I recently visited a quilt guild where it was known that I was a hand piecer. I was very surprised when a woman came up to me and said that she was the only one of the group who handpieced, and the guild had almost 200 members! I am not suggesting a poll (that would be crazy!) but from your experience in your guilds, is handpiecing really that rare? I feel like a dinosaur, :) but a happy handpiecing one! Thank you.

My bff and I both hand piece, she all the time, me some of the time. Same for hand quilting.

I only know one person in my area who hand pieces.

I haven't hand pieced in years. I am thinking of taking it up again. I love to hand quilt.

I am a hand quilter. I started out making whole cloth quilts. When I retired years later I learned to machine piece. I have never learned to piece by hand and now I have the time to learn. I love the old fashion hand pieced butterfly pattern and I think I will start with it.
IMO, yes, it is becoming extinct, we live in an instant gratification world and most are just too busy to spend that much time hand piecing (or hand quilting). If they only knew how relaxing it is!

My wonderful friend who also happens to be my daughters Mother in law likes to hand piece. She's that only one that I know. Well, there is a daughter of another quilter friend that is working on her first hand pieced grandmothers flower garden. Don't know if she's still at it or not.

I have not done any hand piecing or hand quilting.

You are in good company. Jinny Beyer only hand pieces!

https://www.jinnybeyer.com/]https://www.jinnybeyer.com/[/url]

My friends hand peice and hand quilt it certainly has'nt gone out of fashion here in England

A few years ago I started to hand piece and have been thinking of starting it up again

I can work on it while hubby and I watch tv

I hand piece small crazy quilts.

i'm in 3 different guilds and no one hand pieces but we do have people who do hand applique.

In my group we all hand piece. We also do machine work.

This topic caught my eye because just today I was thinking that I'd like to start a hand pieced project. We take lots of trips in our RV and I miss my sewing. Hand piecing would be perfect! I even have a pattern in mind. It's from an old 1980's Quiltmaker (before rotary cutting)called LeMoyne Sparkler. I am going to do this!

Since I've gotten older I get I like the slower pace of handpiecing. I guess that's why more handpiecers are older quilters. We realize what's important as we age. :D

I like to hand piece. I made a grandmother's flower garden that is all hand pieced, and I want to hand quilt it as well, so I'll have one that's all done by hand. But I do machine quilting, too. As BellaBoo said, I like the slower pace of hand quilting. Very contemplative.

I have a really good friend that says she would never give up her Bernina for anything. :lol: And I would not give up my treadles for anything. But I think if my hands would work right I would try it myself just to say I did one the old fashioned way!

Billy

I love hand piecing. I have a Grandmother's Flower Garden Qu sz in progress and a Lamoyne Star also in progress. It is relaxing.

I hand pieced two big square nine block nine patch tops with sashing the last couple weeks while DH was getting his heart cath and subsequent bypass surgery done. Now to get them sandwiched and quilted. I find that in general I'm more accurate on getting my points to behave with hand pieceing than with machine piecing.

I hand piece some. My mother always hand pieced and hand quilted all her quilts. One reason I don't hand piece as much is that I have arthritis in my hands and it's more difficult to make small stitches. But hand piecing and hand quilting in my opinion is the best. Quilts are so pretty hand quilted.


Not to say the machine pieced ones aren't because I have seen a lot of beautiful machine pieced and quilted quilts on here that look like museum quality.

I guess it just depends on what each person likes or can do.

Couldn't do it. Like,ever. I can barely do needleturn applique!

I think hand piecing is having a resurgence of interest. So far I have finished two quilts that are completely hand made - piecing, applique, and hand quilting, plus at least two others where I hand pieced the blocks and put the rest of it together by machine.

For me, it's faster - less time ripping out, and I can do it in front of the tv. I can machine piece, but it's not as satisfying.

I am the only one I know that hand pieces. One of the reasons I do is because with the machine I have right now, hand piecing is faster and I can get seams and points to match up better.

I'm handpiecing now...have 2 quilts almost ready to do the quilting. My good friend is handpiecing all the time! Just takes longer so you don't see as many showing on the forum.

Most everyone I know does machine piecing. I personally do both. I like having my basket of hand piecing by my chair to work on during TV time etc. and as a take along.

I have hand pieced 4 quilts. I am the mom of 6 and I spent a lot of time waiting.........to pick up kids from activities. I cut the entire quilt and put the pieces for each block in a baggie. I was portable and fomething to do. I now machine piece but I still hand quilt one a year. I work full time and I don't have as much time as I would like to sew.

I have never hand pieced and don't know anyone who does. I'm sure I would enjoy it. I love to applique, embroidery and I'm struggling to become good at hand quilting (winter goal). It's very relazing to do hand work at night. Sometimes it's just too hard to sit down at the machine after working all day. Just chillaz in from of the TV and do some kind of hand work. Watch a favorite show, have a pop (that's right I'm from the midwest and we say pop not soda) amd relax.

The only hand-piecer I knew was a friend of my grandmother's, back in the hills in Ohio. I remember her working on a grandmother's flower garden with finished pieces no larger than my thumbnail, and I was amazed. I'm sure she has passed away by now.

I like to hand quilt and have only hand pieced when we're camping or someplace I can't have a machine. Just started a 3rd shift job with lots of free time, and have thought about starting some hand piecing. :)

I love to handpiece.. I'll take blocks or pieces with me on trips to occupy myself.. it's very relaxing

I love to hand piece and hand quilt..it's how I started. I'm learning tho, the "ins and outs" of machine work... I love that too...especially on the old machines...there's just something about them!

Here in Germany we have quite a lot of hand piecers through all ages and they all do wonderful things. Many use the old English Paper Piecing method with basting the fabric around a paper template (Hexagon and others) and they whip stitch them together.
I also handpiece the lenght of fabric for my wholecloths. It's so relaxing and I like the seam sewn by hand much more than the machine sewn one.

It's extinct in my house!

Up until a few months ago I only hand pieced but am now enjoying both (bought a new sewing machine).
Colleen

I hand embroidery most of my quilts from my own garden,draw out the pattern so it all goes hand to hand so ta speak.It's so relaxing to hand piece and very accurate.My mom gave me a needle & doll clothes and that's how I started so many yrs.ago.I love heirloom pieces which tell a story.Mom's quilts are from the 1960's and all hand pieced and very strong.

I'm the only one I know that hand pieces. I also machine piece for quick gifts etc.

I don't know anyone who hand pieces. I've recently started thanks to your book, The Farmer's Wife. I've enjoyed it a great deal. It makes sense since I love to hand quilt.

I recently tried hand piecing and liked it. It is something I can take with me when I am babysitting and everyone is in bed.
I find it very relaxing.

If my mach. is acting up, I hand piece, or some times I will to sit with DH in the living room watching TV. However, I hand quilt, its very relaxing!

I have the urge to hand piece. I really enjoy hand work and it is so portable. Any suggestions for good sites about hand piecing??

English paper piecing seems to go though ups and downs. Doing demos at the guild seems to spark a bit of interest.