teddysmom

I'm also a hand quilter and took shorthand classes in high school and college. But, think about this. Hand quilting and taking shorthand are all done BY HAND. None of this high tech stuff--dictaphones, computers, long arms quilting machines. I HOPE hand quillting isn't a lost art. Mine isn't perfect but it's so enjoyable and relaxing. If I wanted it to be perfect, I think it would lose some flavor in the process--more stress and less relaxing.

KerryK

My first three quilts were hand pieced and hand quilted. I have since moved on to machine piecing, but still love to hand quilt them. It is putting something of yourself into the quilt, and yes, it is relaxing to do. I still like to keep something going that is hand pieced, too, since it is so portable and can go with me while I wait for appointments, travel, etc. I don't think it will go the way of shorthand and become a lost art.

Shorthand - took it in high school and have used it all my life. While I don't use it in a work place any more, I still use it when taking notes on anything, especially when I am on the phone. Once you use it for so many years, it becomes second nature to you. I couldn't stop using shorthand if I wanted to - the notes just come out that way.

deemail

I do have to admit that i consider them separate skills/hobbies but I do both hand and machine quilting. When hand quilting, i adhere to my grandmother's rule of thumb...if you can see what color the thread is, your stitch is too big. I can do it, but of course with a longarm, tons of knitting and other family and community responsibilities, the hand quilting is definitely a slow process... Currently, I have 2 dresden plate quilts I am making for my sons. The 'plates' were made by my great-grandmother and passed on to me. I decided to divide them into two wallhangings for my two children and have done them as Christmas wallhangings. This reminds me that I need to get that bag out and into the living room so i won't forget it for another year.

LindaDeeter

I took a class in Stenoscript Shorthand in Jr College way back ... still to this day, I use that method when I'm writing notes to myself! Stenoscript is a method of shorthand using abc's, slashes and dashes, to write down the "sound" you hear, unlike Gregg Shorthand. Anybody heard of it?

MarthaT

I have been hand quilting since I was a kid and still love it. There is nothing like watching a quilt come to life one stitch at a time! I designed our house to have room for a full-sized floor frame (the old fashioned kind they used for quilting bees, except mine doesn't hang from the ceiling) so I could quilt without having to do any basting. I'm quilting right in the great room so I can be with family and it's just a part of our "decor". Although some of the designs done by LAQ are beautiful, I much prefer the simple look of hand quilting. Guess I'm a real traditionalist. Right now I'm finishing a quilt made with 1930's reproduction prints. I just can't imagine it being finished any other way but with hand quilting. (Pictures will be posted as soon as I get it out of the frame...maybe today!) I teach anyone that is interested how to do it. Let's not let it die!

mltquilt

I belong to a hand quilting bee that meets once a week at a local church to work on on of the bee members quilts. We are on a rotating basis. I don't hand quilt at home for some reason. Need to get into that aspect of the craft. I also took shorthand in high school and a couple of refresher courses over the years and used it in several jobs. Since I am now retired you can estimate how long ago high school was. Grandchildren all learning computers in school instead of adding machines, calculators, typewriters and shorthand. Progress moves on.

mltquilt

juliea9967

I work part time in a local quilt shop. I don't think hand quilting will ever go away. I have never done any because I don't have the skill, but there are a lot of ladies who do an absolutely wonderful job. We have a lady that comes in fairly often and she makes to die for quilts, and doesn't even have a sewing machine. Some people really have the talent and really love doing it. I don't think that will ever change.

deemail

and of course hand quilting can be done on machine sewn tops...my grandmother (sewing from the turn of the 20th century) always put her quilts together on a machine (a treadle for many many years....and then quilted by hand.... i know there are people who do both by hand but they are separate categories... jinny beyer is the only person i know of who says it's faster... but i like my machines, treadle and otherwise... handquilting on top is the ice cream on top of the cake...

Borntohandquilt

I am a completely addicted hand quilter, it's much more for me than a passion. I hope it will never die. When we look back in history we can discover that hand quilting exists probably for about 5000 years - so the chances are not bad to keep this craft alive for several more centuries!

Val in IN

I'm in the shorthand-handquilting group too. I never intended to take shorthand but I got bumped out of typing because of the class size. I never used shorthand and I never got to take a typing class either. I have done FMQ, I've sent tops to the LA'er (expensive), and I handquilt. I've decided that if I can't do a QAYG at home, I'll handquilt it. I actually love to handquilt in the evening while watching tv. I don't use a frame or hoop and I think I do a pretty decent job of it. I think all creative things go in cycles. I don't think handquiting will ever be completely lost, just might be replaced by other methods till it gets re-discovered again over and over again.