MJ4Ever

I have been learning how to quilt the past few days. I am wanting to start my first quilt. Which is better for someone new to quilting to do for a first quilt machine or hand quilt?

bigsister63

It all depends on YOU!!! Each method has it own rewards and hassells. Hand quilting is becoming a lost art. It is slower to hand quilt so you do not get as many quilts done. It also seem like it would be harder to learn to become very proficient with your hand stitches in hand quilting. However hand quilting is really beautiful and there is certain details that you can not get with machine quilting. Machine quilting is much quicker and easier to learn. However it does take a sewing machine which may add to the cost. You can do both hand peice a quilt top and then have it machine quilted or visa versa. Only you can choose which method you prefer!

Misty's Mom

Welcome from Texas. I prefer machinequilting.

alisonquilts

I love to hand sew, so I started with hand quilting. I thoroughly enjoy hand quilting, I can do it watching TV with my husband, I find it relaxing and "Zen"...but it takes a long long time to finish anything, and if the quilt top you have made has a lot of seams it can be frustrating to sew - especially as a beginner.

My advice would be to do hand quilting first IF you like hand sewing in general. If you find hand sewing tiresome, frustrating, or just meh, go with machine quilting first - instant gratification!

Alison

Holice

Make a small piece by hand. You will learn how fabric is manulipated, then progress to machine.

toverly

I think machine quilting with a walking foot is the easiest. I'd start with that, quicker results.

bjsmith57

I am also new to quilting - - and I started my first quilt recently and I plan on trying machine quilting - - I am waiting for my new walking foot to arrive.

Mdegenhart

To clarify, are you talking about piecing or quilting? It takes a very long time to hand piece a quilt top. My teacher had us hand piece the first three blocks we did, but we have machine pieced everything since. I made one exception. I could not get a Y-seamed LeMoyne star to come together correctly on the sewing machine, so I ended up hand sewing it. I actually like hand sewing, but am too much of an instant gratification junky to do it all by hand. I am thinking about starting a needle turn applique quilt to have hand work for when I am watching TV.

pollyjvan9

I do only machine quilting, mostly free motion quilting (FMQ) because I can't physically do handwork any more, but I wish I had started quilting when I was much younger so I could hand quilt. But, really, it depends on you and what you want, and like, to do. Maybe you can do a couple of mug rugs, hand quilt one and machine quilt the other and see what really speaks to you.

Dolphyngyrl

Depends on your personality IMHO I am too impatient for hand work as it does take longer. I wouldn't say one is easier because FMQ on a sewing machine is not easy at all, even with a walking foot. Both require great skill. Do what you are most likely to enjoy.