suebee

That will be interesting for sure. Your right, I am amazed at how many jumped on the "Anti-Feather bandwagon. If you are PRO-feathers, lets us hear from you as well. :)

aorlflood

Let me clarify my answer...

I "like" feathers...I just think that they are the "go to" quilt design in too many quilts. Too much of a good thing...if you get my drift.

And hand quilted feathers are a breed all their own...hand quilting doesn't get stiff like machine quilting can when it is too dense.

I don't think I've ever seen a hand quilted quilt that was just feathers upon feathers upon feathers, like you sometimes see with machine quilted quilts.

I am not "anti-feathers". I am simply stating that all too frequently, IN MY OWN OPINION, they are used too much.

dunster

As long as we're discussing what we personally prefer, and not bashing anyone else's preferences - I'm definitely pro-feathers. There are so many ways to make them, and they are always different. I like swirls, vines and leaves, circles, crosshatch, echo quilting, and most other quilting designs, and I think that SID can be remarkably effective. I do not care for meandering, but I understand that many people like it. I don't usually care for pantographs either, but again there's a place and time for them, especially in children's quilts. I like fairly dense quilting too and haven't felt that it made my quilts any less cuddly.

suebee

Nicely put Dunster!

butterflywing

a lot of people like feathers. i THINK that what's being said is that quilts are being overquilted and that they have become the focal point instead of letting the quilt itself shine. at least, that's my feeling. it would be nice to see a little less quilting and a little more quilt. is there a quilting competition going on?

i like feathers, but they often take over the quilt and i would like to see another kind of design. as was pointed out, other designs would be more expensive, but i feel that they would also be more interesting. i can't be the only one who feels this way.

and while the subject is up, i have no objection to a computer or panto if it's the right design for the right quilt. the idea is to make the quilt look it's best, no? if that can best be achieved by a computer or panto, then so be it. besides, some of the FMQ tries to achieve the perfect look of computers or pantos anyway, so what's the point of its being FMQ. my opinion only.

Dolphyngyrl

totally agree with this. I have seen a lot of quilting that is beautiful but there is too much of it. I can imagine how stiff that quilt feels

QuiltnLady1

I like feathers and a lot of other patterns too -- as long as the quilting pattern compliments the quilt and does not become the center of attention (unless the quilt is whole cloth). To me, a good looking quilt is a balance between the piecing and the quilting. Neither of them should over power the other. I don't like the bed quilts to be stiff bso I usually specify that I don't want dense quilting and that what the LAQ does.

dunster

Butterflywing, are you just trying to cause trouble? (Wouldn't be the first time, would it?) I have to disagree about custom quilting trying to look like pantos - ever! I would give up my longarm before aspiring to that, LOL. Pantos are predictably the SAME all over the quilt, and that's fine for some quilts. Custom quilting is never the same anywhere, and that is its beauty.

Computerized quilting is making great strides, but in the beginning I could look at a quilt and tell you immediately that the quilting was computerized, and that was NOT a good thing. Now that the quilter has more freedom to arrange the design that's no longer the case.

slovard01

I posted some pictures of my Owl quilt where I used some of Leah Day's designs. It is a practice quilt I made earlier this year using some old blocks I found in my stash. I just made the designs larger to suit my tastes.

Sadiemae

I don't know how FMQ could obtain the perfect look of a computer. The fun of my FMQ is that it is totally me and I am not a computer. I quilt where and what I want. Maybe if you marked it or used a panto, but I freehand quilt only.