I also do not keep track of my time. I have 3 quilts that I am quitling at the same time. I get tired of one then go to one of the others and back and forth. That way I don't get tired of any of them (well not too much anyway lol). Plus I do not quilt everyday like I want to...life and work gets in my way... sometimes I wish I was retired and can quilt everyday all day, but gotta pay the bills.

It sounds like I wrote this...except I use Curads extra-length clothlike bandaids rather than a thimble. I still have to stop and let me fingers heal though.

I've been doing so much embroidery lately, it's causing me to want to learn, but how would I find someone to teach me? Is this something LQS typically do?

Depends on the local quilt shop. I'm thinking about teaching hand quilting, but I haven't gotten past the thinking stage yet. I know my LQS hasn't offered any hand sewing classes in a long time, but I don't know if that's their choice or if they can't find a teacher. Another LQS has offered hand quilting in the past.

I taught myself by reading books on quilting; today you can find tutorials on line that will show you how. And if you ask a question here someone will know the answer.

Janet

If you plan to stitch in the ditch, don't press the seams open.

Regarding the pens I talked about earlier, I've been following a thread and this is what someone else posted...

"I tried them and the marks ironed out beautifully but reappeared when I got the test fabric cold. I ironed again, washed in hot water, dried on medium heat and then subjected it to cold and they reappeared."

So I guess I won't be using them like I thought I would. I'm still going to try them on a project just to practice. I've tried a large variety of pens and haven not found something that will last. I'd like to mark the top before sandwiching because it's easier but nothing ever lasts until I'm done stitching! When I'm handquilting I don't use a frame, I baste and stitch in my lap. I also go through thimbles like crazy! I can't use the metal/plastic ones because they don't fit my finger! I like the leather but needles go through them fairly soon. Guess I need to design my own leather one!

The thread about pens was one about washable Crayola markers. Apparently some have had success with them...

I don't keep track of my time. I just did a quilt 84" square. It took me 4 months to quilt it. I worked 1 1/2 to 3 hours almost every night. I did have to put it away for a few days periodically to let my hands heal. I've tried all sorts of things to heal the cracks or prevent them in the first place, but nothing works for me so far.

I teached hand quilting here in Germany and also in Luxemburg from 1998 to 2006 and started again last year. Although you find a lot of information in the internet, tutorials, videos etc. many people don't want to learn hand quilting that way. They prefer to learn from a teacher, spend some time with her/him in a workshop, they want to meet other quilters in person and they want somebody by their side for help and support! As far as I know we only have 3 or 4 teachers for hand quilting here and at the moment it seems to be only one (ME!) who is willing to travel for workshops.
Janet, maybe it would be a wonderful option for quilters who want to learn if you offer workshops at your LQS. And it is also fun for the teacher! :)

I just finished a quilt(queen size) that I put together for our school which is having a fund raiser spaghetti supper on the 13 of this month. I am a fast quilter. I put it on the frame on a Thrusday and by Sat. at 10:30 I had it finished. The kids put penquins on blocks that were 8x12. I went around the outside of the block and around the penguins.In regard to the marking. I use the Ultlimate marking pencil , if you mark it very light you will not see the markings and it will wash out after the first wash.

How long is a piece of string? There are so many variables to this question, my last machine pieced and hand quilted queen size was in a country nine patch style. It took eight weeks to hand quilt, working on it a little or a lot every day. I used masking tape to get my straight lines and I used an 18 inch hoop.

Gal

I'm thinking.....thinking.....but it's the work stuff that keeps getting in the way, though.

Janet

A lot depends on the amount of quilting you plan on doing. I just finished hand quilting a 78 x 90 applique quilt and it took me approx 5 mos working pretty steadily. Howver, I quilted undulating feathers on 4" sashes and Amish feather border (feather and cable) on an 8" border. I must say I was glad to put the last stitch in that one.LOL

Another quick hand quilting question: those of you who use hoops-do you loosen them when you get done each day or do you keep them tight? And how tight? I have been lap quilting and want to use my floor stand hoop, but am not sure how loose to keep the quilt. Seems like it would have to be pretty loose to be able to swing the needle down. Any suggestions?

I never loosened the hoop at the end of the day, unless I knew I was moving to another spot the next time I sat down.

As for how tight - think of how the quilt would look if your cat sat in it. That should do nicely! If you're bending needles, it's too tight, if you can't control your stitches, it's too loose.

Janet

On one king quilt I kept track of time. I outlined each log of 56 log cabin blocks, at 8 hours per block. If I had stitched in the ditch, the time would have been about half, but that would still have been 200 hours!
The quilt on my bed this month was quilted in front of CNN during Desert Storm. Don't remember how many days, but it got done!
I don't keep track of the time any more (and don't hand quilt everything.)

I loosen my hoop off after every quilting session so as not to stretch the fabric. I also loosen my fabric in the hoop when beginning quilting by placing my hand in the centre and pushing down slightly.

Gal

I never kept track when hand quilting, I did a Queen for my daughter and several baby quilts by hand, but really prefer to quilt by machine. I am learning free motion (by that I mean practicing) and enjoying every minute of it

Thanks, Janet and Gal. I am looking forward to trying it with my floor hoop!

I couldn't say accept that it takes a long time.

I started hand quilting on a whole cloth pattern I designed, marked all the fabric and hand quilted. I spent a couple of months completing it while I worked a full time job. I never counted the hours because I just love quilting it by hand. Now I'm attempting pieced quilts and will probaly be hand quilting unless I can master machine quilting.

I have really enjoyed reading this thread, as I have been wanting to hand quilt a project. Thanks for all the great information. Takes time but I am looking forward to a new challenge.

I followed a few of the suggestions, altered my thimble and got to work! I got a lot done last night! Maybe just maybe I'll actually finish this monster this year! Thanks for the tips!

I just finished a 48x36 and it took a couple weeks, but I spend alot of time at a sitting. I hate to quit. Its the part I can't wait for, so very enjoyable to me. You'd think I could lose weight...but...

It's been too long wince I've hand quilted a quilt. Maybe it's time to get one into my hoop :) I've never timed how long it took. I just got pleasantly lost in hand quilting. The time flies by, it's therapuetic for me. You've asked a good question though.

Karen, I'm so glad you got some good tips and got some quilting done. I find it so relaxing and love to have a project going :)

The sad thing is, I thought I was making good time on the quilt but stretched it out and I still have 1/4 of it to do, plus borders! I'll keep stitching though!