Hand quilting - Lost art???
 

I am so happy to see when quilters post their hand quilted items.

I often wonder if if hand quilting will become like letter writing and fade away due to new technology -

Letter writing is becoming more scarce since the emails and texting have advanced.

What do you think? Will hand quilting fade away due to the new long arm machines and new ways to quilt as you go and FMQ - I certainly hope not but I hear less people talking about hand quilting versus machine.

I think hand quilting is the ULTIMATE in skill!

After reading your post, it reminded me of the days when secretaries used shorthand. I took 2 years of shorthand in school - never used it afterwards. Dictaphones and transcribers were used. Believe it or not, I still have a transcriber! Fortunately, I have a friend who still quilts by hand - when she has the time.

I quilt by hand and took shorthand. I can still write "simutaneously" in shorthand. That was a word in a letter she was dictating and I was shocked. I said Geez outloud and everyone laughed, including the teacher. Never forgot that word. I love quilting by hand though. I love the look of it more than by machine. Mine isn't perfect but neither am I. I can hand quilt and be in the livingroom with my family, can't do that with machine quilting. I also embroider by hand and piece by hand.

In our small town, there are two long-arm quilters who do lovely work--and at least ten or twelve of us who hand quilt our projects. Usually full size or larger quilts are done as group projects, great way to spend time with friends. Both of our daughters are hand-quilters, too, although the quilts for small children's beds are usually done by machine. What goes around comes around, and hand quilters will continue to teach others. piecefully, the old one

My mother, both grandmothers and their mothers are all hand quilted-so i grew up learning how to handquilt--but my 2 daughters seem to have no interest at this point in their lives and currently none of the other family members have an interest. It is definitely becoming a lost interest--however THEY LOVE to receive them!!!

I love to hand quilt and did it for many years for myself as well as other people, however due to arthritis I no longer can do it. My quilts are done by a LA. there ae a few in my group that still do it. I do occasionally write letters as I don't text. Took two years of shorthand in school and never used that because in nursing it wasn't warranted.

That's funny. Simultaneously in shorthand is as long as it is in longhand.

I quilt by hand. I tried that freemotion and stitch in the ditch stuff. It was a hideous experience. I would much rather prop my feet up on my easy chair foot stool, arrange the quilt on my lap, and hand quilt sans any kind of frame or hoop. I've never made anything smaller than a queen.

My hand quilting isn't perfect and I make no effort to squeeze a bunch of tiny stitches into a small space.

I suppose I'm a little snooty about it. Machine quilting is.....well, sewing.

I cheat, though, and sew the pieces together by machine.

Another hand quilter here who also took shorthand. Guess that's showing our ages, eh? I actually used shorthand when I first started working and never could get the hang of a dictaphone. I used to listen to the dictation on the machine, take it down in shorthand and then type it up! I do machine piece, although I have also hand pieced a quilt. I machine quilt charity quilts that require it but I, too, far more enjoy sitting in my LR watching TV w/DH and quilting away. In fact, getting ready to sandwhich and start the next one!

I will always be a handquilter. I do machine quilt the many Linus quilts I make in order to produce a generous amount. They also will have to bear a lot of laundering from people, generaly not familiar with handwork. To me handquilting is portable, and relaxing and can be very social. I have a number of friends who have long arms. Several of them do it as a business and are quickly burning out. I am not physically able to stand at such a machine for the time it takes to complete a quilt. It isn't long before longarming becomes like a factory job. Most of my friends who do it say the worst part is loading and unloading the machine. Since my favorite part of quilting is the actually quilting I am not interested in ever owning or even operating a longarm machine.

I don't think it's a lost art at all. There are a lot of hand quilters on this board.

While I enjoy machine quilting from time to time, I enjoy the relaxation I get from hand quilting a lot more.



Janet

I hand-quilted my first (and so far only) quilt. I'm going to machine quilt the next one for two reasons: one, I want to finish it by Christmas; and two, I feel I should try both so I can decide which I like better. I believe that I will choose to hand quilt from then on, unless pressed for time. I loved the experience. It was very peaceful and gave me a deeply personal connection to the quilt.

I joke that I have long, personal relationships with my quilts, LOL.

Janet

I mostly hand piece and always hand quilt. Two reasons: 1. machines confuse me 2. I travel a lot and need something to take with me to do.

I don't think it is a lost art but when I saw a Long Arm for the first time, I just knew that I had to have one. Not sure I'll ever go back to hand quilting. It takes me too long to finish anything and arthritis makes it not as enjoyable as it used to be.

I have tried numerous times to hand quilt. I have beautiful stitches on top, but underneath stiches are so uneven. I tie all my quilts

I love to hand quilt, especially while watching tv. You can get alot done in just a couple of hours each evening.

As a friend used to say, When I have a quilt pieced and ready to quilt, I am in heaven. That first hand stitch is the beginning of a new adventure.... I LOVE LOVE LOVE hand quilting for all the reasons given here. It is so relaxing and meditative, the quilt keeps me warm on cold winter nights and I feel very creative as I move through the project....Always a hand quilter....
Ellen

No hand quilting is not dead. For 5 yrs I taught hand quilting at 8 quilting events a year and there were anywhere from 12-20 in each class (do the math) and continue to have full classe when I teach locally. In Sept/Oct I had two classes (Virginia and Atlanta) with 30 students. On the other hand I see few hand quilted items in shows where I judge.

I hand quilt. For me, it's relaxing. Set up the frame and use an office chair on wheels (no arms) and just slide back and forth until finished. However, I do machine piece. Lots of LAs in my area. Some are reasonable, some do marvelous technical quilting and then others I don't care for.

I'm also a hand quilter and took shorthand classes in high school and college. But, think about this. Hand quilting and taking shorthand are all done BY HAND. None of this high tech stuff--dictaphones, computers, long arms quilting machines. I HOPE hand quillting isn't a lost art. Mine isn't perfect but it's so enjoyable and relaxing. If I wanted it to be perfect, I think it would lose some flavor in the process--more stress and less relaxing.

My first three quilts were hand pieced and hand quilted. I have since moved on to machine piecing, but still love to hand quilt them. It is putting something of yourself into the quilt, and yes, it is relaxing to do. I still like to keep something going that is hand pieced, too, since it is so portable and can go with me while I wait for appointments, travel, etc. I don't think it will go the way of shorthand and become a lost art.

Shorthand - took it in high school and have used it all my life. While I don't use it in a work place any more, I still use it when taking notes on anything, especially when I am on the phone. Once you use it for so many years, it becomes second nature to you. I couldn't stop using shorthand if I wanted to - the notes just come out that way.

I do have to admit that i consider them separate skills/hobbies but I do both hand and machine quilting. When hand quilting, i adhere to my grandmother's rule of thumb...if you can see what color the thread is, your stitch is too big. I can do it, but of course with a longarm, tons of knitting and other family and community responsibilities, the hand quilting is definitely a slow process... Currently, I have 2 dresden plate quilts I am making for my sons. The 'plates' were made by my great-grandmother and passed on to me. I decided to divide them into two wallhangings for my two children and have done them as Christmas wallhangings. This reminds me that I need to get that bag out and into the living room so i won't forget it for another year.

I took a class in Stenoscript Shorthand in Jr College way back ... still to this day, I use that method when I'm writing notes to myself! Stenoscript is a method of shorthand using abc's, slashes and dashes, to write down the "sound" you hear, unlike Gregg Shorthand. Anybody heard of it?

I have been hand quilting since I was a kid and still love it. There is nothing like watching a quilt come to life one stitch at a time! I designed our house to have room for a full-sized floor frame (the old fashioned kind they used for quilting bees, except mine doesn't hang from the ceiling) so I could quilt without having to do any basting. I'm quilting right in the great room so I can be with family and it's just a part of our "decor". Although some of the designs done by LAQ are beautiful, I much prefer the simple look of hand quilting. Guess I'm a real traditionalist. Right now I'm finishing a quilt made with 1930's reproduction prints. I just can't imagine it being finished any other way but with hand quilting. (Pictures will be posted as soon as I get it out of the frame...maybe today!) I teach anyone that is interested how to do it. Let's not let it die!

I belong to a hand quilting bee that meets once a week at a local church to work on on of the bee members quilts. We are on a rotating basis. I don't hand quilt at home for some reason. Need to get into that aspect of the craft. I also took shorthand in high school and a couple of refresher courses over the years and used it in several jobs. Since I am now retired you can estimate how long ago high school was. Grandchildren all learning computers in school instead of adding machines, calculators, typewriters and shorthand. Progress moves on.

mltquilt

I work part time in a local quilt shop. I don't think hand quilting will ever go away. I have never done any because I don't have the skill, but there are a lot of ladies who do an absolutely wonderful job. We have a lady that comes in fairly often and she makes to die for quilts, and doesn't even have a sewing machine. Some people really have the talent and really love doing it. I don't think that will ever change.

and of course hand quilting can be done on machine sewn tops...my grandmother (sewing from the turn of the 20th century) always put her quilts together on a machine (a treadle for many many years....and then quilted by hand.... i know there are people who do both by hand but they are separate categories... jinny beyer is the only person i know of who says it's faster... but i like my machines, treadle and otherwise... handquilting on top is the ice cream on top of the cake...

I am a completely addicted hand quilter, it's much more for me than a passion. I hope it will never die. When we look back in history we can discover that hand quilting exists probably for about 5000 years - so the chances are not bad to keep this craft alive for several more centuries! :)

I'm in the shorthand-handquilting group too. I never intended to take shorthand but I got bumped out of typing because of the class size. I never used shorthand and I never got to take a typing class either. I have done FMQ, I've sent tops to the LA'er (expensive), and I handquilt. I've decided that if I can't do a QAYG at home, I'll handquilt it. I actually love to handquilt in the evening while watching tv. I don't use a frame or hoop and I think I do a pretty decent job of it. I think all creative things go in cycles. I don't think handquiting will ever be completely lost, just might be replaced by other methods till it gets re-discovered again over and over again.

I have hand quilted for the last 30+ years. I think if I tried it on the machine it would be a disaster. When I started 30 years ago it was not common (most people were tying quilts) and I did a lot of hand quilting for other people. I still do some, but not as much since machine quilting has become more common.
For instance, I worked on pieces for a couple of quilt designers to put in their books. Nowadays the examples in books all seem to be machine quilted.
For me hand quilting is my favorite part. Me and machines don't get along well!!

I also handquilt and am just starting to do some machine quilting. Hand quilting takes alot of time, but it is very relaxing. Machine quilting is alot quicker, but is not as relaxing (to me at least). I don't think handquilting will ever completly disappear, people will rediscover it and see that there is nothing as beautiful as a handquilted quilt (even the most simplest hand quilting is beautiful).

I hand quilt. Hand embroider. I have an old boss, and when he says "bring your book", I know I'm in for a session of shorthand, yep! shorthand still- (I smuggle a small recorder in my pocket, though, cuz he talks really fast). I love to hand quilt whole cloth stuff, up to king size, in a frame on my lap. Don't really care how long it takes me because I'm not doing it for the finished product, just for the process. I tried to quilt one by machine once. Fugly thing that was, lawsy me, and I didn't enjoy doing it.

I love to hand quilt..I can be with my family and still be doing something constructive...also, I love the look of it. I am at least the 4th generation of hand quilters...I do have some done by LAQ..especially if it is going to be used by little ones...to many times in the washing machine and hand quilting just doesn't hold up.

Add me to the list of hand-quilters. I can't sew (even tho I own lots of sewing machines!) worth a flip, tho. I would love to start machine quilting, too, but I don't see me giving up hand-quilting. My goal is to quilt something for every member of my family. My son's quilt is next. He can either get a whole-cloth or we'll buy him a top!

I am hand quilting a quilt now. I also hand pieced it, and it is so relaxing to me. I know that machine quilting is so much quicker, but I personally am not interested in quicker, but more interested in relaxing, and so for me it is hand quilting. I also like the thought that a person could have no money, and still if they have some material, a needle, thread, and a pair of scissors they can sew, and quilt. I also don't worry so much about perfection, but the enjoyment of what I make to use in my home, and what keeps my family warm, and pretty things to put on our walls, etc. :) Both of my grandmothers hand quilted, and hand embroidered (I hand embroider also), and one of my grandmothers made braided rugs by hand, and crocheted rugs using material, and the most unique of all was when she made braided small mat rugs out of plastic bags. She was so creative. My mom quilted by hand most of her life, and loved it, and was a master quilter. She also made us girls beautiful clothes. I only recently became interested, but have the fever bad now. lol.. Have a nice day everyone.

I totally agree. I love to hand quilt too.

I'm glad you posted this. I love to hand quilt. I've been contemplating what to do with a hand appliqued quilt that my mother made and I am finishing. I've been going from hand quilting it to machine quilting but because of what you said...I am going to hand quilt it for sure. It will be a special heirloom.

Count me in with the ladies who know shorthand! I took two years, two-hours of shorthand/transcription in high school. I was proud to get certified at 160 wpm. My shorthand teacher told us to practice our shorthand by transcribing the news because the news commentators had to speak clearly and enunciate.

When I reported to my first secretarial job after high school, my boss handed me a dictaphone and told me to type everything on it. I never used a dictaphone in high school so I transcribed everything on the tape in shorthand and typed from my shorthand notes. My boss thought I was crazy! He told me to eliminate the "middle man" and type directly from the dictaphone. After I got the hang of using the dictaphone, I never looked back. I felt bad that I never used my shorthand skills.

And yes, I enjoy hand quilting! I just wish there was someone in my area of town who hand quilts so I can see if I'm doing it right. My quilting friends prefer to machine quilt.

I'm a hand quilter also. I machine piece and have tried machine quilting. Just have a domestic machine and quilting anything very large on it is more work than pleasure. I like doing machine quilting on baby quilts though.