mollyb

I am a hand quilter (and I hand piece). I started in 1985, and usually can finish about 4 quilts a year. I am usually working on 16 in various stages at the same time because I get bored working on the same one day after day.
I have been looking for a local group of hand quilters in my city and can't find one. I would love to sit with others and share techniques. I don't use a hoop, just quilt on my lap and am now at about 8 spi.

Gannyrosie

I'm here. I just don't get MQ. To me I see it as art, too much thread, not enough loft. But I will say I have done just straight lines on children quilts on the machine, only because I knew they will be used and abused. But HQ is my fav. I inherited lots of patterns from my Aunt and since I like old things, I will keep to it till my hands say no more.

Quilt-Till-U-Wilt

I hand quilt. I did a full size quilt by hand and am so proud of it. I've given quilts to my family and I have them machine quilted since they get a lot of use and I feel machine quilted are stronger. Personally I feel anythng hand quilted should be cherished. I wanted a hand quilted quilt for a long time and never bought one because they're so expensive. Once I started hand quilting I knew why.

Pat625

Since we are on the topic of hand work---I you hand piece, what type of stitch works best..I figure a running stitch is not going to have the best hold...

nananurse

I'm a hand quilter (a very slow one at that) and I prefer it but have seen some really pretty machine quilting. I have never tried machine quilting so I have no idea of how to do it. One of these days I'm going to try it.

llweezie

I have been quilting for 25 years and I have quilted too many quilts to count. They are all hand quilted. Then 2 years ago I purchased a long arm and since then everything is machine quilted... But I LOVED to hand quilt, I am thinking about starting to applique so I have something to do while watching TV in the evening.... !!

BellaBoo

I don't get excited to see a handquilted quilt. I know a lot of time and skill were involved but that's the quilter's choice to add all that to the quilt because they enjoy doing it. Long ago it was the only way if you wanted a quilt.
I have handquilted two queen size quilts and did not enjoy it enough to want to do it for every quilt I made.

Hinterland

Running stitches hold up just fine.

I do a running stitch, with a back stitch every time I stop and pull the thread through. I have a quilt on my bed with hand pieced blocks - it's over 10 years old and gets washed frequently. The only bad spot on it is where the cat recently bit through some sashing. and there are lots of antique quilts with us that were hand pieced and still holding up after decades.

Janet

P-BurgKay

Another hand quilter here. My mother showed me how when I was about 10 or 11. Helped her over the years with a few quilts. Then after she passed away 7 years ago, I started piecing (by machine) I do have a GMFG that I am hand piecing, but I hand quilt almost everything, a charity quilt, I will SID, but hand quilt everything else, table runners, up to King Size quilts in my lap on a 14" hoop. I also hand appliqué some and the quilting is relaxing for me, I quilt some most every evening. Personally, the machine quilting does not appeal to me, that is just my opinion. If I keep right at it every evening, I can hand quilt a king size in about 6 or 7 weeks.

scraphq

Another hand-quilter here. Also enjoy doing hand-piecing, although I do most of my piecing by machine.