How much quilting is too much?
 

How do you determine that quilting is too much on a quilt? I have seen some that the quilting overtakes the piecing...the quilting is making the quilt stiff.
I have seen where the quilting takes OVER the quilt and almost becomes the quilt instead of the piecing of the blocks or quilt.
What is too much and where do you draw the line?
Curious minds want to know.
Kirsten

It is all a matter of the opinion of the quilter. I have always enjoyed the look of hand quilting when I machine quilt o my Bernina. I want the pieced quilt to be what catches the eye.

I like quilts to be soft and snugly and in my opinion, when a quilt starts feeling hard and the quilting affects the drape then it's been over quilted. I love beautiful, intricate quilting but for me, function is more important.

I agree with Tartan. I like to see the piecing, but with a less intricate quilt top, the more intricate quilting can really make an otherwise boring quilt pop :)

It depends what the quilt is being used for. Less quilting makes it soft and snugly. Medium quilting is more decorative, say for a bed cover. Intense would put you in the custom and show catagory.

The question is: How much quilting is too much, FOR YOU. Quilting density is in the eye of the beholder. A finished quilt may have not enough quilting for some folks, too much for others and just enough for the maker. The quilting community is made up of folks with different tastes, so for your quilts, just add enough for you, and if you are having your quilts quilted, make sure you convey this info to the quilter. Just remember to read the label on the batting package and follow the manufacturer's instructions for the minimum required.

Ditto! I was going to say the same thing.

It is not typical for people to wash quilts before entering them into shows and densely quilted quilts are stiff straight off the machine. Once washed, the only thing that determines whether a quilt will be stiff or not is the batting itself. Quilts with quality high loft batting like Warm & Plush and cotton thread quickly soften up after a couple of washes even when quilted at 1/2".

For me, there's no such thing as too much quilting, only not enough. I want my quilts to last so I now always quilt no farther than 2" apart & prefer 1/2-1" spacing, but even 1/4" quilting lines I think look good when done properly. When you are quilting that close together, it's generally for one of 3 purposes -- either to add texture to the quilt (using a matching or 1 shade greyer thread) or to make the sections around it pop (faux trapunto) or to add color by using a specific color of thread (typically an art quilt). It really just depends on what look you're going for.

That said, yes there are densely quilted quilts that do not look attractive, in my opinion. By the same measure, there are also quilts with less quilting that are equally unattractive. It really just depends, for me, on the design of the quilting itself. It should not compete with the piecing or applique work.

Certainly, the amount of quilting is personal preference. For me, I have done some dense machine quilting and felt it made the quilt less cuddly--more like a pad which I wasn't happy with. Washing will soften it up, but I prefer a softer feel.