Yes, but not much. I've been hand quilting the same wallhanging (41" square) for two years but am almost done. I work on it for a while, set it aside, get it back out, etc. I love the way it looks, though. I also use hand quilting for accents on various machine quilted items. I use a metal thimble and no hoop or anything. But I do prefer to save my wrists for hand applique.