I also had a bad experience with a quilting shop. I hand quilt also and noticed all the quilts that were showing were machine quilted. I asked if anyone hand quilted and was told people are too busy. Well then...why quilt at all? To me the art of quilting is hand quilting, not many people can do that...the way I see it....anyone can machine quilt.

I also had the same "help" you had a one of my local stores. They were only interested in selling the expensive things at twice the price of on line place4s. They are now out of business.

I also had the same "help" you had a one of my local stores. They were only interested in selling the expensive things at twice the price of on line place4s. They are now out of business.

I have hand quilted for about 30 years. I have done lots of quilts for may self as well as others . I have done quilts for others on a per quilt basis. Cost varies. I have no desire to have a long arm and I am not a fan of long arm quilting. I think that is like factory made because they are trying to turn out quilts in quantity rather than quality and tradition. Hang in there and do your own thing and what you love.

Remember the metal snap toys you held in your hands and when you pushed a metal strip the toy would make the clicking snap sound? That is what an Aunt Becky looks like to me, the metal stip. I found a basket full of them at a flea market type store. The girl selling them had no idea what they were. I got them for .50 each, still in the package. I've given most of them away. The video how to use it is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVXSGob_lKo

I also do hand quilting and sorry to be so dense, but what is an "Aunt Becky". Never heard of it.

I hand quilt and love it, I will always hand quilt. But I have done some machine quilting and anyone can do it but not everyone can do it well. It is very difficult to do. It takes a very creative eye and a steady hand. It isn't just sit and sew away. I admire those who machine quilt the beauties we see here, I doubt I could ever do what they do. They are artists and enjoy quilting as much as a hand quilter, it's just another example of different strokes for different folks. I'm so glad they are around, the fabric choices and tools have gotten so much better since machine quilting became popular.

I would love to learn to hand quilt, I think it would be nice to know how to do both. You can't always take a sewing machine with your when you go to other peoples homes and want something to do in the evening.
I just wish I could find somebody who would be willing to show me how to properly set up a quilt on a hoop, can't afford a quilt frame, then show me the proper way to hand quilt either with or without the Aunt Betty.

Ashley, I live in Knoxville, too, and I have a pretty good idea which LQS you went to that wasn't very helpful! Let's face it, there are quilt stores and then there are GOOD quilt stores! There is at least one in this town I will NOT go to unless I am really desperate! I called them once looking for the 1895 series of Hoffman batiks. They didn't have a clue what I was talking about -- I mean, there are only about 350 different colors in that series and it has existed for quite a few years!

Thank you. As a longarm quilter, I was beginning to feel like the red-headed step-child. I can hand quilt too, just don't like it, but I don't bash those who do enjoy hand quilting. Completely different skill set, just like those with computerized longarm systems...different skill then hand-guided longarm quilting. I can't quilt by moving my quilt in my DSM, but I admire the work done by those who can. We are lucky that there are so many ways for us to create the quilts we love, why can't all kinds of quilting be appreciated for the art that it is? The LQS that treated AshleyR so shabbily is no different from hand quilters saying a quilt that is machine quilted really isn't a quilt. I think there is room for all kinds of quilting. If we all liked and did the same thing, that would just be boring!

I just wish AshleyR could come by my LQS, she is an awesome hand quilter and happy to share her art. She has lots of thread, needles and other cool things that hand quilters use, but she doesn't have anything I can use for longarm quilting! Except, of course, the quilts she has me quilt for her and all the yummy fabric!

Well, I certainly didn't mean for this to turn into an Aunt Becky advertisement or a LQS bash or a machine-quilting bash.
I'll be honest, I had an idea in my head about what machine quilting is... and I didn't think it was much of an art. Push a button and it quilts itself? But that was before I joined this forum and realized that it's not just "set it and forget it". So I looked around the internet and found some amazing examples of machine quilting!! We all have our preferences, and that’s why they offer chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
The ladies at the quilt store were perfectly nice to me and I’m not complaining about that store-or any store for that matter! They didn’t have what I wanted, and I still have to wait on it to come in the mail. Life goes on! I wrongly assumed that they would carry something that AC Moore, Michaels, Joanne’s, and Hobby Lobby didn’t carry either. I wasn’t impressed by the store, but that doesn’t mean that they are bad and I’m sorry if my venting came off that way.

I haven't read this entire thread so i hope i'm not repeating someone else. I have Aunt Becky's thimble and also the lap hoop and I love them both. I do understand what you mean when you say you have difficulty finding LQS's who cater our handquilting needs. I love quilt stores but mostly leave empty handed.... No needles, or good thimbles, or threads, or rubber fingers etc. SO... i make a day trip to Amish country (for me that's Shipshewana Indiana) ever so often and load up! I love to shop in the Amish stores, right alongside them. :-D They understand handquilting needs!
Melody

Wanted to add that I got my Aunt Beckys today in the mail. It's a bit skimpier than I imagined :) And I went into another shop today, just to see... I needed machine needles... "Do you carry an Aunt Becky?"
He at least knew what I was talking about, but he doesn't carry anything for hand quilting. Strike Two!

Hi Ashley,
I started quilt making in the late 80's when hand quilting was a lot more popular than it seems to be now.
I haven't used that Aunt Becky thing- let me know how you like it.
I also find it very relaxing :)
Sue

I just ordered Aunt Becky today from connecting threads...it is on it's way....I do hope I like it. :)

Ashley - I know all too well the frustration of not being able to find YLI hand quilting thread, or a good selection of stencils to mark my quilt. I am thankful that I got a great frame about 10 yrs ago that doesn't take up a lot of space.

I spend every evening quilting when I come home from work...can't imagine doing anything else!

I'm going to post this in pictures, too...

I do think before looks better....good job.. :thumbup:

I agree. I'm not comfortable using her yet!

When I was growing up (which was a while ago) all we ever did was hand quilting. They didn't have long arm quilting back then. They didn't even "stitch in the ditch". The quilt was either tied or it was "properly quilted". I sure wish I'd had an Aunt Becky's finger saver then! I used to use a thimble and push the needle through with my thumb. (I was a child, and then a teen. The thimble fit on my thumb.) My Mother and Great Grandmother, who taught me how to quilt, made leather thimbles for her own thumbs. I thought it was relaxing, but sometimes boring. I liked it better when we had "quilting bees" and there was a whole lot of women working on the same quilt. It was a badge of honor to be a child and be allowed to work the quilt with the women.

A few years ago, my husband and I were visiting friends, and were planning to go out for dinner. The gentleman from the other couple went to put on his evening shirt, and found that a seam had come apart. I said: "No, problem, I can fix that right up for you." They didn't have a sewing machine, but they did have needle and thread. So I stitched the seam shut. I remember him looking at it in awe. "Where did you learn to sew such perfect straight, perfectly equal, little stitches?" he asked. Well, then my secret was out!

Now that I'm retired from a grueling career, and routine 60-70 hour weeks, I am back to quilting. I don't know how to LAQ. I do want to learn, and am learning. But it's amazing how easy it is for me to pick up a needle and thread and quilt away on some small project I'm making while Hubby watches TV (I don't watch, but he enjoys it, and I enjoy being with him). However, I've been told, by my nieces and nephews, and now grandnieces and grandnephews, (and they are such experts on what is in fashion) that hand quilting is "old fashioned", so if I send them something, they want it machine quilted. However, my sisters and brothers do not see it this way, and welcome all hand quilting.

As soon as I finish this post, I'm going to order one of the finger protectors from Connecting Threads (one of my most favorite stores -- love, love, love their fabric clearance section -- great fabric for great prices).

You aren't the only one who still likes to hand quilt. We're still out here!

I have to say, I don't like Aunt Becky much at all. I can't get it to pick up the backing fabric.

However, I did find a store that sells hand-quilting supplies!

More good news: I showed a picture of a quilt I'm working on to the sewing machine place and he asked me if I'd be interested in holding a hand-quilting class!

Good for you! I wish I had the chance to show people how to hand quilt. I also received the Aunt Becky in the mail last week. I tried wearing it and it keeps falling off. I haven't tried it for quilting yet, we will see how that works...good thing it was not expensive. :|

[quote=bizzyquilter]I didn't put it on like a thimble. I held it between my finger and thumb, but found that it worked better kind of on the side of my finger... kind of like this picture: http://www.learnguitarblog.com/image...tar-pick-2.jpg

[quote=AshleyR]Thanks for showing how to use it. I will give it a try.

I hope you have better luck than I did :)

I don't know what brought me back to this thread, but ironically, I don't do much hand-quilting these days (too hot!) but I still don't patronize those LQS, and I'm turning away from going to Joanns too. It left a sour taste in my mouth that's still here 6 months later!

Ash Im so sorry hun I kn how you feel I am new to quilting and am finishing up my first quilt (machine) but am also trying to learn to hand quilt and also finding hand quilting resourses few and far between. but dont give up Im not going to :)

What a shame. Hand quilting is wonderful!! When I started my quilting journey that was all people did. I'm so glad I got in on it. It's beautiful and as you said, relaxing!
I'm learning FMQ but I'll always hand quilt. Both methods are good but I know hand quilting is becoming almost extinct!

I have aunt becky...Love it......put fingers in between it...good you tube videos on how to use it...Lqs don't fill me needs either..Joanne s works for me..lqs are nice though

I have had this happen a couple times and like with everything else I do the most cost effective way. Sometimes it is online and once in a while at the LQS. I would love to do more at the LQS too

I know this is a really, really old thread, but I can't resist adding my two cents.

I had purchased an Aunt Becky based off a hand-quilter's recommendation but could never work it successfully.

In 2017 my friend Cindi and I went to the Houston show and went to 2 amazing classes, one by Danny Amazonas (google his work, you will not be disappointed), the other by the wonderfully skilled Yoko Saito. Ms. Saito demonstrated how she uses 2 thimbles when she hand quilts - one metal one on her right (driving) hand, one porcelain on her left (under the quilt) hand. She uses the edge of the porcelain one to skim the needle over as it moves through the quilt sandwich. The technique clicked in my brain! It's SO much easier than the way I've seen the Aunt Beckys demonstrated.

The best part of that class was that she gave each of us one of her porcelain thimbles. We had spotted her earlier that day in the same restaurant where we were eating lunch, and quietly paid for her and her dining partner's meals. That was so much fun!! We were trying to be anonymous but the waitress couldn't keep our secret, she was having fun too. 😁 So when Ms. Saito saw us in her class later that afternoon, she gave us the thimbles as a thank you for buying their lunch. 🥰