Holy smokes - really???? :)
This just gave me a great idea - there are quite a few examples in museums of antique quilts that were pieced and quilted on chain-stitch machines. Chain-stitching could add a nice authentic touch to some of my Civil War quilts!
Not that I'm going to go out and buy a sashiko machine - can't afford that! But, yippeeskippeee, some of my modern machines do a chain-stitch!
It's not a pretty enough stitch that I can do embroidered redwork with them - for that you apparently need a chain stitch only machine. But these will give you a pretty enough stitch if you're not trying to make tight loops.
I could do Baptist fans or wavy lines or grid quilting with it. Now I can't wait to try it! :)