No matter which one you decide it will be better than letting in lay about unfinished. Someone put a lot of work into that quilt and for some reason never got to finish it. Hand quilt it, machine quilt it, tie it. Any of the above would be a favor to the original quilter so her work can be enjoyed.

If it were me, it would get machine quilted. At the rate I could hand quilt it, the poor thing would end up half finished at my estate sale!

I've inherited two quilt tops. One is a whole cloth with a beautiful embroideried center. The other is state flowers. Only because they were hand done is the reason I'm finishing them with hand quilting. For me, it just seemed fitting.

HOWEVER, you need to do what feels right for you. These quilts need to be completed and used.

Would love to see a picture of your quilt top.

I LOVE hand quilting with pearle cotton. It goes very fast and looks so pretty with the contrasting thread. See the Craftsy video by Sarah Fielke if you need instruction.