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Hand Quilting or Machine Quilting or Both?

Hand Quilting or Machine Quilting or Both?

Old 02-17-2010, 09:37 AM
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Yesterday I went into the quilt shop here in Bossier and I was talking to a lady who worked there. She was trying to get me to buy a sewing machine and she said machine sewing is so much better and faster than handquilting and she said once you start machine sewing you'll never go back to hand sewing again. So my question is what works best for you? Me personally, I like hand quilting. I like having my hands busy. I'm like my husband. I'm always fidgeting and need my hands busy.
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:40 AM
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Sewing machines are faster. That doesn't make them "better". It's a personal preference. Whatever makes you happy.

I avoid hand sewing at all costs, but I do hand embroidery and would never consider an embroidery machine.
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:42 AM
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I have just started machine quilting and I love it. I found that hand-quilting was difficult for me because I couldn't manage a quilt on a big quilting frame. I never could get my hand in the right position. Felt like I was standing on my head to reach different angles. Well, I took the sampler quilt out of that frame, machine quilted the sashing and hand-quilted the individual blocks. Loved doing it that way. It worked better for me than either all machine quilting or all hand-quilting.
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Old 02-17-2010, 09:52 AM
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I have not been very successful at machine quilting. I prefer the look of hand quilting and enjoy doing it. I tried the large frame and gave up. I couldn't reach far enough and so a lap frame or my small oval floor frame work best for me. And they are portable. I can move the small floor frame from room to room and can quilt on trips with my lap frame.
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Old 02-17-2010, 11:23 AM
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My hands don't like hand sewing so I machine quilt but I drool over hand quilted quilts. I do what I am able to do.
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Old 02-17-2010, 11:27 AM
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It really depends on the final look I want to achieve and my mood. I think that hand quilting has a softer look to it. If I don't have any other TV time projects going, I will hand quilt something. If I am in a hurry or want a more detailed design, I machine quilt.
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Old 02-17-2010, 11:37 AM
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I hand quilt because I don't have a machine that will quilt. My machine is 34 years old and the feed dogs won't drop. I use either a hoop or a q-snap frame. I can quilt any size quilts with them. These also allow me to take them with me in the car. Husband drives and I quilt.
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Old 02-17-2010, 12:20 PM
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Since I have been handquilting for 40 years I am kind of partial. I do machine quilt Linus quilts and ones I make for small children. Anything larger than a twin bed size is to much for me to handle with my machine. I have a full size Bernina. The problem is my arms, back and neck. I have an autoimmune disease that makes my muscles weak. Wrestling that big quilt in order to get it under my machine is too much for me. When I go to sew the binding on a big quilt I have finished my husband either helps me but holding up the weight for me or I set up several folding tables around my machine to hold the weight.
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Old 02-17-2010, 12:30 PM
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I machine qquilt during the day and then do hand work at nights. The only hand made quilt though is the Grandmothers flower Garden. I need to get that out and get going on it again
I do both hand quilting or machine quilting when putting the 3 layers together. Sometimes send them out to be quilted
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Old 02-17-2010, 12:35 PM
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I think either hand or machine quilting is just fine if that is what the quilter wants to do. I like to hand quilt, so that is my preference - but only because I enjoy doing it. Sometimes the quilt will tell you what it wants. I tried hand quilting on my current project three different ways and didn't like any of it. The machine quilting was just what it needed. Just listen to your quilt and do what pleases you. It will be great!
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