A new block, a new week and just a word....

These blocks are coming around very quickly.  It may seem fast because we are all geared to BOMs and not BOTWs.  Or could it be that I am old and slow?  Nah, surely not that!  I eliminated some seams again.  I tried it as drawn by Barbara Brackman, but it looked way too busy in a 4" size, so I made the background plain.
Now about the "just a word" in the title of this entry:  Some of my thoughts about hand piecing.  Since the invention of the rotary cutters, hand piecing has sort of taken a beating.  People have forgotten how relaxing it can be to put your feet up, have a cup of their favorite beverage and have a needle in their hand.  No huge amount of supplies to tote around, no power cords to hassle with (although you do need good lighting) and no bobbins to wind.  Don't get me wrong - I love my sewing machines, but there is a place in this world for hand piecing.  Today's quilters seem to think it is too slow, but consider this:  it is extremely portable.  While you are sitting at the doctor's office or waiting for something else, just a small ziplock can hold a lot of quilt pieces and needle and thread and small scissors.  You can get some blocks pieced then when otherwise you would just be reading a magazine.  That is just one example.  Also, hand piecing makes for a wonderful group activity - you don't need much individual space and it is very easy to carry on conversations - no noise from machines to talk over.  Well, you get the idea.  Let me know what you think.......
Sheila

Comments

Jan said…
You are right - other quilters do seem to frown upon hand piecing, even hand quilting, at times. I didn't own a sewing machine until my third quilt, and still have an ongoing hand piecing project. You are not alone!
Jill said…
I agree with you 100%. I love hand piecing and sometimes regret that not all my projects are hand pieced.
I was on quilt retreat a few years ago, getting ready to mark a very large quilt top I had completely hand pieced. I received many compliments on my quilt top. But, one lady,very seriously, turned to me and asked, "Why would you do that?" (Meaning hand piece an entire quilt.) I was so surprised...she could not understand why I didn't use a machine, it just didn't make sense to her. I replied, "Because I love hand piecing and why not?"
It is nice to see that I am not alone in my love of hand work.
Lisa said…
Sheila, I think I look forward to seeing your block every week even more than Barbara's!
Oh, Sheila....I am so glad to hear you talk about the benefits of hand piecing! I don't even own a rotary cutter and am nuts enough to cut all of my pieces out with good old fashioned scissors! I hand piece everything because I enjoy it and find it much more relaxing than messing with my sewing machine. Also, the way I figure it, if you are trying to reproduce quilts of the past as I think many of us are, it's hard to get the same look if you don't use the same materials that people had back then. Granted, sewing machines were around in the 1800s but the same can't be said of rotary cutters :)
Love your blog and all of your wonderful little quilts!!!

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