Let us know how you do. I'm trying to work up the nerve to try a big one myself. I certainly admire all of those who do that on a regular basis. Baby steps, baby steps.

Linda

susan- on, keep at it. It will be worth it when you see the finished project. That's the reason I dislike machine quilting-the awkwardness and bulk. Lately, I've been machine-quilting a lot more because I have a lot of projects that I want to get done. I used to get so frustrated trying to get the quilt to feed through the machine. It helped a lot when I learned to relax and be patient(not something that comes easily to me). Good luck and I hope you post a pic when it's finished....Geraldine

I will post a pic when it's done. I bought the backing and the batting this morning, so tomorrow I'm going to work on it. I'm just going to do simple quilting. I had considered sending it out to be quilted, but that would cost at least $160, and I have other expenses at this time.

Yep, patience and baby steps are the key!!!!! I am trying to learn to hand quilt using a spoon and last night I just put it away.
Today I took out the HUGE stitches and put away the spoon. I also want to learn to quilt on a frame, I use a hoop. When I practice these things agin it will not be on my top that I spent so much time making!!!!!
I also found that my stitches are not as 'nice' as they were before because I have not hand quilted in a while.
OH WELL!!!!
Rosa

Hang in there -- it will be worth the effort!

One comment about machine quilting a large, awkward quilt -- I do it but I only do straight lines. Well, I should say lines that are INTENDED to be straight!

I have an aversion to anything "synthetic" but I have taken to the monofilament thread for these because even with stitch in the ditch I have a hard time keeping something that big straight and the monofilament thread does not show my many quilting errors the way a cotton thread would.

I have a different take on the amount of work though -- I actually find picking the colors/fabric, cutting the fabric, making sure I'm putting the blocks together right, the hardest, most time consuming part of making a quilt.

And I find that seems to take about the same amount of time whether it's for a small quilt or a big one. So I don't find making big quilts THAT much more difficult that small. So I prefer to make bigger ones. Seems I get more "bang" for my effort. They do get cumbersome to manipulate though!

Wait till you make a Queen, or King. I've done 2 California Queens, both pieced and quilted entirely by hand. I thought I'd NEVER get finished! I am now working on a couple pieced window treatments and am, for the first time, quilting by machine....They are only the width of the window and I sure wouldn't want to be struggling with anything any bigger.. trying to horse it around the needle, etc....phew! Too much work for me...I'll stick to hand quilting, which, while it is time consuming, is restful to me.

Other than a few wall hangings and children's quilts, I make mostly queen-sized, both coverlet and full bedspread styles. Until last winter, I birthed and tied them, so the finishing wasn't too bad. This summer I quilted two (one 110" square and the other 96" square) on the home quilting system I bought last December. I practiced a lot first! I was pleased that both of these quilts turned out flat and square and I'm currently working on two more. I think the size of the top as you work on it can seem overwhelming if you think it has to be finished quickly. Some evenings I can square up 50 or more HSTS's or other small units while I sit and watch TV with my husband. It's surprising how fast a large top comes together when you view it in chunks of small efforts.

That's what I'll have to do, Bonnie, break it into small bits. I tend to set goals for myself, and get really frustrated if something interferes with me reaching my goals. I'll have to learn to relax and enjoy it more.

Just curious..what type of home quilting system do you have? (I have plans for the future...).

Sandra..I just reread your post...are you saying you pieced the queen sized quilts by hand? Wow!

While I do all machine piecing, I do only hand quilting. Unless I am making a quilt specifically for a persons bed (or a lap quilt) I only make queen bedspread sized quilts. It is a lot of work, but I like to display my quilts on the beds. I can't do that if they are too small.

Lynette

One of my first quilts was a king-sized, reversible quilt. I quilted it with straight lines on my sewing machine. It was not easy to deal with the bulk, but it turned out well. Since then, I've made a number of queen-sized quilts. My second (and last) king was a "quilt-as-you-go". If I make any large quilts in the future, I will make them "qayg"--it's so much easier and less stressful.

Oh, I do so know where you're coming from, Sandra. I find hand quilting restful too. I like to do it while hubby watches T. V. or we talk while I quilt. I don't mind redoing something that's not right,but if I'm machine quilting, I'll let a mistake pass,rather than stop and redo. Hand quilting is a lot of work but I enjoy it and that's the main thing ,whatever you're doing. My friend does all her quilting with the machine and wouldn't do it any other way.....Geraldine

Susan -
My system is a Janome 1600P machine on a Grace Pro frame. I have it set up in a little attic "bonus room" where I can leave it at king size. I know several people here have complained about the machines with the 9" throat like this one has, and they are limiting, but I've been happy with what I can do on it so far. I think it all has to do with expectations - and I'm just happy being able to finish my own quilts. My photo album program has been down for awhile. My son just fixed it for me, so I'll try to post pics of the two quilts I finished this summer. If I'm successful, they'll be posted as "wedding quilts."

Bonnie

Bonnie, I'd love to see your quilts. I'm always looking for inspiration.
And your system sounds great! I'm hoping to do something like that when my son moves out..which might not be for a couple of years.

susan on....yup, I piece AND quilt by hand....and, do foundation piecing whenever I can. I'm not fond of exactness in cutting, etc, being a 'close enough' kind of gal, so, with foundation piecing, my blocks always 'come out' right on the money. We travel a lot, and because I work by hand, I always have something to work on in the car and hotel.....at home, I quilt every evening (although lately I've been knitting a lot), while my husband and I watch TV. I very much like the fact that it's portable, AND, at home, allows me to be in the same room with hubby, instead of locked away in a sewing room. Both piecing and quilting are, for me, restful things to do.....with a machine I find myself sort of hunched over it.....my leg and back get stiff and it just isn't enjoyable for me.

I am very impressed, Sandra! I can't even hand quilt..I would never be able to piece by hand. I took a hand quilting workshop, and found it to be very difficult. I do plan on working on that though.

A zillion years ago when I learned to quilt I took a class where we piece by hand a queen size sampler quilt. As I wss lucky enough to get mine done before the class ended we learned to baste my quilt by hand on post and ladder back chairs. I quilted it by hand. The only thing I used the sewing machine for was the seam that connected the backing pieces. I liked the process but it was slow. I have gone the route of quilting as you go (by hand) amd I have a floor frame that I have hand quilted a king size and queen size quilt. But that takes up so much room that I have done the rest of my hand quilting with a lap frame.
Now I am trying to machine quilt. I have done small things with out too much problem but never free motion except for stippling. I find it a real challange to manipulate all that fabric. I sympathize with all of you who admit to the need for patience.
The new Keepsake cataloge came today and I noticed they have Skillbuilder of Machine Quilters; It consists of 2 panels 44x35 printed with a lot of machine quilting designs with directional guides. Has a companion book by Renea Allen. I am giving it some consideration as a way to learn more. Has anyone tried it? Jayne