I think hand quilting will always be around, although machine quilters will far outnumber them simply because of the time involved. Our Methodist Women make a quilt every year for our fall bazaar. One of our deceased members had I don't know how many hand-pieced tops that she never got to make into quilts. I've offered to machine quilt them, but they prefer to put it on a large frame and get together to hand quilt it, and I'm glad they do. It's a fun time for all of us.

I hand quilt special ones. I use to hand quilt all of them but when I got 20 tops and would have to live another 100 yrs to complete them and still be able to do other things I enjoy I decided to machine quilt some. Sometimes I combine both in one quilt.

well I've only been quilting a year and so far all but one have been done by hand. I just cannot get the hang of doing anything more than straight lines on the machine. I have two I need to finish up now and I will probably do them on the machine. But I have a top in my closet just waiting for fall that I will hand quilt. I will do it in the evenings sitting and watching movies with the kids.

I love hand quilted quilts, however the process is not possible for me because of a pinched nerve at C4. However, I do FMQ which I think makes a quilt as individual and unique as a hand quilted one. For charity quilts a large stipple or simple SITD is very practical. But, all said, those of you that hand quilt, keep it up! They are all so beautiful!

If it's up to me handquilting will not die!! :) I love to handquilt (any hand work) and will do it for as long as I can. I do,however, want a machine to quilt with for those quick things I need to do - and to sell...

I LOVE hand quilting, when SOMEONE else does it. I really hope it does not die out, and I don't really think that it will. I have done some hand quilting and I really did not enjoy it that much, my sititches did get very nice, but I am so out of practice now that I really don't enjoy it anymore, I take out almost all I put in.

Me too, when I lived in Virginia in the 80s we had them all the time. What fun. Sometimes we all helped piece a quilt to have a chance to win. Then when it came time to quilt for every hour you quilted you got your name in a pot. At the end we would draw and whoever won got the quilt. We also did a lot of friendship quits, together. We are sure missing out these days.

It reminds me how no one talks in person or on the phone anymore because of email, texting and all the social sites.

A few of us got together a few months back and tied a couple of antique quilts, that could not be hand quilted for several reasons, but didn't want to ruin the integrity so tied them so they were still at least hand done. But we had a blast just being together, laughing and laughing.

I am always disappointed at the shows, so few are hand quilted.I also do believe it is a dying craft as well as hand applique. Which really concerns me as a hand quilter.

I am not against machine quilting and see times when I might use it, but for me that is not often. But I do know someday I may not be able to hand quilt anymore. And may have to go to machine quilting.

I taught hand quilting for the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo for 5 years. 8 events a year and two classes each event. That was 80 classes. Each class averaged 15-20 students of hand quilting. Making a total of at least 1200 students. No, I don't believe it dying out.
I have also taught locally with an average of 15-20 students. There is still great interest in hand quiting,

I've done both - as recently as four years ago I hand quilted a quilt for a new grandson - a full size quilt, not a crib/baby size.
I have a form of spina bifida - meningoceles - cysts on my spine that cause nerve compression/damage... I'm in tremendous pain the whole time I try to hand quilt, along with cramping and muscle spasms... the problem I have is inside my body - not apparent - do I have to carry my medical records with me? Apologize because I'm disabled?

so lets see - I can either quit altogether or machine quilt, hmmmmm
not everybody can hand quilt, and I don't think machine quilters should have to apologize for using a machine - I've seen some FABULOUS machine quilting - and I'm not talking about the ones that press a computer button and let the machine do all the work...

I've seen hand quilting that was sloppy, shoddy, huge big stitches, puckers galore, and yet the person that did it was smirking because they "did it all by hand" - so - the point is?

And I've seen gorgeous hand quilting....
so just like everything else, it runs a huge gamut and nobody should feel like a 2nd class quilter just because they can't do something - whether it's hand or machine quilting...
I have a friend who makes beautiful quilt tops and she has them machine quilted by someone else - I don't smirk at her because I quilt my own... her quilts are wonderful, she makes HUGE big quilts of her own design, and the lady who does the quilting compliments the design by how she quilts it - a wonderful collaboration...

I live in an area of a gazillion quilters - hand workers, machine workers, frames, no frames, lap quilters, "send it out" quilters..... all types and abilities and nobody is told 'you aren't really quilting if you use a machine'....

I believe that if not for machine quilting, many of our LQS would go out of business. It takes so long to hand quilt, that there wouldn't be nearly as much fabric sold.

Machine quilting allows me to make quilts for more of my friends and family. I do agree that making reproduction "antique" quilts lacks authenticity when not quilted by hand.