kasmitty1

Everybody has a different choice of toys for their hobbies.... bass boats instead of row boats; motorcycles instead of bicycles; router instead of whittling knife. To each their own... it's all about what we personally enjoy. I like FMQ, but love to see the patterns created by a long arm. It all sends chills down my back... and I love it!

grammypatty7

This was tough for me but I have done a major mental re-arrangement and attitude adjustment on this. 2 years ago I had the privilege of joining a quilting chapter in the retirement community where I live and so many ladies I've met here used to hand quilt but can't anymore for a variety of reasons. Some can cut but can't sew at all so they have someone else do the piecing and someone else do the machine quilting. They hate it but it's the only way they can continue to be part of our quilting world. It made me realize that could happen to me too one day down the road so I'd better not be judgemental or critical. I started out doing everything by hand but after having to reconstruct my first two hand pieced quilts vowed never again and now machine piece and hand quilt. That's taking a modification now as I'm beginning to learn to machine quilt but still do the detail quilting by hand so who knows what I'll do in the future. We are just plain lucky to have a variety of choices available to all of us so we can continue to enjoy our quilting however we approach it. The machine quilted quilts are gorgeous and I sure can't argue with that but I personally do prefer the lovely, soft, cuddly hand quilted ones the most. My idea of cheating is when I buy a printed panel and hand quilt it but I also always dress them up with pieced borders. Cheating? Due to where I live, it's necessary for me to respect the choices of others and encourage them to continue to participate with us as quilting is so good for all of us. I too wish they could continue to enjoy the hand quilting but you know, I've also meant many who only touch a needle to put a new one into their quilting machines - they will not hand sew anything for any reason and that's ok too.
Patty

grammypatty7

Amma,
Exactly and I agree with you. I replied to the original post so it'll be coming through soon. I could never say to someone that they can't or aren't quilters because they use a method different from mine when in reality, everything I do is different from what anyone else does. I hope you and I both can continue to quilt for as long a possible and enjoy the process no matter where the new ways take us and thank goodness for the changes that come about to make it easier for us to continue.
Hugs
Patty

grammypatty7

Sharon,
Good for you. I too am learning how to machine quilt but my family will continue to get my machine pieced hand quilted items. For my quilt chapter we are required to make charity quilts and I won't hand quilt those but machine quilt them. I'm making a gift right now and it's machine quilted with hand quilted detailing so I can complete it more quickly. It's still a beautiful quilt but is different from my normal style and that's ok because my style is currently evolving. Enjoy your quilting.
Hugs
Patty

grammypatty7

Dodie,
The quilt show we have here has such designations and thank goodness they do. If I were to enter a machine pieced, hand quilted quilt, it will NOT compete with a machine pieced, professionally quilted quilt. Nor will it compete with any quilt that is machine quilted - they have their own categories but the hand quilting categories are very few as there are very few of us in the guild. In fact when I moved here 4 years ago, I met several hand quilters who were turned away because they weren't prolific enough. I was lucky enough to get into a chapter 2 years ago and now we are up to 8 hand quilters in my chapter as the other ladies decided that if I'm brave enough to admit to hand quilting, they would too and it's been fun to see.
Hugs
Patty

Aileen

It is a matter of semantics, when someone asks me the question "Is it handmade" I clarify it with, "I sewed it on the sewing machine or it was all hand sewn, but yes it is handmade by me" vs being purchased in a store or from someone else.

garysgal

I apologize-I should have phrased that differently. I don't consider a self-quilting machine cheating any more than I would loading my dishwasher and letting it do my dishes for me. I think it is all up to you. I have seen many hand quilted quilts that are beautiful and took a lot of hours, but the quilter was happy to hand quilt. When I first started quilting, I hand quilted a lot as well, but now it is much easier to load it on the frame and quilt it. It isn't self quilting of course, but it is by a machine not by hand. But, for me it is quicker and I can move on to something else. So if you think it is cheating and you are happy with hand quilting, then go for it. I admire your patience and your ability to hand quilt and I know that each stitch will be stitched with love. You can't beat that.

grammypatty7

I just tell people that I machine piece and hand quilt and the design of the quilts are 100% mine using a variety of patterns I've collected from quilting magazines and books over the past 46 year years. Thus far, the work is totally mine but if I ever complete a top that I'm not willing to quilt for some reason, I won't think twice about hiring a professional to quilt it for me but I hope that day never comes but at my age, one never knows. A year ago I had a very serious surgery and even made arrangements with two of my quilting friends to see to it that if I couldn't complete my next to the youngest granddaughter's quilt, would they please see to it that it was completed so she'd have it. It was over half way quilted and I even gave them permission to finish it by machine quilting it even though I was hand quilting. The main thing was to see to it she got her last Grammy quilt but luckily I was able to complete it and give it to her. Now I'm finishing up a quilt for my youngest granddaughter and then all will have gotten their twin quilts from me.

MadQuilter

I know what you mean because I have the same question about copying a fully-developed pattern. IMHO the only "cheating" would happen if the quilt was deliberately misrepresented or mislabeled.

Personally, I would be perfectly OK with using an automated or programmed quilting process because I do not like the actual quilting as much as sewing the blocks/tops.

For me, the question is more about entering automated quilts alongside quilts done by manually-controlled longarms - is that fair?

mbmquilts

Of course not, it is just sending your quilt off to quilt camp just like many of us send our children:)