I just spend 45 minutes to watch some videos of the International Quilt Festival 2010 in Chicago and I am full of respect for all the wonderful work shown there.
But one question came to my head...
Many of the quilts in the show are machine quilted, even in the special exhibit of "Traditional Treasures".
Is Hand Quilting a dying out craft? Will it disappear in the next 20 or 30 years?
The quilts are all perfectly done and I really admire such beautiful work - but is this the trend for the following years?
What do you all think?

I think there will still be some that like to hand quilt. But since it is time intensive, many are going to machine quilting.

I, too, think it is a time thing more than anything else. I would love to organize a quilting bee. It really shouldn't be that hard to do as most of us belong to quilt groups and guilds.

Our ancestors pieced and quilted by hand because they had no other choice. as soon as sewing machines became available, anybody who could afford one got one. as the prices dropped, the number of quilters using machines went up.

as much as i admire hand quilting (which is a LOT) i don't feel at all guilty, nontraditional, or out of step with my ancestors when i piece and quilt by machine. i am still helping to keep alive an historic art form/process.

I hope you hand quilters will keep up this beautiful craft. I think it is the most deeply admired process of quilting from every type of quilt maker.

As you know I love to hand quilt. For me it depends on the pattern and who its for, time of year (cannot hand-quilt when its hot!!!) and the time restraints that are on me. One for my mom, hand-appliqued and hand-quilted (no pictures, forgot before I sent it out). If I'm doing something that hopefully will be kept as a hierloom then I hand-quilt even though its machine pieced. Even baby wallhangings and quilts I've hand-quilted.

I love handwork as long as my arm cooperates with me (carpal tunnel has been acting up). I find it more relaxing. I actually have a couple of quilts that I'm going to make for Christmas that will be machine-quilted. One I'm going to try and use a twin-needle design on and the other I haven't even figured out the pattern yet (have the material though).

As long as I can do handwork I will.

As for me, I always have a hand quilting project on the go for times when I am sitting and watching TV, but I also machine peice and quilt. I can complete many machine quilted projects on my Tin Lizzie in the time it takes to finish one hand quilted project. I save the hand quilting for pieces I plan for special gifts.

I don't think hand quilting is dying out, it's just faster to machine quilt. I don't know how long it takes to machine quilt some of the beauties I've seen in shows, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't take the two years some of my queen sized quilts have taken.

There are some quilters who are able to enter hand quilted quilts into major shows almost every year - Linda Roy, who won a major ribbon at Paducah this year, and Suzanne Marshall, who does her quilting without a hoop - are two that come to mind right away. I don't know much about either of them, but I'm pretty sure they must devote most of their time to quilting.

Janet

I dont think its a dyeing art, look how long its been around, LOL! I agree, its probaly time issues. Everyone is so busy now, working in or out of the home, running kids around, cleaning, life gets in the way! And machine quilting can be done so much faster with great results! I love to hand quilt though...relaxes me, too!

I noticed that even the flour sack and antique entries at the Denver Quilt show earlier this month were all machine quilted.... What a shame, although the work was beautiful, I thought it took away from the spirit of the quilt.
I love the look of a hand quilting, every top I make I tell myself ' this is the one I'll send out' and before I know it I have a needle in my hand... it won't die out in my house.