Yes, I agreed! Let's get busy.

Both are beautiful!! Different styles- different people, both are awesome! Right now I am interested in doing the art quilts. I always wanted to be an artist but life didn't allow. Now my hands are not steady enough to hold that brush as well as I require of myself. So Art quilts help me fulfill my artistic dream. There is plenty of room in quilting for all styles. I love and admire all of your work-- Although I don't see any art quilts here. Aren't there some art quilters on this board?

The art quilts are nice, but I like the traditional ...

I like them all, but what I really respect is good craftmanship, and you can tell when it is. I have seen some absolutely beautiful quilts posted on this board, and again what makes them winners is the time and effort someone put into them. I do think it is getting harder to come up with a traditional patchwork quilt uniquely your own since there are so many out there already, and who knows if their "original" idea has already been someone elses? With art quilts, thre isn't much doubt, so maybe this is why the trend?

The art quilts are lovely, but I prefer pieced quilts, too. I am going to a quilt show tomorrow in Northern lower Michigan. I expect to see plenty of pieced ones there. I wonder if the Amish in the area enter. I doubt it. They do some beautiful work.

Finishing a quilt is always a problem. I'm not a fan of tying, but it has it's uses. I have Trip Around the World in my playroom that I tied on the back. It worked nicely. Holds it together without the stringy looking front. Machine quilting on my machine gets cumbersome, but my hands can't do a lot of hand quilting. I love my hand quilted quilt my grandmother made dearly, but even she didn't do her own quilting. She sent hers out to be hand quilted.

BTW, years ago machine quilted quilts were very desirable. Only the wealthy could afford a sewing machine, so a machine quilted quilt was a sign of prosperity.

patdesign, Every quilt is an original. Even if we all use the same pattern, our color choices and border choices, etc, makes it our own.

Guess Iam confused because I read somewhere recently that even if you change the fabrics and use the "pattern" you must give the person who made the pattern credit if you show the quilt in a show. Apparently they don't even have to copywrite the quilt or make it, they can just generate the design and that is enough to establish it as theirs.
:-)

I did not attend the Houston show this year because I do not like the art quilts which are the dominate ones at this show.
We "traditionalists" need to boycott these big shows.

I'm with you!
but luckily, the few shows I go to are not overloaded with art quilts.

That's too bad, because you missed some really lovely, traditional quilts. One of the major winners is a Baltimore Album quilt. I thought the show was a nice mix of traditional and art quilts.

Teresa,

I believe the original writer, and the others that chimed in, as well, were really talking about the quilt tops, the fact that there are a lot more quilt tops that are simply appliqued with very little piecing. You are correct that "quilting" refers to "sewing the sandwich" together, but I don't believe the sentiment went to that . . .