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From: swartzrn
Date: 08-01-2006, 02:13 PM (1 of 8)
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I have a question..do you guys primarily machine or hand quilt or both? I ask this b/c I started out thinking I'd prefer to machine quilt. However I almost finished hand quilting an Irish chain quilt (full size) and it's not been a very bad ordeal. It's been quite time consuming but I have enjoyed handquilting it. I had some problems figuring out how to bury the knot but once I got it down, it became easier making sure I got the knot through the layers without going through the backing. I have 2 machines, a Brother and a Singer CE-100. With the singer, I can use the embroidery hoop w/out the attachment and hand guide the needle. I experimented a little yesterday with some scraps I sandwiched with some scrap from my batting and the backing I used for my irish chain and it wasn't that bad. I think the hardest part will be learning to guide the hoop. I was just wondering what you more experienced quilters found that you liked the best. My grandmother has never machine quilted any of her quilts and passed down her hoop of 30 years+ to me (an oval one--I thought it was the sweetest thing ever.) Using the thimble took some getting used to. I have worked on that irish chain a little everyday (between chasing after a toddler and everything else) and have almost finished it. Now I just have to figure out how to do the binding. Thanks for your input! Julie
"To see the future, look into a child's eyes." |
User: swartzrn
Member since: 02-17-2006 Total posts: 436 
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From: HeyJudee
Date: 08-01-2006, 04:19 PM (2 of 8)
When I was growing up many moons ago, I used to help my mother and grandmother quilt...my mother would probably rip and redo when I would leave.  But since I started quilting, I hand quilted my very first quilt using a hoop. It took me 1.5 years to do it...due to heat in summer, family illnesses and just life in general getting in the way. Since I have arthritis in my hands, I prefer to machine quilt. I have quilted 4 quilts using a walking foot and one large quilt with my free-motion foot. Have also done other small projects with the free-motion foot. Gradually with practice and some classes that I've taken my quilting is improving. TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366 
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From: Patty22
Date: 08-01-2006, 07:22 PM (3 of 8)
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I started out hand quilting because that is what everyone did. One of my first quilts was from a Vogue pattern of Noah's Ark. The directions called for appliqueing onto prequilted fabric. Hmmmm there wasn't really the variety of fabric available because this was before the quilting renaissance everyone talks about that happened in 1976 .....soooooooooooooooooo.......gulp, don't believe I am admitting this.......................but I appliqued all the animals and boat onto a matress pad. I'll have to dig around for the pattern because now I'm wondering if they did give directions how to quilt or not. I believe they suggested a mattress pad if my memory serves me right. Machine quilting wasn't possible with my old Singer or White. When I got my Bernina 900 in the 80's and had the ability to drop my feed dogs I started to machine quilt. The guild that I belonged to did not think kindly of my machine quilting, but I felt a bit redeemed when I won a ribbon at the state fair for a large applique sunflower quilt (the pattern was in QNM.) Now, I mainly machine quilt, HOWEVER, I am presently hand quilting and I love the feel and handle of the fabric. I machine quilt with a cotton batt and hand quilt with a low-loft polyester HOWEVER, my daughter's quilts have poly batts because she wants the feel of a comforter and not an antique quilt. For anyone learning to quilt today there is such a plethora of magazines, books, guilds, etc. that I would hope my blunders would be avoided.  *** I just checked the pattern - Little Vogue 1327 and the pattern called for one purchased double size mattress Pad or One Double Size Flat Bed Sheet and one sheet of polyester batting. They gave directions for taking the sheet and folding it in half and then making a grid machine quilting pattern over the entire surface. After this was made it gave instructions for each applique piece. When the applique was finished, borders were then stitched to the pad base. Too bad there isn't a date on the pattern, but it cost me a whopping $2.50. This is a prime example of how there weren't many around that quilted and the instructions for quilts left much to the imagination. This was definitely how NOT to put a quilt together. 
Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: swartzrn
Date: 08-02-2006, 07:42 PM (4 of 8)
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Hey thank you! I used a double sheet for backing on this quilt b/c that's what I thought would be easiest and I was just experimenting so I didn't want to put quite as much money into the backing. It's a decent count sheet so I think it was OK. I dropped the dogs on my Brother machine and tried to experiment on that as well. I felt like the fabric was running away from me. That will definately take some practice. I really have enjoyed hand quilting the quilt I"m working on now. Don't know that I'll do every project like that but this one was good practice. Julie
"To see the future, look into a child's eyes." |
User: swartzrn
Member since: 02-17-2006 Total posts: 436
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From: HeyJudee
Date: 08-02-2006, 08:31 PM (5 of 8)
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Julie, I used a 200 thread count sheet on the back of the first quilt I made...the one that I hand quilted. Not knowing the difference, I thought it was OK. But now that I know more about quilting...I would never recommend using a sheet for backing if the quilt is going to be hand quilted.
TTFN from
Judy |
User: HeyJudee
Member since: 01-25-2005 Total posts: 1366
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From: Patty22
Date: 08-02-2006, 09:15 PM (6 of 8)
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Judy, how fortunate you are to have had family members to guide you along your quilt making journey - you make such beautiful things that we can credit your teachers Julie....The thread count of home furnishing fabrics (such as Laura Ashley) and bedding fabrics are so tightly woven (and some very heavy) that it makes it difficult to needle the fabric when hand quilting. Not as many problems with machine quilting (except that you will end up with a very heavy - we call them "lead" quilts"). I also hand quilted a basket quilt in home furnishing Laura Ashley fabric before I knew better. It was a killer on the hands as well as fingers. Patty
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User: Patty22
Member since: 03-29-2006 Total posts: 1194 |
From: JoanieB
Date: 08-06-2006, 06:15 PM (7 of 8)
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I have handquilted everything I have done so far, buuut who knows what the future will hold. I would like to learn to machine quilt some time, but right now I am enjoying the hand work. I have a dear friend and neighbor who is 81 years young, self taught hand appliquer and well as hand quilter and she uses bed sheets for backs all of the time. She didn't even start to learn to quilt until she retired from her job at 65. She doesn't seem to have any problems quilting through them, though I've read and been told not to do this. Joanie B |
User: JoanieB
Member since: 01-28-2005 Total posts: 68 |
From: DawnP
Date: 08-07-2006, 09:08 PM (8 of 8)
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I love doing both. Hand quilting gets me very close to the quilt, and I love looking at the dainty little stitches. I think it shows the person receiving it how special they are. I made an old fashioned quilt for my mother-in-law and am hand quilting that. Machine quilting is, of course, faster, but you can kind of let go and have fun with your machine! I love free motion quilting. It's kind of like painting, but with a needle! I machine quilt children's quilts that I know will be used and washed regularly. I feel it makes the quilts more durable but, that's just me. Everyone has their favorite technique and their own reasons for using that technique and I think it's what makes each quilt so unique and special. Dawn P |
User: DawnP
Member since: 08-15-2002 Total posts: 39 
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