I prefer to hand quilt as that is how my Great Aunt did it. I am not really good at it but I like the process and the look. I am a terrible machine quilter. Can't stay in the ditch and my meandering looks primitive. I always felt I could buy a boughten quilt with machine stitching but not a hand quilted one. Nothing against people who machine quilt. I have seen beautiful quilts here done on the machine, and could never master that in hand quilting. So I guess it comes down to what you like to do. Both ways take practice.