JENNR8R

I read the book "The Quilter's Apprentice" by Jennifer Chiaverini. I chose it for our bookclub the next time it was my turn to choose a book. The people in that book sounded so appealing, and I wanted to be a part of that.

I checked out "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quilting" and "Quilting for Dummies" from the library and learned from there. All kinds of designs popped into my head. I got out some graph paper and designed my first quilt. It was completed on my 59th birthday in 2010. It took a year to finish. I still haven't learned how to follow a pattern... mostly because the terminology is foreign to me, and I have enough designs roaming around in my head to keep me busy.

quiltstringz

This was my reasoning also - Ha if I had just saved and bought that one quilt! However, I so enjoy it and can't imagine my life without it and I have met so many good quilty friends

Sewnoma

For me it's sort of a family legacy. Both of my grandmothers were avid quilters - very different styles but they were both very prolific and generous with their creations. My whole family grew up surrounded by handmade quilts. Both of my grandmothers died (coincidentally just a couple months apart) when I was in my early 20's, and nobody else in the family was a quilter, so that was "lost" to our family. Six years later, my sister got pregnant and I was determined that her baby would have a handmade quilt, so I fired up all my memories of what I'd seen my grandmothers do over the years and made her son a quilt. I made a thousand and one mistakes, but I got it made and now her son is nearly 15 and the quilt is still (mostly) intact, so I guess I didn't do TOO bad.

I still didn't really get into quilting but that put the idea in the back of my head. Four years later my niece was born, and I made my 2nd quilt, and that got me more interested in it. I started gathering fabrics to make a quilt for myself and started piecing it together...that quilt took me 3 years to finish! That third quilt seemed to be the one that got me hooked, though - I started watching YouTube videos and buying modern quilting supplies (my first 3 quilts were made with scissors and cardboard templates because that's what gran did!) and reading quilting blogs and books...and the rest is history!

Now I've been entrusted with my late grandmother's handmade dresses - my aunt saved them all these years and has asked me to make them into quilts for the family. Thirty floral dresses, and my gran was not a small lady so there is a lot of fabric there! My gran had 8 children - I think I have enough fabric to make a good sized throw quilt for all 7 of my aunt & uncles. The 8th quilt would be for my dad, but he has passed away...I've decided that if there's enough fabric for an 8th quilt I will make it and keep it for myself, maybe to eventually pass along to my niece or nephew if they're interested when they're older.

EmiliasNana

I have always done some type of sewing and crafts: made my own clothes starting in 7th grade, macrame, cross stitch, you name it. Took a quilting class shortly after we got married, but with a family, didn't have much time to devote to hand sewing. Made several wall hangings and quilted them by hand. Hated the hand quilting, but liked other hand work like embroidery, cross stitch and smocking. It was when I realized you could quilt by machine, that my quilting took off. We purchased our retirement house in the middle of the recession and then my DH decided he really needed to work a few more years, so I lived in a new community M-F not knowing anyone but had all the household items, including my sewing machine! There was no turning back.

DonnaPBradshaw

that sounds like me! I also wanted a home made quilt and knew I couldn't afford to buy one, so I started to attend guild meetings and made my first quilt. I have so many quilts now that I'm trying make them only for family members.

catsden

Wanted a handmade quilt. Couldn't afford to buy one.

madamekelly

My dear grandma Helen who learned to sew during the depression, taught me to make clothes without a pattern. I sewed like that for years, until I bought my first pattern. What a revelation! I could make a dress that was not an old fashioned shirtwaist style! I made most of my DD's clothing and mine. In 1990 I had a stroke at 32 years old. I had a wonderful neighbor who decided to start me on a GFG quilt by hand to help with my eye hand coordination issues. I made it into a lined tablecloth for her, but the "bug" had come home to roost. I have been making quilts ever since.

purplefiend

I wanted something to do after the kids had gone to bed. My hubby was overseas in Japan for 6 months with USMC.
I already made clothes and other things, started sewing when I was 9.
Almost 30 years later I'm still making quilts.

pumpkinpatchquilter

I started years ago when I was pregnant with my second daughter...something to pass the time, keep me busy during the day as we had one car and my Husband had it with him at work all day.

Becky's Crafts

I had always loved sewing & saw an Eleanor Burns show on TV one day. I made a log cabin quilt top, then we sold our home & moved to Florida in an RV. I had back surgery and continued to work until I just couldn't handle the pain any more. My doctor put me out of work. A few months later I found cancer and had to endure chemo for 6 months. A dear friend brought me a bunch of fabric she didn't want and as soon as I got enough strength to go through it, I chose some pieces to make a quilt with and ended up having so much fun, I made two quilts at the same time!! The second one became my granddaughter's Christmas present with a large pillow to match that I made from the extra blocks! What can I say... I had so much fun making the quilt blocks, I just couldn't stop!! LOL! I haven't stopped yet. It makes me feel productive even though I can't do things the way I used to & I have to keep moving or I seize up.