ube quilting

Computerized quilting is just a different learned skill. The quilts I have seen are stunning works of art and I admire them greatly.

I do not quilt for perfection which CQ allows for. I enjoy the beauty and creativity of all kinds of quilting and try to incorporate lots of techniques into my work.

I keep practicing, like a doctor!
peace

Cari-in-Oly

I understand. I don't want my quilts to be exact replicas of someone elses either, although I do use pics on the internet for inspiration. I'll find a pattern I like and make it in my choice of colors, then do the same for the quilting part.

Cari

sewwhat85

Yes!!!! I totally agree with this as I love them all hand quilted, DM quilted, Long armed hand guided and long arm computerized guided. But agree that the shows should catch up with the times and have different categories as it is very difficult to judge them against each other. I helped at the State Fair with the judging and found that it is hard enough to get by the personal likes of a judge not to mention that they are judging apples to oranges.

feline fanatic

When my brother accompanied me to a quilt show, a vendor was there demoing a computer guided set up. He likened it to a player piano. Now understand, all he knows about quilting is what he has seen me do. He has watched me longarm and hand quilt. I have endeavored to expose myself to every aspect of quilting. I have not hand pieced but I have done hand applique (needle turn) and hand embroidery. I have hand quilted, quilted on my DSM (which I was completely incapable of mastering) and now I quilt on a LA, all hand guided but I do use a stitch regulator.

I was very dismayed to learn that the AQS shows have indeed separated out computer assisted quilting but they lump stitch regulated hand guided quilting into that. However, it is apparent that the winners are still hand guided quilters, even though they use a stitch regulator. But they are forced to enter into the computer assisted category just because of that. I agree that when it comes to show quilts, there should be completely separate categories for Robotic quilted and hand guided (with or without stitch regulator) just as there should be a separate category for hand quilting.

I too wish quilters who used computer assisted quilting were forth coming about it. If you are just as proud of that art as you are of doing it by hand, then shout it out. When you don't say, I think you are trying to pass off computer generated work as hand guided. If you digitized the design yourself by all means brag about it, as that is brag-worthy. If you spent hours lining up a motif, say so. I have gotten to the point where I can usually spot CG quilting even from a photo but there are some exceptional hand guided quilters out there that sometimes it is hard to tell.

With computer assist you only need to draw a motif once and the computer will reverse it, resize it, flip it or mirror it with a mouse click. Those of us that hand guide have to draw it out and trace it and redraw it again and then once we get it transferred to the quilt we stitch it out. It is a lot more work and effort, just like hand quilting is a lot more work and effort than machine quilting. And to those masters on the DSM... I bow to you for I am not worthy. I could never master the level of quilting I do on a LA on a DSM.

Oh and for the poster who asked how you can tell robotics from hand guided... Each motif is perfectly asymmetrical and identical with robotics, even if the image is reversed, resized or mirrored. Every back track is dead on with never a miss. With hand guided you will see motifs are slightly different. When the images are mirrored there are variations. Not every feather will be perfectly backtracked but you might have a hard time finding the one that was missed.

Terri D.

I think there's a place for computer-aided quilting. I've seen some really, really cute designs that will never be available on a stencil, in a book of quilt motifs or quilting paper.

SueSew

Different techniques will give you a different result. Like different media - charcoal sketches, detailed inks or pencils, watercolor, acrylic paint, oil, silkscreen - they are all good, and they all have their own techniques. The artist Marc Chagall said 'I work in whatever medium likes me at the moment'. (FMQ doesn't like me at ANY moment, so I'm in total agreement)

I don't know how granular you want your distinctions for every type of quilt deserving a ribbon. When I look at a quilt hanging up at a show, I like best the quilts that seem to have a harmony of techniques, colors, styles.

Could a quilt win a ribbon for brilliant quilting when the piecing is sloppy or the pattern is common or the colors a little off?

What about boring 'mattress' quilting that doesn't relate to quilt design or size, on top of a beautifully designed and pieced quilt?

Normabeth

I don't think there is any thin wrong with computerized quilting, but I do believe it should be in a category of its own.

labtechkty

If I had the room or the money, I would buy a computerized system, because I'm terrible at it!! lol I have several quilt tops waiting to be quilted but don't want to because they turned out so well I am afraid of screwing them up, so they will stay that way until I can at least do some decent quilting. I have used my embroidery machine to quilt and that's not as easy as it sounds either..but I am still learning..having said that I really don't think it matters how the top gets quilted as long as the results are what you're going after.

needles3thread

I agree with LynnVT. Label each quilt so everyone can know what method was used........hand, machine, computerized etc. I agree that the average person doesn't know the difference if a quilt is done by computer or
hand guided and will see something perfect or something with irregularities. Mine would be the one with irregularities because I don't own a machine with this capacity. It makes me feel bad to have mine in a show
right beside a computer-done project.

ladydukes

The only FMQ I've done is quit primitive (and only a few items) because I haven't had any training or instruction as to what I need to do, how to set up my machine to do it, the necessary tools, etc. My dream is to one day own a LA machine with computerized quilting capabilities. I agree with dclutter. From everything I've read, seen or heard, it is quite a job to learn how, gain the experience and confidence and to stretch your imagination, just like it would be quite a job to learn how to do free motion. I also agree with MaryStoaks, I'm green with envy because I'd love to learn DSM quilting, LA quilting AND computerized quilting!!