Covered in Threads

My Father & Step-Mother did all the piecing of their quilt tops from second hand clothing by machine but when it came to quilting it they mounted in on a wooden frame that was suspended from the family room ceiling using a pulley system my father designed. When friends and family came to visit they would drop it down into position, start the coffee and those interested would grab a needle and thread and start quilting. He managed to complete a queen size quilt every year for some lucky senior in his church.
As for myself, most of the quilts I make are for resale and are done completely by machine, it does save a tremendous amount of time. For my family and special friends I have made many by hand and with each stitch many warm thoughts and prayers are sent their way, I feel, by doing this.
As for a dieing art, I think not! In my circle of friends and the guild I'm a member of, it surprised me to find how many of the younger people, those under 25, are in fact hand quilting. It's here to stand though not a common as it once was.

KarenBarnes

It would be sad to see it die out! I hand quilt but have tried the machine quilting and I can see why it might win. It's definitely faster! I sometimes have trouble with my hands so I think it will only be a matter of time before I have to give up the handquilting even though it is still my favorite! I've seen some of your pictures, I hope you NEVER have to give it up!

bstanbro

I don't know if it's dying out or not, but I'm certain that time is a factor. It's not the only factor, however. I have arthritis in both hands, elbows, shoulders, neck, knees, and feet. If I had to hand quilt, I wouldn't be able to quilt at all. I'm thankful to have a sewing machine and a couple of very talented long arm quilters so that I can enjoy the machine piecing and machine quilting that I am still able to do. (And who knows how long that will last?)

There was a time when women wove their own fabric and spun their own thread. I know some women who still do weaving, but I don't know anyone who still spins their own thread. As with any craft that was once done out of necessity, mechanization has made it easier. Because it's easier, more people can enjoy it. No longer a necessity, it is now an art form.

Personally, I don't care whether quilts are hand done or machine done. I love them all the same, and I don't check the label to see how they were put together. I just admire the handiwork and I'm grateful I can participate to the extent that I do.

craftybear

I am learning to hand quilt

shaverg

That is great, I hope you love it as much as I do.

rhueluna

It seems to be happening that way. I too have seen very little hand quilting. I only hand quilt mine and think they look so much more beautiful and loved than machine done everything. I noticed the big prize winners in all the quilt contests are machine quilters and the real artists have gone to the back of the bus. Also noticing that big machine manufacturers are the ones giving out the prizes. Machine work is also beautiful, but it just breaks my heart to see the quality hand quilts go down the way they seem to be. Its so much more satisfying to see the results from such a big effort. It is fun to machine quilt, but the results are less gratifying. Just my opinion, but I definitely noticed the same thing. (b) What really ruins an antique quilt top is when someone takes all that beautiful hand work and throws it on a machine to quilt it just to get it finished. Almost and insult to the person that made that quilt top. Also depends on what the quilt is for. If its and heirloom seems handwork would be more important than just a bedspread or pic nic throw.


I am now working on hand pieced, and hand quilted, all cotton butterfly quilt. I got the pattern from a picture in a book and made a pattern from it. Here is how it is going so far. I am making it in strips of 2 rows and attaching them when completed and then finishing. I hope you like it. :) :) :) :)

rhueluna

Give yourself time. Its really worth it and so addictive when you see the results. I am proud of you.

rhueluna

I understand about the arthritis and ailments that make it hard to quilt. It is wonderful that you have a machine to help you with that. There are wonderful machine done quilts out there in my opinion too. Its just the hand quilters don't get much notice for all their efforts and they don't know what they are missing by not hand quilting if they can. I hope you can do many more quilts on your machine. Keep up the good work.

rhueluna

Oh boy would I like to see those quilts. Now those should be at the top of the list as real quilts. Mine may be all hand done, but using clothing and other items is the real meaning of quilts from the start. Nobody keeps the clothes to make the quilts. What I would give for those old dresses my grandma used to wear to make a quilt in her honor. They were all given to the goodwill before I was old enough to know their worth. I do have some sunbonnet sue blocks my aunt made from clothes and scraps during the depression. Some are stained and I am not quite sure how to finish them. Any suggestions?

Covered in Threads

Beautiful workmanship "rhueluna".
I commend you for all your hard work and dedication.
Our local county fair is going to reevaluation the judging categories this year so those that do "hand" quilt will be recognized for all the time and work that does go in to their pieces. Though I agree with you that the machine quilts are also beautiful there is a difference and in my opinion there should actually be 3 categories in all fairness - Hand quilted, Free Motion Quilted and computer guided guilting. All are have one thing in common, what the "artist" sees as complimentary to the piece of artwork they are working on but the techniques are all different and need to be recognized accordingly.