I have been to many quilt shows lately and there are very few hand quilted quilts shown. I am a hand quilter, but I have had a few machine quilted. They just aren't the same.

Hi: I only make usable quilts -- I call them utility quilts. They can be machine washed and machine dried. In the past five years, I have probably made a total of 20 complete quilts and I have machine quilted them - just on my little sewing machine. When I started, I considered hand quilting but discarded the idea because of hand pain.

I have made probably 40 quilt tops for our local Linus Connection. Our Linus group has purchased a quilting machine so I can donate only the top. At our meeting a few weeks ago, our leader said that we would no longer give out hand quilted quilts because all Linus quilts must be machine washable -- sick kids need their quilts washed a whole bunch. Anyway, we will ask the donor of a hand quilted blanket if they will allow the quilt to be machine quilted or if they want us to find an organization that can use it.

I love hand quilted quilts. They are very lovely. If I had one, I would keep it save and not take a chance that it would get dirty by normal household use. I think quilters need to make the decision of making utility quilts for everyday use, or making art quilts -- and hand quilting is an art. An art I wish I was talented in, but I'm not.

I hope this answers your question about why so many people are machine quilting.

Monica

I only hand quilt. I use mine all the time and wash them in the machine (maybe some of you think that is a no-no). I've never had a problem with it.

If I donated a quilt to Linus I would be offended that the work I had done was not good enough. They are asking for donations. I don't think they should be so picky.

I make sure that mine are quilted well, and close enough together that there will be no bunching of the batting. I would consider mine utility quilts. I think that quilts are quilts and they should be used. Otherwise what purpose do they have. I hate to see someone just sit one that I have given them out for looks. I always make them to be used.

JMHO

Lynette

Lynette,

I don't think project Linus is rejecting your quilts at all! They are simply asking if YOU would be offended that the quilt would be washed often, and not treated as an heirloom. It's so NOT that it's not "good enough" - it's that it may be "too good"!

And miscindy, I totally get that you want to do your quilts from start to finish, and more power to you. I do the same, and I wanted to do it all for myself. But I wanted to do more. I bought a longarm system. I hated shoving quilts under the domestic machine, and if I have to hand-quilt myself - well, it's not going to be done. If I had to hand-quilt only, I wouldn't quilt at all. I have pieced and quilted 15 quilts this year. 11 were Quilts of Valor, contibuted to by members of this site. I joined the blocks with sashings, cornerstones, and borders, then backed and quilted them. Now that I'm close to finishing this project, I'm putting myself on the Quilts of Valor website to take in other quilts for quilting.

Some people like to piece. Some people like the quilting process. The two sets don't always conjoin. Should someone who likes to piece only just give that up because they don't like the second part?

Most quilt shows require that both the piecer and the quilter be listed on the entry. There is often a friendship between the two artists.

I absolutely adore hand-pieced and/or hand-quilted quilts. I also know I don't have the patience for hand work. But I refuse to believe that my work is "less valuable". There is room for both.

It's great that all types of quilters can respect all kinds of quilts.I've made several K size quilts,many Q size.. quilted by a LA quilter.
I've quilted some lap size & miniatures. None are any more valuable in my opinion.
I decide the pattern & colors,buy & cut the fabric,piece it all together into blocks that might contain 10-30 pieces.It's pressed,squared & mailed by me.The check is signed by me....so actually,the LA quilting is just another small part of the quilt.Yep,it's my quilt...JMO.Pat

In the past, every single quilt I made was designed, cut, pieced and handquilted by me. They were all gifts and I realized I didn't own a single quilt I made.

About a year ago a friend asked me to join her quilting guild and my passion for quilting resurfaced. My life has changed and now I don't have the time to handquilt. I prefer to spend my precious leisure time piecing the tops and leaving the construction part to my LA friend. I've since made a bunch of quilt tops for myself and she has quilted them.

Now I have the choice of doing exclusively what I love--piecing. They're still all mine.

Dianne

Whether or not we like so many quilts being quilted by longarm quilters, it may be a trend that is here to stay. The most important thing, IMO, is that we all have so many choices, so many avenues that we can choose when making our quilts. If you don't care for traditional quilt patterns, then you can find lots of un-traditional blocks, patterns, and fabrics. You can stretch your creativity with art quilts or you can repair and restore vintage quilts. You can be a quilt top maker only if that is what you enjoy. Just as long as we all keep buying fabrics, quilts, books, and patterns to keep the manufacturers in business we'll be able to keep working at the craft/hobby we love. LOL!

(I steer clear of those quilters that are so rigid in their thinking that "it must be done this way or that way or it's not a quilt!")

I started out mainly hand-quilting all my quilts - because I not only loved the piecing, but the meditative hand-quilting. Pretty soon the # of tops waiting to be quilted kinda overwhelmed me, and I sent a few out to be machine-quilted - by a friend who does that as a business - and they're still my quilts, absolutely! Then I started machine-quilting a few with my walking foot - just a grid of cross-hatching, or straight lines, depending on the block. I did that mainly with the smaller lap quilts - and just recently finished a twin-sized one that will be a donation quilt. My thinking is - I will always love hand-quilting, but practicality takes over and I know I can't do them all that way! The ones I donate will always be machine-quilted - by me, on my home sewing machine (except for QOVs which are done on a longarm) - and somehow I feel they will wear a little better with many repeated washings. The ones I hand-quilt will be for me, or for gifts to my family, as I know they will most likely not be washed repeatedly, as a quilt given to a sick child, or a QOV would. So, I hand-quilt, I machine-quilt, and I send out quilts to be done on a long-arm, each method works for the purpose intended for the quilt, and they are all equally my creation, my quilts.

Here's something weird to add to the mix.
Our guild judged 4 ribbons for our county fair, pieced,
applique, hand quilting, machine quilting.
The machine quilting award was given to the person that
made the top & entered the quilt, not the person that did the machine quilting???? I thought that was so odd.

I love both hand & machine quilting, but if I want to make a 10th of the quilts in my brain, most have to be machine quilted. I usually only hand quilt heirloom baby quilts for relatives & very good friends.

Fortunately, I still see many many hand quilted quilts in our local shows.

When I completed my first full-sized quilt top this year, I was TERRIFIED to mess it up by trying my first attempt at quilting on my little sewing machine. I had made it for my niece, and didn't feel like it would totally be a gift made by Aunt Cathy if I sent it out for LAQ.

I was at a total standstill on all other projects until I could resolve my dilemma, didn't work on a single other thing for 5 months while I stared at the intimidating top.

Finally broke down and went to the LAQ, asked her if she could teach me, or rent out her machine by the hour, or anything so I could feel involved in that quilting step of the project. She was incredibly helpful and reassuring, took all of my notes and sketches and ideas into account for the custom quilting designs I had in mind, and took in my project for quilting.

After all of that, I was surprised to see that that the binding was sewed on but not finished! I still had to complete that part of the project even after the LAQ did her step. That means I started it and finished it, I designed and directed the quilting, and it is definitely mine.

My opinion has changed about how much of the project work needs to be my own hands-on. Someday I hope to learn LAQ and rent time on a machine to be totally involved from start to finish. In the meantime, I have an amazing LAQ collaborator who happens to have the necessary equipment to implement my design ideas.

Easy Stitches said:
===================
Here's something weird to add to the mix.
Our guild judged 4 ribbons for our county fair, pieced,
applique, hand quilting, machine quilting.
The machine quilting award was given to the person that
made the top & entered the quilt, not the person that did the machine quilting???? I thought that was so odd.
==================

That's the part about this that perplexes me. I'm guessing people entered their quilts, judges had categories they considered ALL quilts for, and any prizes went to the person who ENTERED the quilt. (Who knows, maybe the winner did send the ribbon to the actual quilter.)

I have not been to many quilt shows but I'm guessing that in this day and age of long arm quilting unless they are specifically judging "hand quilting" that the quilting for something done on a little home machine could never compete with that done on a long arm/frame. (Heaven knows MY machine quilting never could!!!! LOL.)

So if your goal is to win a ribbon and the "quilting" comes into the judging -- you'd almost have to send it out if you don't have the set up. But then if my quilt won on QUILTING I wouldn't feel that I personally had won anything...

As for my own quilts -- I do like to do the piecing most but also like to feel I did "it all." Still I understand the quilting would look much better done on a long arm. But that pretty much doubles the cost of making the quilt too.

Now, I plan to make a QOV top and I have no problems with the idea of letting someone else quilt the top. I want the service member to get something nice, and in a timely fashion!

If a carpenter makes a table with boards he cut with a power saw, is the table any less his creation than one that he made from boards he cut with a hand saw?? I don't get why a sewing machine or a long arm machine is a forbidden tool, but a rotery cutter is ok. I have a couple of hand quilted quilts that are very special but I have seen some machine quilted quilts that are definate works of art. I do believe the quilter (hand or machine) should be recognized on the label along with whoever 'made' the top and attached the binding. I too, would rather make more quilts than time would allow if I had to personally hand quilt them all.

Just my 2cents worth.

Faye

I don't think there is anything wrong with machine quilting whether you send it out or do it yourself. I was just saying that I personally would be offended if I was donating a quilt and my hand quilting was good enough. I would not want to mix the two.

I don't believe machine quilting is any more durable than hand quilting. My mother has had some of her quilts for over 45 yrs (all hand quilted)and they have nothing other than normal wear and tear that any quilt would have. They have all been used a lot, and always machine washed.

I do think that if a quilt won an award for quilting the award should go to the quilter.

Lynette

What an excellent discussion, thanks for starting this thread!

I'm a self-taughter quilter (but former textile designer of both wovens [homespuns] & prints).

I machine piece & quilt on my old Singer at home. Largest sizes I've made (mostly wall quilts) & now some art quilts too once I studied QAYG. So w/ that technique, the largest I've made is smaller than twin size (mine is 41" x 52"). I rather like this size & have 3 more similarly sized quilts in progress.

Anyway, I'm terrified of working larger & the problems to maneuver the quilt under a home sewing machine, (even w/ QAYG, ultimately one still has to put it together).

I'm been thinking abt this for a while (LAQ & if I should try sending out for this). I've been asked my first commission but am too busy w/ prior quilts to take it on in less than a year. My friend is determined he wants a Queen size quilt, has to be queen he says! I'm thinking I'll do everything but the actual quilting & maybe send it out, my LQS has a list of LAQers who have been used by patrons of the store & women (like me) who also take various quilting classes there.

I really think it's important that there be room for all quilters in this (& to be credited for their work), so this thread's given me lots to think abt. Thanks.

(PG) Karen

To me how it done, any way it's done, is fine.
When it comes to getting a ribbon I think the person who did the work should get the ribbon.

In my opinion, if you piece the quilt and someone else does the quilting, you both made the quilt. The person who paid for the quilting of course owns the quilt but can't get credit for making it all. With all of the machine quilting for others going on, the time has probably come for county fairs to require the person entering the quilt to specify if she/he did it all, or if it was a joint effort, or require categories such as "Pieced and quilted by person entering" or "Quilt top only" or "Machine quilting" or "Hand quilted only" by the person entering. A person entering a quilt done by a joint effort should be specified as such.

FayTay said:
"I don't get why a sewing machine or a long arm machine is a forbidden tool, but a rotery cutter is ok."

I don't think any of it is forbidden, so much as some tools are much easier to use, and the results are different.

I would think that if the category was "machine" quilting, one person on a tiny home machine might have as much artistic skill as a person with a long arm and frame -- but they would be hard pressed to come up with the same results due to the bulk of the quilt and difficulty moving anything large around a tiny machine.

Then hand quilting seems it would be in a totally different category too. I've not done much of it but I'd imagine it would be easier to make a nice smooth curve that way, but take a ton more time and effort. Part of what I'd admire about something hand quilted is not just what the finished produt looked like, but knowing what effort/time went into it too.

Comparing it to carpentry I'd think something "hand carved" would be in a different category than something turned on a lathe or cut with a laser cutter.

To each her own!!!

As a bit of info, the NC LongArm Quilters Assoc. is coming to our show the first weekend in October on the day we hang the quilts (the day before the show opens) and giving a beautiful ribbon to hang on the best LA quilted quilt... an award given to the LA quilter. Now how neat is that!

Like so many of you I do what time and my machine permit. I love to hand quilt but can't do enough quilts that way... so always have something hand-quilting going, but also have quilts that I will do myself on my machine or larger queens/kings that I send out.

Things change with the times... though I find myself thinking that with the new REALLY EXPENSIVE LA machines that are all computerized... what's the art involved? Am I missing something there?

Maybe too many of us worry about perfection, we spend so much time assembling the quilt tops and then feel like we are "ruining it" with machine quilting that isn't 100% perfect. LA quilting takes that pressure off, and gives a product that we know is good. I read over and over on this forum about people who are afraid to try to machine quilt (and I'm one of them!) because I think I don't want my work to be judged by someone (myself!) who will see the slight imperfections that are bound to happen with a handmade product.

This is such an interesting thread! I remember at the Pacific International Quilt show last year, there were tons of quilts that were pieced or appliqued by one person, and LA'd by someone else. I wondered at the time how the judges separated out the ones that were pieced and quilted separately from the ones that were all done by the same person - whether they were hand quilted or machine quilted. Do they give the two-artist quilts equal footing to the one-artist quilts when judging?

Another question that came to mind was...how did they know whether the two-part quilts were an artistic collaberation between two partners, or the result of one artist "creating" the quilt top, and simply hiring a LA quilter (who LA's for a living) to finish it for them?

On the one hand, I can understand the partnership approach, with the two artists combining forces and taking into consideration how the quilt would be quilted as they made the initial design. However, if a quilter simply hired a LA quilter to finish the quilt, then I think I'd have a problem with that quilt being held up alongside the others. For some reason, it doesn't seem the same to me.

As to the hand quilted pieces - they will always have the "WOW" factor for me. I look at all those hand stitches in utter amazement and respect because I'll never have the patience and skill to do that.

Clara