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

I feel like I have blended the old and the new. I do some hand quilting but I must have my rotary cutter. To me the best of both worlds:)

I really love the 'old way of doing things', and I actually only quilt on treadles and hand cranks. There ARE some things I won't give up, like my rotary cutter.

I still think anything hand made rather than bought is very special indeed, no matter how it's made.

David, I have thought about that too. G'ma used to draw her pattern on cardboard cut it out, stack up fabrics and draw around each template then sit at night and cut them out. She used a treadle, which I now use. I think it would be great fun to get a bunch of us to each make a small quilt not using anything but paper, cardboard, treadle, scissors, etc. We would learn to really appreciate what we have but would know how to do it without the frills.

David, I agree with you. The majority of quilts I love were made decades ago without the assistance of the 'tools' we have today. However, with that being said, I think the abundance of patterns and designs is a factor in using the 'tools' -- they provide quilters with the desire and the ability to try making something new and different. I find I have to work very hard to keep myself in check from: buying every 'tool' and from starting too many quilts. My favorite quilts (that I've made) have taken time and a lot of thought, were not rushed, and did not include the use of many new 'tools' (the newest 'tools' used were a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and ruler).

I know all the older ways to quilt but love all the new ways too. I have my DH's grandmother old treddle and I used to be in a sopping/ gift place and I was up stairs and just electric lights no electricity ad I sewed on a treddle and everyone was so amazd....
I will also forever keep the rotary cutter and a few of the rulers... Smile
ConnieF

As far as I'm concerned the answer is a great big YES!!!!

If I had to do it the old-fashioned way I'd never do it. While I know how to do it that way and know that I can if need be I also like the option of not having to.

When you think about it, it isn't all that different.

What used to be cardboard templates are now acrylic.

What used to be scissors are now rotary cutters
and best of all .....

What used to be day long quilting bees are now week long quilting retreats.

Yeah, for me I'll take the new stuff.

Nope, I don't think quilting has become too modernized at all. I think it's all personal preference. I would not have taken up quilting if I had to do everything by hand and use a treadle machine. I absolutely love my computerized embroidery sewing machines and all the tools, patterns and gadgets I have.

I do agree that to make a quilt entirely the old fashioned way would give people appreciation for what they have today.

Just think a treadle machine was a modern convenience at one time. I have no idea how long scissors have been around and exactly how fabric was cut previously, but they were a new invention or a luxury to some at one time and they still sewed and I'm sure quilted.

Your grandmother probably made one quilt at a time. Quilters now have several quilts in progress at the same time. Right now I have at least 12 I'm working on. We want to be quicker so we can use all our stash up before we die !!!

Me too!!!!! Well said!

Well -- that's like saying cooking is a dying art because we use electric stoves instead of a wood burning fireplace! I, for one, believe my GGgrandmother would say I'm an idiot for not using the most modern convenience!!!! Okay - so I WILL admit that I'm trying to learn how to hand quilt so I can play while camping. :)

I think the old way is fun, the new "tools" make things alot faster for us to get projects done. I still like to hand quilt, but that is just me. I am teaching the children at work to hand sew and then after they learn to do this well, I will teach them to use the sewing machine. Either way the quilts are handmade and made with LOVE!

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!

I think it is nice to remember the old ways or processes of of yester year so we can appreciate what our forefathers and mothers had to do. But I agree with amandasgramma. I am a quilter, construction worker and a farmer and would not like doing these things the "OLD" way. There is much to be said on this subject but for me the good old days are now. I love the light switch.

I think there are still plenty of quilters who do not take advantage of the modern conveniences. We have many, many members on this board who hand quilt, quite a few who only hand piece and a lot who peice only by treadle or hand crank.

I embrace the best of both worlds! I love my Bernina and love my new long arm machine. I also hand quilt. I own a treadle but have yet to get her up and running so I can try piecing a top on it. I will not do without my rotary cutter!

I would like to add as a beginner Longarmer, it does take just as much concentration, skill, practice and talent to operate a longarm and getting an intricately quilted quilt as it does for hand quilting, maybe even more. I am a self taught hand quilter and I was able to pretty much jump into it with both feet and have a nice looking result in the end. I think longarming, at least if you are going to do something other then a basic meander takes as much skill if not more as the less modern techniques. Same goes for FMQ on a domestic machine. I actually think that takes even more talent and skill as it is much more difficult to manipulate the quilt through the DSM then it is to move a machine riding on a carriage over the quilt.

I come from a family of carpenters. I sure would hate to see them using hand saws and hand hammers to build a house today when they have all those powerful power tools. Although it's good to know the history of how they used to do things, whether building a house or making a quilt, it's much easier to do them now with all the gidgets and gadgets.

well I agree that I want to quilt my own quilt but due to my inability to hand quilt poor fine motor control in my hands I bought my own mid arm machine and I going to learn to use it and be creative will loan to friends if the want to come and play in my play house and do their own quilts . I have retired and turn my living room into my play room

I love all of today's toys for quilting. I think the quilt shows should have a couple of sections, one for 100 % hand quilters, a section for folks who work, have a family and quilt for the pure joy of it and another for the professional quilter, who does it for a living.
Three different brackets, three different set of standards, what do you think?

You said, "so I can play while camping" I have to tell you a story. I'll make it short.
Last summer my husband and I went camping. Thats our favorite thing to do together. Anyways, my husband has a habit of going to bed for the night BEFORE DARK. And I think it is because its just so relaxing to just be outside with no worries. But after "many many" nights of being the only one awake (no one ever camps with us) I decided the next time we go camping, I am bringing my laptop computer so that I can listen to music, or I can play a couple hidden object games I have downloaded on it since he goes to sleep so early. And I am going to bring a quilt that I was putting binding on. (We camp at state parks and theres always alot of people there) So this one particular night, I grabbed a tablecloth, covered the picnic table with it, set up my sewing machine, grabbed my quilt, turned on the music and sat there and sewed out on the picnic table. We camp in a tent, with cots, and we have a table that fits in the tent that we use when its dark out and play games on. But anyways, across the drive in another camp spot, was this elderly woman and her husband, they were just sitting there watching me sew and there were other campers that were watching me, and all of a sudden, several people came over to where I was and started talking to me. The one elderly lady says to me "what possessed you to bring your sewing machine camping with you". And I told her, well, its like this. My husband gets so relaxed that he goes to bed at about 6:00pm when we go camping and that its too early for me to go to bed, so I had to come up with something to pass the time with and so I chose to bring my sewing to keep my hands occupied, my computer so that I can relax and "think" that I am not sitting out here all alone as long as the music doesnt stop. I did complete the binding on that quilt. I just thought you would like to hear that story. LOL. I can't wait to be able to go camping again this year.

LOL.. my opinion is that quilting has advanced only as far as YOU want to advance it..
No rules say you have to use rotary cutters, machines or anything else. I still cut templates.. draw them onto fabric and cut them out with scissors.. then stitch together with a needle and thread. I also use rotary cutter, mat and electric machine on others. It is just more variety.. and more options.. and therefore open the avocation (it's more than a hobby for me) to more folks.. also with my RA the "machines" make it so that I can still "play" when I'm having a flare.

I'm very grateful that we have such a wide range of processes and techniques available to us. If we want to go completely "old school" we can, and if we want to use the most modern updated gadgets, we can. I disagree the the creativity has been taken out of quilting - I mostly see more opportunities to be creative. Having said that, my personal line seems to be the new fabric cutters (the Go! et al) and especially computerized quilting guidance. But, my lines have been known to move occasionally...lol.

[quote=raptureready]As far as I'm concerned the answer is a great big YES!!!!

If I had to do it the old-fashioned way I'd never do it. While I know how to do it that way and know that I can if need be I also like the option of not having to.

When you think about it, it isn't all that different.

What used to be cardboard templates are now acrylic.

What used to be scissors are now rotary cutters
and best of all .....

What used to be day long quilting bees are now week long quilting retreats.

Yeah, for me I'll take the new stuff.[/quot


Agree 100%

You should see the looks I get when I'm sitting at the table quilting on an old hand crank! :)

BTW, that's one of the great joys with hand crank sewing machines, I take them camping all the time and I don't need to run an electrical cord to the picnic table. Oh what fun!

Being a quilter for only a short time, I am grateful for some of the modern quilting tools we have available. I have arthritis in my hands and would not be able to do very much handquilting at all. The rotary cutter and acrylic rulers are a godsend for me.

I do appreciate and love handquiled quilts. They are a true work of love and art.

I don't think so, it's just that today we have choices. You may choose to do everything by hand. I began learning quilting from a wonderful woman who does everything by hand. Of course, she's been retired for years and really enjoys doing it this way. On the other hand, if you're a full time mom (or dad) and you have a job outside the home as well, today's methods make it possible for more people to quilt with the limited time that we have. I for one, am not a patient person. I don't think I'd be quilting at all if I had to do without the modern conveniences. Just my humble opinion.

I just had to put in my 2cents here. There is room in this great craft for all catagories. For those who love the hand quilt, my hat is off to you. I admire your work beyond description. The EQ workers are awesome and can do the most beautiful work. Likewise, I truly admire the long arm quilters who do such beautiful and intricate work. Quilting is no longer necessary for warmth, it is to be enjoyed at whatever level the quilter truly enjoys. There is nothing wrong with doing what you like best and then combining with another talent to compliment your beautiful work. I would never claim to do a part of the quilt that I did not do, but certainly appreciate the talents of all those who complete the project from start to finish.

My thing is that I work full time and have so many other phases in which I contribute to my church, family, etc. If I had to do the hand quilting and other "old techiniques" I could never complete a quilt. I appreciate every quilters work in whatever form. It is awesome to see the modern art quilts being sewn today because they are true art. Such talent is remarkable. On the other side, I am in awe of the handquilters who spend the hours and hours devoted to those delicate stitches. Then there are the so talented LAQ's who add so much love to the quilt tops that someone else could or would not want to do. There is room for all talents. I just enjoy the process and appreciate all the talents involved in each technique.

I love all the new tools and rulers that make quilting easier. But, when it comes to piecing, my Singer 201 hand crank is what I use. It gives me such pleasure, I can't adequately describe it. For me,modern, electric machines are stressful. They can't do anything BETTER for what I do. I do traditional quilts and probably always will. But, I also admire what others can do with their more modern machines. It just isn't for me.

Barb

AMEN!!!!! I've spent 6 months learning the longarm....no other craft has taken me that long to get to a point where I'll show my products!

We are not all modernised David, I work by hand both patching and quilting, my only modern tools being a rotary cutter and mat, plus a plastic ruler. I get much more pleasure doing things this way.

Instead of thinking of it as modernization I consider newfangled inventions to be opportunities to learn different skills. Hand quilting is a skill. Machine quilting is a different skill. LA is a third skill. The end goal of all three may be the same, but past that I don't think it's all that useful to compare them with each other - apples and oranges and all that.

I think the suggestion to separate the categories for judging is a great one. All of these skills require considerable investments of time and effort and should be judged not only for their artistry, but also against the standard for the skill in use.

Treadle machines, hand piecing, hand quilting, irons that needed to be heated on the wood/cook stove, poor lighting, and quilting out of necessity not just for enjoyment.
As much as I can appreciate all of that :D I am very grateful to have all that we do now :D:D:D

Our ancestors used what they had. If they had the tools we have today they would have used them.

Many years ago i was berated by a woman I knew because I said I was machine quilting a quilt for my DD."YOu should learn to hand quilt! IT's so much better" I told her I DO know how to hand quilt- I learned in my teens. I can machine quilt them and all(5) will have a quilt to enjoy. Or I can hand quilt and MAYBE 1 or 2 of them will get one .

Conversation is a dying or we wouldnt be here, things change.

If I had to make a quilt just using scissors, cardboard, needle and thread even using a treadle, I have no doubt I wouldn't make one. To me that would be drudgery and not fun at all.

I do it both it ways. I cut some of my quilt pieces by rotary cutter and some of them by hand. I sew them together by sewing machine.But I quilt them by hand. That's how I was taught and I will continue to do it that way. I'm not saying either way is better or worse,right or wrong. Everyone has their own way of making a quilt.Isn't that what making a quilt all about, bringing out your own creativity?

Oh, treadling is SEW much fun!!! :mrgreen:

I agree with the other parts...

I have one foot firmly planted on both sides of this argument. I appreciate the older quilts and think they are beautiful. I'd rather have a 50 year old quilt than a modern one.

However, if I had to quilt the way my grandmother and auntie did, I'd never quilt. I don't have the patience or time to hand piece and quilt for the hours it would take to make one quilt. Now that arthritis has set in, I don't have the physical ability to do the hand work, either. So, those old quilts have given me a standard to appreciate, and the new quilts I turnout out show that I love to continue this wonderful craft.

Hi There,
Well i quilt the old fashion way i have always hand sewn every quilt i have made i do have a sewing machine but it stay gathering dust in the loft.
Personally i do feel i am cheating if i use the machine or gadget where as when i hand sew etc i feel the every single bit of the quilt is made by me ,,i even hand cut the fabric the only new thing i have bought recently is the Clover mini iron lol
But each to their own it is kinda temping to purchase all the new gadget for quilting i see in stores and online tho

I have two treadle machines, a Singer I learned to sew on as a child and a newer one, a Janome. They take up too much room for me. I gave one each my DDs, they use them for a decorative table. One day if they need them they will be available for the grandkids to use. I tell my girls to open and petal them every once in while and to oil them.