Are machine quilted quilts really second class?
04-21-2013, 08:27 AM
#91
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Piedmont Virginia in the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns.
Posts: 8,562
To those who believe only handmade quilts are first class:
Do you card your own batts, too?
Do you only dye your own fabrics?
Do you only hand piece?
At what date do you believe quilts became second rate in their making? 1890? 1910? 1930? 1950? 1970?
Well, I'm here to tell you that I have seen a quilt in a major museum in a major city which was dated 1870 and it was -- OMG <gasp> MACHINE QUILTED!!! Yes! For real!! And everyone around me who saw this quilt was much more fascinated by the fact that there were sewing machines available then, than by the fact that it had, indeed, been machine quilted. It was a lovely red/green/gold/white applique quilt, full sized, typical of the mid-century period, and the quilting was an echo type like that often seen on Hawaiian quilts.
It was fascinating. Amazing. Incredibly informative. And made me realize that women of that era who had sewing machines were NOT stupid; they were "put upon" with the amount of labor they had on a day to day basis, but they were NOT stupid. They used the best tools available to them for daily tasks as well as their creative tasks....just like we do today, by the way!
The women you ran into are so misinformed as to be sadly laughable. Bless their poor little hearts!
Jan in VA</gasp>
Do you card your own batts, too?
Do you only dye your own fabrics?
Do you only hand piece?
At what date do you believe quilts became second rate in their making? 1890? 1910? 1930? 1950? 1970?
Well, I'm here to tell you that I have seen a quilt in a major museum in a major city which was dated 1870 and it was -- OMG <gasp> MACHINE QUILTED!!! Yes! For real!! And everyone around me who saw this quilt was much more fascinated by the fact that there were sewing machines available then, than by the fact that it had, indeed, been machine quilted. It was a lovely red/green/gold/white applique quilt, full sized, typical of the mid-century period, and the quilting was an echo type like that often seen on Hawaiian quilts.
It was fascinating. Amazing. Incredibly informative. And made me realize that women of that era who had sewing machines were NOT stupid; they were "put upon" with the amount of labor they had on a day to day basis, but they were NOT stupid. They used the best tools available to them for daily tasks as well as their creative tasks....just like we do today, by the way!
The women you ran into are so misinformed as to be sadly laughable. Bless their poor little hearts!
Jan in VA</gasp>
04-21-2013, 08:29 AM
#92
Power Poster
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: East Oklahoma - pining for Massachusetts
Posts: 10,477
I have never joined a guild, and it is partly for this reason. The snobby attitude does not go with me. I believe that no quilt is better, or worse than another because of its construction. I have machine quilted a couple of my smaller ones, and I love them the same as the ones I stitch by hand. They are not better. They are equal.
04-21-2013, 08:30 AM
#93
Super Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 9,295
I machine quilt, I don't have the desire to hand quilt anything. I agree the quilts done by hand are beautiful, but it's not my cup of tea to make one. I have a quilt done by hand I discovered from an antique shop that is all in tatters. I have several hand sewn quilt blocks I have bought at thrift stores over the years. As a matter of fact the last batch I bought I added a back to each one and stuffed them. We use them to toss at Kola when she tries to turn the door jambs into kindling.
I don't join clubs, guilds or seances cause some elitist-know it all may end up bald headed...........LOL j/k
I don't join clubs, guilds or seances cause some elitist-know it all may end up bald headed...........LOL j/k
04-21-2013, 08:41 AM
#94
Super Member
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New Orleans, La
Posts: 1,768
I have never hand pieced a quilt. I have hand quilted and I have recently learned needleturn applique. I also LA quilt (hand guided,not computer guided). I never could master FMQ on my domestic machine.
The attitude is difficult to overcome. I do not feel machine quilted quilts are second class BUT I do have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for hand quilted quilts knowing the time, dedication and skill it requires. Because of that time, dedication and skill I perceive a higher value for quilts done by hand. Just as I would place a higher value on an original painting over a print or a hand crafted piece of furniture over an assembly line made one.
All are functional but one took a craftsperson years to hone the skill and then the time, dedication and love to create it. Quilters, both machine quilters and hand quilters do instill love into our craft. I have an enormous amount of respect for the LA quilters and domestic sewing machine quilters who are making heirloom pieces. But I can speak from experience here... To LA an heirloom quality quilt can take up to 120 hours of work if done thoughtfully and well but to do the same caliber of quilting by hand would take 10 times that long, if not more. So I believe this may explain part of the attitude of the ladies from your guild who consider hand work better. They are placing a value on the amount of time it takes.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with machine made quilts. I embrace them wholeheartedly. I think to compare the two is where the problem lies. They are both quiltmaking but approached in a completely different way and require different skill sets.
The attitude is difficult to overcome. I do not feel machine quilted quilts are second class BUT I do have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for hand quilted quilts knowing the time, dedication and skill it requires. Because of that time, dedication and skill I perceive a higher value for quilts done by hand. Just as I would place a higher value on an original painting over a print or a hand crafted piece of furniture over an assembly line made one.
All are functional but one took a craftsperson years to hone the skill and then the time, dedication and love to create it. Quilters, both machine quilters and hand quilters do instill love into our craft. I have an enormous amount of respect for the LA quilters and domestic sewing machine quilters who are making heirloom pieces. But I can speak from experience here... To LA an heirloom quality quilt can take up to 120 hours of work if done thoughtfully and well but to do the same caliber of quilting by hand would take 10 times that long, if not more. So I believe this may explain part of the attitude of the ladies from your guild who consider hand work better. They are placing a value on the amount of time it takes.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with machine made quilts. I embrace them wholeheartedly. I think to compare the two is where the problem lies. They are both quiltmaking but approached in a completely different way and require different skill sets.
04-21-2013, 08:55 AM
#95
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Ky. USA
Posts: 2,829
I have seen machine quilted quilts right here in Paducah selling for more than $20,000. So they MUST have a great value. Machine quilting is not new, know of ladies in Oregon, who sent their tops to a lady in Tx, who had a treddle machine in the 1880's and 1890's. Both hand and machine quilts are wonderful, both hand and machine pieced quilts are also wonderful. Just do your quilts the way YOU enjoy doing them, that is why we quilt for the joy!!! Don't let anyone take away your joy!!
04-21-2013, 09:01 AM
#96
Power Poster
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 26,191
Perhaps hand pieced and quilted quilts are more 'traditional' and take so much more time and skill, that is why their value is higher? But WHO has time to do a quilt this way? Not many of us.... I am quite happy with my machine pieced and quilted quilts and love to use them!
04-21-2013, 09:30 AM
#97
Junior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Ohio
Posts: 231
Well I am so sorry they made you feel that way. I am fairly new to quilting and I have never hand pieced, don't know how, and don't really care to learn. It is to be admired for time and effort but I do not believe I have the patience or the time for it and also do not think that my quilts are of less worth. I make them for the love of the art and to give to others something personal that I can afford and know all will or should appreciate.
I want to have a guild here where I live, not for snobbery or one up manship but because I would love to celebrate the making of quilts and learn skills from those who know more;
Perhaps a group of women who are encouraging, sharing, and supportive of each other and all versions of quilting. Maybe I could start a guild and you could too! One that includes all and embraces what each individual brings to the table regardless of the type. I would do it but I don't know what it takes to make a guild and how could I head a guild when I know so little about it and am still learning myself? I am sure the purpose of a guild is to share, learn, support and to be all inclusive. Maybe we can both start a whole new trend? Good luck and thank those women for showing you how you DO NOT want to be!
I want to have a guild here where I live, not for snobbery or one up manship but because I would love to celebrate the making of quilts and learn skills from those who know more;
Perhaps a group of women who are encouraging, sharing, and supportive of each other and all versions of quilting. Maybe I could start a guild and you could too! One that includes all and embraces what each individual brings to the table regardless of the type. I would do it but I don't know what it takes to make a guild and how could I head a guild when I know so little about it and am still learning myself? I am sure the purpose of a guild is to share, learn, support and to be all inclusive. Maybe we can both start a whole new trend? Good luck and thank those women for showing you how you DO NOT want to be!
04-21-2013, 09:43 AM
#98
Super Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Kentucky - Live in Iowa
Posts: 1,168
I think all quilts are beautiful, each in their own way. I had a lady tell me that my quilts are not really quilts, since I machine pieced and machine quilted my quilt. She said that only hand pieced quilts were really quilts. I couldn't believe the nerve! To each their own, I would never tell someone something like that, talk about rude!
04-21-2013, 09:56 AM
#99
Super Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Coastal Georgia
Posts: 1,508
Wonder what these quilt police would say to someone who does only machine embroidered quilts in its entirety!
I usually just respond to folks like that "oh I did not know you were a member of the quilt police force". I also ask them how one gets a position to become a quilt police officer. That usually shuts them up.
I usually just respond to folks like that "oh I did not know you were a member of the quilt police force". I also ask them how one gets a position to become a quilt police officer. That usually shuts them up.
04-21-2013, 10:06 AM
#100
Power Poster
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Lowell, MA
Posts: 14,083
I thought that mind set had gone away, but I guess it still lives. A guild that I used to belong to would not admit tied quilts to be in their yearly quilt show - presumably because they thought they were not "good enough" for the show. I remember a quilter/quilt shop owner coming to the guild meeting as guest speaker, and she could not believe that attitude. She pointed out that a quilt that was shown on the cover of a popular quilt magazine, made from a pattern from her shop, was tied. She asked why, if the quilt was good enough for the cover of a magazine why it could not be shown in the quilt show. Needless to say, they had no answer to her question. I don't know where this elitist attitude came from, and agree with you that we should all play nice and appreciate each other's work regardless of how the quilt was made and "quilted". There are some absolutely stunning quilts that are machine quilted. I believe there is room in the "quilt world" for all types and methods of making quilts.
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