This has been a great surprise. There are still a lot of us hand quilters out there. It seems the last 4 quilt shows I have been to including the International in Long Beach California, I can count the quilts hand quilted on one hand. I don't think there is much respect for the hand quilters in California. Not nearly like the Mid West and East. I am so glad there a quite a few of us not giving up the art of hand quilting.
Don't get me wrong I love the beautiful quilts that are machine quilted, but all my quilting friends in California even if they were hand quilters have totally switched to machine quilting and seem a little condesending some times to those of us that still hand quilt. I even plan on doing some machine quilting in the ditch on my quilts just so I can get to the intricate hand quilting designs. I don't even go to guild meetings in CA anymore, just don't seem to fit in.
Ok, I will get off my soap box. I still love all quilting.