Sandygirl

people have been piecing and quilting with machines since they were invented over 150 years ago. Why o why does this snobbery still exists. Both techniques are judged separately in a show. Why do quilters "judge" so harshly. Family portraits used to be painted! Lol! Hand piece if you want to...not my idea of sanity!
Sandy

copycat

I joined a Women's club and became friends with a few ladies that belonged to a quilt guild. They invited me to visit their guild. I told them I haven't sewn since high school home economics class, 30+ years ago. I declined their invitations a few times...until one day after bumping into 2 ladies the day of the guild meeting, I said, yes! I won the door prize at the meeting...a quilt pattern. Fast forward 6 years later and I am a quilter!

msrosecooks

I was lucky to have a generous sister who got me hooked on quilting..Started me off with fabric and tips.

jmoore

similarly to Ekuw, I took Home Economics 30+ years ago then life got in the way, married young, raised two boys and worked full-time for the State of California.... When I moved to Maine about 6 years ago... and the winters being what they are (especially the last few) I rescued an old Pfaff from my storage and there you have it. I have to add that all the new gadgets (rotary cutters, mats and rulers) are a far cry from what I remembered quilting of 30 years ago.

just_the_scraps_m'am

thank you all for sharing!

Beachbaby12

I learned to sew in junior high school, my grandmother was a dressmaker back in the day in the sweatshops of New York City. I have made my own clothes, learned embroidery, crocheting, knitting, needlepoint, crewel, and counted cross stitch. I then got interested in quilting and love to see the different colors of fabric and patterns coming together as with counted cross stitch and other crafts. I am a self-taught quilter, but hope to take a class some day. Still working full time. Been doing grandmother's flower garden hand piecing since 2009 with 1930s reproduction fabric and find it good therapy and relaxing. Also trying to machine quilt as well - seems it's all a process like everything else. Recently got a brand new Babylock Soprano sewing machine which I am really excited to have and try my projects on. I love all the different fabrics and colors but especially 1930s and civil war fabrics.

Weezy Rider

I started sewing because most designers have their heads on wrong. Couldn't find snap crotch pants for a long legged infant who needed longer than 18 mo. Then couldn't find clothes that didn't make her look like a pocket teen well before her time. She danced and skated and that meant costumes. I'm still designing nightgowns for her. I learned to make a tulip sleeve which she likes.

I still make most curtains and household items. If I could find decent percale or sheeting, I'd make all that, too.
I normally don't like the current crop of colors. That's the one nice thing about quilting. Someone will have older bolts, discounted or not in the colors you do want. You can also adjust the sizes if you want more drape at the top or sides of a quilt.

As for quality - I made all the sweatshirts in the family for years. There are some that are over 20 years old that have not ripped, faded, come apart at the seams, nor shrunk halfway up the back.

maryfrang

I have always worked with all kinds of crafts, sewing, knitting, needlework. At work one day a friend was hand piecing blocks. I watched her and we talked. I pickup a quilt kit that was cut and ready to sew. I brought blocks to work and worked on them at lunch. When I travel for my job, I would take blocks with me to hand piece while waiting for planes of meetings. When I retired, the bug really hit. I love quilting and like making quilts for friends and love ones.

Debbie C

My mom was a seamstress who made all of my clothes. While I could never master her art, I found the steps to creating a quilt were more fascinating and more in my "comfort zone". Even during those times when I'm not actively creating a quilt, I find much comfort just being in my home quilt studio.

maviskw

Love reading this thread. I've learned most of what I know about quilting from this board.
I've been sewing since I was about 10 years old. At high school age, I made clothes for myself, my dolls, my sisters, and my sisters' friends.
I wanted to crochet that beautiful doily. It said, "Not for beginners." I got it done.
I wanted to learn to tat. I learned it from the book, and have made hundreds of snowflakes.
When I married, I got the wooden bushel basket full of the scraps from my past sewing. While milking cows, I would think about that pile of scraps, trying to figure out how to put them together into a quilt. After a few weeks of thinking about it, I started sewing them together. Just sew two together, add another, add another, etc. I ended up with an elephant. But I finished it. I didn't know you need to make blocks out of those scraps and sew them together. I had just one big piece. And every seam was sewn over with a decorative stitch in black. That was about 1970.
I've learned a lot since then! ! ! !