Hand sewn or sewing machine?
 

I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

sbeep wrote:

Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

Definitely the one you enjoy more is the better one!
--
Kathy Applebaum (Woodland, CA)
Longarm Machine Quilting, Queen of Fabric Tramps

(remove the obvious to reply)

If you know how to hand sew very, very well, I'd say do whichever you
feel like. But if you are new to hand sewing, you should probably
practice on something else if for no other reason than to get the
tension right (not too loose, not too tight). Handsewing incorrectly
can cause the quilt to fall apart and be less durable (or one of those
things that you are forever putting back together).

Ronnie

In article , sbeep
wrote:

I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

depends on why you're quilting.

If you want a take with you hobby, then hand sewing is the way to go. If you
hand sew your blocks, you can take them travelling, waiting in dr's offices,
etc.

If you are taking up quilting for a relaxing, slow thing to do, again, hand
piecing is your way to go.

If you want to complete your quilts at a more rapid pace, you'll have to opt
for machine sewing. Using your machine, you can complete a top very quickly.

Personally, I machine sew my tops and hand quilt them but I do have a hand
piecing project ( a very, very long term project) to take places.

HTH,
Marijke, in Montreal.
"sbeep" wrote in message
om...
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

Im going to say that neither is better than the other. Each has qualitys
that make it better for you than the other one. A hand pieced project is a
more portable project...but slower. A machine pieced project is not the one
you want to take the the Doctors office to work on while you wait, but it
will be made up a bit faster. ( ya, I know there are those of you who can
hand piece as fast as a machine. More power to ya!)
These are just some of the things you consider when deciding whether to hand
or machine piece.
HTH,
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"sbeep" wrote in message
om...
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

depends...quilt in a day....machine. quilt for a lifetime....with
meaning....hand. quilt in a hurry with that hand touch...machine
piece--hand quilt. I have done all of these. mostly I like my hand
stitching better...as it is better for me...its my 'de-stressor' and its
small and portable until you do your completion. Current project must be
done in a month from now....machine piecing..hand tying, and a minimal of
quilting is the way I am going to go, cuz its my daughters 'college-going'
gift....something to remind her that when college is done...home awaits.
she is going to school 4 hours away....that's kinda my way of saying don't
go a few states away, but if you do....remember the love this thing took to
make. which is why at least some of it has to be done by hand. I also made
her some hand knit socks in a pattern she didn't even know she was picking
out for herself...she said 'ooooooooo who's lucky enough to get those?' I
said 'what you kidding....I'm not making for you, it will take forever'
(which it did....but that's part of the surprise) and 56 cents. (penny for
her thoughts, quarters for a call, and all of her mommy's love)

so it depends. if you are making it for love....hand it somewhere. for
utilitarian purposes, ex: keeping very warm, cold winter, and low
budget....machine the thing.

peepla

"sbeep" wrote in message
om...
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

sbeep wrote:

I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?


Neither - they are just different!

Some people machine piece (put the blocks together) and hand quilt (the
lines of stitching that hold the layers together).

Some people do as much as possible by machine (like me!). This is the
way to go if you are a speed freak!

Some people do the whole thing by hand.

There are some who machine quilt some bits and hand quilt others on the
same quilt...

Each to their own! :)
--
Kate XXXXXX
Lady Catherine, Wardrobe Mistress of the Chocolate Buttons
http://www.diceyhome.free-online.co.uk
Click on Kate's Pages and explore!

sbeep wrote:
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

Whatever satisfies you more.

*YOU* will be making it. Not me. It's absolutely none of my business to
judge how you sew it.

My mother always does her quilts entirely by hand. She'd make one a
year- piece all summer, quilt all winter. I like to machine piece
everything but the curves or applique, and then quilt by hand. I've seen
entirely machine done quilts that I've admired a great deal.

Skill is always appreciated, regardless of the method.

-georg

Piggybacking here. I used to hand sew all my quilts before I got an old
machine, now I am machine piecing and hand quilting, or hand piecing and
hand quiliting. Love goes in however we make the quilt. Except for my DH's
quilt - it's hate going in there! Well maybe a bit of love. Just a bit.

--
Sharon From Melbourne Australia (Qof DU)
http://www.geocities.com/shazrules/index.html
Member of the Houston 2004 Party Animals
"Diana Curtis" wrote in message
...
Everyone gets to put love into a quilt whether they put any hand work into
it or not. I understand you were speaking about this is how *you* make the
distinction between a quilt that is made and given for love. Im not taking
you to task here. It's your right to put the love into a quilt annnnny
which
way you feel works.
For me, the way to put love into a quilt is to put special thought into
the
design, and quilting motifs. The grad quilt got tiny paw prints and stars
machine quilted into it as they would mean many things to the recipient.
Maybe the bottom line is that we here all make our quilts for love no
matter
whether we do them all by hand or all by machine or some combination of
the
two. The love comes from the heart of the maker.
Diana :-)

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Lakaya M. Peeples" wrote in
message ...
depends...quilt in a day....machine. quilt for a lifetime....with
meaning....hand. quilt in a hurry with that hand touch...machine
piece--hand quilt. I have done all of these. mostly I like my hand
stitching better...as it is better for me...its my 'de-stressor' and its
small and portable until you do your completion. Current project must
be
done in a month from now....machine piecing..hand tying, and a minimal
of
quilting is the way I am going to go, cuz its my daughters
'college-going'
gift....something to remind her that when college is done...home awaits.
she is going to school 4 hours away....that's kinda my way of saying
don't
go a few states away, but if you do....remember the love this thing took
to
make. which is why at least some of it has to be done by hand. I also
made
her some hand knit socks in a pattern she didn't even know she was
picking
out for herself...she said 'ooooooooo who's lucky enough to get those?'
I
said 'what you kidding....I'm not making for you, it will take forever'
(which it did....but that's part of the surprise) and 56 cents. (penny
for
her thoughts, quarters for a call, and all of her mommy's love)

so it depends. if you are making it for love....hand it somewhere. for
utilitarian purposes, ex: keeping very warm, cold winter, and low
budget....machine the thing.

peepla

"sbeep" wrote in message
om...
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?

If you don't own a machine, then hand sewn is probably better at least until
you buy one. If you have a machine, try both ways and see which you like
better for your project.

I usually have several projects going, including one hand-piecing so there's
something to take along on the train, to doctor appointments etc. If the
block has lots of short fiddly seams (and no deadline), it's a good
candidate for hand piecing. Blocks with big pieces that can be strip pieced
and chain sewn are just begging to go through the machine.
Roberta in D

"sbeep" wrote in message
om...
I am a beginner in quilting and I haven't really got to far in making
one, just have my blocks cut out. Before I start putting my blocks
together which is better on making a quilt, hand sewn or a sewing
machine?