Superglue - now that's one I haven't tried yet. Will give it a shot. Anything that will help me be able to hand quilt longer..... thanks!

"I hand quilt,but have to admit my tops are way ahead of me. I need to sandwich one now but cant get down on the floor to do it any longer.Trying to find and area to do this in my small area."

I'm a church secretary and many times have offered our meeting room and tables to quilters for layering and basting their quilts. Lots of room and good lighting.

I just inished hand quilting 2 twin size quilts, all I need to do now is bind them, will post pictures later.

I love hand quilting! I also find it very relaxing ...especially after a stressful day at work. I am able to be in the family room with my family when they watching tv or on the computer. Sometimes I feel too isolated when I am in my sewing room.

I love handwork too, but my job has completely ruined my shoulder so I can't do handwork without a lot of pain. So it is machine quilting for me.

I too prefer to hand quilt although I am also trying to improve my machine quilting skills. Over the past 3 yrs I have had carpal tunnel surgery on both hands so I have started limiting my hand quilting to those really special quilts. There is a hand quilting group on the Quilt With Us forum through Connecting Threads also so there are still quite a few of us around.

I machine stitch my fabrics to a foundation piece...but all my embellishments and embroidery stitches are done by hand...one of the reasons it can take so long to get a project done!

I LOVE to hand quilt, too. I only machine quilt when I'm doing children's quilts, utilitarian quilts, or something I need to get done really fast.

75% of my quilts are hand quilted.

There are more of us than I thought there were! I very much appreciate machine quilting. It's definitely an art! I'm just old-fashioned, and given the choice, I'll hand quilt. I hope you'll share some pictures of your work.

My first quilt was a whole cloth hand quilted, it took me 3 years to finish!
I don't hand quilt many baby or quilts I know will be 'loved a lot' because they put them away and don't use them.
I use different fingers under my quilt and rubbing alcohol on them after each quilting session.

:D :D Hand quilting is the only way for me. After 30 years I just can not machine quilt. I do not quilt many quilts a year but I am proud of each one I do finish. If I stop making tops now I would still be quilting 10 years from now to catch up.I hope the art of hand quilting never goes away.

How do you decide which way you are going to quilt one? By hand or by machine. I try to think of the purpose first, then decide

Thanks for starting this thread. My first top is pieced (by machine) and ready for layering (when I figure out where I can do it; thinking of the tacking it to the wall option). It has a center panel of colorful, wacky birdhouses and jungle-like fronds, and I want to try handquilting there. Maybe do some birds or butterflies in the sky. I thought I'd see how that went, and then either continue handquilting the successive "borders" or machine quilt them. I worry that I'm old enough now to feel a little stiffness in my hands when I wake up in the morning (should have "started" years ago?), but I'm game to try.

I love hand quilting too. Not only is it soooo relaxing, but it is portable. I enjoy FMQ too, which I'll do if I need to complete a project quickly.

Great tip..thanks! I wouldn't have thought of that, but I used Super Glue for paper cuts when I worked in an office ..worked great!

I would love to learn to hand quilt. What do you need for supplies and how do you do it.

i am so glad that i am not the only one loves hand quilting
i love to piece my block also yes it is very relaxing to me.
louise in arkansas

Hi I too like to do hand work. My first quilt was all done by hand 30 years ago. Would any of you like to share the new procedures and supplies you use to transfer your patterns or designs. I have seen a lot of blue water soluble pens. Do they really wash out? I used chalk in the old days. Does any one use tear way or wash away paper? Does every one find a hoop works better for smaller stitches? Last but not least, what size of needle do you use? The books have so many ideas, I would like to hear what works for you. Thanks

I am hand quilting my second quilt now and I just love it. It seems to relax me. Even if my stitches are not real small yet, I like the look of it and in time with more practice I'm sure it will get better

Tisha,
I like to use the traditional transfer methods a lot. Of course I use the precut stencils but I also make many templates out of cardboard for patterns I find in books or I designed myself. For marking I use watercolor pencils or the needlemarking method. To be honest, I don't like the water soluble pens - some of my quilting friends here had some problems with removing them and I really don't want that on the solids I work with.
I work in a hoop on a floor stand and for me it is perfect that way. I can't do even and small stitches without a hoop - but this is just my way of doing handquilting.
I perfer a John James Betweens #11 - they don't bend and the nickel cover stays for a long time, even in summer when the weather is hot and my hands are sweating.

For more years than I like to remember I tied all of my quilts, always longing to hand quilt. I started by making table runners and now I do the quilts. For many years I produced and sold hundreds of quilts. At the time it was great. Now I am so satisfied just making a few and hand quilting them. I'm sure age has nothing to do with it LOL.

I also love handquilting. I use the small round metal thimble that is attached by adhesive dots. It is called UltraThimble. I use it on 2 or 3 different fingers on the underhand. (only one finger at a time.) This way I keep my fingers from getting so sore, because I often have to use a bare finger when I go over a thicker spot as I quilt. It is difficult for me to keep a callous on my fingers because I quilt in spurts and they heal so quickly! I encourage anyone to keep at it - everything comes easier with practice, I used to watch my mother when she was my age and wondered how she thought it was fun, but life has hurried on and now she's 89 and I'm repeating the fun!!

i haven't tried machine quilting. i really love handquilting. (i piece by machine)i used to sew a lot and always enjoyed hand sewingl. the quilting by hand is relaxing. i think at the machine i would feel pushed to get it done.

That's why I call myself an addict. I love to hand quilt and find
I am not qute myself if I can't do a little of it each day...a lot
each day is better.

I only do hand quilting and love it.

I am so jealous of all you hand quilters. I have arthritis so much in my hands and fingers I can't do it. I am looking for someone to hand quilt a double wedding ring for my son and his wife. My son is graduating from medical school soon and I would love to have this king sized quilt hand quilted for them. Do you or do you know of someone who does it for money? I would love to find someone in the northwest who could do this for me.

Add me to the list of hand quilters, even though I am not an expert, most of my quilts are hand done, by me! They seem to be a bit more personal when making a gift and I feel there is lots of love put into them, and I always put on the lable, "Made with love in every stitch"... and I mean it. <3

Ah yes, hand quilting with No.5 Pearle cotton.....it takes some doing but it is so beautiful when it is finished! I did one like that for my hubby and finally finished it last year. I'm ready for another!

I enjoy hand quilting, needle turned applique, and hand piecing. However, I mostly piece by machine now, and am teaching myself to machine quilt. Have so many quilt tops to get quilted and just can hand quilt them all. Not enough hours in my day. When my finger gets sore from handquilting, I stop for the day and work on something else. Doing it this way takes a little more time to get your finger conditioned, but it does get there.

I use "Zinc Oxide", it comes in a tube..get it at the drug store.
I put it on, cover with a band aid, and in the morning it looks
much better.

I couldnt use thimbles until I purchased roxanne thimbles. they fit so well they dont fall off when I put my hands down highly recommend them

maryellen I hand quilt for commision pm me rose

I'm another hand quilter. I just finished up a lap quilt today. I just will never go to the machine. I do machine piece which I said I'd never do so I guess I shouldn't say never.

I don't hand quilt but I love doing embroidery and applique.

I only handquilt and love it. I keep telling myself that I'm going to try FMQ but I'm a bit afraid to try it, silly I know. And I'm so relaxed when I handquilt that it's hard to give it up for the machine. I use a quilt stand which makes a big difference for comfort for me. And I do understand about being impatient for the finger callous, but now I actually stitch my skin to the fabric sometimes and have to pull it free... very painless, at last. :D

I also would like to see some pictures.

have and would never quilt any other way.

I'm hand quilting my first quilt, and I'm enjoying it so much! I come in from the barn at night and spend 2 hours in front of the tv quilting. I can't do the small stitches yet, and I'm just doing cross hatch, but it is satisfying.

I use light pencil or water soluable pens, I have a few stencils that I do use a lot of, for needles, I use betweens and I do not use a hoop, I quilt on my lap or on my bed with a mat underneith the quilt. My stitches are not as small as some I've seen on this board but there uniform.

I am just a beginner at hand quilting, but I am hooked. I do machine quilting too, but I find myself planning my next hand quilting project - I'd like to have a little something to work on by hand after the kids are in bed.

For those who would like to know more about hand quilting and see pictures of hand quilted things, there is a virtual section on hand quilting here: http://www.quiltingboard.com/virtual...jsp?vsnum=1027

I love my hand quilting. I have so much control when Im using my fingers. I don't know how to machine quilt. I see all of these beautiful quilts everyone whips out. It takes me weeks to piece together and then do the hand quilting. I also hand stitch baby bonnets and bibs and everything else that I can. I take alot of pride in my hand quilting. I'm not saying anything to hurt anyones feelings. I wish I knew how to machine quilt to make some things faster but...........