Quilt‑As‑You‑Go (QAYG) is a wonderful technique that lets you piece and quilt at the same time. As you sew each seam, you’re stitching through the quilt top, batting, and backing all at once... so when the block is finished, the quilting is already done.
What You’ll Need
- Sewing machine & cutting tools
- Pattern (the one shown here is available on our website, but any suitable pattern works)
- Fabric for quilt top and backing
- Batting: 100% cotton or 80/20 blend (best for pressing). Low‑loft fusible polyester also works... just use a mini iron and avoid touching the batting with your iron
- Pencil & straight‑edge ruler
- Basting spray or basting pins
- Straight pins
- Aurifil 50wt cotton thread
- Superior Topstitch 80/12 needle
- Regular iron (for cotton batting) or mini iron (for polyester batting)
- Presser foot: Choose what works best for you - walking foot, ¼″ foot, or any foot you can adapt for a scant ¼″ seam. Avoid feet with edge guides; they tend to catch on batting
Step 1: Prepare the Quilt Sandwich
Lay the batting on the wrong side of the backing fabric and baste the layers together using pins or basting spray. For smaller projects, I prefer basting spray... it’s quick and holds everything securely.
Step 2: Mark Registration Lines
To prevent shifting while sewing, mark two or more registration lines with a pencil and ruler. Avoid heat‑erasable pens; they’ll disappear the moment you press.
If your pattern doesn’t specify marking lines, draw one vertical and one horizontal line through the center of the block.
These lines help you keep everything aligned as you add strips. To find the center of a strip, simply fold it in half and finger‑press.
Step 3: Sewing & Pressing
Construction accuracy is essential in Quilt‑As‑You‑Go. Because you’re sewing through four layers, seam allowances naturally shrink a little from the added bulk. Even being off by a hair at the beginning can cause each new strip to grow slightly longer than the last.
Here’s how to keep everything precise:
- Sew with a scant ¼″ seam allowance (just inside the ¼″ mark).
- Press every seam before adding the next strip—unpressed seams will distort your measurements.
- To avoid overlapping seams on the back, start and stop ¼″ from the edge of the block.
If you don’t have a ¼″ walking foot, use a small screwdriver or stiletto to help guide the top layer so both layers feed evenly.
Step 4: Pin – Sew – Press – Repeat
Continue adding strips, always checking your registration lines to keep everything centered and square. Press each seam as you go.
When the block is complete, it’s already quilted! You can add extra quilting if you like, but it’s not required.
Sew around the outer edges to secure the layers, then trim away the excess batting and backing. At this point, you can:
- Bind the block to make a placemat
- Join multiple blocks to create a full quilt
