Frustrated But Hopeful

As spring approaches, I'm beginning to feel eager to get outside to the yard and garden but also know that it will take time away from my quilting.

I know that's why I feel a bit of frustration that the events of this past week have conspired against me spending any time in my quilt studio. So tonight I decided that even though I haven't had time to quilt, I could at least pull out a spring-ish wall hanging or two to decorate the house with. (It's definitely long past time for the snowman theme to disappear!)

I made this small wall hanging (14" x 14") several years ago when my quilt group's challenge for the year was "Baskets." I named it "Basket in the Cabin" because the background is made up of four Log Cabin blocks. I've always felt a little disappointed with it 'cause I placed the appliqued basket just a smidge bit too low. Dang. How the heck could I have missed that until AFTER it was appliqued in place?

Okay, if I'm so bummed out over lack of quilting time, why don't I just go into my quilt studio tomorrow morning with my morning latte and blissfully quilt for a couple of hours? Somehow I have the feeling that my dirty kitchen floor, pan of bars needing to be baked, pantry to be sorted, bills to be paid, and weekend's food to be prepared will be patiently waiting for me when I come out. Yupper, that's a darned good idea . . . and I'm gonna do it!

To Hand Quilt Or Machine Quilt

Someone recently asked me how I decide whether to hand quilt or machine quilt a quilt.



The smallest pieces I've done have been 3" x 3" to use as Christmas tree ornaments. Because I wanted these to look traditional and special, I hand quilted them. But truth to tell, I never thought of machine quilting them. I can certainly see where doing any machine free motion quilting on a piece that small would be awkward; hard to hold on to and move the piece without real fear of the needle inflicting serious pain upon your fingers.



My miniature quilts usually average somewhere around 20" x 24", some smaller, some larger. I can think of only one instance where I machine quilted one of them. (Maybe two?) For one thing, I love the look of hand quilting and enjoy doing it. The miniature size quilts are super-easy to handle when hand quilting. And let's face it, a piece this size can realistically be finished in a reasonable amount of time compared to how long it takes to hand quilt a full sized quilt.





Of the many full sized (twin, double, queen or king) quilts I've made, I've attempted hand quilting on only two. (The others all having been machine quilted.) I say attempted because neither one of them is done. (Hang your head, Mama Pea.) The second full sized quilt I ever made (the first was tied), I wanted to hand quilt it. I was determined to be a traditional quilter and do all my quilting by hand. Shortly (very shortly) after starting the hand quilting, I became aware of how long it was taking me. No wonder our quilting ancestors were able to turn out only one quilt a year!

The second one in the process of being hand quilted is a queen sized Double Wedding Ring I'm making for my daughter. It's a labor of love, albeit a slow one. Will I ever finish the hand quilting on that very first one? I don't know. But my daughter's quilt will get finished, I promise you . . . and her . . . and me . . . I do.

In a perfect world (that would be one where I had a maid, a cook, a gardener, etc.), I would hand quilt all my full sized quilts. Realistically, I've either machine quilted them myself or in some instances, had them machine quilted. The quilts I keep for myself get used. I hope the ones I give as gifts get used. This means they will be washed. Machine quilting simply holds up so, so much better than hand quilting.



All of my baby quilts, I machine quilt. If a baby quilt is to be hung on the wall in the nursery, it's a different story. That one can be hand quilted (and I have made a few of those) but when I make a baby quilt to sell or give as a gift, I'd like to assume it gets used. Therefore, I want it to be durable and capable of having a long life lasting through lots of napping, cuddling, playing and many, many washings.

Several years ago, I gave a baby quilt to the first-born of the gal who was my daughter's Matron of Honor. Months later, she e-mailed me saying she was upset. Her little son had . . . well, he pooped on the quilt and she couldn't get the stain out. I told her I was happy to hear that because that was what I made the quilt for; I wanted it to be used and remembered as part of his babyhood.



All of the potholders I make for myself or to give away are machine quilted. Unless you're a very, very neat (and unusual) cook, potholders need to be washed frequently . . . at least mine always do.

The decision to hand quilt or machine quilt a piece is entirely up to you . . . or me. I don't feel there's any "right" way or "wrong" way. I think each method offers its own advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons. So I just do what appeals to me . . . and I'm usually happy with the results.