mcdaniel023

When I was young, we would go to the state fair. All of my city kid siblings wanted to see the animals. I wanted to go see the quilts. I would look as long as they would let me. As a teenager, I saw the quilts my aunt was making and knew someday I would do this. When my kids were young, I was lucky enough to be able to stay at home with them. I started to watch Elenor Burns and Kaye Woods. I was totally hooked and knew I could do it. (I did take a couple of home ec classes, LOL) I had a machine my hubby(then bf) gave me as a hs graduation gift. I went to the library, got a quilt as you go book and I was off (1993). I was totally self taught and an ok quilter. Then in 08 I found this board and the education really began.

helenquilt

Mother taught me to sew before I started school. I started my first quilt shortly after my first child was born (1954). Two more came along so I didn't finish the top. My SIL took it to her Mother to finish piecing it. She gave it to my Mother who quilted it and gave it back to me about 1958. It is on my bed right now.
I opened a dress shop in 1971 and begin teaching (yes I would do a block the night before the class) in 1976 when quilting begin to be in style again. I haven't been without a quilt in the making since. Don't hand quilt anymore.

May in Jersey

I learned to sew in 7th and 8th grades and made some awful looking and fitting clothes that turned me off to sewing.
Over the years I did some simple sewing, curtains, covers for old blankets, some craft projects, etc. but it was discovering Simple Quilts that turned me on to quilting. At first I really didn't understand much of the show but loved seeing the finished quilts. In June 1999 I took a week long quilting class at an Elderhostel site and learned the basics and I have been quilting up a storm every since. Family and good friends each have one or more quilts that I've made them. I do a lot of charity quilts for my guild and on line groups like Heart Strings. I'm co-chair of my guild's Project Pillowcases and each year we make at least a 1,000 pillowcases for kids in hospitals. I would have to say I'm no longer turned off sewing.

I want to add along with discovering Simple Quilts I discovered on line quilting message boards like this one that helped me expand my quilting knowledge and skills. I also made so many on line friends several of which have become friends that I get together with several times a year. Quilting has expanded and enriched my life in so many postitive ways. May in Jersey

sguillot

Originally I think I did it as a tribute to my Mom. We didn't get along very well but I admired her talent for sewing and quilting. When we moved to Galveston I loved the quilt shop and took a class on hand piecing. Then my husband bought me a machine and I have loved it ever since. I think it was my way of doing something that I thought my mother would approve of and be proud of me for doing. Now I love it because of all the nice people I meet. Quilters are such nice people and love to share their knowledge.

rrhaigh

I learned to sew in the 8th grade back in the 60's. We had a semester of cooking and a semester of sewing. No one in my family sewed, so this was new to me and I fell in love with sewing immediately. I started making clothes for myself and later for my children and then my grandchildren. Back in the 70's I sewed dresses for a local custom dress shop. I also made a lot of home dec items. I have been obsessed with fabric since my first encounter in 8th grade. When I started making clothing for my little grandkids I would always keep a 6x6" square of each fabric and gradually sewed them together to make a quilt top (which is still not finished). Now my grandkids are from 12 to 22 and no longer want home made clothing. But, I still had the urge to play with fabric and sew. So, looking at their clothing scrap quilt top gave me the idea to start quilting. I was planning to retire in a couple of years and knew I needed a sewing hobby to keep me happy in retirement, so I signed up for a quilting class at our LQS. I was hooked immediately. That was 4 years ago. I retired 2 years ago and hooked with a past co-worker who has quilted for years. She graciously invited me to join her friendship quilt group that meets at her house 2x a month. They have all been such a blessing to me and have taught me so much. This year my DH tore out a wall between 2 bedrooms and made me a wonderful sewing room - 2 closets for stash and room for my new HQ Avante 18". I spend most of my time up there in my "quilting nest" - love it!

roserips

My grandmothers quilted and I grew up with a quilt my mothers, mother made it went every where with me. When I turned 12 my mother taught me to sew and told me if I wanted new clothes, I would have to make them my self. She had a wonderful stash then to select from and I loved going home after school and sewing up a dress to then wear the next day. My senior year of high school I took an art studio class and had to contract to create so many projects. Short of cash I went to my own scrap heap of cordoroy's and created a twin size quilt which I turned in for one of my projects. My art teacher was so impressed that she wanted to share with the Home Ec teachers, I tried to tell her that they wouldn't be impressed. I was right they wanted to know how wide my seam allowances were and why I turned the grain line differnt directions on my top and then why on earth I would use flannel to back it with. Well I was glad my art teacher appreciated it and I loved it as well. So that was my first quilt and many more have followed.

BeckySt

Well my mom and gramma were both wonderful seamstresses, but they didn't quilt. I dont remember if i sewed as a child or not, my gram always had patience so I might have. I took home ec in Jr. High and high school and I could sew clothes also but not my thing. So about 9 years ago a lady in our small town who had never quilted before wanted to make her son a wedding quilt, she found someone to come and give instructions (cost $10.00 a class) and we also we all made lovers knot blocks for her quilt and got 2 new block patterns each month. Well I only wanted to learn to make a rag quilt for my 6 year old daughter at the time and never quilt again. Well I fell in love with quilting and feel it connects me to my mom who passed away before I learned to quilt. The only wish I have would be to make my mom a quilt.

susansomethings

I am a avid yard sale person, never know what you will find. Well about 2 years ago I went to one and found a group of old cotton fabric sample swatches probley from the 40's each about 12 x16 and I just thought wouldn't they make a beautiful quilt. Well I purchased them ...but have yet to use them in a quilt, although I have made about 10 quilts now. I had never done any sewing and have not taken any classes. Learned by reading and watching tutorials. Just goes to show, you never know what may inspire you.

gigi4419

My grandmother's quilts!

riutzelj

When i was in college, back in the 1970's, my roommate Nancy Meijer was making a Grandmother's Flower Garden for her wedding quilt. i loved watching her and was so impressed that she thought she'd get it done by her college graduation and wedding date. She had a workhorse Pfaff sewing machine which i used for making a comforter. Longed for such a machine for years. Ended up sewing for myself and my 7 kids when they were growing up on a Bernina 830 i bought on time in 1981. Still have the machine, which is now being used for quilting by my oldest daughter. I started watching quilting shows in the 80's, subscribing to Quilter's Newsletter periodically as money allowed and collecting quilting books. The first quilt i made was a Shoofly that i started for one of my older daughter's, which didn't get finished for 15 years or so. I actually finally finished it when the daughter was a teenager. Since then i've made three graduation quilts, 2 high school and one college. Now i'm working on eldest daughter's wedding quilt. Thankfully i'm a lot faster these days. Machine piece but love to hand quilt. And i found a vintage Pfaff machine like my old roommates at Goodwill 6 years ago which tuned up is still a workhorse. So i now have a Bernina 830, a Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0, a Featherweight gifted to me by my high school BFF last year and a new to me White 1917 treadle.