Chain Piecing Quilt Rows – Video Tutorial!

Chain-Piece-Quilt-Rows

You may have heard of chain piecing quilt blocks, but have you chain pieced quilt rows? You can actually chain piece an entire quilt top in about 15-30 minutes based on how many blocks you have. This technique will cut your sewing time in half and keep you organized at the same time!

I have tried writing down instructions for this technique a couple times, but it never seems to make total sense. This really is one of those things you have to see before the lightbulb blinks on. If you follow my Instagram stories, you saw me demo this a few weeks ago. The one problem with IG stories, however, is that they disappear after 24 hours.

Since posting that quick and dirty tutorial about chain piecing quilt rows the first time, I have had multiple people ask me if I have those videos saved anywhere. Sadly, I didn't think enough ahead to do that.

Well, don't worry, my lovelies! I've made you an official YouTube video so it won't go away after 24 hours and you can keep coming back year after year to remind yourself, "Wait...how did I sew all of those row together that one time?"​

See the video below for a step by step tutorial on the bestest and fastest way to sew your quilt tops together. Friends, I might even go so far as to say that once you try out this technique you will never go back to sewing individual quilt rows again. I might even go so far as to say that this will change your life so dramatically that you may feel inclined to write a comment below. Cause ya know, getting a comment from you feels a bit like Christmas morning.

Trending patterns!

One more thing to add is that if you would like to make a quilt just like the one in the video, you toooootally can. The pattern is Triangle Jitters and can be downloaded instantly here. For the fabric I used various cream scraps and an old IKEA duvet. This IKEA duvet to be exact.

You can check out other Triangle Jitters quilts by visiting #trianglejittersquilt on Instagram.

For more free tutorials, coupons, sales, pattern updates and videos, sign up for the Suzy Quilts newsletter. There's always something new going on. Click here to sign up!

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Get the Nordic Triangles quilt pattern here!

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68 thoughts on “Chain Piecing Quilt Rows – Video Tutorial!

  1. Angie says:

    Yay! So awesome! I think I did this once somewhat by accident but haven’t tried it again purposefully, but now that you laid it all out, I’m definitely giving it a whirl again!

  2. Linda Wilson says:

    Great tutorial I have been using this method where I can for blocks and tops for about a year and it’s great. So much quicker and easier to keep track of!

  3. Emily says:

    This is AH-MAZING! I have a big queen sized quilt I’m making as a gift for my parents and this trick will be SO incredibly helpful. Love your tutorials, thank you for sharing your wisdom!

  4. Julie says:

    Awesome technique Suzy! I’ve used this process 2 columns at a time before, but never for the whole quilt top at once! Can’t wait to try it out with my next top!

      • Diane says:

        I was going to ask about your design wall so thanks for sharing your setup! Loved the video. I tried this before but didn’t cut the rows apart and that made it a bit cumbersome for me. Think I’ll try your method and separate the rows to make it easier to press in opposite directions first. Thanks!

  5. tutti mccormick says:

    I love this! Question: is there risk of the quilt turning out wonky because there’s not completing a big block and trimming it to the correct size before sewing all the blocks big blocks together? Hope that makes sense!

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      This technique will just sew blocks into rows. After that, you will still need to sew the rows together to finish your quilt top. Once your top is complete, the quilting will be done just as it usually is. Does that answer your question?

  6. Jude Brown says:

    Wonderful method, you make it look so easy! I’m going to try it on my next quilt! Thank you for the lesson.

  7. Nancy says:

    Thanks Suzy! Love this approach. Think I kind of did this by accident once, but I’ll be more deliberate next time. Great tutorial.

  8. Emily says:

    I’m pretty sure this is cheating! 😉 can’t wait to try one of head days! Since I have a much smaller space than I use to, this is going to be great!

  9. Angela Short says:

    Watched your video. It seems like it will make things easier, especially keeping track of the blocks. Thank you for the great info! Have a great evening!!

  10. Lorraine says:

    you are amazing, I think I may have done this for the 1st two columns only before but not the entire thing. This is going to be happening on my next quilt top.

  11. Michelle says:

    Awesome!! I’ve heard of this but never comprehended it before! Thanks so much for such a great video! xx

  12. Maggie Drafts says:

    Suzy Q.!!!!!! That is GREAT!!!!!!! Thanks for sharing your brilliant idea!!!!! What is on the wall to keep the pieces stuck w/o tumbling down??????

  13. Bridget says:

    Amazing!! I just decided to whip together a baby quilt for a shower this weekend and I’ve already got the top done! Just like that! 👌 Thank you!!

  14. Mandie says:

    Very clever! I’ve done this in part before, but keeping the rows connected as you sew the columns on is genius! Thanks for the video! Quite helpful. 🙂 I have a quilt just sitting on my design wall that would be perfect for this method! Two thumbs up.

  15. Karli says:

    Ah-mazing! I can’t wait to show my mom. We debate the need to iron when sewing (her answer – yes, iron everything and often) on a regular basis. And this has brought back my mojo to quilt (something I seem to lose every so often). Thanks so much Suzy.

  16. Anna says:

    If you leave a big enough chain, do you think you could iron the rows while attached and meet seams to sew the rows together, without any snipping? Sounds like witchcraft but also sounds doable?!

  17. Lauren says:

    I wish I’d seen this video earlier! I quilt in a small space and made Triangle Jitters a few weeks ago – keeping things in order was definitely slowing me down. Great idea. Will definitely try it out some time. Thanks for taking the time to share.

  18. Tammia says:

    You’re absolutely right. Without a doubt, life changing! Especially with a dog who won’t stay away from the carefully laid or quilt! 😍 Thank you! 🙌

  19. Caitlyn Williams says:

    Hi! First time watching this! I am wondering if you would have to cut your rows apart after chain piecing them together. Have you tried to iron them while they are in their chain pieced glory like that and just leave them attached when you go to sew the rows?

      • Linda B says:

        I do this all the time….. shared it with the Guild! I have done it in two halves and then connected the two. Then as a whole “net”, I press the top row left, and the next row right, and it’s immediately ready for sewing horizontally, and the intersections nest perfectly and I don’t even have to pin! Of course, accurate cutting and sewing are prerequisites…
        It’s also great for piecing 9 patches or 16 patches: do two at a time and alternate between them… just snip after each block. I made over 100 9 patches while recovering from surgery: 3 quilts worth!

  20. Joyce says:

    Don’t you think you can take it a step further &
    Just iron all those seams open then sew the rows together without cutting them apart? I may try it just to see if I can!
    You are amazing!, wish I’d known this a long time ago!, (say a least 45yrs)!

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      I definitely think you could, I just end up getting tangled in quilt blocks by the time I have everything chained together – that’s why I like to snip the rows apart and sew them together separately.

  21. Judith says:

    Phenomenal. Thank you. I am putting together the my squares lickety split. Will read all the comments to learn even more tips.

  22. Louise says:

    Hi Suzy! I’m new to quilting and I have a newbie question. In regards to the quilt with the striped ikea fabric, is there a certain way to cut the fabric to make sure the stripes are going in the correct direction? I would like it to look just like yours 😉

  23. Judy Y says:

    I am confused. In most matrix situations rows go horizontal (across) and columns go vertically.(up and down). It looks like you are assembling the columns and you keep calling them rows.

    • Suzy Quilts says:

      You’re exactly right, however in this case I am assembling the rows by sewing them into columns. That sounds more confusing than it is. I think if you watch the video you will know what I mean.

  24. Lauren says:

    Hi!

    I’m currently working on your Rocksteady pattern and I LOVE how easy it is to follow.

    My question is this: at the end of your video you mention pressing the seams of your finished rows in opposite directions and I was wondering why? This is my second quilt so I was just curious why they seams needed to be pressed in opposite directions.

    Thanks for the easy to follow tutorial!

  25. Jenna says:

    Hi Suzy,

    Thanks for the tip! I love the (all) the fabric in the quilt with deck of cards theme- where can I find it?

  26. Jana says:

    When I chain piece I inevitable tangle the chain along the way, usually multiple times. I’m about to put together a king size quilt top – any suggestions for avoiding the gigantic chain getting twisted and tangled? Thank you!

    • Suzy Williams says:

      Great question! I think if I was having that issue I would try two things:
      1. Sew on a larger surface. The blocks are probably getting tangled because they are hanging off the back of the table, dangling and winding around each other. Is that possible?
      2. Chain piece sections of the the quilt at a time. Especially with a king, it will get really heavy really fast if you chain the whole thing at once. So maybe chain the top quarter of the quilt then set that aside, then move on to the next quarter.

  27. Deb Tettenburn says:

    Love your blog. I’ve been using the chain block technique for years. I learned it from Harriet Hargrave. She teaches it in her book “Quilters Academy Vol. 1”. In her technique, you make stacked rows and keep at your sewing machine. That saves you a few steps. It works great 🙂

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