I have hand quilted for over 30 years, never tried MQ. I have enough problems with a machine when piecing!!

When I started, the quilts I saw were hand quilted or tied. I was making quilts for sale and most of the ones in the shops were tied. When I joined QB 2 years ago I was amazed at how many people were doing MQ and had huge quilting machines in their home.

I am also a hand quilter. I love working on my quilts while watching TV.

From Don- I'm a hand quilt alcoholic & fabric. I can sit from morning till night, and hand quilt. In fact, I'm hand quilting a grdmothers flower garden a lady friend gave me.. I've got a quilt that I've started, and it will be my nexzt hand quilting project. Don

I believe Perle cotton is only used to hand quilt when you are doing the "big stitch" which is really nice on folk art type quilts, but not on traditional quilts. Regular quilting thread is used on traditional quilts.

I am always working on a quilt that is completely hand done while I machine up others. It is so relaxing to sit quietly and hand sew in the evenings, I find it a lovely way to end the day and these quilts are my favorites.

I, too, find it very relaxing. It has a calming effect on me!

I take hand quilting to places where I have to sit and wait - e.g. at the doctors' waiting rooms. It's handy to have something interesting to do. Mostly machine quilt apart from that.

I am a handquilter for at least 40 years. The older I get the better I like it. So much easier than wrestling that bed size quilt through the sewing machine. I have seen some lovely work done by longarm but I would feel like I was working in a factory using that machine. I also would not be physically able to stand that long. What I like best about quilting is the touch and feel of the fabric. With handquilting I can watch TV, be a part of a conversation with friends or family and not have to worry about the bobbin running out or a needle breaking etc. etc. etc. I do machine quilt the 20 or so Linus quilts I make each month.

Hand quilting is my pleasure, those quilts are much softer when finished, and to my eyes, machine quilting tends to dominate the pattern. However, when I make pieced quilts for smaller children, I do have them machine done, because those quilts get much harder use. To each his own--

i use to love hand sewing - counted cross stitch - embroidery but my eyes went a little bad so i got a sewing machine that threads itself. i can't see well enough to thread a really small needle like the betweens or even on my machine. every cloud has a silver lining - i only fell in love with quilting when i got my machine - so i sew everything by machine. you are right though - hand sewing is very relaxing although i never quilted by hand. i am sure it is a learned skill and would do it if i could.

So far to date I have made about 130 quilts and not had one long armed yet. I have quilted everyone so far except 2 that I just tied off. I love hand quilting like most of you said it's very relaxing for me. I quilt til my hands and fingers say "ok I have had enough time for a break" and the outcome is always nice.

Donna

I only hand quilt.My quilts wouldn't win a prize, but I love them and they turn out beautiful. Hadn't done a ugly one yet.
I come from a long line of hand quilters and I think it's in my blood. Personally the machine ones are beautiful, but they're not the same to me as the hand quilted ones.

I've been hand quilting since I was 12 yrs. old. Now I hand quilt for others. I don't get much per hour for the work, but the therapy is priceless! :-)

I've hand quilted all my life, & love it. Daughter also hand quilts. We always have a quilt on the frame & both of us quilt on it as we want. I don't have as nice a stitch as I had when I was younger but it is still even - just the stitches are not as small. I used to use a 12 between - now have to use a 10. We both love to hand quilt, & we do some hand piecing also. There is something so soothing & relaxing about hand work.

I am mainly a hand quilter, and do find it very relaxing. My thumbs aren't holding up so well, so I suspect I will have to fall back on some machine work. Love having a quilt in the big frame in the winter months. I personally do not see so much hand quilting anymore at our local quilt shows. Most people piece the tops and send them out to be long arm quilted.

I love to hand piece and hand quilt and until about 6 years ago ALL of my quilts (hand or machine pieced, baby to king sized) were hand quilted, however the time that it takes me to do both seems to be used up by my other activities, mainly work... so I do machine piece and FMQ on my machine - I just had too many UFOs in the queue to hand quilt. I do find that by machine piecing - I am more willing to give away my finished quilts. I think when I hand quilt them I get too attached to them - LOL. But I always have one in process for hand quilting and one for hand piecing - just in case I have some time to do those activities, both are so relaxing.

i love hand quilting.

it is painfully slow though, so i throw in some machine projects so i don't feel like the eternal turtle :)

aileen

Right now, thats all I do. My machine isn't capable of FMQ. And, I am still saving for my longarm. (getting one very soon) Yes, it is very relaxing and I will always continue to have one in the hoops or frame. They are so much softer than machine quilted quits. And, I agree that it is a dying art. I wish more people would take it up and experience the joy of creating a quilt totally by hand.

I am a HAND QUILTER and love it. I do however machine quit my borders.

Hand quilting is my favourite method, but it takes quite a while, so I'm persevering with machine quilting.

I hand quilt certain quilts that just seem to scream hand quilt me!! I like to hand quilt as it is relaxing and I'm not in a hurry to get it done.

I have been hand quilting since 2006 & love it & hand quilt at home & at church just about every week

I hand quilt, I machine quilt and now I'm learning to FMQ.... One day I hope to have a long arm quilting machine...
Love all aspects of quilting I guess:)

hand quilting is not for me, I have a quilting machine that is on a 14' frame

I've got MY hand raised!:o

Used to ONLY hand quilt, but that was 15-20 yrs ago and before working FT ... rarely do anymore, and just small projects when I do ...

I hand quilt all my quilts. My 85 year old mother taught me and she still helps me do it. It is a good bonding time for us and it is something I will always remember even after she is gone.

I use cotton quilting thread to do my hand quilting. That is what I have done. I have a king size on the frame now and has been there for 10 years. I broke my back when I was about half way finished and don't know when I will ever finish it. Most of my quilts now are machine quilted which I use to think looked terrible. Don't know when I changed my mind but they look pretty doggone good now :)

When my quilts are too large to machine quilt on my domestic machine, i do hand quilt. Takes me an awfully long time, but it is very relaxing. I have one of those PVC pipe quilting frames that works, but I prefer to use a hoop or just scrunching in my lap. I pin then baste the gazeeber out of the layers before starting to stitch (hand or machine.) I'm not a fabulous quilter, just do SITD and C-Hing. My stitches are not consistent, but they'll do. The more I work on the quilt, the better the stitches get. Downside is I still can't use a thimble!!

I have ONLY ever hand quilted! Thanks to all you wonderful folks, I have discovered the joy of hand quilting without a frame. Next stop, machine quilting. It is all wonderful and exciting!

I love to hand quilt. I always have a quilt on the frame and when I have a few minutes, I can do a little stitching. It's relaxing at the end of the day, too. I have a beautiful quilt to show for my time watching TV.

I love hand quilting and even though I now do machine quilting, I am always working on hand quilting a quilt. It is my relaxation in the evenings when I either hand piece or hand quilt. All machine piecing /quilting is done during the daytime.

I do handquilting "ONLY",
I love it.
You are correct it is very soothing (relaxing).
J J

I always hand quilt. I have so many of my grandmothers quilt pieces I think using any other method would be an insult to her work. She lived 1895-1961 and I think that I am honoring her memory by using her method of quilting. Also quilting by hand is such good therapy for me even though my stitches are not perfect, at least they are mine. Some day I will consider professional machine quilting, until then, I will be stitching away!! :)

I used to hand quilt all the time, but since my arthritis has gotten so much worse just can't manage it anymore. Leaves me in a quandry as I don't know how to FMQ and can't afford to have a long-armer do them so it's back to the old fashiond way of tying them all. I'm trying to get up the courage to learn FMQ.

I have only one long arm machine quilted quilt & am glad I had it done as she did a beautiful job but I still prefer hand quilting, it is so much softer to the feel and looking. I have one more quilt I am seriously thinking about having the same person do as I want it done and it has been in my closet, like my other one was, for way too long. I am still not sure but am going back and forth in my mind. Money is also an issue.

I too hand quilt, although it is frustrating to see those beauties get cranked out and finished fast. Our quilt shows are showing mostly machine quilted quilts too and very little hand quilting is turned in. Those machines are sizable and pricey to me for the average home. I have heard you can 'rent' the usage at some quilt stores.

I really enjoy hand quilting!

I've only quilted three baby quilts and was in a hurry to complete all of them so I machine quilted. But I love to crochet and embroider so I think I would enjoy hand quilting. I can see where the quilting method is chosen according to the urgency of the project. I think all methods look nice, but I like the history and nostalgia of the hand quilting.

I have been hand quilting since 1986 when I taught myself - however, my hands and wrists are complaining now - so I am exploring machine quilting. I have found my hand quilting as my most rewarding and provides me peace. I am sure I will always have a hand quilting project going :). I have been through alot of machines and I read on here that you must find the machine right for you. After I saw a posting about a lady who fmq on her 301 by putting stitch length at 0 - I went to my sewing room and immediately tried it. I fell in love all over again with my 301. I still like my other machines for different techniques. Thank you to this site. People here rock :).