Crazy Shortcut Quilts: Quilt as You Go and Finish in Half the Time!

I actually read this book with Kindle and decided that I absolutely needed my own personal copy. The book is well organized, well described (GREAT photos) and well written and edited. I have read this book cover to cover and appreciate the real care these authors provided to create a clear, understandable book that describes the Quilt as you go techniques perfectly. I have now used this technique to make my first bed quilt and am so proud to tell one and all that I created that quilt entirely by myself. I did all the quilting myself (versus paying someone with a long arm). I used my standard Singer sewing machine to do that which I never thought possible. These authors have done a beautiful job with the QAYG technique how tos but they have also provided "crazy quilt" lovers with a beautiful and easy way to make and display their quilts. Smart inclusions in this book are the pointers made for how to save time (naming certain stitching styles that take less versus more time) and actually identifying the amount of extra time needed for various stitch techniques.

Interesting new ideas to expand your quilting techniques.

I started sewing when I was 12, had classes in J high, had a feather weight in my 20's. Had a 1/2 million dollar sewing business in my 30's. The only thing I liked to sew was quilts. My mom and I made lots of "kansas basic depression quilts". This is the first detailed quilt book I have followed. Returing to sewing, I have a Singer 99k ,1941, cousin to the featherweight, tougher cousin. I am using garage sale material for first quilt and it looks great.Pros... I fell in love with the book, I hate detailed sewing,, this is very manageable. For the non precise quilt sewer this is a dream come true.When I was confused by poor book directions about sashing, the writers sent me y tube videos that helped a lot. THIS SAVED THE DAY!!!Very pretty book with great ideas and pics, great work for machines to do the machine quilting as you go. Works like a dream on my old basic singer 99k. You have a better machine, then it will look even better.I loved how easy it was to drop the project and pick back up, I love now knowing how to design my own quilt.Thank you writers for including standard measurements in the design chapter.The local quilt store owner loved it and is getting a copy, and is having fantasy's of me teaching a class(when pigs fly).ConsI had to go the local quilt shop to learn to use a cutter, mat and square the blocks. Did not use the book system.*** page 20, the pin goes in the upper right side of the fabric, cutting is done on the right side**** not clear, had to mail the writers.***Sashing in the book is confusing, write to the authors from the webpage and they can send a y tube vidoe that is good, and really helps clarify the steps.*** I did a lot more pressing than the book talks about, old sewing habits, it really helped.The last sashing section in the book neglects to tell you to line up the horizontal strips, not the edges!!!! blew my quilt apart/The binding section is could use better pictures, look at quilting academy vol 1.I really love this system, my 16 sweet quilt, made with a three cut block system looks great. I had to change some instructions to make it work, the final pieces had to be done one at a time to fit my machine head, and I have no decotive stiches on my machine! I still looks great and feels tough. I was worried that the blocks would not be tight toghter and last. The only part of the book that really annoyed me, was "quick, easy peasy" nonsense. My mom and I had quilts that lasted thirty years, so why be in a weekend rush! I took my time,really took my time over three weeks to get mine worked out. I did love being able to drop the project fast and pick it up fast.That said after a month of work , I love my quilt and will fix all the mistakes in my next one. My book is written all over! to keep me straight on the next one, and I am working getting material So write in your learning curve and enjoy!!!Love the book, shoot the editor, email the writers for help.quilt on !

Very useful techniques for crazy quilts - and other quilts. I love the ability to make and quilt the quilt blocks and then join everything together (I was intimidated by the idea of putting together the entire quilt top and then quilting a whole full- to king-size quilt on my “regular” Bernina sewing machine - yet still do some “intricate” quilting all over the quilt. Now I know “how” to do that - by piecing together the quilt using the sashing technique described in this book. (I borrowed this book from the library, but found it useful enough that I am going to buy it for my Kindle library.)

I was excited about the idea of quilt as you go, since I am not a good or confident machine quilting and I love piecing far more than the quilting part and am too poor to send them out to long arm quilters who tend to over-quilt. I like my quilts to be soft and drapey and not over quilted so i was excited to find a way to do my own quilting on a small home machine. But it seems all you can do with it are grids with sashing or panels with sashing. They all look alike, and kind of hemmed-in; nothing improvisational about them really. It's hard to make those quilts look exciting. Maybe I just got the wrong book for it. This is a nice book; just not for me, and the quilts are pretty lackluster - maybe that is just how it is with QAYG.

I have already made two quilts with this method, when I took a class from one of the authors. When you get done, it's already quilted! The authors give good directions on how to cut and sew, and many block ideas to make a variety of quilts, each with clear instructions. It's also a fun way to use pretty threads and all of the embroidery patterns on your machine. And it's perfect for fat quarters. Mind you, this is a shortcut method, so don't expect it to teach you how to do exquisite, hand quilted and embroidered crazy quilts. If you want to do that, you need to check out Judith Montano's books. I'm glad the authors wrote this book, because I needed refreshing on how to do it. But I got more than that; it's full of new ideas!

Love this book. Currently making a crazy quilt bedspread. Easy instructions, great photos.

I have been wanting to do quilt as you go quilts for a long time but couldn't get my head around it but after reading the book I feel I will be able to tackle a quilt as soon as I finish what I am in the middle of at the moment. The book is easy to read and to hold and I would recommend this book to any one who is interested in putting together a quilt in an easy and stressless way.

The book itself is good but doesn't translate to kindle well

love this book. I have already picked out several projects that I'm hoping to make in the future. good directions, great pictures, nice projects. love it.

This is a GREAT book. I am a novice quilter, I know all the basics and had made a couple of small quilts, but the thought of trying to make a large quilt and quilt it on my home sewing machine was daunting to say the least, and forget paying someone else to do it for me. This book shows you how to do it a totally different and easier way than traditional quilting and stillend up with a beutiful quilt. Well worth the money.