I love the look of handquilted items, and find that I am more proud of those projects than the ones I do on the machine. In all fairness, the quilts I have made by machine have to endure more everyday wear and tear...definitely the way to go for them. Most evenings my family gathers to watch shows on TV and I find that I get quite a bit accomplished by hand piecing/quilting. Also very practical for road trips or waiting in offices for appointments! With our busy lives these days, a lot of people want it done "yesterday" and machine sewing is the answer in those cases. However, I think doing projects by hand keeps a dying technique alive and helps us to truly appreciate what past quilters accomplished long long ago.