Quilting...can it be overdone?
 

Recently, I started wondering if a quilt could be "over quilted". I love the new techniques and abilities that the new machines allow us to produce but I have noticed that sometimes, I can't actually see the pattern in the quilt because of the quilting.

What do you think?

yes, a quilt can certainly be 'over-quilted' if the quilting over powers the quilt-
quilting should enhance- not take over- and sometimes people seem to just get a bit 'carried away' and they fill a quilt up with so much quilting that it winds up being stiff as a board- and the quilt itself is lost somewhere under all that thread.
but it is a personal choice too- some people like very dense quilting- others like a large--easy quilting style-
but no matter what kind of quilting a person likes it should enhance the quilt

To each their own. I prefer more quilting, but since I mostly hand quilt it's hard to overdo it - I do like to get finished at some point.

The quilting should complement the top. Most quilters who enjoy doing "over the top" quilting leave lots of room for quilting designs, so the quilting doesn't overpower the pieced design.

Janet

If I ever over quilted I would be in a lot of trouble....I only hand quilt!

I appreciate your thoughts, buts its like piecing. Some like to work with larger pieces , some like really tiny pieces. Can piecing be overdone?! Can color be overdone?! Too many colors or too few?! Its all in what the creator intends for the piece ! and did the final work meet their expectations.

I think its really a matter of choice - but I think sometimes the quilting goes overboard - it really depends on the pattern and the quilter - I would love to do one of those really cool dense quilts - but I don't have the artistic ability to even attempt it. I think it depends on the reason the quilt was made - like utilitarian quilt, art quilt/wallhanging, or contest quilts - I have seen quilts that are just a large easy stipple and that is all it really needed and its beautiful - but I do admire the ability of the quilters to do the dense quilting and I think it is very impressive and adds alot of "wow" factor - but it isn't really necessary to make the quilt "beautiful" - at least in my own opinion.

I think it's like all things with quilting, to each their own. I don't do lots of fancy quilting just because I do it on my home machine and because I want the quilt really soft. I admire those "fancy" quilted pieces but just don't have the skills, or really the desire to try it.

It's YOUR quilt...you quilt it so YOU like it...I don't quilt mine too heavy because I like them to be soft and cuddly.

I personally don't care for dense quilting as it does make the quilt stiff. If it's just for show it's okay but to use to cuddle in, I want it soft and easy to drape. I very much admire the beautiful quilting some of the LA's do and I know I would never be able to accomplish anything close to it. It's to each his own. It's your quilt so make it to suit YOU.

Exactly.

Some pieces look better with less quilting, some demand more. And not everyone will agree on each piece :)

I have seen some quilts that I couldn't tell what the pattern was because of all the quilting. But since it's a personal preference I don't say anything negative.

For me personally, yes. But I don't like to notice the quilting. I want to see the piecing and if I see the quilting first it is overdone for MY TASTE. But like everyone has said, it is theirs and they can do what they want.

I agree. While dense quilting can look nice, sometimes I think it makes the quilt too stiff.

It depends on the usage. Compare a whole cloth quilt designed to be a "bedspread" with a baby quilt to wrap around a newborn. Apples and oranges. Or a wall hanging where the thread painting is the quilting - to a charity quilt for the homeless - still apples and oranges. I don't think you can compare quilts other than to say they appeal to you or they don't.

I read a machine quilting book once that catagorized quilts. There are the ones that you quilt lightly for "dragger" quilts that are drug around everywhere. Then there is a moderately quilted quilt for gifts and special type quilts. And then there is the quilts meant for shows that are quilted to the "OMG!!" state.

I love the quilting I have seen here that has taken quilting to an art and I ever so wish I could do that. LOL!

I agree with it that it's a choice. If you want it softer, less quilting. But I LOVE all the quilting patterns I've seen on the QB, & I can totally understand wanting to do alot of it on every quilt, too. Variety is wonderful!

I am sure there are lots of people who think my quilts are overquilted. I don't really worry about it, because I want to practice and cannot afford to make more items just to practice on.

I have a book that shows the same quilt with different designs of quilting..... It is amazing that the quilting makes such a difference. Some quilters have a gift of knowing exactly the amount and design to use for a given quilt. That book has opened my eyes.... I really think hard about how I'm going to quilt my projects now...... the quilting can make an average quilt a stunning one.

My personal preference is for minimal quilting because I want it soft and snuggly. Also I am not yet to a skill level to do fancy stuff. Once I reach that skill level, I'm sure I will want to showcase that skill. In which case I will likely still want soft and snuggly for any quilt intended for regular use. Wall hangings, tablerunners and the like will probably be another story.

I believe quilting can be overdone. I have seen quilts at shows that are as stiff as cardboard. The skill of the quilter, however, was exceptional and I was amazed at the quilting, but the piecing was lost. It is a matter of preference and how you are going to use the quilt matters too.

I prefer heavier quilting. There is something about the texture of it after it is washed. I could run my hands on it all day long. Some of my smaller projects, I purposely quilt really heavy just so I get that. If the thread matches the quilt, it doesn't take away from the quilt itself. That's just my opinion. :)

Oh, yes, it can be overquilted. If you overquilt, you lose the loft and thus the warmth of the quilt. Not an issue if you want say, a coverlet or a wallhanging. Lots and lots of quilting looks fabulous, but unless you want a summer quilt, you have to do less.

I have seen some very heavily quilted quilts at quilt shows and I can't say that I've ever seen one so quilted that you can't see the pattern of the quilt. Maybe it was the quilter's thread choice rather than the quilting?

Many,many of the long arm quilting I see on the Board I'd call way overdone.
It looks like quilting for the sake of quilting - having no relationship to the quilt pattern itself.

I've yet to see a handquilted one that I'd call overdone.

I'm with you here.

I like soft quilting so you can see the design in the piecing. Sometime they are way over quilted. But it is truly what you like.

This question is like asking can a quilt have too much blue? Everyone has their own feelings of what they like or don't like on just about everything, including quilts.
Heavy quilting in itself is a matter of opinion. I suppose the quilts I have posted here would be considered overquilted but I spend a great deal of time studying any quilt before it goes on my rack. I always try to acheive a look that compliments the piecing.
However, like Heather, I love the texture and the look. I am drawn to quilts where the quilting is that something that makes the piecing just shine. Or picks up on a motif in a fabric. I love the kind of stuff Green Fairy does, like that horse quilt with the compasses quilted, that to me was beyond beautiful but I suppose to others it was considered overdone.

I also think that business about a quilt becoming stiff as a board due to being to heavily quilted is hogwash. The batting is what causes the stiffness with heavy quilting. W&N is notorious for losing its drape when heavily quilted, so use a different batting.

Just quilted a baby quilt and used a much denser edge to edge pattern than I ever have. For me, it is way over quilted. But, if feels a lot like the baby quilts my grandmother made my children. I think I will stick with less is more for me personally.

I agree totally! Some quilts just appear stiff from too much quilting.

As long as the quilting enhances the quilt I am happy with it. Anything over the top can always be hung on the wall for decoration.

Yes..I am working on a quilt now and am not happy with the way it looks..so I am going back to take some of the stitching out...bummer...having said that I have to agree with everyone else and say it really depends on the piece you're quilting...some just call for alot...some call for alittle...

The problem I have with LAQ is not the amount of quilting but the thinness. As a hand quilter for years I always used extra, extra loft batting. I love my quilts to be puffy. I just got 2 back from the LAQ and they are so thin that they are more like a bedspread than a quilt. Actually they are like sewing 2 layers of fabric together. The quilting is beautiful but they are sooo thin.

I feel, IMHO, that the only time this is an issue is when there is a lack of communication, or cooperation between the "piecer" & the LA quilter. That's why I always send up a prayer before I open the box from the quilter! God bless those wonderful LA quilters who can see what we need done on the quilt, but we didn't know. They are artists & unselfish souls.

I do believe it can be overdone. Too much quilting makes the quilt stiff and takes away from the piecing....JMHO...

I personally love all the dense quilting, but like so many on here it is a preference call.. I think one of the reasons that you see so much heavy quilting is that now days at quilt shows the judges want to see lots of background fill, just my opinion, not to start anything.

My words exactly!!

It depends on your style and what you like as to each their own

You bet it can. Besides losing the pattern of the quilt, overquilting makes it HARD. It is no longer soft, like a quilt should be. I love the look of art quilts, and the heavenly quilting on some of them, but I think it is becoming overdone. I hand quilt a whole lot of quilts. There wasn't as much quilting, but it sure can be a lot prettier!

yes, some quilting can be overdone......it should enhance the piecing and compliment it, not disguise it with its own design, but I am sometimes more concerned about under-quilting...I have been quilting for a longtime....and LG for a good many years, but my own rule of thumb in either hand or machine quilting is empty spaces should be no more than the size of the four fingers of one's hand. I know the battings now are so much better than they were years ago, but I believe that if there is no stitching or tying for too long a space that batt will get lumpy after awhile too. This is just my own rule for myself-(and the quilts I do for others).

The nice thing about quilting is that you can do your quilt your way. If that is what you like, do it that way. I personally like a lot less quilting than I see of some of the quilts that are professionally done and shared on here. I want my piecing to show and the quilting to enhance that not the other way around. To each his own.

I also want a softer cuddly quilt. Some quilts that are over quilted don't look good at all and it takes away from the pattern and material. Plain is better, for me anyway. Maybe if a quilt is being entered into a show that can be different but I have seen quilts that are not cuddly and hard. Why make one!!