Hand versus Machine

[PDQuilt]

My pet peeve!
I am a hand piecer, hand appliquer and hand quilter by choice.

So why do I keep being told by machine users that I ought to convert because I could finish a quilt faster? I don't tell them they should sew by hand because it would take them longer.

I make traditional quilts but I admire contemporary and art quilts - I just know I couldn't make them myself.

There is room for everyone so please please stop making me feel like a dinosaur.

Back to hand quilting my handpieced pine burr!

[littleflower]

Maureen,
I personally am grateful that you do all of you're quilting work by hand. It is a gift and one to be treasured. Thank you for keeping this beautiful "tradition" going in a world where everything needs to be done yesterday.

I'm a bit of an odd duck in the quilting world myself. Like yourself, I enjoy hand piecing and hand quilting. One of the biggest benefits that I see for myself is that it's portable. I can work on a piecing or quilting project at the coffee shop, on a train or take it with my when I travel.

Then too, I machine piece and machine quilt. I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I go one way or the other totally. There are benefits to both.

Happy quilting!
Teri

[littleflower]

I have discovered that any of my quilts are not finished until there is some hand quilting included. This just feels right and of course keeps me intouch with our needlework heritage. I have been inspired by the masters in Amish country! :lol:

[QuilterLynn]

You go girl! I'm with you - well, sort of. I have hand pieced several of my quilts. I have never machine quilted.

I went to a class last week that was supposed to introduce me to it (it came as a bonus when I purchased my new machine) and was told "You are going to love it!"

Welllllllllllll, maybe some day I will love it, but right now, I don't. I know, you have to practice to get good at it. But I think for now, I'll stick to hand quilting. I love doing it, the feel of the fabric beneath my fingers, the look as it takes shape, the meditative quality of the time doing it, and the very best, the way it looks when I pull it out of the dryer after completion and see the whole project "heirloomed" by my washer and dryer!

I recently purchased a new sewing machine (after 35 years) and my thought was this: "I will never make as many quilts as I desire if I don't speed up either the piecing or the quilting!" So I decided to speed up the piecing. I've taken up Paper Piecing (Carol Doak) and am really enjoying it using the bells and whistles of my new Janome 6600.

I'm sure I will some day hand piece another quilt! For me, it's the process not the product that I desire. So, at least there are two of us out here. I will never make as many quilts as folks who do it on machines, but oh, well.......................

:roll:

[QuilterLynn]

One benefit of hand piecing and quilting...it can be done anywhere.
It is generally portable. I don't machine quilt but I do machine or hand piece and hand quilt. I don't have any lofty goals as to the number of quilts I make. I just enjoy the process.
Besides using less electricity reduces my carbon footprint... :lol:

FW

[QuilterLynn]

My very good quilter friend in Texas is a hand quilter, even with arthritis in her fingers. She absolutely refuses to machine quilt, and By Golly, she recently upped her prescription for Celebrex and has completed a Mariner's Compass and Stacked Bricks quilts that she had in the works. I'm so proud and happy for her. At a recent quilt show, I met an elderly lady that was in the same boat as my friend, and longingly looked at the hand quilting. I told her about the Celebrex, so hopefully, she'll be able to continue her craft.
It's a shame to have reached the age when you have the time to dedicate to hand stitching, but to have Mother Nature rob you of your nimble fingers!

[QuilterLynn]

I've been thinking a lot about going back to hand piecing my blocks. I watched Jenny Beyer hand sew and it's inspiring and what she says about hand piecing makes a lot of sense. No block of time needed to sit at the machine, easy to carry and have it available to work on and the pieces line up perfectly. I won't give up my machine piecing but to say one is better than the other is silly isn't it?

[QuilterLynn]

I am a long arm quilter, I love what I do, however...I also hand piece.

I would NEVER tell a hand quilter they should have their quilts machine pieced, it's up to that persons decision to decide if they want to hand piece or have it machine quilter.

Personally, I love hand quilted quilts, and I love machine quilted quilts.

Something to think about too, I recently had a friend piece a top, I quilted it, completely custom work. That quilt was donated for an auction, a man working for the electric company was burned, and lost his leg, all the money went for his family.

Anyway, a quilt that was hand pieced and hand quilted went for a little over $1000.00, where the quilt that I had machine quilted went for just under $1000.00. What I'm trying to say here, is that people value the art of hand piecing and hand quilting over machine pieced and machine quilting. Was I upset that our quilt didn't go over the cost of the hand quilting...NO, I was not surprised. I would also pay more for handquilting.

Ah, this makes it sound like I don't value my work and or my business as a machine quilter, I do. I just have an awesome amount of respect for those that do have the patience to work by hand.

Gosh, I hope that made sense.

Phyllis

[QuilterLynn]

Maureen, just smile serenely at them and remind them that life is a journey, not a destination! We've become such an instant-gratification society that people lose sight of the process.

Personally, I've never had the patience or accuracy for the work you do. I do other hadwork, like knit, crochet and 3-D felting. But I can certainly admire and appreciate hand piecing and quilting. I am in awe.

[snowplow3840]

I agree with all of you who say that both hand and machine quilting, when done well, are beautiful. Done poorly it looks equally bad either way.

I had some quilts that my greatgrandmother made-one was machine pieced and quilted the other was was done totally by hand. Both have been well "loved" (in other words used a lot). The hand pieced and quilted one stood the test of time better although that may have been a function of how often washed etc.

I do hand embroidery and hand beading. I would be very insulted if someone tried to tell me that I should do those by machine because it would be faster. Faster is not the reason I machine quilt. I machine quilt because I do not have the patience to hand quilt and I do not like the results when I try to do it.

Why do I have the patience for hand embroidery and hand beading and not for hand quilting? I think it would probably take a psychotherapist to find the answer but do I care? NOOOO I'LL JUST BE ME----YOU JUST BE YOU AND VIVA LA DIFFERENCE!!!!!

[snowplow3840]

I'm new to quilting & started with a new machine my husband bought me last year. (been a sewer for years) I find I just don't like all the time sitting at the sewing machine & the problems (normal size machine) with the quilting.

I've started reading Ginny's book & saw her on a "Simply Quilts" yesterday. I have decided to start hand quilting & piecing thinking it'll be more portable & rewarding.

[QuilterLynn]

Lin-Sue, just sit back and enjoy it! Ginny's book is wonderful!

[QuilterLynn]

I too enjoy both hand and machine work. Thank God we can all find a place of contentment within the quilting world. Enjoying the process, whatever it is, is most important.
Our guild, Friendship Knot Quilter's Guild of Sarasota, had our show this last week-end and our theme this year was "Celebrate the Spirit of Sisterhood - A Common Thread" Our diversity and our commonality were both evident. For the first time, we had an art instructor from Ringling School of Design judge our Art Catagories purely from an artistic standpoint. The same quilts were also judge with all other catagories using the AQS judging criteria. It was very interesting to compare the comments. We also gave special recognition awards to our best hand quilters. I take great pride in the fact that there is a home here for all quilters to share in the joy of creation. Betty Ann

[QuilterLynn]

I have done both hand peicing and hand quilting as well as machine peicing and quilting. I have found FOR ME that machine peicing and hand quilting are my favorite ways to do it, but I do machine quilt from a lot because it does save time. Hand peicing - well I just haven't quite got it yet, but someday I will I am sure.

Now I have experienced somethign I don't think I saw anyone say here - I once was talking to a friend about wanting a long arm machine some day. She looked at me and began reading me the riot act becaue "real quilters don't use machines". Now this was early in my career, and it really set me back for a bit. I began second guessing everything I had been doing to that point because I had not yet learned to hand quilt at all. I felt like somehow everything I had done to that point was not good enough. It took another person who was an avid hand worker to give me a two thumbs up on my machine work to pull me out of the dumps. We need to learn to accept the work of other quilters no matter how it is done. Machine quilting has its place, as does hand. I personally marvel at hand work, and I LOVE to hand quilt. Lets end... what would you call it... workmanshipism??? in quilting. We all use needles, just some run on electric and others on caffene and sugar :lol:

[QuilterLynn]

bravo mandy!!!!!
this is america...we're free to think and do as we please.