Awhile back my dh asked me "why do you sew? Nobody sews anymore." Hmmm? My reply was I don't know, its what I do, its what we do. We being my family. Ive always done it. My first sewing machine was a holly hobby battery operated. I was around 7 or 8. By the time I was a preteen I was crocheting also. Embroidery and cruel, chicken scrathes, In high school I helped teach the needleworks class. Was the president of the Future homemakers of America Club.

Then I got to thinking, I've always had the obsession with linen also. Even before I started quilting, I've only been quilting about 8 yrs. But my linen obsession has been a life long thing. I can remember going through moms linen closest and loving how it smelled, the pretty colors, the softer sheets, flannel, grannies quilts. As I got older and had my own home I started buying tons of linen, couldnt get enough sheets or blankets in the house. I would keep every little scrap of fabric from my sewing projects like curtains, halloween costumes. So my thinking is it must be genetic, or somehow what I'm supposed to do, my purpose. I imagine the my genetic dna strand looks like knotted threads or scrappy irish chain quilt.

How old were you when the obsession started?

I still have the first quilt made for me by my mother and grandmother. Learned how to tie my shoes under the quilting frame while it was being quilted. I guess I just came wired for fabric!:):)

I learned to crochet and knit at the age of 7. I had a little sewing machine when I was ten. It was plastic and hand crank operated. It made a chain stitch. My grandma taught me to do button hole stitches very early also. At the age of 17 I only owned clothes made by myself. The summer before my senior year I spent it sewing. I stopped for a while and when I was pregnant of my son I sent out to DMC for a little Koala bear that came with Aida, thread needle, a pattern and instructions to learn to cross stitch. I now have a huge collection of patterns, threads and fabrics, all in storage. In 2001 a friend asked me to finish a cross stitch. I did and for the payment I asked for quilting classes. After 2 classes I was hooked and went on my own. The rest is history.

My sisters and me learned to sew watching Mom. She made all our clothes, and as she cut and sewed she showed how it was done. She made it a game. I thought everybody new how to sew. Was I surprised when I found out that people did not even know how to sew a button on.
My daughter does not sew, yet she can knows basic sewing if she had to do it. She also watched my mother and me sew. My other daughter is learning to sew.

I learned to crochet as a child, but never did much with it aside from simple baby blankets. I got my first sewing machine three years ago, and didn't do much with that, either, until the end of August this year when I decided I wanted to make a quilt. I had NO idea what making a quilt entailed, nobody in my family sews or quilts outside of basic mending...I just wanted to make a quilt. And so, an addiction is born... :lol:

I had 3 sisters that were gifted to sew and a neice a few years younger than myself. You women were give a wonderful gift to be soooo thankful for.

I love hearing all you womens little stories. Keep them coming please.

I do think it's something in our blood. I love to sew, have loved sewing since I was a little girl. My Mom, however, hates anything to do with a sewing machine. My Dad's mother, and all of his sisters sewed. One sister worked for Singer for years. Unfortunately, none of them lived close enough to me to teach me anything. When my paternal grandmother passed away, dad inherited her machine because he had bought it for her. A Pfaff 130.

I would beg for fabric every time we went to town. Starated out making aprons for my other grandmother. That was something I could come up with without a pattern. Then I took home ec and learned a little more there.

I didn't sew much after I first got married until a good friend of ours made my husband a western shirt. He went on and on and on and on....ooing and awing over it. I thought, I can do that just as good as she can! So, I bought my first machine and started making his shirts. For years he didn't have a store bought shirt. I saved all of my scraps for years and finally decided to make quilts with them, so here I am. I don't have the room to really lay out fabric to cut out clothes. But, I can cut out quilt pieces, so at the moment I've having fun with quilting.

too young to remember. I was always allowed to design and sew with left over fabric.

I have had a passion for fabrics from about age 12. I have sewed since I was about 10. It has drifted in and out but then I retired and took up quilting--the passion is back.

you've conjured up a memory for me... I was 9 years old and went to a thrift store with my friend & her mother. There was a Blue, hand-turned sewing machine up on the shelf behind the counter. I just stood and stared. Oh how I Wanted it. I remember it clear as day. When I got home, I asked my mom if she would buy it for me. lol... That was not happening. But I've never forgotten that little machine. I bought myself a basic model singer when I was 20 years old. I made dresses for my little girl, and many household things, and even some patternless quilts inspired by magazines & my imagination; except, I didn't think of them as quilts, but Comforters. I finally got into quilting in 1999. It felt like coming home.