As a handquilter I have a totally different perspective. The actual quilting is what makes it a quilt. I only do machine quilting on things no bigger than crib size. I just made a T shirt quilt and it had to be machine quilted in order to stabilize the fabrics used, not to fall apart. I couldn't have done it without my husband's help. He stood in front of my machine and held the quilt up as I fed it through the machine. I have some muscle strength issues that make it difficult for me to wrestle a quilt through my sewing machine. As long as it consists of at least three layers, held together with stitching it is a quilt.