We are not talking moral choices here, not political or even religious. We are talking what do you perceive as the most hotly debated subject in your part or in the whole of the quilting world?
To pre wash or not to pre wash...
do you iron or press?
Hand vs. Machine quilting...
Use spray starch or not?
Join a quilt guild or not?
Steam or not?
Stress over imperfections or apply the 20 mile rule( if it can't be noticed when driving by at 20 miles an hour it does not count)

I don't know what else. You think of some ideas. I am pretty casual. I like to do nice work but I run from the quilt police cause they hurt my feelings right from the very start. Once I found out the quilt police didn't gather at my local quilt guild in large numbers I joined and I have been pleasantly surprised by all the WONDERFUL Quilty ladies there. It is a wonderful place to grow and learn.

Probably the biggest controversial subject I've seen on here ( several times ) has been when the subject of a pattern for a concealed carry purse pattern comes up. It usually starts the big debate over guns. Sad the subject at hand can't just be answered without the BIG debate. :XD:
I know you said not political, religious, or moral, but this seems to be the biggest I've seen on here.

Now, I've seen some on here debate the quality they see or feel about different fabrics and thread alot also.
I know, why did I even post on this subject, I don't know myself. :oops:

Hand quilt or machine quilt

Coyright is another controversial subject.

Wash or not.

Controversial for us or for others?

I'd say there are a blue zillion folks out there who still do not know what machine quilting really is. They envision a $39 Walmart quilt, not the beauties created here.

Since this is a topic about controversail topics, I will have to say that the two topics on this board that I now avoid are:
To pre-wash or not,

And
Fabric purchased at big box retailers or quilt shops.

Seems like they bring out the mean-ness.

Around here I belong to two quilt groups and both say "we have no quilt police here".

Can't say I've ever heard any of the two groups ever debate about what should be or not regarding wash or not wash...about fabrics....etc.

But than again I've only been in one over a year and the other one 9 months so perhaps haven't gotten to know them well enough yet.

As for "quilt police" I tell them around here that I live to annoy the quilt police. LOL

No big deal. All in fun. I hear alot of argument over fabric quality too. I don't want to foster arguing. It just came to mind when I saw a pre wash debate. That is usually a big one. I love quilting minus the quilt police.

wash or not seems to come up a lot

Oh I don't like meanness. Don't want to encourage that.

I can think of a few:
Press seams open vs press to the dark side
Cotton thread vs Polyester thread
Stitch in the ditch is directly on the seam VS just to the side of the seam.

Yep, machine quilting gets dumped into the foreign cheap quilting catagory. the question that gets ask is it "handmade" if it is machine quilted? I think so!

How much quilting on a quilt is too much usually brings out the beast in a few people.

I like that last line. I may need to borrow it. My motto is "my quilt. My way. "

I never see meanness! I just see opinionated people. Like me!

How about binding? Both steps machine or one machine and one hand.

Of couse most of these fall into the same category as the big three:
Mac vs pc
Nikon vs Canon. And
Mayonnaise vs Miracle Whip.

Nobody can do better than to agree to disagree on those and I guess a lot of these quilting "discussions" are the same.

I think pressing open is a neater look, but that puts too much strain on the stitches-------IMO!

Oh yes those are ones I have heard too. I press to the dark side unless instructions say otherwise although I have always said pressing toward the dark side doesn't seem like something a Christian should do! Ha ha. My stitch in the ditch is REALLY in the ditch and I use all kinds of threads for all kinds of things. It is
My quilt my way.

LOL, we have a two jar fridge-----------Miracle Whip for hubby, real mayo for me---------and I don't care what brand-----as long as it's real mayo!

Me too

art quilts vs. traditional quilts.

i even heard people argue at the quilt show in PA that art quilts shouldn't be allowed into the show because they aren't really quilts.

then the next big one is computer quilting vs machine free motion quilting.

many people want computer quilting to be a different category so it doesn't compete against all hand guided free motion quilting.

I'm pretty much "my quilt, my rules" and if you don't like my rules or my quilts, go make your own.

I think the hottest topic has been "wash, don't wash" for the last couple of months. Copyright rears its ugly head periodically.

And IMO, it depends on the quilt itself!

When I read your question, the first thing that popped into my head was the "art quilt vs traditional quilt" debate. So glad there are no quilt police so we all get to make up our own minds and have our own preferences.

How about fork or spoon?

Both!

One topic I made the mistake of voicing my opinion on was jelly rolls (all 1 color). What I said was taken the wrong way and I was slammed for it.

I guess it would be using sheets as backing vs. fabric. I don't see the problem with sheets....I saved some for quilting that feel absolutely sinful.

Amen!

What's the best iron (expensive or cheap) and then whether to use distilled water or not...

I'm with JenniePenny on this one. Makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up when people look down at fabric purchased at Joanns, WalMart, HobbyLobby, etc., vs a LQS. That, and using sheets as backing. I'm so glad we all have choices...if you don't want to do something, don't!

Really do not care. As far as the "machine vs. hand quilting": fact-the sewing machine was invented in the 1850's, the first machine quilting system followed in the 1870's. Seams (get it?) our ancestors wanted to machine quilt as soon as they realized the possibilities of the sewing machine.

Also, I do not pre-wash (oh the humanity), I press with steam (how uncouth) and I have been known to machine-stitch the binding (faints from the horror). But the quilt police haven't been able to catch up with me yet!

The most controversial thing to me? Not having enough time to quilt as much as I would like!

To wash or not to wash

The one that gets me is "where you buy your fabric".

I was just going to say that!!! :thumbup:

Been there done that....the problem with the digital world is your not face to face with someone and people can read what they want into anything

Machines, vintage vs the newer ones.

That and are feathers being overdone on quilts was a recent heated debate, WOW!

Having "name brand" sewing machine vs. a less expensive, though not necessarily inferior one.
I posted about my Brother PQ1500 machine, had a couple of replies about being somewhat embarrassed to use Brother machines....I have seen that some at my lqs, too...I'm sorry, but I don't see any problems with it.. I think we are all just trying to enjoy our hobbies, and the "brand name" of the machine shouldn't enter into it...