Hi all,
I will be a handquilter until my hands don't work anymore. It is actually easier on me physically to handquilt than machine quilt. I do machine quilt items that I know will go to those who do not know how to care for handwork. I make a lot of Linus quilts so I do a good bit of machine quilting but just basic stuff. I love the new quilting stencils that are "continiuos" line. They work great for handquilting even though they were created for machine quilting. My hardest task is getting the sandwhich basted together so I can handquilt. A friend who is a longarmer is going to baste a kingsize top for me so I can get started on it.
I love the panels. They make great gifts and only take me a week or so to quilt. I am just finishing up the ones I made for my 4 best quilting buddies as Christmas gifts.
I have friends who are long armers who do fantastic work. While I appreciate their expertise I still prefer the drap and feel of handquilting.