World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of May 22, 2000:

Our question this week comes from Marsha:

Can machine quilting and hand quilting be combined?

shelly :
yes

Sandra Klouda :
Yes. I've seen it done and it looked just fine.
kilbury@aol.com :
Sure, whyever not? Some quilters use machine quilting to stitch-in-th-ditch, continuous line designs in sashing and borders, and stitching around appliques, are a few examples that combine nicely with hand quilting. The machine quilting is often done first and then hand quilting is filled in later, but it depends on the pattern,the batting, the placement of the quilting, the preference of the quilter, and what seems to work for a particular quilt.
Sheila :
Yes
Jane Clay :
The who;e point of quilting is your enjoyment, so do what fells right to you - after all, it's better to have a finished quilt than yet another ufo, isn't it?
C Saga :
I once machine quilted a grid to stabilize the layers, then hand quilted flowers with metalic thread and added beads.The result: climbing flowers on a trellis.
chris :
Why not? Who makes the rules? This is your creative outlet..use your own imagination!!
Denise :
I certainly did -- I used muslin as a background and hand quilted the center of the quilt in pink thread where it would show. The three borders were busy calicos and no one would have seen the hand quilting, so I machine quilted cables in invisible thread. I make no apologies -- the quilt is one of the few bed-sized quilts I have actually been able to finish.
Marion Dowell :
If it is not going to show, then machine quilt. Why take all that time on something no one is going to see? I combine the two all the time.

RoxAnne :
I machine quilt in-the-ditch around the blocks. this stabilizes the quilt. Then I'll go back and hand quilt those areas that will show off the quilting. Try it! The only quilting that will show will be your hand work.
Jane :
Unless it's a competition quilt, where guidelines specify that the quilt must be either all hand quilted or all machine quilted, then feel free to combine the two. However, if you want my opinion, I think that the competition judges are behind the times and should open up a new category for beautiful quilts that display both techniques.
Connie Keen :
Hand quilting is unique to it's self, as machine quilting is all together different. It would be the same to ask if you can combine hand embroidering and machine embroidering? Why would you even want to???
Margie :
I like to machine quilt the interior of my quilts and just hand quilt the border with a thread that you can see, something which contrasts with the border fabric. This especially works well when quilting the interior in the ditch. The border quilting really stands out. I use a lot of ocean waves and braided designs around the edge.
Betty in Idaho :
I say it's your quilt you can do whatever pleases you. I don't see anything wrong with combining hand and machine quilting. God luck.
Caroline :
I hand quilted the side of a bag: I was given only the block backed with batting. Then I quilted and extra one(same design and construction) by machine. I had to put a piece of cloth behind the batting , so that the batting wouldn't get caught in the feed dogs. Everyone admired the puffiness of the machine quilted one ( not to say my hand quilting wasn't up to scratch!)

Except for rules in a contest, I will quilt the way I want to quilt.

Cathy :
absolutely!!!! we quilt for enjoyment, there are no rules other than there are no rules(unless, of course, it is a contest that states one or the other)
Jean :
It is your quilt, if you like it there is no right or wrong.
Carolyn :
One quilt instructor of mine said that when it
comes to quilts (ie. mistakes, techniques, etc...)
"if you can't see it from a galloping horse, then
it's ok". A rule I live by and it makes quilting FUN.
Charlene :
I have started to machine quilt some of my projects. I have to make three quilts for friends of mine getting married, and three baby quilts this year. I don't have time to hand quilt now. And they are coming out very nicely. On some of the baby quilts I have hand quilted animal figures on the outside border and machine quilted the inside of the quilt, mostly straight lines. Looks good to me.
Tamy :
Do what ever makes you feel good!!!
ekenavk@aol.com :
i would think it would be o.k.
Norma Pacl :
Someone told me a long time ago that there is no "right and wrong" in quilting only satisfactory/unsatisfactory results. I've seen machine and hand quilting combined in the same quilt with stunning results! Go for it!!
Karen C. :
I am presently machine pieacing, then hand quilting the quilt down,in it's final stages.There is no reason why these two methods can't be used together.Some quilters prefer to do one or the other&yet again some of us use both techniques.
Mary :
Why not?

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