feline fanatic

Jan's fascinating post on this thread http://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f1/tied-t257128.html got me to thinking. I am the first quilter (that I know of) in my family. But I don't have a whole lot of family history.

My maternal grandmother died when my mother was a child and my paternal grandfather could give Liz Taylor a run for the money with how many times he divorced and re married . But I don't recall any of his wives being quilters. And my mom was definitely not a quilter. I know absolutely nothing about great grandparents or any generations preceding. so it is possible that I have quilters going further back and just don't know it.

So how many out there have generations of quilting in their families and if so do you know how many generations? How many of us are the first in our "line" to embrace the art?

GagaSmith

I am also a first in line quilter as far as I know but I don't think I will be the only one. My daughter has absolutely no interest in quilting but two of my granddaughters are learning. I'm not sure how far they will go with it but they have a good start.

Sarabela

I have a vintage quilt that was made by my great-great grandmother on my dad's side. Neither my parents, nor any of my grandparents quilted. My maternal great grandmother sewed a lot, but I don't know whether or not she quilted. I have her old sewing machines. So it seems that in my case the quilting gene skipped over 2 or 3 generations.

GailG

My mother wasn't a quilter (although she was an accomplished sewist) but several of my paternal aunts were. The only thing related to quilts I remember from my childhood was that my sister and I helped to "comb" wool that had been in an old quilt to prepare it for a new quilt. A family of sisters used to quilt for out. This was in the forties. I wish I knew what had become of those two beautiful whole cloth quilts.

tapper

No one in my family quilted but my paternal grandmother hooked rugs on a big frame with each end of the frame set on a big wooden apple barrel. The barrels held all kinds of fabric cut into pieces. In later years I remember the stockings(and later panty hose) hooked into the background on the rugs.
Nan did have quilts on all the beds and sewed clothes but can't remember her making any quilts.
I can also remember a white goat rug at the top of the stairs and loved the furry warmth. Perhaps it was bought but they were very poor so don't think that was the case.
The house was torn down while I was away at college and I don't know what happened to her stuff....would have loved to have had her big sewing/knitting basket.
She was a pioneer...an educated woman, which was rare in those days in this area...worked at bookkeeping. Her and Granda had 5 boys 3 girls....girls all died young of TB.
She worked in the gardens at veggies and haymaking and loved the outdoors. She would never come from the hay garden ( which was near the ocean) without carrying a 'burn' of driftwood on her back tied together with a string. The wood was used as firewood.
Berry-picking was her favorite pastime. I can see her now, sitting in the 'front room' chair with a load of berries in her big white apron...cleaning them and then putting the cleaned berries into a big white enamel bowl that had darker chipped enamel areas.

Sorry for the nostalgia trip....more info than you needed, I'm sure, but it was so pleasant remembering those times.

Jeanne S

My paternal Grandmother didn't quilt but she did beautiful embroidery and tatting. My Mother and her mother were utility seamstresses but not quilters, so I guess I am the first and maybe the last as neither of my daughters seem to have an interest. I have one grandson, but not much hope there yet.

Neesie

I come from a long line of quilters. Both my mother and grandmother quilted, although I'm not sure my mother ever finished any of hers. I do have a quilt from my grandmother, though. Unfortunately, it's packed away somewhere, from a downsizing move. My mother's family grew up in the mountains of West Virginia, so quilting was just a way of life, with my ancestors. They were poor, so didn't waste anything.

I remember my mom telling me she was making a quilt, when she was a young girl. My grandmother had given her some fabric but there wasn't quite enough for all the blocks, so the quilt came to a stand-still. Later, my grandmother found another fabric, that would work, and finished the quilt for my mom. Back then, most of the work was done by hand.

sewmini

My grandmother was a quilter....Mom made comforters and I have a sister who is a perfectionist quilter. I love the process of piecing and the colors that come with quilting. Have a 13 year old GD that shows a lot of interest. Daughters are too busy with other things but may take I up later life.

Lori S

Generations of my family sewed almost every bit of their clothing, quilting was a way to recycle and use every morsel of cloth. The idea of purchasing fabric specifically for quilting was a concept they would never have understood and would have thought it frivolous spending.
My Mom was the same way she used bits of fabric left from garment construction. When the rotary cutter became "main stream" that when she started to purchase fabric for quilts. Its kind of funny , I started purchasing fabric for quilting only after moving from my parents home, and before the rotary cutter was "main stream". At that time I was lucky to actually finish one per year... the cutting always got so boring.

AngeliaNR

My maternal great-grandmother was still living up until I was in my twenties--she quilted all the time. I don't ever remember her sitting down without some sort of project in her lap or on the frame. My grandmother, her daughter, also made lots of quilts. My mom is also a quilter, though not to that extent. I'm assuming the line of quilters goes back generations from there. On my dad's side, I don't know of any quilters. My daughter has quilted, but with a young daughter and a church (she is a pastor's wife), time is tight right now--I'm sure she will come back to it. I'm hoping to encourage my stepkids--I had them make patchwork pillows several years ago, and they love quilts, so maybe...