Opinions, please? Machine quilt or try to find hand quilter for vintage quilt top?

I was afraid hand quilting would be the answer. : ). Thanks for the opinions. My LQS will do a loose machine baste cheaply. I'll probably have them do that since I may be 91 before I finish it. : )

Blondie's quilting is beautiful. It is exactly what you would like on a vintage quilt and it is oh so special because you would do it yourself. I love hand quilting. It is so therapeutic and relaxing. We usually have 4 or 6 sitting around the quilt for hours and we laugh. We bring pot luck and quilt for hours. It is such quality time with my cousins. In total it takes us about 100 hours total (five of us for 20 hours each, etc) to do a queen size quilt.

What is loose machine baste? Is that so you can then hq it yourself? It's pretty easy to baste it by hand yourself in a few hours. I used Sharon Shaumber's (or shaumberg?) method of taking 2 long boards and rolling the top on one board and the backing on the other. It's on You Tube. The basting stayed in just great and I basted it on my DR table.

My longarm uilter will baste the layers together at a very reasonable fee. I find it difficult to get the layers as taut when I quilt on my home machine as she does with her long arm so I'll definitely have her do the basting. She's great.

Oh goody, another convert to hand quilting. Now go find yourself a decent thimble!

Before you baste your quilt with the Warm and White, make sure you can hand quilt through it. I know many hand quilters who say Warm products are hard to hand quilt through. Try a small piece and practice on that before you decide.