# Hand quilting



## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

How many of you do old fashioned hand quilting. Machine quilting is much too expensive for my budget so I drag out the frame/hoop and quilt by hand. I have never actually made a quilt top but I have quilted many by hand.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Machine quilting is expensive??
Which part is expensive? The thread? The electricity? 

I don't do _any_ sewing by hand if I can at all avoid it. God gave us Mr. Singer, and Mr. Singer gave us sewing machines!


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## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

I can not afford a quilting machine and if I send it to a quilter they charge by the inch. There are also no longer any machine quilters close to me (within 100 miles)

I like to hand quilt for the same reason I like to knit. It may be much slower but it lasts much longer. Its relaxing, soothing, and can also be done anywhere, even if there is no electricity.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Heh, I've been hand quilting the same quilt for about 7 years. Thank heaven for machine quilting. I've sent a couple out for long arm quilters, and the others I've done on my standard machine myself. I'd never finish anything if I did it all by hand. I do like it, but I much prefer to hand applique.


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## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

How do you quilt on a standard machine. The throat distance on my machine is only 7 1/2", much too small for quilting anything other than a thin baby quilt.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

Roll the quilt and start quilting in the middle. I have only done up to about a twin size. The queen size I sent out. It can be done, though. There are clips you can buy to hold the quilt so it doesn't unroll. You need to work on a large enough table to support the weight of the free part of the quilt. You can freehand quilt by using a darning foot and dropping the feed dogs, or you can use a walking foot for straight line/not terribly curvey quilting. There are books and a lot of info on the 'net about doing it this way. 

Here's one...
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U60Y_FJ5UGc[/ame]

and another...

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTs9O4tETCI[/ame]


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## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

Thank you for the links. I will give this a try when I get a quilt top finished.


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## FairviewFarm (Sep 16, 2003)

Harriet Hargrave says she "hand quilts with an electric needle". <G> For good instructions on how-to machine quilt on a domestic machine check out her book _Heirloom Machine Quilting_ or _Guide to Machine Quilting _by Diane Gaudynski. Both of them do award-winning quilting on domestic (home) sewing machines.


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## sancraft (Jun 7, 2002)

I peice by machine and hand quilt. I just prefer the look and feel of a hand quilted quilt. It's like dessert for me to be able to sit down and quilt after a long day at work.


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## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

sancraft said:


> I peice by machine and hand quilt. I just prefer the look and feel of a hand quilted quilt. It's like dessert for me to be able to sit down and quilt after a long day at work.


This is exactly how I feel. Its so relaxing and allows me to de-stress.


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## PAcountry (Jun 29, 2007)

I hand quilt mainly because my machine and I have a love hate relationship.
Ohh the machine is not the problem it is me I am scared of it lol.
I am working on getting over my phobia 
But I do love to just sit in the living room with my husband and sew nothing like it


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## sewing nana (Oct 18, 2002)

sancraft said:


> I peice by machine and hand quilt. I just prefer the look and feel of a hand quilted quilt. It's like dessert for me to be able to sit down and quilt after a long day at work.


I agree. There is just something about setting down with your quilt and spending hours together. Beautiful. serene. mastering the next stitch; Machine quilting is nice for some things, like hand quilting. I looked to see if I could find a smiles, that I like for ths. Just the best and can't describe.


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## Patches (Aug 9, 2006)

I also love to hand quilt. I like to do it block by block and then sew my blocks together when I am finished with all of them. I sit in my chair in the evening while hubby watches tv, I quilt. It is very relaxing. I put the blocks together last year in rag quilts after finishing, but this year, I am doing whole tops and will try quilting them in the evening by hand, too. Marilyn


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## mamajohnson (Nov 27, 2002)

I love hand quilting. Have done a couple on the machine (regular one) but I can only do semi-straight lines (not too good at straight lines! lol)
And with hand quilting I can do a design. I am just horribly slow at it.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

My Daughter had a full size quilt machine quilted by a local person. Charged her $125 and it just looked horrible. It was her first quilt and she was so upset over it.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

sancraft said:


> I peice by machine and hand quilt. I just prefer the look and feel of a hand quilted quilt. It's like dessert for me to be able to sit down and quilt after a long day at work.


For me, that's what counted-cross stitch is for. 

I'm like Dandish, if I didn't run it through my machine, I'd never get it done. 

And dragonchick, a quilting machine is something I dream of. 
I quilt everything I make on my plain, old Singer. (_Old_ Singer. lol Alice is 70 years old)


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

I'm a hand quilter and often hand piece my quilt tops. I've had a couple of tops machine quilted and you really can't compare the finished quilts of the two techniques. The appearance of the hand quilting wins, mmm, hands down. 

I've quilted on full size frames, PVC frames and hoops. I prefer using a hoop because I can sit in my rocking chair and bring it right up close to me. 

I've also tied a few quilts and prefer that over machine quilting. If I need something on the bed in a hurry, that's the way to go, especially for a quilt top made from a simple pattern. I use crochet thread in a color that blends into the top and cut the ends to 1/2" - 1" long. You can space the ties according to the quilt pattern so that they aren't that noticeable.

You can always tie your quilt top and then quilt it later. Just think of the ties as basting that you take out after it's quilted. 

Or, use a combination of machine and hand quilting. When my sisters and I made Lone Star quilts as wedding presents for our nieces, we machine quilted the Stars in the ditch then did fancy hand quilting in the open spaces around the stars and on the borders. It was a real time saver and the only quilting you really notice is the hand quilted sections around the stars.

If your mind gets restless while hand quilting and it seems too time consuming, just plug in an audio book and listen to it while you quilt. I call it my guilt free reading pleasure because I'm really doing two things at once that way. 

Ultimately, the only thing that really matters is getting that quilt top out of a drawer and onto your bed so that you can enjoy it. (But hand quilting is better. :happy: )


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

I think it might be an age thing, too.
There are many in the 50 and up category who think hand quilting looks better. 

But _most_ of us (that I've known, anyway!) in the under-50 crowd simply don't care.
(Keep that in mind when insisting on hand-quilting your new daughter in law's wedding quilt, btw, girls. She might appreciate your _time_, but she won't necessarily think it _looks_ nicer...)

What a good professional quilter can accomplish with a machine is nothing short of breath taking. A friend of mine has a quilting business and this is what he did for a gal in our quilt group:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/573123091BCFVel

Here's a shot of some work he did for another customer:
http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2628486240102061652uuhCUy

Here's another: 
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2840989400102061652goYFFK

Anyway, I understand that _some_ people might like hand quilting better, but a lot of us don't.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

I love the look of hand quilted quilts, and fully understand and admire the workmanship, skill and time that goes into them. It's just that personally I'd never get much done. I find machine quilted quilts completely acceptable and beautiful, especially when someone who's good at it does them, and I can actually complete quilts that way.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

Well, I'm under 50 (I'm 33) and I loathe machine quilting. I think it makes an otherwise beautiful quilt look cheap. If I'm going to take the time to piece a quilt top, I'll take the time to finish it so it looks handmade. 

Once you get good at hand-quilting it goes rather quickly. Dandish, you may not be able to make as many quilts, but the ones you would make would be better. Quality over quantity. 

I used to be a professional quilter. I was taught a controversial knotless quilting method by an old woman named Zipporah who lived in St. Mary's, WV. It was so funny watching the old, indignant ladies blasting Zipporah for not using knots. LOL. I was 19 at the time... :sing:

It's not an age thing. Those quilts you linked, ErinP, do NOT look handmade. 

I agree with Calico Katie. :buds: A tied quilt looks better than a machine-finished "quilt".


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> I think it makes an otherwise beautiful quilt look cheap.





> If I want something like those, I'll buy them from WalMart.


Boy, nothing like insulting so many of we quilters' workmanship to finish off the day...


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## Shepherd (Jan 23, 2005)

I joined a local group (The Ladies Aid) and we hand quilt big quilts together for an annual sale - proceeds of which are used to help feed and support the local community.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

ErinP said:


> Boy, nothing like insulting so many of we quilters' workmanship to finish off the day...


Sorry you feel insulted. I thought this thread was about expressing opinions of hand-quilting vs. machine-quilting. I think machine-quilting does look cheap. :lookout:

If you like it, do it. What's important is that you're happy with the things you create. :sing:

I wonder, though, why you singled my comments out. I haven't been the only one in this thread to express a strong preference for hand-quilting. Maybe I should have used some smileys or something. I'll go back and put some in. :banana02:


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

RT - No, you weren't the only one who expressed a preference for hand quilted quilts, but you were the only one who used rather coarse descriptions...there is still a lot of work that goes into a hand made machine quilted quilt and your descriptions made that effort seem "cheap." The majority of quilting "pros" out there today machine quilt their stuff...and have you ever seen a "thread painted" quilt? Some of them are literally breathtaking. Both have their merits. Ah well, to each his own of course!


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

Kind of my thoughts, Dandish. 

Several people had suggested an obvious superiority of hand quilting (which I wanted to make sure to point out was actually their _preference_, not truly an inherent superiority  ). 
But RT, yours was the only one that was deliberately _derogatory_ toward machine quilting. :shrug:

Indeed quilting, is a to-each-her-own thing. 
For me it completely depends upon the quilt. Some would not look right with machine quilting. And some wouldn't look right with hand. 
One isn't better than the other anymore than red is better than blue... Some people just prefer red, some prefer blue and a lot of us think they're both beautiful and would be happy with either.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

Sorry to you too, Dandish. I don't know a gentler term for "cheap" or I might have used it. I could explain why I feel that way, but I suspect I'd only further upset the machine-quilters.

Is a thread painted quilt what it sounds like? Painted quilt lines instead of actual stitches? How does this work? The stitches do serve a function after all. Do they have batting?

If the stitches are painted on, it's not really a quilt. The tied "quilts" aren't actually quilts, they're patchwork. It's the quilting (whether by machine or hand) that makes them quilts. For example, I really do love quilting, but I hate doing patchwork! All the piecing (even on a machine) take forEVER! That's probably backward for everyone on this board, but there it is. My favorite quilts are the ones that are one solid sheet of fabric that is then heavily quilted. I knew I felt this way when my grandmother gave me a quilt and I put it on my bed upside down because I preferred the back! LOL

I'm going to take my shower and have some coffee. This thread has just entered the Twilight Zone.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> I don't understand sending a top you have spent hours on out to someone else to quilt...


I don't either, ginnie. 
For a lot of people, though, it's the fact that a pro can (usually!) give you better results simply because they've done this so much more. Also, if they're any good, they'll have ideas of what type of quilting might really set off your top that you won't think of.

Not to mention, as we've discussed here lately, a lot of people feel intimidated doing their own, whether by hand _or_ machine.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Ladies - remember that preferring one way of quilting over another does not mean to belittle the type of quilting you do not prefer.

I'd hate to have to treat this thread to deletions of posts, but nasty does not go well in the Sewing/Quilting forum.

There is room in this world for both types.
Heck, the best quilts I've seen done by a person on the board regularly is CJ's beautiful work. She does the machine embroidery, the piece work, and quilts on the electric quilting machine.

But, I've seen sancrafts hand stitched baby quilts - another thing of beauty.

But neither one is at all like something from Walmart! What an unkind put down.

Now, enjoy your quilts and don't let me think I've fallen into General Chat! :lookout:

Angie


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

> If the stitches are painted on



I'll assume this means you've _not_ seen a thread-painted quilt.
Keep your eyes open for one. Dandish is right. They are truly beautiful.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

Well, I guess I'm going to explain it and risk hurting the feelings of the machine-quilters afterall.

People study everything, ErinP, even quilting. Zipporah (the woman I mentioned that taught me knotless quilting) had a degree in it. In the old quilts that they study, it is noted that the thread is the longest lasting part of a quilt. The fabric wears thin and pulls away from the stitching.

As people sleep under a quilt, pull it over themselves, push their feet against it, etc. they put strain on the quilt. The weakest part of the quilt, the fabric, gives and the quilt is torn. Zipporah developed the knotless method of quilting to deliberately make the thread the weakest element so that when a quilt is pulled during use, the thread shifts undetectably thereby preserving the quilt top and increasing the life of the quilt.

The term cheap does not necessarily refer to actual cost. It also refers to durability. Not only is machine quilting unyieldingly tight, but (in cases of close quilting) it perforates the fabric greatly. A machine quilt will not be an heirloom unless it is not used.

Knotless quilting will last the longest, followed by traditional hand-quilting. Machine quilting just made Zipporah mad. They don't last under use. So it really is superior if you're trying to make something that will last.

I'm sorry if that disappoints you but it's true.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)

Angie, I will edit my original post to remove the offending retailer and find another board to participate in.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

for crying out loud....

Quilts originally were used up clothes and bits and pieces and used for warmth. They used what they had and were happy for it.

the quilt snobs turn a lot of folks off trying anything quilting. If you want to be one, and don't find this forum to your liking with everyday folks that don't care for insults to quilts not up to 'your' standards - I wish you well in your quest for the artistic purist forums. At least on the internet there is usually something for everyone.

Angie


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

It isn't the opinions at fault in this thread; we all value different insights on a topic. That's where we learn. The problem is in the delivery.

I perhaps need to make something clear to those who may not have participated as much on the Homemaking forums. These boards are very different form other boards here. These boards are place to get away from the 'debating' and 'opinionated talk' of other HT boards. It's much more casual, homey, VERY friendly and most of all -- ENCOURAGING. It's meant to be like if we were all sitting around the kitchen table having coffee and, using our best manners and politeness to discuss (not debate) different ways of doing things. If someone's work is the ugliest thing we've ever seen, we still ooh and ahhh over it and encourage them to continue in their endeavors because everyone's skills, ideas, and projects are of value.

Being a 'purist' isn't a bad thing at all. It just means that even purists need to find a friendly and encouraging way of wording their posts so not to either discourage or belittle another person's choice.

You see, at no point is anyone else's way of doing something any more valuable than how someone else does it; nor is their preference any more important/valuable than the next persons. Each way has it's own merits.

It's all in the word usage. Using wordage like, "it makes it look cheap" or "loathing" a certain way of doing something, certainly does belittle anyone else's way of doing it other than how that poster does it. 

For instance, in this thread, I have no doubt it was not intended to come across that way; however, it does portray a super-attitude and casts a picture that any other way, rather than hand quilting, is unacceptable and unattractive.

A different way of wording it would be to simply say that they much more prefer hand quilting because, their opinion is, that it gives added strength to the quilt, etc., etc., etc. See the difference? 

RedTartan, I hope you will continue to participate. I know you must have a lot of information, knowledge, and techniques you could share with us and will do so a bit gentler. I look forward to hearing more about the knotless method and know others would too.


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## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

I machine quilted a small wall hanging and I really didn't care for that technique. It was much quicker, but somehow I didn't get the same sense of satisfaction out of it. 

I really like to hand quilt. When I piece a quilt, I can't wait for that part to be done. For me putting the top together is nerve wracking. I love when I get the quilting frame out and can sit and relax and enjoy quilting. I try to make each stitch just the right size and perfect. I get a great deal of satisfaction when I am finished with the quilt in knowing that I personally put each of those little stitches there. I also love to turn the quilt over and see the design that the quilting makes on the back of the quilt. 

I went to an antique quilt show a couple of years ago and I was enthralled at the beauty of the hand quilting. I would truly love to be able to do such fine work as I saw on those quilts.

I think one of the most enjoyable things to do is have a few friends over to your home and set up the quilting frame and have a quilting. It may sound old fashioned, but it is a lot of good fun and fellowship. I am 38 by the way and most of my younger friends don't know how to hand quilt. I have to call upon my older friends to help with the hand quilting.


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

For those that hand quilt, do you hand piece the tops also?


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## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

I don't hand piece the tops. I use my treadle machine, because I feel that I have more control with that machine (versus electric) and I love the sound of a treadle, just call me weird.


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

I also think that the area one lives in also plays a factor in what kind of quilting "looks right to them." When I travel in New England and visit quilt shops, hand tying predominates. I live in the land of Amish and Mennonite quilting, where beautiful handquilting predominates. Others want the newest in quilt technology, so the "modern" quilt shop displays machine-quilted quilts as fancy as the machine can make them. So it just depends. 

It's like embroidery, hand versus machine. 

I like handquilting, handpiecing (about 1/2 the time), embroidery, just me and the needle and the thread.


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## Calico Katie (Sep 12, 2003)

Handpiecing is very relaxing to me and you'd be amazed at how fast the blocks add up when you keep a carry around kit to work on whenever you have a few minutes.

I handpiece traditional patterns that have curved sections or odd shaped pieces in them. Improved Nine Patch, Rising Sun, etc. But the strip pieced patterns I do on the machine.

I do both machine and hand applique depending on what I'm making. I have some Dutch Doll blocks put back that I appliqued with a buttonhole stitch. After I finish my current project, I'll set those together into a top and start quilting it for my DGD.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Good point, Vicki. I think it also depends on a person's skill level, time, physical limitations, etc. and is only in the eye of beholder anyway. 

"Heirloom' doesn't translate to 'quality'. An heirloom is something you cherish from the past. I have a quilt that wasn't the best made quilt in the world, is worn, has holes, and tears and can't be used as bedding; but it is a quilt that belonged to my husband's elderly aunt. It's an 'heirloom' if even if a 1" x 1" piece of it remained. :goodjob:

A machine quilting might not be considered 'heirloom' quality to some, but if it was a quilt I loved (or given to me by a friend or relative) it sure would be an 'heirloom' to me and treasured dearly. If my daughter knew it was important and treasured by me, when I was gone, it would be an 'heirloom' to her too; and so forth. That's an heirloom. 

The machine quilted friendship quilt, made for me by the members of this forum when I was ill and had surgery, is a prized heirloom that is one of my most valued possessions. It was created with love, hope, generosity and encouragement. You can't get any more heirloom than that. That sure is something I'd hope to pass down to each generation because it isn't the fabric and stitches -- it's where it came from, who made it, and the reason behind it. 

There's so much more to a quilt created in and for 'love' than in any other quilt that was made to just be impressive, win prizes, or to last for all eternity. A quilt created in love could be in shreds, yet more valuable than a much older, better made, and in perfect condition quilt.

As far as 'quality' goes in just looking at a quilt for enjoyment, I think most people much more admire a well stitched machine quilt than a hand quilted one with uneven large stitches.

I think machine made is just fine and less stressful for those who enjoy doing lots of quilts and don't have the patience, time, or ability otherwise. I also think hand stitching is wonderful if you enjoy that, it relaxes you, and feel a fuller sense of accomplishment. I've done both and it's just each to his own and his own set of circumstances. Neither way is right or wrong; it's only right or wrong for 'us'.


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## dragonchick (Oct 10, 2007)

I didn't mean to start or cause a battle between styles. I only wondered how many used the old fashioned ways of quilting. I have never made a quilt from start to finish. I have only quilted the tops by hand stitching. One of the reasons I have never machine quilted was because I didn't have the money for a quilting machine. I also can't afford to send the quilts out. Up until a few months ago I didn't even own a sewing machine, still don't as the ones I have belong to my daughter and sister. Until a few days ago I didn't know a quilt could be quilted on a home machine. EVERYTHING I have sewn in the last 40 years has been by hand with the exception of a few items in home economics class while in school. 

I have a few "cheater" quilts made by my mother that I do not like. I call them cheater quilts because they are a single, full, uncut piece of fabric that was sent to a machine quilter. Mom sent the fabric, batting, and backing, and binding to the quilter and it came back quilted in a butterfly, boat, or other motif to make it a quilt. I do not like these and it has nothing to do with the quilters ability or love of quilting.

I have quite a few of my grandmothers quilts that were sewn together on a Singer treadle machine and then quilted by hand. These I love.
These 2 examples are the only references I have to the difference between machine and hand quilting. I prefer hand quilting for now since I have not machine quilted.

This thread was not meant to be a debate of which is better, only wondering how many hand quilted.


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## Fryegirl (Sep 16, 2006)

I realize that this is a 'touchy' thread but I have to go along with the hand-quilters.
Yep. it does take me a long time to finish a quilt, especially since I tend to quilt quite heavily, but to me, it's a labor of love - something that can't be bought, a true art form. I remember a time when machine quilting was cause for disqualification in shows.
It's a personal thing, for sure and perhaps views are affected by the age of a quilter but, to be morbidly honest, if I wanted something machine quilted, I'd just order it from Penny's or QVC. I spend too much time and money selecting fabric not to carry the project out to it's full (imho) potential. I've just never seen the detail in machine quilting that can be achieved with the patterns available to hand quilters (although I've noticed that hand quilting stencils aren't as easy to find as they once were).
I don't consider this snobbery any more than personal preferences in other areas.


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

dragonchick said:


> I didn't mean to start or cause a battle between styles.


Don't feel badly, dragon. You really _didn't_ start anything. 
The vast majority of the replies have simply been a statement of what their chosen method is and why. 

And hopefully most people _do_ realize that it's nothing more than personal preference and everyone's preferences deserve respect. (Especially with something that takes as much time as a quilt!  )


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## MacaReenie (Mar 1, 2008)

Sigh...I'm on both sides of the fence. I LOVE the look of handquilted quilts. I started a quilt when my oldest son was 7...all handpieced and got it 3/4ths of the way handquilted. He will be 28 in Nov and the airplane quilt STILL isn't finished. I just didn't have the attention span to finish it then. You guys are going to think this sounds horrible, but I am so afraid I am going to die before I make a quilt for all those I love. I WANT them all to have one...they all love my quilts and love my passion for them. My goal now is to have one for them all..so for now I will machine piece and machine quilt one for them all. Every single perfect looking, JCPenney looking stich will be done with as much love as if I did handquilt it. They will know that I looked and looked until I found the perfect pattern and material that screamed their name at me..and they will know that I loved them. If and when I get these done, maybe then I will have the luxury of starting the list over and make them one all by hand. BTW..I would love for these to be showpieces and last forever, but more important to me is that everytime someone is feeling low, they snuggle in it, that it is a very used source of love and comfort and maybe if I am lucky, they will love it so much and snuggle in it so much and live in it so much that it will fall to pieces. That would certainly be something that makes me happy.


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## Dandish (Feb 8, 2007)

MacaReenie said:


> Sigh...I'm on both sides of the fence. I LOVE the look of handquilted quilts. I started a quilt when my oldest son was 7...all handpieced and got it 3/4ths of the way handquilted. He will be 28 in Nov and the airplane quilt STILL isn't finished. I just didn't have the attention span to finish it then. You guys are going to think this sounds horrible, but I am so afraid I am going to die before I make a quilt for all those I love. I WANT them all to have one...they all love my quilts and love my passion for them. My goal now is to have one for them all..so for now I will machine piece and machine quilt one for them all. Every single perfect looking, JCPenney looking stich will be done with as much love as if I did handquilt it. They will know that I looked and looked until I found the perfect pattern and material that screamed their name at me..and they will know that I loved them. If and when I get these done, maybe then I will have the luxury of starting the list over and make them one all by hand. BTW..I would love for these to be showpieces and last forever, but more important to me is that everytime someone is feeling low, they snuggle in it, that it is a very used source of love and comfort and maybe if I am lucky, they will love it so much and snuggle in it so much and live in it so much that it will fall to pieces. That would certainly be something that makes me happy.


Nice post. I agree completely with your sentiments. Now go get sewing - lol. :rock::rock:


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## ErinP (Aug 23, 2007)

MacaReenie said:


> BTW..I would love for these to be showpieces and last forever, but more important to me is that everytime someone is feeling low, they snuggle in it, that it is a very used source of love and comfort and maybe if I am lucky, they will love it so much and snuggle in it so much and live in it so much that it will fall to pieces.


I've had to start making just wall hangings for certain family members. My mother for example. I'd made she and Dad a bed quilt, as well as a lap robe for the couch. 
She uses neither. They're "safely tucked away in the cedar chest." 
Safe for _what_, Mom? 
I made those to be _used_!! :stars:


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## rb. (Jan 26, 2003)

I'm another for both sides. I've seen the most beautiful quilts that have been hand quilted, or machine quilted. I can't imagine finding any of the quilts I've seen machine quilted in JC Penny, that's for sure. There's an awful lot more to a quilt than which way it's quilted. Fabric choice, design choice, etc. In my own situation, I am beginning to dye my own fabrics, but they WILL be machine quilted. Why? Not because I'm lazy, or think machine is better than hand, or anything else you can think of, but because of time and space. I do NOT have the space for a quilt frame, my house is small enough. Time wise, if I dye the fabric, and then make the top, I'll be darned if I'll spend the next 5 years quilting it.

Oh, and I have one I've been hand piecing for about 2 years, almost done. Yes, it is VERY relaxing, but it WILL be machine quilted.

Quilts are far more than the size of the quilting stitch, and it's uniformness. And to me, that's all the hand/machine debate comes down to. I've seen both great and horrible in both hand and machine quilting.


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## Fryegirl (Sep 16, 2006)

While I agree that hand quilting does take time, it needn't take up space. I personally know of only hand quilter who uses a frame. The rest of us use large hoops that rest on our laps.


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## slinky (Jan 4, 2007)

I really don't see why it has to be a battle. I have done handwork for years. I've hand appliqued, cross stitched, and am working on a twin size, paper-pieced, 2" hexagon, Grandma's Flower Garden -- all hand sewn. But quite frankly, I adore machine quilted things done on my 1960's Viking. I love to make quilts using unwashed fabric, machine quilt densely, and then wash. Beautiful! I admire handquilting, but you know, it isn't me. I love to have multiple projects going all the time. Some are hand work and some aren't. No big deal.

And if someone ever judged one of my quilts as "not worthy" or "not beautiful" because it was machine quilted (or machine pieced), I'd rip it out of their hands so fast their head would spin. Honestly! We don't judge a 4 year old because their macaroni art isn't the Mona Lisa! Why would we judge work done with a different method?! How rude!

slinky.

PS: Has anyone actually looked at the JCPenney quilts up close? I have, and they bear no resemblance to high quality machine quilting. Usually they have running stitches about 1" long that are designed to look like hand quilting. Seriously! Go look at them next time you're there. The manufacturers are trying to imitate hand quilting (and doing a very poor job at it). But to say that machine quilting "looks like JCPenney quilts" is blatantly false and does a disservice to machine quilters *AND* hand quilters.


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## Glenda in MS (Sep 15, 2007)

I love any expression of one's heart that is sewn in a quilt. Whether it be hand or machine constructed or quilted, a lot of work and love went into it. If you got it from me, it was made from love and by machine. 

I guess I just need to express my art and love in the faster approach of machine quilting and the more technology I can find to help me finish, the more "happy's" I can make to lift up those who I choose to share them with. Like others, I would be so offended to find one of my quilts put away for safe keeping. 

And, like I continuously repeat on Facebook and on my pitiful little blog- I don't possess the capacity to sit still long enough to hand quilt. 

But, I sure do appreciate those who love to hand quilt and it is certainly beautiful work. However, my favorite type of quilting is a very close stipple...on a machine,


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## sewing nana (Oct 18, 2002)

slinky said:


> I really don't see why it has to be a battle. I have done handwork for years. I've hand appliqued, cross stitched, and am working on a twin size, paper-pieced, 2" hexagon, Grandma's Flower Garden -- all hand sewn. But quite frankly, I adore machine quilted things done on my 1960's Viking. I love to make quilts using unwashed fabric, machine quilt densely, and then wash. Beautiful! I admire handquilting, but you know, it isn't me. I love to have multiple projects going all the time. Some are hand work and some aren't. No big deal.
> 
> And if someone ever judged one of my quilts as "not worthy" or "not beautiful" because it was machine quilted (or machine pieced), I'd rip it out of their hands so fast their head would spin. Honestly! We don't judge a 4 year old because their macaroni art isn't the Mona Lisa! Why would we judge work done with a different method?! How rude!
> 
> ...


I like you am hand piecing a grandmothers flower garden. (paper peicing) Most of mind I do by hand as I find this relaxing. I can sit a the computer (dial up) you get alot done. Happy quilting to all.


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## DCT (Nov 12, 2004)

Hand quilting all the way.


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## menollyrj (Mar 15, 2006)

Hmmm... Some of my fondest memories are of my grandmother & my aunts huddled over a quilt frame together in the fall & winter, or in the church basement with all the grannies & my mom (the youngest one there) on Tuesday afternoons, or at a distant cousin's with my grandmother, helping thread needles. I appreciate that hand-quilting is more than just about the quilt. It is relaxing & even a social event at times.

That said, I usually do my work on the machine as hand-work makes my fingers go numb & my wrists hurt. I do some hand-piecing when I'm away from my machine. (Like last year, I hand-pieced two lap quilts during my boys' basketball practices & games.) I don't feel like my quilts are "substandard" because they are machine-pieced/quilted, and I don't think they are less valued by the recipient because they are machine-pieced/quilted.

I think that people appreciate being thought of, and that most appreciate the effort & time that goes into ANY quilt, regardless of how it is made. 

Quilting is like cooking. We all have our own favorite recipes and ways of working in the kitchen. My chicken soup isn't like your chicken soup, but a sick person would appreciate the thought, even if it was me just opening a can of Campbell's & warming it up for them. Same with quilts.

I would love to have the space/time/group to hand quilt in/during/with, but I don't. So I machine quilt. 

-Joy


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