MadQuilter

I think it is a STYLE of quilting and not one I will get into.

Stitchnripper

This is such a good discussion where we are all free to state our preferences with no one getting their "knickers in a twist". I appreciate that it takes talent and skill to choose threads, program the machine and all that setting up. Not taking away from that. It just looks too perfect to me. Same with computerized long arm quilting. At a quilt show a lady was showing me how to set up the machine. A complicated procedure with the computer. Then she turned it on and off it went. I'm glad people who like it can do it. It is not for me.

abc123

I find this rather interesting because the flipside is there are many of us that can no longer do hand embroidery or hand quilting due to physical issues so machine embroidery still allows us to create rather it be embroidery for quilt blocks or quilting the sandwich. We are all entitled to our likes/dislikes but I would not disregard someone's work because it was done on a machine; there may come a time that you too will have to depend on a machine to create. No disrespect is meant in this response but to encourage one to think before judging another's work.

petthefabric

Very interesting topic. I think this is a style issue. Why are there so many styles of furniture, shoes, cloths, cars? If it floats your boat, go for it and get the job done. Personally, my quilts are expressions of me and I'm always out of the box. So how often does "cute" fit into my style. So personally, most embroidery designs are not my style. Having a Bernina 830 with the embroidery unit seems like an oxymoran. It does have some uses, like quilting 24 traditional blocks exactly the same. And having studied designs I've found some that border on my expressive style.

Sorry I can't find who posted this, "I've seen quilts with embroidery, both hand and machine, that I didn't think enhanced the design, and I've seen quilts where embroidery accents have elevated a hum drum top." I agree that all details on a quilt should enhance the quilt, not just be stuck on there. But again that's my style.

So every one to their own opinion.

Maire

As with everything it is a personal preference. I personally love machine embroidery, I can no longer do hand work because of arthritis but I can still decorate garments, tea towels, and sometimes even quilt blocks. It all depends on my mood & what is needed. My granddaughters are in basketball & love to have me decorate fleece jackets with baskets ball designs. My youngest daughter just asked me to do an embroidered baby quilt for a fund raising raffle, she needed certain a certain theme. It is just another aspect of sewing, life is short, do what you enjoy, skip what you don't.

Fraew

When I swap, I post the blocks that I plan to send in (unless it's a secret) both pieced and machine embroidery (usually an outline red/black work design rather than a dense fill in). If I see a block that I must have, I PM the hostess and beg. Same if I see something that I'd rather not have. "I'd prefer not to receive..." All the same, I have several swap blocks that don't agree with me, just waiting for the right project to keep, trade or give away. There's always something perfect for me or for someone else; machine embroidery being acceptable for the right project.

Dolphyngyrl

I do hear this time and again in different forums and I just want ti state that if you have not completed a type of technique do not assume it does not take skill. machine embroidery does have a steep learning curve. I am only 3 years in and still learning and struggling so it is a skill, you don't just push a button and out pops something beautiful. It can take hours just to do a simple project. The same can be said for computerized longarm you have to line up everything just perfect I have been told it is very difficult and time consuming and their is skill involved. While I feel that no one is obligated to like these type of techniques I feel they all shoulld be respected for their skill and technique involved and that they should not be criticized by those who have never done them that have no clue what is involved in them. I have just barely started to get decent at FMQ and am now learning ruler work on my DSM and would not like someone saying it not quilting because its done on machine or that if I use rulers I am cheating or there is no skill involved.

heronfan

This is very interesting! While I do like machine embroidery on quilts it's the individual blocks I take issue with. I do love hand embroidered redwork though.

Last year I went on a bus trip to the Houston International Quilt Show. As part of the fun we could create as many as 5 individual quilt blocks to put into a drawing held during the Sunday morning breakfast. The blocks needed to be flowers and bees and you could piece or embroider them. I painstakingly created three pieced flower blocks to contribute and I won 8 blocks at the breakfast. When I opened the roll of blocks, all were embroidered. While they were pretty, I had no idea what I was going to do with them because I really didn't see them as quilt blocks. It took a year but I finally cut them down and made them into lavender sachets thanks to a suggestion by my sister-in-law. To me they just didn't fit my admittedly narrow view of a quilt block.

quilterpurpledog

In 1989 or 1990 I went to the big quilt show in Lancaster, PA and stood behind some older ladies who were really upset about machine quilting and thought it shouldn't be allowed in the show! Well, look at what has happened. I love hand quilting but I also like machine quilting (I do mine on DSM). I like FMQ from any machine. I think computerized machines, whether quilting or embroidery are OK but not my thing. When I bought my new machine I could have had the embroidery unit and my husband and the salesman really tried to convince me I would be sorry. Well, I'm not. While I think those who do it well are enjoying a different facet of the growing 'quilting experience' I know it isn't for me. That is what is so great about fiber and fabric-there is no limit to flights of of imagination or invention.

coopah

Embroidery, to me, is a picture or letters on (usually) fabric. Quilting is (usually) done through more than one layer of fabric. I put the usually in there, because someone always finds an exception. Imdon't enter swaps, because I have too much of my own work to do. Although I'm told they're fun.