Tied is o.k., but like everyone said the machine quilting will make the quilt more durable. There are overall patterns and thick batting I've used to make quilts more, "Puffy", as some like. This also helps soften the hardness of a more dense pattern.
I've had customers with keepsake quilts have me undo the ties and machine quilt them with great success.
In general I guess its what you like or want and I can only respect that!----Dave B.