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I am a split personality quilter. I love all the new stuff, rotary cutters and acrylic rulers etc. Good machines with features that our foremothers would have commited a sin for have made the art of quilting doable for ADD people like me. The old style part of me has to have a handwork piece going and at least one hand quilted top going. I love the whir of my machine and also love the sound of the thread being pulled through the layers of my new bed quilt project.
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I started out making quilts the same way your grandma did. Cardboard templets, hand piecing and quilting. Although it was a good way to learn when the modern cutting tools and wonderful patterns began to come on the market, I grabbed them and would never go back!
The old quilts are amazing because of the labor intensive methods they used. But, why would you want to go backwards? I hope you don't take this wrong, I am just wondering. |
My mother lived until she was 93 and had six children. One time when she was visiting my house she said she looked around and saw all the modern things I had--dishwasher, microwave, washer/dryer, etc.--and although she did not begrudge me having them she said she wondered how much different her life would have been if she would have had them while she was raising us. She was never really interested much in antiques, saying that if we'd had to use them we might not think they were so great. I do like owning a few antiques but I always think of my mother and how hard she had to work before I say anything about using the "old" ways. I just bought an Accuquilt GO and love it, along with rotary cutters, etc.
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I will make another comment here , I do both ways, my hand piecing and quilting make me slow down and it relaxes me. I really enjoy it. BUT I do go to the machine and make tops and I do send some out to a favorite LAer. They turn out just as beautiful. I dont think I have ever seen a quilt that I didnt love.
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I've only been machine quilting for a year and a half now. 30 yrs ago all I did was hand piece and hand quilt. I did one at a time, enjoyed every minute. Now I have to many patterns in my head that I want to get done, I don't like my quilting on my cheap little machine nearly as well as my hand quilting. But I would never have tried some of the patterns I am doing now without all the do-dads that are available today. So my answer is.....I don't know??????? Be help huh!
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I learned quilting over 30 years ago...before we had all the modern gadgets....makes me appreciate them all the more...and I am sure if our ancestors had the gadgets...they would have used them too. Once in awhile I will still do a bit of handpiecing, because I do enjoy it, but not because I have to do it. I don't think we are over modernized.
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Originally Posted by davidwent
I'm just beginning this topic to see what you all think.
As a child I remember watching my grandmother make me a quilt, that I still have some 50 years later. She had a treadle sew matching a pair of scissors and a fabric tape measure. Her quilts were/are amazing. Are we now depending on gidgets and gadgets and modern machines too much? I know we can whip out amazing quilts in days instead of weeks/months, I am just wondering if new is always better? David |
Originally Posted by Izaquilter
I know I'm reallllly gonna ruffle some feathers here with this reply but I do think modernazation (is that a word) is taking alot out of quilting. Not so much the tools & the sewing machines because that is all I have ever known but the long arms. Sure I'd love to have one but will not allow myself to go to that extent. If you go to quilt shows now, almost 90% of the quilts are all done by long arms & it really really takes the creativity out of quilting. A really good piecer can put a top together & then send it off to a really good machine quilter but let me tell you, I have been going to quilt shows since 1992 & there is NO comparason to the quilts now & the quilts back in 1992. More of them were done by one persons creativity. Now it's who pays the most to their favorite long arm quilter. I know several long arm quilters & have only had 2 quilts done by them. It's just not the same as if you had done it all yourself. I feel like I'm cheating. I now see how my aunt felt going to the quilt shows. She hated it when machine pieced quilts were first allowed! So the old is the best for me!
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I can certainly appreciate all the time, love, and care that went into our Grandmother's quilts. Especially when in addition they had to cook on a wood stove, wash on a wash board, make their own bread and had to use the out house. I treasure Gramdma's quilts but I am also thankful for all the modern conveniences.
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Originally Posted by quiltaroni
Just think David you probably wouldnt be a quilter due to lack of time since you would be out working from dawn till dusk| and we would all miss you on this new fangled computer.
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