margie77072

There is a very slight difference between hand quilted and machine quilted. You can't see it with your eyes, it's not a visual difference. When you give your quilt away and it's machined quilted has the recipient ever said "Gee, I wish you had hand quilted this". Not likely! I think the difference is will it be used or sit on a shelf. Don't get me wrong, I love both. I can't picture me committing the time to hand quilting. I so admire the people who can. I love machine pieced and/or quilted. I can see myself making a machined quilt. The only difference to me is time and usage. As I said, I love hand pieced and hand quilted quilts, but I'd never use one. I might hang it up for all to see, but would never put it on a bed. I'd be terrified that something would get stained or ripped and the person who gave it to me would be offended. I don't feel quite the same way about machine-pieced and machine-quilted quilts. I love them because I think they are made to be used and the person who gave it to me would be horribly offended if I didn't use it. There are quilts in both categories that I would hang and never place on a bed. But to me a hand quilted piece is made to show but not necessarily to be used. And a machined quilt is made to used and/or displayed. I think the only difference is.....Now that I think about it there is no real difference, not even slightly...LOL!

rainagade

RUN!!!!
I rarely will show my work because of this issue.
I always have a hand project going, currently 2, Grandmothers Garden and Cathedral Windows.
Most of my crazy quilting is done by hand.

I love pieced quilts and do my own quilting. I do not send it out. I use my own sewing machine. It may take me awhile but the quilt is mine. My idea, my time.

MadP

The quilt group I joined some time ago has become a knitting group at this time. However, when everyone was quilting everyone was nice. The opinion was it is your quilt you can do what ever you want. I have made many quilts, donated to charity and family. They were all appreciated. I don't and never did expect to win any honors. I made them to be used not judged.

Dragonomine

How ridiculous! I'm a hand quilter by my own preference because I enjoy the looks of old fashioned country quilts. I think machine quilting is much more difficult actually. I wouldn't even know where to begin trying to get all those squigglies to look good!

grandkids10

I think ANY quilt is a treasure. I mace denim quilts I piece nine patch, I quilt some with large stitches, I make drag arounds.And every one is appreciated by someone. Everyone has their opinion and their talent. I use up fabric and scraps and make several quilts a month. ANY quilt is beautiful. My daughter and I even make "ugly" quilts sometimes and even they are warm and soft. So I don't think there are any second class quilts, just different methods and designs.

sewred

If quilts weren't meant to be machine pieced we wouldn't have sewing machines that were made in the 1800's And that's what I'd tell them too!

AZ Jane

Keep them as 'from the guild I used to belong to." Lifre is way too short to be subjected to that atitude when they aren't even family! (Sometimes we have to put up with family) But snooty guild members, pssst!

quiltsRfun

I'm with you Jingle. If I had to hand quilt all mine they'd never get done. Plus the few that I've hand quilted I hesitate to use because of all the time I put into them. I like the look of machine quilting and believe it takes just as much talent to do it well as hand quilting.

klgls

I certainly hope not - I work full-time and want to get quilts done. I really admire hand-quilting, but I also admire machine quilted ones.

quilter1

Have I said how much I appreciate all my friends on this board!! I do know that my machine quilted quilts are not second class at all. It does make me sad that there are still quilters who will look down on another's work just because it is different from theirs. Oh my, wouldn't those quilt police be shocked if I said that some of my machine quilting was actually done on my Tin Lizzie! So friends-- let us celebrate our differences and encourage one another in our work. I relish seeing everyone's quilts and projects on this board. We are quilters, and we make a difference in other's lives. We should all be proud of what we do.