Hand piecing is like hand embroidery, keeps the hands busy and the mind too. There is a time for everything, and joining my husband evenings to watch tv or talk, I can do two things at once. Sitting in front of a sewing machine is fine if you want to be alone, but making quilts and being with loved ones is better still. And so calming to the nerves too, you have to calm down to do hand work of any kind. Better than pills.


Carol . J.

Hi I have been hand piecing and have made all sizes and I enjoy it much more than sewing on machine

Yes, that's true!!

I love to hand sew, thus I hand quilt, but I'm in awe of those who hand piece. I'm too impatient. I've been working on the same quilt (full size) for 5 months now and have 3 more projects lined up that I can't wait to get to. I think about machine quilting just to speed things up, but I really like the look of hand quilting. That and I've never machine quilted...lol.

I know a few of both hand and machine quilters. Time it seems is the big element. As stated in another post, teach daughters and granddaughters. In the early days quilts were made out of necessity because there were not many places to buy things. We now have lots of ready made goods available and the "need" for quilts is gone. However, thank goodness the "want" is still there.

In my quild there are about 3 ladies that hand piece, but with the price of fabric rising we had another quilter that
is an expert on hand piecing come and teach us. This way it takes longer to hand piece a quilt and then if you hand quilt you are not as likely to start a dozen new projects and save money.

I would love to hand piece and hand quilt, but between a full-time job (if you count getting ready time and commute time it's way over 50 hours a week), plus a home to maintain and manage, and other things that happen that takes away even more time....I'd never get a quilt finished!

We do enjoy camping tho..I think I'll keep a project in the camper to hand piece..it might take a few years, but it'll be my 'only one of it's kind' quilt.

I too had started doing hand piecing with Grandma's flower garden block several years ago. It is addictive!!!! A wonderful brain dead thing to do while watching TV in the evening. Great for packing in a zip lock bag or small plastic tote to take along in the car.
Takes a long time to finish a project but I've done a small wall hanging and several table runners for myself and gifts. I love quilting and can't hardly sit and not be sewing something.
I also have a Gammill longarm and love knowing I've made something from start to finish.
I don't know of anyone in our small quilting group at church that does any hand work other than the hexagons (English Paper Piecing).
We are having a quilt show here in Springfield this week end, looking forward to going tomorrow.

I hand piece and hand quilt. Most of my quilts never touch a machine. My sister says that is the sign of a true Heirloom. I have made 2 full size quilts for her daughters and they love them.
I believe that the quality if better if hand pieced. Someone told me not too long ago that hand piecing is less thickness. Only one strand of thread as opposed to the top and bottom on a machine so therefore easier to hand quilt as well.

I worked on one all winter...loved it..we have a few in our guild