I'm a hand quilter, no hoop. I love the the finished look of hand quilting, as well as the calming effect. Sort of like Prozac to me. But to each his or her own!

Yes, there are still hand quilters. One group on FB has over 16000 members world wide.

Janet

SusieQ, it looks good and is very fast! You'd be surprised at how quickly it goes.

I do sometimes.

My mother in law finds hand quilting easier than machine too. I machine quilt now, but I did start with hand quilting. Maybe one day when I have plenty of time and life is slower (i.e. when I'm a grandma:D) I'll get back into hand quilting.

Yes I do. (waving hand wildly)

I use a hoop and a thimble. It's kind of tough because the cats like sitting with me, and I mean directly on my elbow. Once in a while when they are outside I get to do some stitching.

I love to hand quilt. In the last couple of years, I've done a couple of machine quilting on quilts, mainly because of the time factor. However, I regret not having enough time to hand quilt them.

Sneak preview of current project. Twin size, no pattern, every "block" is getting a different treatment. Fast! (please excuse the markings...they will be washed out when this is finished!)
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When I began piecing quilts I only did hand quilting because of the cost of having them done and unable to machine quilt them myself. I have done 5 full-sized quilts for my grands. I gift them when they marry. I have also done some baby boy and girl quilts for the next generation in my family. Since "art" came to visit I am having a problem hanging unto the short needles, hence I now do some big stitch quilting. Sometimes I use a hoop but other times not. I also am a leather thimble gal. Only ones I found that work for me. Hand-quilting is so relaxing. I also enjoy sewing bindings by hand and continue to do that for all my projects.

I do and I am in a group that meets every Wednesday from 8am until 3 pm. If you live near enough our group would love to have you join us. Cost is free and we usually have 3 or 4 quilts going. The owners of the quilts being sewn are in charge of lunch. It is so much fun. We meet at the Farm Bureau in Yorkville. Such a special place!