Recently I started to hand piece 100 blocks for a Celtic Illusions quilt. Oddly enough I will probably machine quilt it, but the reason I am doing this is because we went camping on vacation and I wanted some handwork that was easy to take along (unlike applique with its leetle tiny pieces...). I have never hand pieced a quilt before and I am finding it surprisingly therapeutic - I am not locked downstairs in my sewing room while everyone else is upstairs and the work is simple to throw in a bag and take with me wherever I go. I may also do some curved piece quilting by hand now which I would normally stay away from because I am not good enough on the machine to sew all those curved edges and get them right!

SO - I was wondering who else out there has done hand piecing and why?

I find any handwork is relaxing. When I ask my Mom why she did so much hand work, she said "it is better than Prozac." When making clothing, I disliked hand work, however, with quilting, applique, etc., it is a joy and really relaxes me.

I started a Grandmother's Flower Garden using English Paper Piecing because of a tutorial recently posted on this board. I've done just about every other type of needlework as well. I do it for a couple of reasons; to create something beautiful and to feel productive while sitting in front of mindless TV programs with my husband.

Handwork is relaxing and portable. I even hand sew on long car trips (but not when I'm the driver).

I have always like any kind of handwork in sewing projects. It's so relaxing and portable... the two main reasons I do it.

I love handwork for the same reasons others have said. I learned to hand piece my first quilt. I don't do that anymore but I love hand quilting, making yo yo's etc. I also pin pieces that will be sewn while watching baseball games on TV. I also love to knit.

I find hand piecing more relaxing than machine piecing - and I don't have to resew as much, since I'm more accurate.

I can't say I love hand piecing yet hand quilting I really find relaxing. On smaller quilts I like to machine piece then hand quilt. Hand quilting while watching a movie on LIfetime movie network! LOL

I always hated the hand sewing before I started quilting but I had lots of time in Dr waiting rooms with elderly relatives & decided piecing quilts would be a good way to pass the time. I knew nothing about quilting but found so many women in the waiting rooms that wanted to share their knowledge with me, or older folks that would want to talk about watching their mothers & grandmothers hand piece. Now I have found that even thought I can't read one sentence in the car without getting sick I can piece to my hearts content & it doesn't make me sick at all. So now I keep a grandmother's flower garden in one car & a periwinkle in the other...be prepared!!...& it gives me a way to share time with my husband & quilt too.

can't take sewing machine to quilt meetings and I truly enjoy hand-piecing. Am working on a Shelburne Museum antique quilt (Froncie Quinn's company Hoopla is licensed to make the patterns) called Elizabeth Greene. Am doing it in repro fabrics- blues and browns.