I was happy to hear that there are some many hand quilters out there. I have tried many times to machine stitch, but it never turns out as nicely as my hand quilting. My largest project was a king size quilt. I find it very relaxing, especially after a day at work. The Linus quilts or quilts for comfort all have to be machine quilted, and I feel I am not putting as much into them. All my quilts are machine washed, many times and my stitching is still intact. I feel I put a lot of love into each quilt I make - no matter who it is for. Thank you for keeping up the tradition!