I have never sent a quilt out, although my sister used to make extra money quilting for others. Unlike most people, I started out hand quilting panels long before I pieced anything. Now I do both, and I also machine quilt. I love fmq, although my work is far from perfect.

My older sister died in 2003 at age 53. She taught me to quilt. After I pieced the top of my first big quilt, she took me to a LA quilter to have it quilted and I've been doing it ever since. I machine stitched one table runner and hand stitched 3/4 of my very first quilt (which I still haven't finished) and hand stitched a table top quilt but the stitching is very big stitches and I think it doesn't look very nice. I have it on my dining room table but I'll stop and admire my handwork every so often. I always take mine out to be quilted.

I'm taking Craftsy's free BOM and have made 20 blocks and this quilt we are going to machine quilt. I am excited about do so. I think it might be the push I need to get me to start quilting my own quilts. If I like it, I just might start quilting all of mine. My sewing machine has a stitch regulator and a deep throat - made for machine quilting. I could really save some money.

When I starte quilting I quilted by hand. I can not do that anymore. I am now quilting on my machine. I want to say I did the whole thing. I do not have a long arm. I just finished a queen quilt on my small machine for my grandson and his wife, they love it, and that is all that matters. However I just bought a Jenome, 11" throat to do my next one I have started.

My first quilt I quilted by hand. I love hand quilting, but I now have MS and it is all I can do do cut my quilt pieces out. I am making my last big quilt now and will make smaller quilt items after that.

Never say "never", but so far I have machine quilted all my quilts (about a hundred). Arthritis keeps me from even thinking about hand quilting. I really admire some of the lighter, more enhancing professional quilting, but my quilts are my quilts and I want to do them myself. My strictest judges tend to be my Gkids and so far they have been thrilled :>)

By doing it all yourself you get to outside the box and be whimsical if you want. Follow the rules that are important and do the rest the way you want!

I just finished my 3rd quilt. All were FMQ by me on my domestic machine. The first one is for my best friend of 45 years and has big pattern mistakes in it, which only add to the love. I think the receivers of the quilts appreciate the work that goes into FMQ it yourself. Paying someone to do something on the quilt makes me feel like it wasn't hand made. I don't know how to hand quilt, guess I'll have to look into that.

I do my own wall hangings and lap quilts - started out with meandering and I am working my way up to very simple designs - even stippling. It is very hard for me to do small stippling, but I am working on it. Anything bigger than a lap quilt and mine go to the LAQ. Our LQS offers LAQ lessons and rental time on a small Innova - looking forward to doing that. Perhaps "someone" will gift me with a certificate for lessons for Christmas - hint, hint....

I hand quilt for myself and close family members, and machine quilt those I expect to be "well loved". I have yet to send one out, but I think about it often.

I make a quilt start to finish. Want it to be all me:p

[QUOTE=Justamom410;5568131]I'm a newbie quilter and I've machine quilted my first 2 quilts that I've made. I want to learn to hand quilt...but haven't asked anyone in my newly joined guild yet if they would teach me. I'm working on project #3 right now and it's for my daughter...so I'd love to learn to hand quilt in order to finish it for her (she's 3)[/QUOTE I have hand quilted for years. I love my handquilting, but it takes alot of time. There are many good videos on youtube that show different ways of hand quilting. I have 2 very different quilting frames, I like the smaller, less expensive one better than the more complicated, more expensive one. I still also quilt in a hoop. I have also just started machine quilting and FMQing. I get a great deal of satisfaction from hand quilting, but sometimes I give in and machine quilt, especially if I need to get something done on a time line. Good luck with your hand quilting, I hope it brings you pleasure for years to come.