Are machine quilted quilts really second class?
 

By chance this week, I met some quilters from the guild I used to belong to. I no longer attend because of this same attitude. Can someone please let me in on the secret? Are machine made quilts really second class? Quilts made entirely by hand are somehow in a higher class, those quilts are better than mine? Quilters who only hand piece and quilt are really better than those of us who use a machine?
I really do appreciate hand quilted quilts, and I always have a hand quilting project on the go, but most of my quilt projects are pieced and quilted by machine. At least, this way, I complete things. OK, they are not heirloom quilts, but I think that my had pieced and quilted ones are.
Maybe I am just too sensitive, but the elitest attitude really makes me sad. I am surely not a pro at quilting, but I have been quilting for 24 years and have completed many projects, which have been received with positive comments and thanks. I think my work could hold it's own with most others.
Why is it that we all just can't play nice and appreciate each other's work? I have seen some magnificent machine made quilts and some gorgeous hand made ones too. I must say, though, that my friends on this board are encouraging and so willing to give praise and positive feedback. I am so glad that I am a member of this group. Thanks everyone.

NO1

NOO!

NOOO!

NOOO!

In spite of what my former friend CLK tries to tell everyone

I would have also made that a guild that "I used to belong to". Yes there's a difference. There's a difference between professionally landscaped flower gardens and the ones I work in too. But both are beautiful in their own way. I can't master hand quilting and yet I think it's truely beautiful. I am trying to master machine quilting and have seen some that truely beautiful. There is a skill set needed for both types and both should be celebrated. Maybe if the hand quilters tried machine quilting they would better understand that it has an art of its own. I know that's how I cam to appreciate hand quilting!

Besides that, you can find some completely horrendous hand pieced &/OR hand quilted quilts.

When I joined my first guild, the majority of the ladies were older and did all hand quilting. When I showed a few of the quilts I made all machined quilted the President said you know we will teach you how to hand quilt your quilts. I said No Thank you I don't want to hand quilt. I kept on showing my machine quilted quilts. I got a few converts and made sure to show machine quilted quilts when we had visitors. I got a few humphs and snarks from the know it all old timers but I didn't pay them any attention. My quilt won Viewer's Choice at the first quilt show I entered at the Guild. That really knocked a few for a loop and changed their minds a little. The guild still has hand quilting classes for those that want to learn from the older members. Now the majority of the guild is all machine quilters and a few long armers!

No!

Next time you see those lovely ladies (I use the term loosely) RUN!

They are the dreaded Quilt Snobs.

As my Mom always said: "If you can't say something nice, keep your trap shut!"

If you've been to a quilt show you've seen gorgeous quilts win prizes. Good grief some of those blue ribbon winners are machine made and quilted! :D

Keep on making quilts and making yourself and others happy.

BTW, did it occur to you that those women could be jealous of your work?:)

Can appreciate and enjoy both. Sometimes I do one and sometimes the other as far as piecing. The machine quilting has been difficult for me to learn and become any where near accomplished at. I really admire all aspects of quilting. Some of us are gifted in one area more than another. Just like any art form, there's room for all. Color is also something I struggle with...have learned to ask for others' input sometimes because I don't have the natural eye for color that some have. I love vintage quilts, modern quilts, etc. We all need to learn to enjoy beauty where we find it and LIGHTEN UP!

I have never hand pieced a quilt. I have hand quilted and I have recently learned needleturn applique. I also LA quilt (hand guided,not computer guided). I never could master FMQ on my domestic machine.

The attitude is difficult to overcome. I do not feel machine quilted quilts are second class BUT I do have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for hand quilted quilts knowing the time, dedication and skill it requires. Because of that time, dedication and skill I perceive a higher value for quilts done by hand. Just as I would place a higher value on an original painting over a print or a hand crafted piece of furniture over an assembly line made one.

All are functional but one took a craftsperson years to hone the skill and then the time, dedication and love to create it. Quilters, both machine quilters and hand quilters do instill love into our craft. I have an enormous amount of respect for the LA quilters and domestic sewing machine quilters who are making heirloom pieces. But I can speak from experience here... To LA an heirloom quality quilt can take up to 120 hours of work if done thoughtfully and well but to do the same caliber of quilting by hand would take 10 times that long, if not more. So I believe this may explain part of the attitude of the ladies from your guild who consider hand work better. They are placing a value on the amount of time it takes.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with machine made quilts. I embrace them wholeheartedly. I think to compare the two is where the problem lies. They are both quiltmaking but approached in a completely different way and require different skill sets.

everyone does things their own way. Many years ago, things had to be done a certain way(for some). It's just the way some people are. I wouldn't let it bother you in any way. Look at some of the modern quilts, raw edge applique, and the neat tricks we have all learned on the way. Some people will look at them as bad because "that's not the way its supposed to be". Well, it doesn't stop us from doing it. We learn from each other and adapt our sewing to what fits us. It's supposed to be fun and rewarding for us to sew/quilt.

I have done both and love both..I appreciate all the hand stitched quilts my dear mom made all her adult life..and I have a lot of them..but then she machine pieced also...so it's all good for me...