alapoint3

For the past ?"few" years I have followed the many posts with pictures attached and seen the quilts that are heavily quilted. I have not enjoyed them and to myself have wondered why anyone would spend the time doing that. Surely they couldn't be soft and cuddly could they?Over the past several of weeks I have spent hours of looking at these quilts again and literally drooling. They are beyond beautiful. How I now admire the skill and time it must have taken to quilt them! Am I the only one who has had such a drastic change of heart about something quilted?

ManiacQuilter2

I am also not a fan of a quilt being overly quilted. I want the piecing of the quilt to be the center of the show and the quilting to enhance the piecing not be a distraction. But I do admire the beautiful feathers that many of them do. I am just a little too old fashion for these modern times. My philosophy with machine quilting is how to make it look like hand quilting.

Quilt30

One might have to decide if is a quilt to cover with or hang on the wall and look at.

QuiltnNan

i like the middle... medium density quilting. i don't want the quilt layers to 'flop' apart... so enough quilting is needed to keep every part of the quilt together. but like others, i want the piecing to be the focus... so no heavy quilting.

and welcome to the QB as an official member... what took you so long LOL

Geri B

For my personal quilts I prefer traditional medium quilting...enough to keep batting from lumping and fabric from sagging...be it to enhance the piecing or E2E design.....but I marvel at the "show" quilts with the intense quilting....so much so that sometimes the piecing is secondary....be that the intention or not........"Modern" quilts, I think need much filler stitching as the piecing is so minimal..jmho

KwiltyKahy

I have always admired the heavy quilting and marveled at the skill it takes to do that well. I too prefer the piecing to be the star. That being said, I have seen some quilts on here that the quilting made all the difference to make a beautiful quilt outstanding.
We had a saying in the 60s, "Different strokes for different folks".
Fortunately, the world of quilting has room for all of us. So I will continue to do what makes me happy and admire the work of others.

Sewnoma

I have lots of room in my heart for quilts, I love them all!

There is no one style or technique that I like best, I like them all. I like wild and experimental, I like die-hard traditional, and all the flavors and shades in between. Art quilts to dog quilts....bring 'em on!

My own quilts are all over the place too. I've done tied, minimal SITD, "matchstick" lines, loopy FMQ....plus art quilts and other "quilted" projects. I'm still learning and still trying new things and I hope I never stop!

Some day I'm going to get brave enough to try thread painting. I saw some quilts at the PIQF last year that literally made my jaw drop. So much beautiful artwork! So many talented women and men on this planet creating so many amazing things, I feel privileged anytime I get to see any of it.

nanna-up-north

Welcome to the QB, alapoint3. I've also struggled with the same thing but I think quilting has evolved over time. When I look at vintage quilts with their hand quilting I think of a time when women didn't have the many tools we have today and the quilts were mostly made for utility. My DH's aunt told me how she carded cotton in small batches for batting because it was too expensive for common folk to buy commercial batting. Those quilts had to be hand quilted close together and they still have batting bunched up in spots. Back in the 70's quilts were puffy (lots of thick polyester batting) with minimal quilting and the piecing showed up most. I can spot a 70's quilt easily. Today, the machine quilting seems to have taken over with more and more lovely designs that fill in spaces like artwork.

My puzzle is always, what's next? How will quilting change again to make something else that can be dated in the future? I strive to make my quilts for many years of service. Some I try to give that vintage look while others I put together with a modern touch. It's the variety that I enjoy. We are so lucky to have all the past to go back to for inspiration and all the new tools to make the job easier today. What a fun ride quilting is for so many of us.

So, enjoy the ride.....

Jackie Spencer

In so many of the "Modern " Quilts, the pattern (piecing) is very simple, using large pieces or strips, the extra quilting does not take away from the pattern but enhances it. With your more intriget pieced quilts, if the right color of thread is used you can still do a lot of quilting and not take away from the design. I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

sewbizgirl

Yes, I have changed my way of thinking about traditional quilt patterns and scrappy quilting. Previously I didn't like traditional patterns OR scrappy, but Bonnie Hunter makes them both so appealing! She's won me over. Now I collect and cut scraps like crazy and have made at least 4 scrappy quilts in the past year. I think our interaction with other quilters and their styles is really good for opening our minds to diffferent things we may have never known we would love!