Fifteen Minutes of Fame

I gave a little talk at my quilt guild tonight, on the topic of hand quilting.

Terry, napping under CW Doll Quilt

It was very impromptu. The guest speaker cancelled at the last minute, so our prez called on three of us, plus herself, to talk.

I talked about why I love hand quilting. How its all about the process, about doing, rather than about getting it done. I showed my Civil War Sampler, which I've been quilting on for the better part of two years.

I explained what a joy it is to create each block, that the visual reward is immediate, and constant. How relaxing it is to just sit and quilt. The Zen of the rocking motion of the needle. How you become intimate with each block, each fabric, and you bond with your quilt.

I also showed my little CW Doll Quilt as an example of how simple quilting can be, yet still be effective.

                         

When someone receives a hand quilted quilt, they can see the love you put into it in every stitch.

I listed the "pros" of hand quilting as opposed to machine quilting. With hand quilting you are much less likely to make a mistake, and is much more forgiving if you do. Ever try to go back and fix errant machine quilting stitches? Yuk.

Hand quilted quilts have a warmer look, and feel. They're soft. They drape beautifully, and are lighter in weight because there is less thread.

I encouraged everyone to try hand quilting. Some people are afraid of it, because they think their stitches are "too big" or otherwise not "good enough". I pointed out that there are all kinds of quilting styles, and stitches do not have to be small, or perfect. Remember even perfection gets criticized, so don't worry about it.

Blue Bird by Carolyn of Gypsy Threads, Doll Quilt by Sandy

So try it.
Make something small.
Hand quilt it.
Do it for you.
Love it!

Love,
Sandy