Hand sewn or sewing machine?

Im so glad to hear your explanation. That makes it almost forgivable! lol Diana

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Reply to
Diana Curtis
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taria wrote in message news:...

I agree, but the fact of the matter is that only a minority of quilters ever do fine work of ANY kind. We're talking about everyday stuff here, not the cover of QNM. Everyday mediocre handquilting is more beautiful than everyday mediocre machine quilting.

They weren't proud of the way the stitches looked, as such. They were showing off the fact that they could afford the latest gadget. Much like the current machine quilting and embroidery craze. You can buy a Bernina or a Viking, but (Roxane and Thimblelady notwithstanding) you can't buy the ability to make really small hand stitches. That takes a very real and ongoing sacrifice of time, which is so much more precious than money. Unlike what another poster said, it's not time = money = love, but time I could have spent otherwise equals love. The people who receive our quilts understand that, which leads to the continued perception that there is more love, care, concern or what you will in handmade objects. There is more of your personality in the little irregularities of handwork. That doesn't mean that people who simply can't do handwork because of health or lifestyle don't love the people they sew quilts for. Each person is different and noone can measure the personal sacrifice in any given project. For me, sitting at the machine kills my back so if I machine piece to get it ready by so and so's birthday, that's more of a sacrifice. But for MOST healthy people the choice between handwork and machine work does TEND to reflect a difference in personal outlook. For example, handquilting a bedquilt for your spinster aunt in the same amount of time you could have churned out 14 wallhangings for all your coworkers babies. Strictly speaking there is the same amount of self-giving in those two choices, but deep down we all know the difference.

I guess we are looking at the pendulum

Reply to
Tara Henderson

Reply to
taria

Tara, Sitting at the machine kills your back? Well, hand stitching kills my hands. Does that mean that you do better work because you can hand quilt and I can't?

Would you consider Caryl Bryer Fallert's or Harriet Hargraves' machine quilting inferior work?

I've seen some absolutely beautiful machine quilting. I've seen some absolutely awful hand quilting.

Reply to
Donna in Idaho

But, but ... There really is a different way of looking at this: I am proud of my machine work and not proud of any handwork I do (apart from sewing down bindings which I have got down to a fine art also). When I machine piece and quilt a piece of work, I am doing my best work. If I were to do something by hand, for some philosophical reason, I would not be giving my best work. I don't dislike handwork, and I am improving my hand appliqué. When that is good enough to make me proud, then I will be able to use that in quilts for others or shows. Doing 'my best' has for me become a measure of my regard for the recipient of any of my work. . In article , Tara Henderson writes

Reply to
Patti

A few oldies but goodies:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

A rose by any other name smells as sweet.

Don't rain on my parade.

PAT > I agree, but the fact of the matter is that only a minority of

Reply to
Pat in Virginia

For your comment Pat I'd almost send ya a quilt ;0)

It is nice to know that there are people that are less judgmental out there.

As an outsider to this group and a new quilter I have to say...I would never feel comfortable posting where I buy fabric, what kind of sewing machine I just bought or how I intend to quilt my projects. I do get a lot from reading suggestions and links to sales. I also love to look at all of the beautiful quilts and quilts in progress.

Roberta

Reply to
Roberta

DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT!! Sorry for yelling (well, not really but anything to get your attention).

Quilting began by women piecing together pieces of scrap fabrics, old clothing and sac cloths out of necessity. That is where the joy and beauty of quilting began. They'd be aghast at some of the snobbery that lives in the craft world these days.

NEVER, EVER be ashamed of where you buy your fabric or how you put YOUR quilts together.

There are NO quilt police. There are always judgemental people who will tell others that they aren't good enough parents (gasp, my kids drink cola), or your house isn't clean enough (you mean you DON'T clean your walls every week?) or your kids aren't doing well enough in school (what do you mean you don't force them to do math four hours a day??), or your car isn't new enough.......you get my drift. Just as there are people like that, there are those who sniff at anything less than what they would do. You know what to do about those people? IGNORE THEM.

You sound like me. We quilt because we love it. It's soothing, it's relaxing (well, it's relaxing when it's going well and you're not pulling out your hair and chewing up your lips because a pattern isn't going well or the stupid post office lost a quilt....), we love the beauty and the work that goes into making such lovely products.

I really wish you would share your finds, your methods and all stuff like that. Even us experienced quilters can learn from beginners and - we may even be reminded of what it was like when we first began.

Did I get through to you? YOUR quilts, YOUR choices are just as good as anyone else's here.

Off soapbox now before I fall off, Marijke

Reply to
Marijke

In article , Marijke writes

Yay! Well said Marijke. Sure, handwork takes longer than machine work. It takes even longer to whittle a scale model of the Titanic out of a whole redwood tree using only your fingernails. Who cares?

Reply to
Mel Rimmer

Unfortunately, my neighbor girl is getting some of this prejudice ingrained in her, too. Her grandmother is teaching her to quilt, and she only hand-pieces and hand-quilts. She does produce beautiful quilts, and the girl is eager to learn. But you should hear the way she says "my grandmother only does things by hand..."! (Like what? I use my feet??)

I have taught 2 of my children (so far) how to hand-piece, just like I am teaching them to sew on buttons and do other sewing and mending.

DS did machine quilting on his piece, and DD#1 sewed on buttons to "quilt" hers. DD#1 is going to machine piece her next quilt, and it will be machine quilted. She knows both methods, and chose the one she wanted to do. IMNHO, it is better for her to chose how she will do it so that it gets done, instead of adhering to some notion that it is "better" done by hand, and it ending up a UFO, and never quilting again!

I know how to hand piece, and for some patterns, I can see the benefit do piecing that way. I prefer machine piecing. I know how to quilt both ways, and am a beginner both ways. If the project calls for HQ, that's what I do. I have won awards for my quilts at our State Fair, so even though my quilts are perhaps in the everyday mediocre category Tara suggests, they are still beautiful and worthy.

Reply to
frood

Have no fear Roberta! Post, go ahead.. tell us all. Not everyone turns their noses up at chain store fabric. Not all of us are judgemental about how one makes their quilt. Some of us dont care at all as long as you promise to send us a finished one! lol I'm not a new quilter, or poster. If someone on the group has a problem with me buying Walmart fabric for my quilts they are more than welcome to buy me fabric from the LQS instead. If they dont like my machine choice they may send me a featherweight. Same goes for how I quilt it. There are people who think nothing but hand piecing and hand quilting counts as a real quilt. Then there are those of us, me included, that says it doesnt matter how it gets there, "finished is good". *quoted without permission* . :-) Id the vast majority of people share this view... and your attitude towards those who dont?? Id say.. to heck with them. Diana

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"Roberta" wrote...

Reply to
Diana Curtis

Woohoo! You have my snail for this one, right? *grins*

Elena in Tx, who has picked cotton before and has a nice comfy chair into which to swoon.

Reply to
Elena

Dont tell me that you *buy* your fabric?? Dont you know that fabric you make yourself makes the quilt more special? Printing the designs in the fabric yourself means more love too... and then you must grow your own cotton..right?

Diana, going out to the back 40 to plant the cotton which she will weave into cloth and dye with onions skins from onions which she grew herself and then on to the cotton gin so she can make her own batt, so that when this quilt is done it will be so chock full of love that the recipient will fall over in a dead swoon when they get it.

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"Marijke" > wrote (and I would snip but it all makes so much sense)

Reply to
Diana Curtis

Geez, do you write for a living? This is a hoot!

And don't forget to plant some beets so you can get that lovely red color, too!

R> Dont tell me that you *buy* your fabric?? Dont you know that fabric you make

Reply to
Ronnie Wexler

Reply to
Butterfly

Thank you Pat (and everyone else that replied to this thread) I love this group and have gotten so many great ideas but I really was just a keystroke away from unsubscribing because I just kept feeling like I'd never live up to $10.00 a yard, $7000 sewing machine 20 years to quilt a project expectations. And being to embarrassed to share what I do just defeats the purpose...

Now that I know that there are enough people that DON'T feel that way I figure I'll stick around awhile (at least long enough to get on the next address list in six months so that I may squish all of you that made me feel like I should stay)

Roberta > Roberta:

Reply to
Roberta
*snorfle* You haven't been here long if you think we all live up to those expectations! 20 years to quilt a project??? Dang, I'm slow, but I'm not that slow!
Reply to
frood

I don't think that the quilts I make for my grandchildren by buying pre-printed panels and machine quilting them are made with any less love than those that I carefully piece (though by machine) and hand-quilt. And I doubt if it makes any difference to the children. I suspect my grandson will be thrilled with the "Bob the Builder" quilt I just made from a pre-printed panel.

Julia > I would think unless you walk or ride the wagon or horse into

Reply to
Julia in MN

My response to this would be that a hand pieced, hand quilted quilt is not any warmer or snuggly than a machine pieced, machine quilted quilt! And, unless you are trying to win the "prize for being perfect" isn't warm and snuggly what it's all about?

JMHO- Laurie G.

Lakaya M. Peeples wrote:

Reply to
Laurie G.

No, really, I coudnt do that to you. This quilt will be packed to the gunwales with love, I mean it will be oozing from every hand stitched seam, it will be positively squooshy with love and the swoon would last a fornight at least. Think how that would cut into your quilting time! And therein lies the problem. Anyone I would love enough to make such a quilt for I would also love to much to put them through two weeks of a comatose nature. Such a moral dilema.... But, if I ever do, your name is top on the list. Diana

Reply to
Diana Curtis

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