it's all about context.

Simplest post here, and the one I agree with the most!

Anything can be overdone. I'm still learning FMQ and have produced some "cardboard" by over-quilting so I definitely know it's possible. But I don't necessarily think that "a lot of quilting" automatically means "over quilting".

Some of the quilts that I stared at the longest at the PQIF were quilts with intense amounts of FMQ. Sometimes it's more about the quilting than the quilt, and I'm totally OK with that. It's still art, and all kinds of art attracts me.

I've heard/seen this sentiment before and I'm curious.

Why it important to see quilts that can be used on beds win at (big) shows?

I'm curious because I see "show quilts" and "useable" quilts as two completely different animals.

Quilts were originally every-day useable objects. Like many other every-day useable objects, some people have taken the art form (or science) to a higher level to create something extraordinary and the end result is that the object now has a special or even different purpose.

I liken it to wall papering a house with original Van Gogh's, using the Cray XT5-HE super-computer to play solitaire, or partitioning off the Taj Mahal into condos.

So I am often curious why people wish to see a quilt win at Paducah (for example) then go to the makers home to be used on the makers bed.

In my personal experience the heavily quilted quilts are stiffer and require more washing to get soft. It is logical that the more quilting makes the batting more rigid.

And I'm with you. Why do people do it? Because they can. In the age of longarm quilters it is very easy to go mad with the quilting.

But I'm also like you. I don't like it.

The quilts will last. And likely, many of them won't go on beds, possibly won't EVER be washed.

And judging? Personally, I'm not fond of that either. It's sort of silly. As far as I'm concerned, they are the height of introducing inaccessibility into quilting.

The quilting world has lots of room for everyone's niches. If we're not keen on the ones that exist, we make our own.

Love this. Exactly true.

I'm not fond of extremely heavy quilting, either. But then, to each his own. Personally, I'd like to see more quilts win that the whole quilt is completed by one single person instead of a team of 2 or more. And I'd like to see more handwork displayed.

excellent question!

we all have different styles. i prefer medium quilting, myself. but i sure do admire some of the heavy quilting i've seen here on the QB

oops. my "excellent question" comment was in response to DogHouseMom. I can't get anything to show up where it's supposed to today ;-)

I don't care for it on traditional pieced or appliques quilts, but on a whole cloth single color it can be spectacular. We had to embroider those by hand.