Often it's not so much the end result, but the journey that counts. While we don't hand quilt out of necessity any more, those of us who do hand quilt do so because we enjoy it. I love the look of well done quilting, whether it has been done by hand or by machine. Because hand quilting is now done primarily for relaxation and enjoyment rather than out of necessity, I don't think it will ever die out. In fact, the more uncommon a skill is, the more cherished and valuable it becomes. Consider that cross stitching, embroidering, and knitting can all be done rapidly by machine now, but many people still do these by hand.