Originally Posted by Wonnie

Have perused this thread from start to finish. Simply put, there are two preferences...heavily quilted and minimally quilted.

I believe there is a middle ground between heavily quilted and minimally quilted. That's where I like to be
Linda

Originally Posted by LynnVT

Fascinating conversation here! Everyone has a different opinion and all are good. If the quilter is an artist, regardless of what holds the needle - your fingers, your domestic machine, your longarm, your sitdown quilt machine, it is still the art that matters. Still another issue is competition with a computer. When your quilt hangs next to a quilt that has been automatically quilted by a machine, not a person handling a machine, that is a whole different ballgame. My feeling is that "roboquilting" should be on the label. Most of the time an experienced quilter can tell the difference, but it's annoying to me that people get to say "quilted by..." when actually all they did was hook it all up, choose a design from a catalog, and stand by or walk away while the machine does all the work. Sure, you have to be there in case the thread breaks or something, but I contend that auto-quilting should be identified on the labels just as professional quilters now are listed. Let's call it what it is. It's fine - I see the purpose of quick and easy - and they are certainly beautiful designs, but I consider it truth in labeling. Am I alone in this?

Originally Posted by feline fanatic

Excellent points Skittl. The quilt that swept the show circuit in 2011 was "America, Let it shine" by Sherry Reynolds. This quilt was pieced and quilted on a 20YO domestic Bernina and designed on graph paper, as opposed to using a design software like EQ. Here is an excellent blog detailing all about that spectacular quilt:
http://godutchbaby.blogspot.com/2011...by-sherry.html

Stitch, I think it is premature of you to so confidently say you won't be accepted at a major show. It is more than quilting that makes a show quilt. Original piecing design, complexity of pieced design (it is doubtful a YBR, BQ or Warm Wishes will make the cut in a juried show, no matter how spectacularly quilted) precision in workmanship, use of color and value, all of these things combined and more are what make an award winning quilt in a juried national show. If it was just heavy elaborate quilting that counted then nothing but wholecloths would be winning.

An interesting point about computer assisted quilting, recently AQS changed the classification of machine quilting in only two categories. Either the quilting was computer assisted or not. Unfortunately AQS decided stitch regulation falls under computer assisted. As Skittl mentioned most of the winners so far are hand guided but they were forced to enter in the computer assisted category because the quilting was stitch regulated. I think that is very sad. I wish they had made the category computer guided instead of computer assisted.