BKrenning

Is there research somewhere that says tied quilts don't last as long as machine quilted ones? What about hand-quilted? I would think hand-quilted quilts have the shortest lifespan, then machine quilted, then tied. The ties in the tied quilts my family has passed around for 50 years have outlasted the quilt. The only machine quilted ones that have survived were "special" and only brought out occasionally and washed once per year but still show as much wear as the tied baby quilts.

sewbeadit

We always tied too. If you use wool yarn it shrinks and makes a great firm tie. We also washed ours a lot in the washing machine, so don't have a clue why you would be advised not to do it.

Crqltr

Growing up our quilts were tied. They were not " pretty quilts" . Theywere made from clothing and usually old blankets for batting, warmer if you were lucky enough to get wool blankets. You could tie them because the blankets would not bunch up or shred when washed like batting.

Margie

I think it is just personal preference, possibly also a matter of skills and time. Maybe some dont know how or dont like to either hand or machine quilt...or have the time. I think all methods are lovely.

AnotherMadQuilter

Thanks for the replies! I wasn't asking for advice on my own projects but I do appreciate the information you've shared. I was just curious cuz I read other threads where the advice was against doing it so I wondered about the reasoning. I've done my quilts in various ways. Some quilts I've machine quilted, some are done quilt as you go, some were machine tacked, some were birthed and others tied. I like them all for different reasons. My WIP will probably be a new method of quilt as you go I read about. I think tied is pretty durable. I have 3 quilts my grandma made me 39. 38, and 37 years ago that were tied and used on my bed for 30 years off and on. They are a bit frayed in the binding now and some of the squares have frayed but I still love them. As long as we are quilting at all we are doing it right in my opinion .

AnotherMadQuilter

Sorry, I am new to the board and not sure how to get around yet or I would find link to the posts but there were several threads I read on this forum where several posters advised against it. I did see lots of posts advocating it as well. My curiosity was just tweaked and I wondered if there was any reason other than preference. Good points about batting...that always comes into the equation when making my decision as to how to finish a quilt for sure.

MsEithne

Just so you know, my own personal bias: I grew up in Mennonite country and first learned about quilting from Mennonite friends. I never even realised that there was such a thing as a tied quilt until I was in my 20s or 30s.

Quilted quilts tend to be sturdier and more able to withstand laundering than tied quilts. Each patch has less strain on it because it has one or more lines of stitching holding it in place, rather than just the seams to the other patches.

Beyond that, quilting the quilt is another opportunity to add a layer of expression to the finished object.

Personally, I find quilting (by hand) incredibly peaceful and relaxing.

Highmtn

For me.. it's the expense! Battings are so much more sturdy then they were years back that if properly tied (and close enough) the batting should not shift and be fine. I made my hubby an all flannel quilt 5 years ago. It's hand tied. I have been tossing it into the washer a few times a year (for 5 years) and it's yet to fall apart or show any batting issues. I do wash it on gentle and line dry it with just a little "dryer fluffing" in the end.

I got a Bernina 440 QE three years ago and now I have gotten into cross-hatch quilting if I'm in a hurry for a quilt that I know is going to be used a lot. I like it.
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sew1096

I made a tied quilt for my Mom back in the 80's. She wanted a fluffy, comforter type cover for her bed. I used high loft batting and acrylic yarn. We washed it fairly often but were careful not to use either hot water or high heat in the dryer. Mom had no problems with it at all. She loved it and kept it on her bed until she died 3 years ago (I then put it on my bed until it was lost this summer).

I also think it must be a personal preference type of thing. But I find tying works really well with the high loft batting.

MacThayer

As long as you're careful about the batting, there's no reason you can't tie a quilt. With the wrong batting, it can "bunch up" after several washings, leaving bumpy areas and flat areas without batting. I've had quilts like that.

Just from an historical perspective, there were two reasons for tying a quilt. One was for fashion and personal taste. These were usually pretty nicely done, and often used some kind of flannel, or at least the right batting, and have survived rather well. The other kind of tied quilt was the utilitarian type. We used to make tons of these in my family, and frankly, it was because we were poor. We made all our own quilts and bed linens. The quilts were made out of whatever was at hand: old clothes, worn sheets, worn curtains, socks with the holes cut out, you name it! If it was cloth, it went into the quilt. One never would have used "bought fabric" for a quilt. "Bought fabric" was for making clothes only. Which is why these quilts did not have any kind of batting. That's right, just two tops, or a top and a sheet, tied together and with binding around the edges. It never occurred to us to buy something like flannel to use as batting. That was "bought fabric", and it was totally illogical to buy perfectly good fabric and then hide it. I'll bet I made several dozen of these before I hit 16. Once I was lucky, and was given a worn out wool blanket for batting. That quilt was so warm! I had it until it fell apart, and then put the blanket in another quilt as batting. But I had to hand quilt it to keep the blanket from shifting around. This is why we often had several quilts piled on a bed for warmth. We lived "up North" and the quilts had no batting. This was not a new tradition. It was handed down by my Great Grandmother, and Grandmother, and Mother, all of whom brought it with them from the Great Depression. It was a widespread practice. People "of means" could have batting, and their quilts lasted, and ours didn't, because they were made of poor quality material to begin with. It had nothing to do with tying the quilt. Sometimes we used a worn out quilt as batting for a newer one. Sometimes, especially in winter when we weren't working the farm, we hand quilted the quilts. We had more time then. Those quilts tended to last a bit longer, even without batting. Of course, there was no such thing as machine quilting back then.

I don't tie my quilts anymore. It's totally personal. It's a reminder of things I'd rather forget, and that's all. I enjoy seeing other people tie their quilts. I'm sure it's a totally personal decision for them, and they are free to make this decision. Why should I care? My only caution would be to take care with the batting, that's all.

I'm free to make suggestions, but i have No desire to join the Quilt Police!

Warmest Regards,