I have done some hand piecing, for small pincushions with tricky seams that required a high degree of precision. I am considering a grandmother's flower garden table runner in the future. That would be hand pieced. I do 99% of my piecing by machine, but I enjoy hand applique and hand quilting.

miscindy, I have been quilting for about 30 years and I always hand piece and hand quilt. I do this because I enjoy doing it while visiting with the family or watching television and the sound of the sewing machine would get in the way. Also, I'm kind of an old fashioned kind of person. I'd get many more quilts done if I did them by machine, but I just enjoy doing them by hand.

I know lots of people machine piece and hand quilt and probably vice versa. Whatever you want is just fine.

I am so *not* a hand work person, LOL.

That said, I truly admire those who can do it. Sandra and Clara, (and several others - sorry, can't pull the names up) both sent me beautifully hand-pieced and appliqued blocks for the Quilts of Valor.

Why don't I do it? I'm impatient, and I can usually get my machine to do what I want it to do.

Quilting is a process as well as an art. I think every artist should use the method that works best for the project.

Mary

My first quilt was entirely hand pieced and quilted. It took over a year and I got bored of it, but I was much younger then with a short attention span :). Now I find it relaxing at the end of the day. I am piecing a grandmother's flower garden that I have been working on for over a year and only have 7 more flowers to go!

Rebecca

I machine piece but do a lot of hand quilting, although I'm starting to quilt by machine more often.Hand quilting relaxes me.I have plans to hand-piece a wall-hanging in the future.If you machine quilted and also hand quilted on the same quilt, would you do the machine quilting first,or does it make a difference?

I do! I do! I am also working on a Grandmother's Flower Garden that I've had in the works for at least a year. I keep in a tupperware like container with all of my tools and it's traveled with me this summer. There's nothing more relaxing than the background noise of a baseball game on tv and working on this project. That said, I am not sure if I will handquilt this...

I am actually a little machine phobic so am trying to work on that bit by bit.

:)lots2do/kelly

My sewing machine and I don't always get along, so my preference is hand work, whether applique or piecing blocks. It's portable and more relaxing to me. If something must be done in a hurry, I will fight with my sewing machine, but it's not my first choice.
BlueBars

I make my quilts entirely by hand...piecing and quilting....and, for several reasons. Doing things by hand allows one to work anywhere .....every evening, in the TV room, in the car while traveling, at the dentist's office, etc. I also dislike being 'shut up' in another room, while my husband is reading or watching TV. I want to spend the time he's home, WITH him, not at a machine in another room. Finally, it gives me pleasure to think of making my quilts just like so many other quilt makers did, in generations past...I feel a sort of continuity with the past, and all those other quiltmakers.

I have never hand pieced but I really enjoy the process of hand quilting. As others have said it probably comes from the way I learned. My mom pieced on the machine but had quilt frames that hung from the ceiling. I had a couple of aunts (my dad's sisters) who hand pieced and quilted. Mom did a lot of hand sewing but I think she thought they held up better sewn by machine. Our quilts were well used. Later in life she made quilts for her GC. My DD used hers as a bed cover thoughout college and for a while afer she married but now has put it away as a treasure.

As others have said it is a personal thing. I honestly have never thought of hand piecing. I guess I'll have to consider something small.

By the way , I sure enjoy the Elm Creek books.

Sally

I hand pieced my first quilt and hand quilted four others after that, but now I do almost everything on the machine.

I appreciate the pleasure of working in a leisurely way, and I like the look of hand quilting, but the added strength of machine piecing appeals to me. I am generally in a hurry to complete something, too.

I always machine piece, but usually hand quilt most of the quilt. I combine machine and hand quilting all the time. Generally, I hand quilt the individual blocks, and machine quilt the sashings. I then attach the binding on one side by machine, and hand sew the other side.

I usually have one hand-piecing project going. I'm down to the final two rows of my hand-pieced GFG, so this week I cut out and started another hand-piecing project (see a block of this in my thread "Anyone know the name of this block?"). I plan to hand-piece the seams around the center red square, then machine-piece those small blocks together 4 to a block. I machine-piece all my other quilts, though. I love hand-work, but my machine gets a workout, too. I mainly hand-quilt most of my quilts, but lately, in an effort to finish up more, I am machine-quilting straight lines with my walking foot - in the ditch, or diagonal lines across blocks, and yes, I have machine-quilted and hand-quilted both on the same quilt. I do the machine-quilting first - usually it's in the middle of the quilt, and the hand-quilting is in the outer borders where I can put a nice feathery or flowery design. There are no rules!

"I assume machine piecing holds up much better than hand piecing does"

* * * * *

Now, I was thinking this as well. I don't have a machine, so I hand-piece and hand-quilt. I have often wondered how much LESS wear a hand-pieced quilt can take as compared to machine-pieced? I would assume it would be less durable, but how much less? A noticeable difference?

I do both. I love to hand piece, I have a hand project going right now as well as several machine pieced projects. I usually hand quilt my stuff. As to the durability question, think of all of the antique quilts that were hand pieced and hand quilted that are still around and in very good condition if they have been cared for.

Joanie B

My first quilt was a hand quilted whole cloth. I am now learning machine pieceing and machine quilting. I love the look of hand quilting but it does take longer and there are so many patterns I want to try. I also combine the 2 but hand piecing is much easier for me.
Rosa

I do both. I'm another one working on Grandmother's Flower Garden...... but I started it **SEVEN** years ago! Now mind you there were months (if not years!) when I never picked it up! But I set a goal to complete the piecing of it by year's end & I sew on it nearly every day & find that I am really liking doing it. Almost any time that I watch TV I will sew on it. I'm not sure I will reach my goal by year's end but I am now sure I will complete it. I plan to hand quilt it also.

Jenny Beyers does outstanding hand piecing. She says she is much more "productive" because hand piecing is so portable & can be done anywhere. She would never have finished so many quilts if she had relied on machine piecing.

I don't believe hand piecing would be any less durable than machine piecing, if you use good fabric & good thread & don't skimp on the number of stitches.

I'm not so good at handpiecing, although I love Redwork and have done it for over MMMMM years! LOL

I do mainly, MQ and am content with that, although mine is simple MQ.

I would encourage quilters to try both!

Gwen