I am confused, but...
 

I met a woman that told me that she was a piecer but her mother was a quilter. What is the difference? I piece quilts and quilt them as well, so I guess I am confused as to what I really am. I suppose it doesn't matter but I am confused and she said it kind of funny like maybe they were a little above the rest of us, so I shut up and let her talk. Any ideas as to what she meant??

Ive heard that a piecer only does tops, while a quilter does the top, the sandwich, the quilting and the binding. I do it all, so i call myself a quilter of warm hugs but whatever part of the process you do, you're still a quilter in definition.

what? some people think they know everything. Believe me, they do not. maybe her Mother only hand did hers. joining, basting, and quilting. Good for her if that is right. Still, I'm a quilter and don't do that.

I wonder if her mom is a long arm quilter?? Just a thought

Read the post "How to Define Myself"!

I do wish we had a different name for the sewing-all-three-layers-together aspect of quilting. It would make it easier when looking for things online, or explaining the process to non-quilters. I imagine this lady makes tops but does not quilt them, while her mother does quilt them. (But that doesn't mean she also makes tops. Such confusing terminology.) I suspect (but don't actually know) that early quilt-makers called making the tops piecing, or applique, and only used the term quilting to refer to sewing the layers together. But since the final result is a quilt, over time we've used the term 'quilting' to refer to anything related to producing a quilt. Just a guess.

If she only does piecing of tops, she is a quilter, but she is certainly not above you, regardless! If anything, someone who makes a quilt in its entirety (like you do) has a larger skill set. Maybe she just meant that she and her mom are a quilting team? Or that her mom can do it all, but she herself only pieces? It's hard for me to imagine why she'd have a superior tone unless she was trying to exalt her mom as the better quilter of the two? ? Who knows?

That's the way I read it: Mom is the more accomplished of the two, and daughter was stating that.

As a side note.....I had a friend in our quilt club that only pieced tops......for the 10 years I knew her.....and for longer before I met her. . If she was giving one for her grandkids for a gift, she paid a long arm quilter. She didnt do that much because that was expensive. Then, believe it or not, her husband retired, they bought a long arm, and HE began to quilt. Each club meeting she brought in a couple, then a couple more, (she had over 150 quilt tops). He became a master quilter from that practice and they became so happy that they had something in common. He really made her tops look spectacular......So is she a piecer and him a quilter? who cares....they make a great, happy team!

Some people prefer to call themselves 'piecers' because they have no interest in quilting a quilt, so it's a more accurate description of the part of quiltmaking they enjoy. I don't think it's a big deal. It says something about how the person views herself, not about how she views others.

I can't decide if I am a quilter or a UFO manufacturer.

The more people give their opinion the more mixed up is this problem. Is appliquer aname of those who applique, never heard the term. Piecer is one who puts the pieces together in a top., but now a days people are putting pieced backs on quilts where do these fall.? Quilting does that mean the back and sandwiching.
I'm a quilter because I make quilts with or without the help of a Laq who is also a quilter

Betty 62, I am with you!

I wish I was only a piecer, that's the fun part. But alas, someone has to finish these tops. So I get it done and give them away.

This describes me. I have zero interest in sewing 3 layers together. Both piecing and quilting require different skill sets IMHO. It is a beautiful relationship. Just enjoy the process one enjoys.

sandy

This describes my husband and me. After we got our LA, he got interested in the piecing process. Got him his own machine, now he cuts and pieces. I pin and press then quilt. We compliment each other in our process and get the tops done faster. We call ourselves quilters. We just do different steps in the process.

That description pretty accurately describes the process I have with my mother.

She quilted for years before I got into it, but her favorite part of the process is hand quilting which she does on a large frame. Having had 3 kids move out of the house, she has plenty of room to set up frame with good light in an unused bedroom. She doesn't really enjoy piecing on a regular basis.

I live in a small apartment and sew in the dining room, have an older, simple machine. I don't enjoy hand quilting and I certainly don't have the room to set up a frame here. I have machine quilted crib-sized quilts and enjoyed that process but don't want to go larger. I tried quilt-as-you-go and did not find it enjoyable. On the other hand, I enjoy designing and piecing quilts on a large, bed-sized scale. Often we collaborate on picking out quilting motifs to complement the piecing - she prefers intricate but not dense hand quilting.

I identify myself as a quilter, but when I describe the process I say that I do the piecing and my mother does the quilting.

When I make a quilt I like to do the whole process so I can take ownership when I say I made this quilt. I do not like the sandwiching process but it has to be done so I just do it. Everyone has to do what works for them.

This has been on my mind a lot lately as I work on a quilt for a friend. So worried that she won't think it's very professional. I'm so much better at piecing than I am at quilting....but learning. I've come to the conclusion that I'm a hobbyist...someone who just loves to sew. I'm o.k. with that.

NEVER let other people define who you are or what you do. The second I sewed my first two pieces of fabric together I became a quilter. Have fun and enjoy the doing what ever you call it.

I am going to start calling myself a quilt practitioner just for giggles.
peace

Forgive me if this is a repeat.....if you PIECE, YOU ARE A QUILTER. Matters not if you sew, sandwich, quilt or tie a quilt. If you go by miss know it all, if you tie a quilt you are a "tier'....Semantics....bet she is politically correct as well.
If you sandwich layers and sew, quilt or tie, you are a quilter. ERGO, we are all quilters. Yeah!

Reminds me of the photography world where some snobs believe you can't even call yourself a photographer unless you're making money at it. I'm trul a photographer, I guess because I won a contest for a t-shirt, LOL.

Silly labels.

It's your hobby. You can do what you want to do and call it what you want to call it. Just have fun!

There is no difference! I don't know why there are people on this earth that want to put people into boxes labeling us. Why would we call LAQ instead of quilting machinist?? They don't piece the quilts but finish quilts with their ability to quilt. Makes no sense to me.

My oldest daughter, says she is a quilter, not a piecer, she enjoys hand quilting, but she does not enjoy piecing a quilt. So she says that she is a quitter and not a piecer. She has never machine quilted though. My mother taught her to hand quilt, so she thinks that is the only way to quilt. I too was a dead set hand quilter until I went to a Ricky Timms seminar. I am teaching myself to free motion quilt (with the help of U-tube), and I am having a ball. My hand quilting is getting less and less all the time, as I am enjoying free motion immensely.

Same as the person who tells me 'well my great grandmother made real quilts'. I stand there and tell myself I am face to face with a Real idiot.

I'm me- Norma and I make quilts.:thumbup:

I am a quilter. I piece some times and then I quilt some time, either by hand or by machine. I have heard some same machine quilting is not quilting, then what is it. If you put three layers together with some thread, then it is quilting. If you tie, then it is a quilt. Lets get on with our quilting, there is just too much defining going on. I love to quilt, if it piecing, cutting, binding or just looking at others quilts. I still LOVE TO QUILT.

Good one!!! :)