QAL - QAYG and quilting

You can join this QAL at any time.  The starter post is here and the Flickr group for posting your photos is here.  As you know, I am doing this QAL as a QAYG (Quilt as You Go) where you quilt each block before assembling the quilt.  The method I chose to use came from Penny Sewtakeahike's blog where you quilt with the top and the wadding then join all the blocks together using 1/4" seams then attach a backing in one piece quilting along the seam lines and perhaps around some of the details within the blocks to keep the backing tightly attached.  I will be showing you how I do this but think that a better method, given that these blocks are so large, was shown in the two previous posts on this blog.  

1.   Cut out a piece of wadding an inch or two bigger all round than each of your blocks.  Did you know that batting has a right side and a wrong side?  Get a sewing machine needle and poke it into the batting from each side - it will be much easier to poke it in from one side than the other so that is the side you want facing up.  Place your block on top and iron if necessary to smooth everything out then baste (I use safety pins).  If you are using the method from the previous two posts, you will also need to add a square of backing at this point.

2.  Quilt as desired leaving the outer sashing unquilted if you are using the method from the previous two posts.  I quilted using a spiral over the dresden leaves, straight line quilting in the outer sashing and then different types of FMQ for each block in the remaining background fabric in the inner circle and on the backing that surrounds the outer circle.  

3.   To quilt in a spiral, first decide how far apart you want your quilting lines to be.  I decided on 1 1/2". Then place a line of pins which move slowly away from the inner circle until, after one whole rotation of the block, you have reached 1 12/" away from the inner circle.  

4.   Sew once around the inner circle using your walking foot if you have one and with the stitches set to nice and long (I set mine to 5) and then follow the pins out until the final one. 

5.  Then set a quilt line spacer to 1 1/2" and just keep following the line until you reach the outer circle.  

6.   Loop once around the outer circle then stop.  

7.   Remove the walking foot and swap it for a FMQ (free motion quilting) foot if you have one, lower your feed dogs if you can and FMQ the inner circle and then the background fabric between the circle and the skinny sashing.

8.   Swap back to your walking foot, raise the feed dogs back up and quilt a series of straight lines along the outer sashing strips.  

Here is one of my finished blocks hanging on the line.  I am pretty remedial at quilting so please don't take much in the way of advice from me on this topic but I just thought I would walk you through what I did in case you were looking for ideas.  Now the issue with this photo is that you can't see the quilting so you just have to pretend you can.  Please would as many of you as possible leave comments gasping at the geniosity (made up word) of my quilting even thought you can't see it.