Honestly, it just depends on my mood and how many seams have to match.

JoAnne - thanks for confirming I understood it LOL I was having a tough time trying to explain it so I'm glad it came across ok.

Lin - I'll do it the way you described sometimes also depending on how difficult my block layout is. I'm all about chaining! If I could make an entire quilt top without ever ending the chain, I'd be a happy gal heehee

In the class I just took yesterday I was able to sew all my blocks together without a breaking the chain. Was very cool to only have one tail to ever get rid of!

I don't do either since I started doing it this way:
using Kimber's and letters from above-
I chain sew 1 &2, 6&7, a&b, f&g. then I go back up to the top and chain sew 3 to 2, 8 to 7, c to b, and h to g. and so on til they are all sewn together. At this point all the blocks are attached, but only the vertical seams are sewn. So then I go back and sew the horizontal seams (so there are some long seams!)
I find this faster and less chance for me to mess up the block order.
Hope this makes sense!

Kimber, you've got it and that's a good description. It does do away with sewing several long seams together. I like to do it that way when making a large quilt. Recently I made a queen size rag quilt and sewing the blocks together into larger squares (like you explained) worked so much easier. That way I didn't have to deal with very long seams or deal with the weight of the whole thing until I sewed that long seam in the middle. I'm glad to have that thing done. It's been sent to Iraq to keep one of our soldiers (my nephew) warm this winter.
JoAnne

I always sew each row, then sew the rows together... but thats really because thats how I learned. I'm not actually getting the other method... how do you put a quilt together without long seams?

12345
67890
abcde
fghij

So I would sew 1&2, 3&4, 1+2&3+4, then 5 to make the first row. I'd do the same with the other 3 rows. I'd then sew the first and second row together and the third and fourth. Then sew the 2 double rows together.

The way I'm imaging the other way is:

1&2, 6&7, then sew those groups together. Do the same with 3&4 and 8&9. Sew 5&0 together, then add them all together. Do the same for the other two rows... you still have the middle long seam, right? It definitely reduces the long seams which is cool, but doesn't eliminate them...

Unless I totally don't get it

I've done both an neither is my 'favorite.' Guess whatever the mood is at the time. Course some patterns remove all choice in that.

Well, I can vouch for Ali's method working (gazing at a gorgeous quilt she pieced and that's living with me). . Everything meets exactly where it should meet!

Lorchen

I'm with Beth. I've tried doing sections and invariably have to deal with wrong way pressing already stitched down. I like the vertical sewing together due to the ease in securing it to the design wall. And like everyone else, I think it's what works best for you. Gloria

When I sewed horizontal rows together first, I found that as I put the rows back up on my design wall, I have a tendency to knock the lower blocks off the wall. What a headache, getting them back up in the right order! 8-((

So now I sew my columns (vertical rows) together first. As each row is done, it can be put back on the design wall with just one pin. I never knock down any blocks now, and they sew together just as easily at the end.

NOTE: Mary Ellen Hopkins is a big critic of this system. She doesn't believe in sewing long rows together. She prefers to sew 2 blocks together, then 2 sets of 2 blocks together, then 2 sets of 4 blocks together, etc. But when I try this, I get all mixed up about which way the seams should be pressed.

I find that sewing the columns and then the rows works best for me.

BethMI

I think it all depends on my mood and the size of the project. I've done a couple king size quilts that I sewed the blocks to blocks and ended up putting the quilt together in quarters. It seemed to work better concidering the size. Then others I've done row by row. I don't believe there is a "right or wrong way" to do anything in quilting. And I've never been visited by the quilt police yet .......

I like to sew the blocks together so I don't have long seams, it just seems to be so much easier that way and that's the way our local teacher does it too.

JoAnne

I sew my blocks into rows and then sew the rows together last. If you have an accurate 1/4 inch seam this method shouldn't present any problems. However, like all things quilting, there are no rights and wrongs, just what works for you and the quilt you're putting together.

cjbeg wrote:

Both ways have advantages. I tend to sew in sections and then have one long seam to put them all together. Mostly because I get bored sewing a bunch of long seams. CHeryl