http://tinyurl.com/yaa7jbd

Idle Pastime: In Off Hours, Truckers Pick Up Stitching

Semi driver Dave White happily sequestered himself in his rig at a truck stop on a rural stretch of Interstate 80, waiting to pick up his next haul: 45,000 pounds of Spam. He used to loathe the downtime in his job.

Then, he bought a sewing machine.

Since last year, when the economy left drivers with fewer hauls, Mr. White, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound ex-Air Force mechanic with a bushy mustache, has hunkered down inside his truck in his many off hours, making quilts from patterns with names like "Meet Me In Paris."

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this is a neat article. :)

What a great way to spend his down time :D:D:D

Bravo to these truckers. The article also mentions knitting. Both are great ways to pass the time and be productive. I once worked in a knit shop and we had a marine who was one of our regular customers. I'm sure all our man quilters would argue with anyone who says quilting is for women only. Actually, I envy the opportunities these truckers have to visit museums and quilt/yarn shops in various states. Now if we could just get one or two on the forum. :)

that would be great to get them on here.

Great article. Thanks for the link... with a husband that likes to embroidery, etc. I did enjoy!

My father was a lifelong truckdriver with Watkin motor lines. What a great way to spend your downtime, you could name your quilts after the trips you're on.

What a great way to spend your downtime productively. I think many of us find quilting relaxing and therapeutic.
I'll bet Dave White could give us some tips on sewing in a small area.

That is amazing. What a great and productive way to spend his time.

This is great. My DS is a long haul trucker and I e-mailed it to him. He has alot of down time and gets bored so easy. Says there is only so much TV to watch and movies to see.

I showed it to DH. He has been unemployed for almost 2 years. This article started a conversation. He asked if I am trying to tell him that he should learn to quilt. I had to think a bit about it before I answered. On one side it would be nice to have someone in the house who can understand first hand how I feel about fabric and why I can never have enough of sewing. On the other hand, do I want to have in the house someone who may just take my fabrics when I am not here, or can finish the thread I was planning to use on a special project? I told him, if he wants to take a single stitch, he needs to get his own stash.