Combination printing and quilting method and apparatus

A quilting machine is provided having a quilting station and a printing station located upstream of the quilting station, with a conveyor extending through each of the stations to convey a web of quilting material through the machine. At the printing station a top layer is printed with a multi-colored design under the control of a programmed controller, which may vary the design from section to section of the web so that individual or small quantities of panel sections of the web may be decorated with a different pattern. The conveyor preferably moves the quilting material relative to stationary heads, but the conveyor may alternatively stop at various stations and the printing or quilting heads moved relative to the stationary web on the conveyor. Precise longitudinal position information is maintained of the location of the printed pattern. The conveyor then conveys the top patterned layer web through a drying station. After bringing the top layer web together with webs of filler and backing material, the conveyor conveys the multi-layered web to the quilting station where a quilted pattern is caused by the controller to be sewn on the printed pattern bearing material in registration with the printed pattern. Preferably, printing is applied before the quilting, but quilting before printing can be accomplished according to certain aspects of the invention. A cutoff station separates the web panels bearing composite printed and quilted patterns under control of the programmed controller. For mattress cover manufacture, border panels can be quilted and printed in coordination with the top and bottom mattress panels, as part of the same webs of material from which they are then severed in a separate synchronously controlled border making section.