As I perused several blogs today...noting who is working on what, I actually came to a question...Am I a quilt snob??? Do I appreciate Hand quilting over Machine? Which do I personally prefer? Why?What about quilt frames???? Hoops???? Until I moved to South Africa, I could count on 1 finger...yes...1 finger the number of quilts I had quilted on a machine....I didn't like it....I didn't appreciate it....would never voluntaily do a quilt by machine. Every quilt made prior to July 2004,save for one, had been done by hand....including about 75 baby/cot quilts....Did I mention that my friends and family seem to be prolific breeders!!????? I also had tried just about every imaginable quilt frame...I came across....at thrift stores...auctions..and even quilt shows! Yikes those are expensive! I had an antique frame held together by c clamps...to quilt my first quilt in 1985....I had done a quilt the year before...but not used a frame...rather the large hoop. The large rectangle c clamp frame seemed rather cumbersome...and of little HOME DECOR VALUE!!!! The next quilt I went back to the hoop...but this one was a large oval...from the goodwill. It worked but was a bit flimsy...and constantly had to be readjusted. Next I found a plastic clamp on frame...from another thrift store...That one was more compact...but the batting could really make for an ill fitting quilt and it would loosen up very quickly. I also tried changing how I held hoops...in the lap...propped up on the arm of the sofa... on my knees sitting on the floor? I thought I had a fair quilt stitch...but everything got so sore when I
quilted very long. I have to admit...that having had two surgeries on my right elbow, I haven't done much hand quilting of late...and here I taught a girl how to hand quilt...bought her a portable frame...and she does all my hand quilting for the moment. I personally love seeing the designs appear under my needle...and the patterns giving depth to the project. Not sure how you feel, but I think even if I do get my Long arm someday....I will always have at least ONE quilt being hand quilted all the time...as long as my hands work! I plan to try the Hoopless/frameless technique of Tonya at Lazy Gal quilting
http://lazygalqulting.blogspot.com/Maybe its just the tactile feel of the fabric under the hand. I am sure its not the sore fingers. Since there are quite a few handquilters out there, I 'd love to know what your best thimble /protector is???? I cut off fingers from old ladies leather gloves bought at the thrift stores/antique shops...even at a couple of bucks..I get at least 6-8 leather thimbles from one pair. Sometimes all 10. Now this true for home sewing machines...always had a dream of owning/using a long arm of my very own...that machine quilting I did value. But long arms are few and far between here in South Africa,
so I noticed that many of the quilters here did lots of vermicilli...meanderning on their quilts. I had never even done that on a machine! Although that isn't something I aspire to do...I did try it...and had some disastrous (thankfully....those projects were donated...or went to family members who didn't know the difference...and that puckers on the back....weren't SUPPOSED to be there! I am somewhat ashamed that I sent them anyway...but the thought behind it was genuine! Now I must admit...that some outstanding quilting seems to be going on...with HOME sewing machines...and amazing things can be done with the longarms. Never compared these...if any of you have a particular machine...or long arm. I am in the market for one of each...so am open to suggestions. I have included another small baby quilt that I finished...there always seems to be someone pregnant in my family!!! And a queen sized one...before it was hand quilted...a hunter green and white chain.It is fully handquilted and stored in the US for now. Have an amish bars quilt on the frame...but not taken a stitch in it. Maybe over Christmas will work on it a bit. Had to include a photo taken of a young man, who was sitting in the back of a bakki here...at the Mall ..waiting for his ride to finish shopping. He is studying to be a Tsongoma ( sorry for spelling...the SA girls can correct me) a traditional healer. It still strikes me as funny when I see these very unique individuals in every day life. Since leapord is endangered, or it could be economics...he is wearing leapord cloth! No animals were harmed except whatever he is wearing on his ankles. He also had bright orange clay paint on his face and body. Enjoy your weekend, I can't beleive that its almost here.
As I perused several blogs today...noting who is working on what, I actually came to a question...Am I a quilt snob??? Do I appreciate Hand quilting over Machine? Which do I personally prefer? Why?What about quilt frames???? Hoops???? Until I moved to South Africa, I could count on 1 finger...yes...1 finger the number of quilts I had quilted on a machine....I didn't like it....I didn't appreciate it....would never voluntaily do a quilt by machine. Every quilt made prior to July 2004,save for one, had been done by hand....including about 75 baby/cot quilts....Did I mention that my friends and family seem to be prolific breeders!!????? I also had tried just about every imaginable quilt frame...I came across....at thrift stores...auctions..and even quilt shows! Yikes those are expensive! I had an antique frame held together by c clamps...to quilt my first quilt in 1985....I had done a quilt the year before...but not used a frame...rather the large hoop. The large rectangle c clamp frame seemed rather cumbersome...and of little HOME DECOR VALUE!!!! The next quilt I went back to the hoop...but this one was a large oval...from the goodwill. It worked but was a bit flimsy...and constantly had to be readjusted. Next I found a plastic clamp on frame...from another thrift store...That one was more compact...but the batting could really make for an ill fitting quilt and it would loosen up very quickly. I also tried changing how I held hoops...in the lap...propped up on the arm of the sofa... on my knees sitting on the floor? I thought I had a fair quilt stitch...but everything got so sore when I 
quilted very long. I have to admit...that having had two surgeries on my right elbow, I haven't done much hand quilting of late...and here I taught a girl how to hand quilt...bought her a portable frame...and she does all my hand quilting for the moment. I personally love seeing the designs appear under my needle...and the patterns giving depth to the project. Not sure how you feel, but I think even if I do get my Long arm someday....I will always have at least ONE quilt being hand quilted all the time...as long as my hands work! I plan to try the Hoopless/frameless technique of Tonya at Lazy Gal quilting http://lazygalqulting.blogspot.com/Maybe its just the tactile feel of the fabric under the hand. I am sure its not the sore fingers. Since there are quite a few handquilters out there, I 'd love to know what your best thimble /protector is???? I cut off fingers from old ladies leather gloves bought at the thrift stores/antique shops...even at a couple of bucks..I get at least 6-8 leather thimbles from one pair. Sometimes all 10. Now this true for home sewing machines...always had a dream of owning/using a long arm of my very own...that machine quilting I did value. But long arms are few and far between here in South Africa,
so I noticed that many of the quilters here did lots of vermicilli...meanderning on their quilts. I had never even done that on a machine! Although that isn't something I aspire to do...I did try it...and had some disastrous (thankfully....those projects were donated...or went to family members who didn't know the difference...and that puckers on the back....weren't SUPPOSED to be there! I am somewhat ashamed that I sent them anyway...but the thought behind it was genuine! Now I must admit...that some outstanding quilting seems to be going on...with HOME sewing machines...and amazing things can be done with the longarms. Never compared these...if any of you have a particular machine...or long arm. I am in the market for one of each...so am open to suggestions. I have included another small baby quilt that I finished...there always seems to be someone pregnant in my family!!! And a queen sized one...before it was hand quilted...a hunter green and white chain.It is fully handquilted and stored in the US for now. Have an amish bars quilt on the frame...but not taken a stitch in it. Maybe over Christmas will work on it a bit. Had to include a photo taken of a young man, who was sitting in the back of a bakki here...at the Mall ..waiting for his ride to finish shopping. He is studying to be a Tsongoma ( sorry for spelling...the SA girls can correct me) a traditional healer. It still strikes me as funny when I see these very unique individuals in every day life. Since leapord is endangered, or it could be economics...he is wearing leapord cloth! No animals were harmed except whatever he is wearing on his ankles. He also had bright orange clay paint on his face and body. Enjoy your weekend, I can't beleive that its almost here. 
4 comments:
Hi Colleen,
I build up thick callouses as my finger protectors. I love handquilting using a medium round hoop and turn it often as I'm only able to quilt with the needle traveling toward me. If I want machine quilting, I send it out. That's a very pretty quilt you made there.
Thanks for your lovely comments on my blog. I'm more of a quilt-coward than quilt-snob. I don't really know how to quilt and always chicken-out at the last minute and use buttons scattered randomly on the top to hold the layers together. I will try to be brave one day soon (I hope)! Lucy x
I'm all over the map, I guess. When I first started quilting, it never occurred to me that I could quilt on a machine so I stab stitched my way through the first few quilts with fairly good results. Then I moved to using a domestic machine and love that I can finish quickly and move to the next project. I mostly do overall meander because I like the look and I can accomplish it without marking. Recently I have come to enjoy the process and result of handquilting. I have a nice medium hoop to hold in my lap or use nothing at all.
A quilting snob is someone who comes to your home and checks how dirty you home is and checks for dust rather than at the quilts (LAUGHS) yes that did happen with a quilting group several years ago and I never had them round again.
The ladies were extremely rich and I was the poorest of the poor.
That to me is what quilting snob is and thankfully they are the very rare one perhaps one in a million I hope. (hee hee)
I prefere handquilting rather than machine quilting through all three layers. That is my taste I like to see handmade things the uniqness of the stitches nothing beats that. Individual crafty feel.
I can do log cabins on the machine and sew straight lines but Im too scared to do anything else which is why alot of my work is hand-stitched if possible.
I used old thimbles sometimes bought from old junk shops and charity shops. Its great you taught the lass to quilt... wish she could come and do mine. lol
Thankyou so much for visiting my blog I really appreciate it.
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