You go girl! I'm with you - well, sort of. I have hand pieced several of my quilts. I have never machine quilted.

I went to a class last week that was supposed to introduce me to it (it came as a bonus when I purchased my new machine) and was told "You are going to love it!"

Welllllllllllll, maybe some day I will love it, but right now, I don't. I know, you have to practice to get good at it. But I think for now, I'll stick to hand quilting. I love doing it, the feel of the fabric beneath my fingers, the look as it takes shape, the meditative quality of the time doing it, and the very best, the way it looks when I pull it out of the dryer after completion and see the whole project "heirloomed" by my washer and dryer!

I recently purchased a new sewing machine (after 35 years) and my thought was this: "I will never make as many quilts as I desire if I don't speed up either the piecing or the quilting!" So I decided to speed up the piecing. I've taken up Paper Piecing (Carol Doak) and am really enjoying it using the bells and whistles of my new Janome 6600.

I'm sure I will some day hand piece another quilt! For me, it's the process not the product that I desire. So, at least there are two of us out here. I will never make as many quilts as folks who do it on machines, but oh, well.......................

I have discovered that any of my quilts are not finished until there is some hand quilting included. This just feels right and of course keeps me intouch with our needlework heritage. I have been inspired by the masters in Amish country!

Maureen,
I personally am grateful that you do all of you're quilting work by hand. It is a gift and one to be treasured. Thank you for keeping this beautiful "tradition" going in a world where everything needs to be done yesterday.

I'm a bit of an odd duck in the quilting world myself. Like yourself, I enjoy hand piecing and hand quilting. One of the biggest benefits that I see for myself is that it's portable. I can work on a piecing or quilting project at the coffee shop, on a train or take it with my when I travel.

Then too, I machine piece and machine quilt. I don't think there will ever be a time in my life where I go one way or the other totally. There are benefits to both.

Happy quilting!
Teri

My pet peeve!
I am a hand piecer, hand appliquer and hand quilter by choice.

So why do I keep being told by machine users that I ought to convert because I could finish a quilt faster? I don't tell them they should sew by hand because it would take them longer.

I make traditional quilts but I admire contemporary and art quilts - I just know I couldn't make them myself.

There is room for everyone so please please stop making me feel like a dinosaur.

Back to hand quilting my handpieced pine burr!