Then And Now
 

When I started hand quilting, a lot of my stitches were almost 1/4 inch long, and very uneven. The blue one is from about 2003. The tan one is a lap quilt that I am just finishing. It sure pays to keep trying.

You rock!! Nice quilting stitches. :)

You've come a long way, baby. :)

I'm still at the blue level....
Nice job on the tan

What a great lesson in perseverance and practice makes perfect. Your stitches are beautiful and your message inspires me to to keep trying.

Nothing like hand quilting and your work is lovely. I find when I don't hand quilt for awhile, it take me some time to get back into making small, even stitches again.

practice makes perfect! or so they say.. your looking good. That is why I like to take pictures of my quilts to the personal progress that I have made.

nice stitches I'm still trying to get to the blue level having such a difficult time with hand stitching

I can't do the blue one,either. I think my best stitches were 3/inch. When people talk about "big stitch" quilting, I always think "um, no, not as big as yours."

Love that fabric with the branches. :)

Hugs,
Charlotte

I had my first quilt in a huge hand quilting frame in my living room about 30 years ago. My mother-in-law brought a friend of hers to my house for a birthday party for one of the kids - both old ladies were hand quilters. The other lady said very loudly when she saw my stitches - "Well, at least you won't get your toe nails caught in your stitches!". Guess that was a compliment????? LOL

I sincerely admire the skill and perseverance it takes to do hand quilting. I think it's lovely but I'm not sure I'll ever even try it myself because I'm pretty sure whichever quilt I start quilting by hand will never, ever get finished!

Very nice!!!

Your stitches are beautiful! I love to hand quilt. When I get my mojo back I'm going to get something together.

What a difference time has made! Beautiful even stitches!

Thank you so much! It means a great deal to hear these words from others who also quilt.

Way to go! It does indeed pay to persist!

Beautiful stitches! I keep thinking that I will try hand quilting, but I do hate to fail!:p

I'm still on the tan stage but you give me hope, lovely hand quilting.

I do enjoy hand stitching but once when walking around a show with one of my quilts in I heard this comment about my quilt.
" no wonder she didn't win anything leaving all those tacking stitches in. "
Tacking is basting in US.
I was very upset and have not put a quilt into a big show since. I didn't win because the judges disliked my colour combinations .

Your stitch has really improved. Just goes to show practice makes perfect

Susan

I love that you went back and took pictures with ruler to document your progress. I recently did the same thing and was pretty shocked at the stitches in my first quilt. It was made for my grandson from block my Mother had cut. He loves that it was from grandma and great-grandma. It is what started my quilting.

Practice makes perfect!

You overheard one bad comment. What about all the nice comments you didn't hear? Enter the shows and so what if some people make nasty comments. Some people, the only way they can feel good about themselves is to degrade others. Please show again. Go in with no expectations and you won't ever be hurt or disappointed.

Boston, love the then and now. It is so inspiring to others. I will never forget when I first started long arming, Angela Walters had done and a then and now post. It gave me hope and I continued to keep at it and improve. I love the journey.

Your hand stitches has vastly improved! Congratulation !!

Beautiful hand-stitching!

Often those who make such comments have submitted nothing because it wouldn't have made the first qualification to be in a show. Yours was in a show. Where was theirs, possibly becoming a UFO and never to become a WIP? They are usually the first to make harsh critiquing.

It isn't a failure, it is a learning experience. Did you sew a perfect scant 1/4" seam the first time you made a quilt? Start out doing the "big stitch" quilting on some charity quilts or placemats, and when you get the feel of hand quilting, try making your stitches smaller.

I keep thinking that I will try hand quilting, but I do hate to fail!"

Our Mamas didn't tell us "practice makes perfect" for no reason !! :) I have the UTMOST respect for anyone who hand quilts....i would love to try, but my joints won't let me.

Yes, your quilting stitches have improved, although in the beginning your stitches were fairly even and when I took a hand quilting class, that's what the teacher said was the most important, for the stitches to be even.

You're right. What an improvement! Great job.

That is great big sister. You have really improved over the years.

You have really Improved

Nice hand stitching (and even the large stitching is popular)

And I'm totally impressed not just by the tiny stitches, but also how nice and smooth your curve is. Great job!

I love both your 1st try and your improved hand stitching. I haven't done any hand quilting but someday I will. I did buy 2 hand quilted quilts at an Estate Sale both were the bigger stitches and we all fell in love with them, my son claimed one for himself and the other hangs on my couch and is a favorite nap quilt. I personally like the big stitched hand quilted, they remind me of the "older" hand quilted quilts. Do please finish the flimsies any way you choose, the will all be beautiful.
Jeri

Sooooo proud of you for sticking with it and perfecting your stitching! I've been hand quilting since I was about 12 yrs. old (I'm 55 now) and get frustrated when beginners compare their stitching to mine and want to give up. Hand quilting is like any other skill, it gets better the more you do it.

How nice Barb

Thank you for posting your pictures - they give me hope that I also will improve.

You've come a long way baby!

Fabulous!! Awesome that you have such a clear picture of your improvement! Your stitches are lovely.