I grew up with quilts made by grandmothers, mother and aunts. Most of the quilts (older ones) I have were made in the the 30's, 40's and 50's. I do have one my grandmother made in the early 1900's. So my background of quilts were all done without all the modern gadgets. I guess that is the reason it was my aunts liked the piecing and my mother loved the hand quilting. That is where I learned the love of hand quilting early on. I taught myself piecing (both hand and machine) in the 70's. I do use most of the modern techniques, but I do realize and understand why I have so many quilts NOT quilted. I still want them hand quilted and can't make myself learn the machine quilting. I have had some machine quilted, but they are for the grand children or lap quilts that are 'used' and laundered a great deal. The two quilts on my bed now are both hand quilted--I have my Amish connections do the quilting for me, since I don't have the time. I always have a hand quilting project at hand to keep my love of the whole process going. I strongly believe that hand and machine quilted quilts should be judged separately. The each have their place in the quilting world. I truly admire some of the hand quilting I have seen on this board. Keep up the good work.