I love to hand piece, hand quilt. I love to get my excellent scissors and templates and go to town doing the project. I have one going all the time. I have only a few more pieces to connect and I am ready to hand quilt it. I will recommend a book by Jinny Beyer. It is called "Quiltmaking by hand". I learned a lot just by reading it. It makes a great reference. My favorite way to locate hand patterns is from the old magazines. They just call me. I never start one to finish it in a short time.......Patience is a virture. I always have something ready to take along to the hospital to sit with a friend or relative....I am ready to go.

Sorry DBL post

Perhaps this is an opportunity to enlighten your LQS so they would have more hand quilting classes. I bet they have hand applique classes.

I am confused though. Do you do all your piecing by hand too?

Many LQS's also teach the beginning quilter on how to do the various parts of quilting: color choices, design choices, estimating fabric, cutting with rotary cutters, batting choices, binding, label making, and much, much more. They can be a great resource.

I like the quality of the fabrics at the LQS's. When I want to make something really nice for someone special I won't use Joann's or Hobby Lobby or WalMart. I go to those store for other fabrics and notions.

ali

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...19466527029261 show's Aunt Becky working a little better.

no, I don't piece. I quilt "cheaters" or whole cloth quilts or I buy pieced tops.

I am a handquilter - I truly understand.

I learned to quilt from my Grandmother who passed her art of quilting to me - one hand stitch at a time.

I am so sorry for your bad experience. A true quilter would believe in her craft - it is stitched into her very being.

Watched the videos and have to have one - thank you for this topic. Now the waiting begins till it arrives!

I'm interested in hearing how you like your Aunt Becky. I've looked at them and been intrigued but haven't bought one.

My LQS isn't too different - many machine quilting options very few hand quilting options and that's all I do as well. Fortunately I'm close enough to Lancaster, PA to get things I can't find locally if I don't want to order online. That said, my LQS does occassionally offer hand quilting lessons/classes and at least carries thread, a variety of thimbles, etc. Just not an extensive selection. Have to say I was in Albuquerque, NM recently and was very impressed with the variety of stencils and things available there. But then, there were 7 LQS there! Quilters heaven.

I've never heard of an Aunt Becky, so I went to CT to look, and remembered that I needed to order batting while it was still on sale. Thanks for the reminder! And the video was excellent. Thanks so much.

Feline, you speak right from my heart. I stopped using a thimble because it was impossible to find one that worked for me. I changed my quilting technique a little bit and I don't need a thimble any more.
We seem so have a very similar situation here in Germany compared to yours in US. It's getting harder and harder to find special hand quilting thread, high quality battings and fabrics (at the moment I really don't have an idea where I should buy the solids I need...). But I am sure I will never stop hand quilting because of that. It is too important for me.