I usually mark the section I'm working on as I go - otherwise the chalk marks disappear.

I mark as I go as well because otherwise it rubs off.

Same here, and yes, practice will make all the difference!
Enjoy it, that's what I love about it- so relaxing~

Thanks I wasn't sure and no one I know does handquilting and could tell me how to go about it.

I'm working on a 54 by 54 throw now. It's always ready for a few stitches so I don't quilt for hours at a time.I have been working on it I guess about 2 weeks now and am about 2/3 done. No fancy stitching, just stitch in the ditch basically. When I do want to stitch in a space I mark one area at a time. I really want to get this one done so I can cut and work on an all flannel quilt. That one I think I will try FMQ so I can use the quilt this winter yet.

Well, I've just begun hand quilting (like literally, last week) but the time aspect is one that I'm having a hard time adjusting to. I can quilt a basic baby quilt on my domestic machine in an afternoon. To do the same amount of quilting by hand takes much, much longer - how much longer, I'm not sure, since I've been quilting a week, for at least a half-hour each day, and I'm not done with the center panel yet. :)

But for me, hand quilting is not about the speed. I am enjoying (well, enjoying when I'm not tearing my hair out) learning a new technique and I like the feeling of connection with the quilters of the past and the "low tech" aspect of it. It's just cool to think that the electricity could go out and I could still be quilting away (until I stabbed myself with a needle in the dark).

In the end, I don't think I'll be doing a queen size quilt anytime soon, but it's nice to have access to a new technique when I'm planning future small projects, since the look of hand quilting is different than machine quilting.

Sounds like a good plan to finish it this winter cause so far its been a heck of a winter and right now we're getting more snow and more to come tomorrow :(

I love this.

And I agree that it's a very satisfying thing, to sit and stitch.

I guess since I'm a newer quilter, most of my 'projects' seem to be gift-oriented (like in my head, I have one planned out for my sister, my mother and my grandmother right now...) and that's where my time concern comes into play.

I did the super-quick jelly roll quilt, and then just did a straight, walking-foot line down the middle of each strip - as a first project, it's great. It just doesn't feel "quilted" if that makes sense. It feels more like it's 'assembled' - maybe if I added some hand stitching to fancy it up a bit I might like it better...

I definitely want to improve my FMQ skills, too - don't get me wrong, I see the pros/cons of both methods. I feel more confident with the hand stitching at this point, though. Oh, if I could just add a couple hours to each day...lol.

On average, it takes me 2 to 3 years to quilt a bedsize quilt. However, I work in spurts. I will not touch it for anywhere from several days to several weeks. I can not HQ when it is really hot out. Can not bring myself to sit under the quilt and don't want to sweat all over it. I tried keeping track on my lone star quilt which I quilted 1/4" from every seam and in the big open spaces in the four corners and setting trianges I did a feather plume in the shape of a heart in the squares and just an arc in the triangles with 1" cross hatching in the background. I had well over 200 hours in it until I got to the outer border then forgot to mark my pad of paper with start and stop time. I figure the border quilting put it over 300 hours. That quilt was king size. The more intricate the quilting the longer it takes. My current HQ WIP some elements take a long time and other bits go quick. I started HQ a few months after I joined this board. So I am in year 2 of HQ it. I find it relaxing and enjoy having it to work on when watching TV at night. I don't dwell on how long it takes as it is a labor of love. I will admit though that the amount of time it takes me to HQ a quilt was one of several deciding factors in purchasing my LA. I have too many quilts inside of me that want to get out and made and I would never put a dent in my bucket list if I HQ all of them! I am glad I took the LA plunge because I love doing it and can't wait to get my next quilt on it. I will still HQ as well.

I agree, it is hard to sit under a quilt in the summer. I solved this problem by doing a quilt-as-you-go system. I Put my indiviual blocks together- top, batting, and backing-and than a fast hand baste. I then quilt the individual blocks. Later I sew the blocks together.

My main complant as a hand quilter, is the way my LQS treats me like dirt. The noses sure go up in the air fast if I'm looking for notions or "hand needles" instead of machine needles! I know they make more money on machine quilters because they can start and finish projects faster, but Hey hand quilters have feelings too!