Overquilting

i agree, less is more. In most cases. depends on the size of the quilt and what the maker determines the purpose of it. whether it's a gift for a baby or an entrant in a juried show...those are the extreems i can think of right now. i try to match the quilting pattern with the overall quilt design.

but that's just me?

amy in CNY

I have not had the priviledge of attending a quilt show (not many of them around here in Spain!). So what quilts I have seen have been pictures. And I agree with the "less is more" crows. To me quilting is basically a way of holding the sandwich together, and when I quilt, that's what I do. True, I will stich in the ditch on just about everything, but I don'ty just SID around the block. Each block is individually SID'd but generally I only quilt outlines not on the fabrics thembselves. I think the patchwork speaks for itself and does not need extensive quilting over it to make it stand out. I know, just my opinion, and in now way law. Of course, I have never tried long arm quilting, and maybe if I do, I'll change my mind! But for now, I like the simpler, cleaner look of less is more.

Claudia

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I think experienced machine quilters, especially longarm quilters, do tend to quilt more heavily because it is a lot easier for them than for those of us who quilt by hand or with a domestic machine. And some of them probably do over-quilt because I agree that the quilting should enhance and not overpower the quilt top.

However, I also think that a lot of quilters in the past did not quilt enough. Many tops can be enhanced by quilting more than just enough to hold the layers together. I have found that I am quilting quite a bit more heavily now than I did when I first started quilting.

The quilting does need to be fairly even across the quilt; the borders should not be quilted a lot more heavily than the center of the quilt or vice versa. Likewise, some blocks should not be quilted a lot more heavily than others. But, like Polly's dogs, quilting more heavily around some design features will make those features "pop" -- kind of a trapunto effect.

Julia > Is it just me, or are a lot of quilters overquilting their quilts? >

I love this thread! I have a great admiration for quilters who basically create art with thread on the fabric background. And fabric painting is something I'm working on -- I want to be better at it. Personally I find a huge divide in how I quilt depending on the purpose of the piece of work. If I'm donating the quilt for little kids to cuddle under, then I usually quilt onto a fleece background and eliminate both batting and backing. I quilt enough to make the whole thing secure enough to hold up through years of washing and hard wear. But when I work on "art quilts" I do tend to use the quilting as part of the whole design -- some of it is heavy and painting like and some is sketchy but puts in lines for texture or such. The result is not cuddly and isn't intended as such.

The big bed quilt I made and quilted on a long-arm machine is just a conglomeration really. I started out trying to be very careful with a pattern but quickly was overwhelmed by time and had to finish by 6 p.m. that day. So I got busy and had fun. I quilted in notes to my DH and our names and dates and the dog and the car and the mountains and hearts and such. When I was finished I realized it evened out. Mostly. LOL.

I think people who are artists at quilting and especially those who do it for a living fall into two camps: those who have a good understanding of design and those who want to show off their virtuoso quilting abilities. Sometimes less is more and I love the hand quilted look.

Sunny

Good topic, Donna! I guess the answer is 'it depends!' :) I have seen some quilts that had way too much quilting, rendering the quilt a bit too stiff for napping. Usually this problem is with MQ, but I've seen a few HQ that were over quilted, too. I don't like that look or feel, but I think there are lots of quilts finished with insufficient quilting. I've been known to do this more than once! Very often it is because I am uncertain as to what to quilt, so I 'leave it to finish up later.' Unfortunately, later usually doesn't happen here.

I think Kathy A hit the needle on the eye when she said: "Unfortunately, there are a lot of longarm books and classes out there on how to quilt, but very few on good quilting design. Most longarmers (actually, most quilters in general) don't have a design background, and don't always understand issues of color, contrast, and texture." I would love to take a class on selection of appropriate quilting design.

Ta, PAT in VA/USA

I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival with a friend a few weeks ago, and one thing on which we agreed completely was that the quilts had FAR too much quilting on them.

Unfortunately, doing so was necessary if you wanted a prize at that show....

Martha