sewbizgirl

So gorgeous... but I would never put a hoop on it. You don't need one, anyway! Just sandwich it and either baste or pin well, then quilt it in your lap. I actually lay the quilt out on my dining room table to work on it, rather than on my lap. It works just fine.

I really think you need to hand quilt this special beauty.

platyhiker

That it is a magnificent quilt! If you're drawn to hand quilting it, you should definitely give it a try. You can just do a small section to test it out. If you find that you don't like how it looks or it feels like the process will be more aggravation than you want, you can always rip out that small amount of quilting and go with the long arm quilter option.

Personally, I think that if your quilting (whether by hand or machine) makes the wool objects pop out, that is a *good* thing. I love seeing the focal items of quilt get extra attention via quilting, and your lovely work deserves to get the spot light.

Tartan

Lovely top and if you enjoy hand quilting then do it. I think the QSnap or similar floor frame would help with the weight.

maryb119

It's beautiful!!! I would hand quilt.

quiltingshorttimer

Beautiful quilt. no real answers from me. I long arm quilts and often do ones with embroidery and applique. most people want have those applique pop so I usually will stitch around the applique, then do a pretty dense quilting in the background (white). But if you are wanting to hand quilt, do you really need a hoop? I'm not a handquilter, but a couple of friends are and neither use a hoop--just baste very well ahead of time.

Genden

This is a beautiful quilt. Your work is spectacular. I am a hand quilter. I think if there is any way you can find room to put it on a floor frame or a Grace Z44 frame that takes less space, it will take care of the weight problem. If that is not possible, I would recommend no hoop and drape the quilt over a card table or dining table to support the weight. If you choose to have it machine quilted, be very careful that you and the person you choose have a meeting of the minds on what you want the finished product to look like. It would be so disappointing if the results don’t meet your expectations after all your beautiful work.

Tothill

Your quilt is spectacularly beautiful. I think hand quilting suits the traditional look of the applique. Having said that I have not hand quilted anything.

I guess an expensive option would be to send it out for hand quilting.

Mkotch

It's beautiful! I think I would anchor the blocks by stitching in the ditch with my machine. Then I'd hand quilt inside the blocks without a hoop. Please show us your finished quilt!

pocoellie

I would definitely hand quilt it. You did a beautiful job on it.

quilterpurpledog

Your quilt is spectacularly beautiful. I appreciate the dilemma you speak of. There are certainly two schools of thought here. But, I think you need to do what you think best finishes the total look you envisioned to start with. I think I would hand quilt it. There would be places that you might have to stab stitch without the hoop and other parts the hoop would be helpful. Long armed quilts are wonderful and we admire the skill of the quilter a lot. But, sometimes, it just doesn't fit the quilt. Another example is the Baltimore Album quilts. Please keep us posted about the decision you make for your wonderful quilt.