Ok, after much thought I have decided to try once again to hand quilt a few quilts. I have exhumed the beautiful cherry hand quilting frame that I bought when I first started this madness. It was made by a local 80+ year old craftsman who has since passed away. I tried to get up and running with it a couple of years ago and didn't have much luck with the methods that I assumed were necessary at the time having come from a needlepoint background. Now with a better understanding of the requirements to hand quilt I will be attempting to get this phase of the sport firmly within the grasp of this rapidly aging brain. I visited some Amish quilt shops this last weekend and was inspired with the beautiful work that they have done with just a needle and thread. I have ordered some longer poles to allow the fitting of a queen size quilt to be made within the frame and also another set of poles that are shorter for use with crib/lap sized quilts. Another thing I am going to attempt is machine freehand quilting on a Grace machine quilting frame. Not for awhile though, as the hand quilting frame set up takes up all the space that I have in the quilt room. They both break down and can be stored when each is not in use. I guess the thing is to never get complacent about your skills, and always be willing to challenge yourself. I am now looking forward to bringing this fine piece of equipment back into the light of day from the dark recesses of the black hole of the attic. The repository of things that didn't go quite as you planned. Wish me luck. Here is a picture of the frame as it emerged from the attic storage with the shorted poles in place.
John