed quilt. I finish the quilt by adding borders and a binding. Making it in workable pieces makes it easier for me.

Kitsie

I do the same thing with the garden gloves and my granddad's old kitchen table. I've done 2 kings and a queen on a 35 yr old machine with no walking foot! Can you do a block at a time? At least you feel progress with each one! Keep going, girl!

joeyoz

I usually just concentrate on one block or border at a time. Makes it less intimidating.

Quilter2B

I have done queen size on my DM and use a chair behind my machine and to the side to help hold the weight. It is also helpful if you can put your ironing board adjusted to the height of your sewing table

Ditter43

I personally think SITD is one of the harder ways to quilt!!
I like the idea I've seen several here use...quilting with a wavey stitch pattern that is on many machines. I prefer FMQ even on large quilts. I am working on a quilt as you go right now. So far it is easy, but I haven't started sewing the blocks together yet...... :wink:

rhueluna

I have done several that way and as long as you don't mind that you can see where they are attached on the back its good. I just did these 3 rows and attached them so far. I am now working on the last 2 rows which I have as a section. I do 2 rows most of the time. This is how it looks after attaching the rows.

lizzy

My DH did the same thing for me using a large wooden office desk we bought for $25.00 at a garage sale. It made all the difference to have my machine flush with the desk top.

grammypatty7

That's why I hand quilt. No way can even think about hiring the quilting done and I don't have the physical strength, energy or stamina to machine quilt and I make either twin or queen sized quilts. I do quilt as you go and work in panels. When the first panel is ready to hand quilt, while quilting it, I'm busy piecing the next panel. By the time it's pieced and ready to quilt, the first panel is quilted so attach the 2 panels and begin quilting it and at the same time I'm piecing the last panel. When all 3 panels are completed (twin or queen) I lay it out and decide on the borders and begin building out my borders one side at a time and quilting as I go. Yes that does mean my quilts do have seams on the botton but when you look at the quilt from the top, you can't tell that I quilt as you go by panels - see my avatar. It was done this way. I'm always busy quilting. Yes I can't turn out a quilt in a week the my machine quilting friends do but my family and I love the quilts I do turn out and each family member is thrilled to get one because I haven't inundated them with too many quilts. Each one is loved and appreciated. I machine piece and hand quilt and do NOT use a hoop or frame which makes my quilt very portable. Each week a quilt goes with me to a quilting chapter and another Happy Stitchers group that I'm a member of. Give it some thought. I could be an answer for you.

If you can't hand quilt or prefer to machine quilt, there are ways to work in panels while machine quilting. Quilt as you go - do a search on this board for quilt as you go.

Also check out Marti Michell's Machine Quilting in Sections. It's actually a modification of her technique that I use in my hand quilting. My panels are machine quilted together. Where there is a will and determination, there is a way. Go for it.

Forgot to add, there is no reason you can't stitch in the ditch and machine stitch your sashing and straight areas and then hand quilt in detail in the squares. I did that on a sampler quilt this winter for our block of the month quilt we each made this past year in our quilt chapter and it came out beautiful. I won't hesitate to that again. If there is something I want to add and don't want to tackle on the sewing machine I'll do it by hand but it did save a lot of time by machine sewing the sashing. It was a sampler with a lot of sashing and it was a whole lot easier doing them on the machine.
Patty

quiltlin

I find that STID is the hardest kind of machine quilting to do. If you're off even just a little it really shows. But just do a little at a time and before you know it, it will be done.