Without reading all the previous posts, I will just jump in with my 2 cents worth. I do not think that handdn quilting will ever die out until everyone can afford a long arm machine. That will probably never happen and so in cases like mine, when I can not afford to send out a quilt for a LA quilter to do, I will either do it myself on my little sewing machine or hand quilt it with my lap frame a little at a time. Just my opinion. :-)

I worry about hand quilting becomming a lost art. I belong to a quilting group and all of the members are elderly (except me of course!) and we can't seem to get anyone younger interested in learning.

I AGREE. LAs are very expensive and so is sending a quilt out to be done by someone who owns a LA (who is trying to pay for it). Things seem to be in cycles and the art of hand quilting will have a huge comeback one day!

I love to hand quilt, for me it is such a relaxing thing to do in the evenings. I hand quilted for several ladies in KY before moving back to Illinois. I loved all the different patterns and styles of their quilts. I had one dear lady who was in her 80's that still hand pieced every quilt she made and it was such a joy to quilt her quilts. I would like to do this again. But for Children's quilts, I think machine quilting is the way to go because of the usuage they get and it makes them more sturdy for "dragging around and such".
No, I do not think hand quilting will go by the wayside, because I think us diehards will keep it going.
Pat

I have 4 cousins who all hand quilt (ages 12-40) and they are not interested in doing it by domestic machine and certainly NOT by LA. I love the look and feel of hand quilting.

I still do it by hand. I'm not good with machines.

handquilting is not dead!!!!!!When I first started quilting, I handquilted the tops I pieced, but at the time working full time limited my quilting time to about an hour an evening, which was my "clearing of the mind" time........but then found I was piecing faster than I could possibly hand quilt all those tops, so tried using dm to machine quilt....too hard, sent out to a LA, looked into purchasing one and did, took early retirement from academia, and set up "shop". It is true, LA can take up much of your personal quilting time and become a full time business and then it is not doing what you love anymore-at least with me. I limit my "working" time to 4 hrs, 4 days a week, and that gives me time to "play"....I still have many of my own tops to quilt...and was thinking last week of maybe taking one and putting on my handquilting frame and spend the winter nights handquilting. This thread has certainly reinforced that thought...so that will be my personal Winter Project.......actually love the rhythm(sp) of handquilting.......thanks for the push.........

Hand quilting like many other crafts requiring a lot of time is on the downhill. It will never become a lost art but does require love of handwork. Unfortunately this is the age of the disposables and who wants to spend sever months on a lovely quilt only to give it to someone who will throw it in the washer after they use it for a picnic.

We have a handquilting group at a Senior Center and have never wanted for
a quilt. The money charged goes to the Center. Think it is here to stay.

they look so much better hand quilted and I intend to hand one in 2012. I really like machine quilted but hand quilting is here to stay.