Originally Posted by mpspeedy

Years ago I participated in my county's quilt documentation project. We had appraisers who were experts from the DAR DAughter's of the AMerican Revolution in Washington, DC. look at the quilts. They counted the quilt stitches both back and front. I just checked the quilt I am currently working on and I get 10 stitches to the inch counting both back and front. I have gotten better and worse depending on the fabric and the batting and the condition of my hands. For many years I used a size 12 inbetween which is a very small needle. Since developing a rare autoimmune disease 9 years ago my fingers don't work nearly as well. I am currently using a 9.
The real test is the evenness of the stitches and getting the job done.
I can't think of anything in quilting I prefer more than the hand quilting.