Your hand quilting is gorgeous and a true art form, your quilts are stunning. Wish I could learn this, too.

As I promised to finish four quilts by Christmas, I have to machine quilt them. But nonetheless, I like crafting and the fact that I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF makes me proud, even I still have to learn a lot. That's part of the fun, isn't it?
After Christmas I'm gonna make a quilt just for me, which I want to hand quilt. Just have to find out how :roll: Frame or hoop? What about the stitches etc.

Please keep up the wonderful work and thanks for showing!

From a family of hand quilters I appreciate all of the beautiful hand quilting you posted - your stitching is perfect in every way! However, to be realistic and since I'm quickly approaching the time when my time on this earth will soon be over am beginning to be won over by machine quilting. Agreed, machine quilting does not hold a candle to hand quilting and never will, it is understandable that some people are opting for mc over hq. However, it is a fact that the average eye does not even see all your exquisite hand stitching for what it is and that is sad to me. In closing, hope you have many years of hand quilting ahead of you.

Your handwork is amazing!!! I don't do it because it takes longer and my thrill comes from designing the top. But you are so right... the quilting truly makes the work better when done right.

Your quilts are indeed beautiful and I hear you talking. As for myself, I can do some pretty nice hand quilting but I am soooo slow that I'd be lucky to get a half dozen quilts done my entire life. Machine quilting kills my neck and shoulders. So I have a very good friend machine quilt them on her long arm. The only thing I plan on hand quilting is my Baltimore Album...if I ever get the hand applique completed.

I love hand quilting although I was never very good at it. I use to consider machine quilting "cheating". However I never hand quilt anymore. It's just to painful on my arm when I do. Both methods are great but I agree hand quilting should have it's own category in quilt shows. All that work that hand quilting takes is amazing.

First of all. let me say the your work is absolutely beautiful. However, I must throw in my point of view. I disagree that hand quilters are not appreciated. I was at a show over the weekend and even though there were only a few had quilted pieces, they were certainly well noticed and appreciated. For many of us, if a quilt had to be finished by hand, it would not get done. We have busy lives, arthritis, whatever. This is 2010 and we do have machines to quilt with. Please do not try to make us feel guilty for using them or make us feel that our work is not worthy, Hand quilting is a beautiful art but Machine quilted Quilts are also quite beautiful. We should not be made to feel like second class artists because we use differen tools.

I'm another person who no longer hand sews (anything) due to disability. Even the finishing of ends by hand is difficult.

Still love hand-quilting though. I have no idea why it's not a separate category. Bizarre.

OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Seems to be the ONLY expression to say!!

I just started hand quilting, and hope to be somewhat NEAR your "class" of work one day in the future!!

Keep up the amazing work!

ps...I agree with all your statements on machine quilting...Beautiful, but I will never be a "long armer!"

I agree with you. Quilting was done by hand. I did the same echo design on butterflies. It was an achievement. Hand quilting is a heirloom.

You do marvelous work! I'm so thrilled when we can keep these old-fashioned skills going. I hope you are helping someone else learn! It speaks volumes to me when I think of how little women in the past had to work with, and yet they produced some of the most gorgeous quilts I've ever seen. Sometimes all they had were scraps, thread (they may have spun it themselves.), scissors, and a needle. That really impresses me!

I have a friend who makes beautiful quilts with her machine, and although she prefers hand quilting, she can't do it anymore because of arthritis. I give her enormous credit for not giving up quilting just because she can't do it by hand anymore. There is definitely a place for both kinds, but yes, given the choice, I prefer hand work. I'm grateful to all quilters for making things of beauty to pass on to the next generation.