Anyone making hand stitched quilts?

[sumi]

I've made 4 hand stitched quilts now, 2 single bed, one double and one queen size. The last one took me 5 months to complete. I used to hate sewing, but now I'm hooked. I just love making quilts but I still can't figure out how to work a sewing machine!
Anyone else doing it the old-fashioned way?

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am envious!
I have tried to hand stitch, but I do not have the patience to follow through.
I have a baby quilt that I am hand quilting. Just a stitch in the ditch, but after 3 years, I am almost done.

I have a quilt that I machine pieced and tried to hand quilt in college. Well 25 years later, it still is not done. Just have one border almost done. The batting has strectched and bunched inside so I have finally decided to rip out the stitches and machine quilt it. At this point I am glad I am not very good at hand quilting. My stitches are not even, straight or small - maybe 8 per inch. So it is easy to rip out.

Maybe when I retire in 20 years I will have the time and place to hand quilt. I think hand stitched quilts are so much nicer than machine quilted. They just seem to have so much more charactor.

I want to make a Drunkards Path quilt, and that would be easiest if I could hand stitch it. Oh well, someday!

What kind of frame do you use to hold the quilt?

 

[sumi]

I make little squares, basically a circle with a square piece of batting in the middle with a square piece of cloth. I place the squares inside the circle, fold it over to make four half-moon shapes and sew along the edges of the circle cloth. I don't use a frame, I keep it together with pins. I'll take some pics tomorrow and put it up here so you can see what I mean. When I have enough of these squares I sew them all together. It's incredibly time-consuming, but I do have a lot of free time that I need to fill, so it's a great hobby.
It took a bit of practice before I got it right, but I kept trying and after making about 1000 squares I really got the hang of it now! My first square looked like a bowl, so I had to re-do it and sometimes my squares are not quite squares, but it's hand work, so it's not supposed to be perfect? You know, it needs character
I'm going to try a 3D design next. Tricky, but amazing.

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Have hand stitched a few small quilts and currently a flower garden one in progress (for a lonnnng time now)!! Do hand quilt some, trying to keep something in that frame with a cover over it to keep the dust off!!!

 

[sumi]

Gosh, dust is the least of my problems. My in-house chickens love sitting on the quilts I'm busy working on. And then they poop... I frequently have pieces of fabric on the washing line!

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Awww, in house chickens....I would love that; but hubby would probably divorce me! lol.....

 

[country lady]

Hi Shirley--I'm a fabriholic, too. I like it all: '30s, western, Christmas, novelty, dots/stripes, etc. I love the happy colors in Laurel Burch fabric, which her newest Christmas border fabric is $11.98 at Hancocks of Paducah! (Too pricey for me but on sale in their catalog.) I buy from the remnant table usually at $5.98. I saw a post on the web from a woman wanting to trade Laurel Burch fabric and two women said they would never part with their Laurel Burch fabric. I love everything about fabric, the feel, the colors, designs. Some people get a high from drugs; I get a high just walking into a fabric store!!

 

[chickencrazymamahen]

Me too! Serious therapy goes on in my sewing room, even if its just looking at or "playing" with color combo's!! Have a little bit (ok, lot) of everything....Can't wait for the local WalMart to put fabric back in, it just made it more fun to shop there!!

 

[sumi]

Hi, sorry didn't get around to the pics yet, but it's on my list.
Just have to share this, I'm so exited right now: I sold a quilt!! My first sale!

The first two quilts I made I gave to a charity, then I made the queensize one which I've now sold and one for my son. I've been trying to sell this thing for ages. Am so thrilled, am going to make another one now!
While you're waiting for me to catch up why don't you show me some of your work? I'd love to see what you're making. Even if it's unfinished.

 

[torrelee]

I machine piece, but am learning how to hand quilt...This is my first hand quilted piece, I usually machine quilt or tie my stuff because I dont have the patience. The snowball blocks in this pattern were begging for hand work though!