I have a new Quilting "mommy" here on this board, as a newbie, and I am just tickled pink to get ideas, answers to my myriad of questions about quilting, and such. I have never been one to allow myself to " trust" easily, but for some reason, my new QM makes me feel welcome ( as YOU ALL DO ), and not stupid when I ask questions since she adopted me.
Who is YOUR quilting mentor ( mommy, lol ), and why is she/ he important to you?

My mother. She was a wonderful woman. She gardened, took care of six kids plus whomever we drug home, helped with the livestock and the farming, was the top Avon sales lady in Illinois and six surrounding states, quilted, sewed, and did all this through major health problems. Mom was blind in one eye, suffered numerous problems stemming from being severely malnurished as a child, was forced to leave home and be on her own at 11 yrs old and was a WWII widow by the time she was 16 1/2. She had Lupus, Arthritis, Collangens(sp?) disease, Raynods, and Fibromyalgia and still made some of the most beautiful quilts I've ever seen. She pieced and quilted all by hand. I have lots of questions answered by members of the board and I cherish all of you but my momma was and always will be my number 1 mentor.

My Mom did it for me also. I had rheumatic fever at age 8. At that time, bedrest and daily penicillin was the treatment. My Mom quit her teaching job to stay home with me. She kept me quiet by sitting by my bed and teaching me to handpiece. I made three complete tops that year and have them to this day. I still love the traditional patterns she taught me.

My friend Debra gave me a class on Memorial Day 2001. It was payment for finishing a cross stitched piece for her. I haven't stop since.

Rapture Ready,
Wow, through thick and thin, good and bad times, your mom sounds like she was a strong woman of character, as well as a strong woman who never let a minute stop on the clock. For all her struggles, she sounds like she accomplished all that she wanted to do, or needed to do - whether it was what was fun or not. You had to have been so blessed to know such a woman. Awesome story of seamless Love!

SheQuilts, your story sounds much like Rapture Ready's .. I so wish I had had someone teach me the importance of quilting, or basically anything that would stand the test of time. Thank you for sharing your story, too!

My Aunt Priscilla. She died in 2002 at the age of 92. She was Mennonite and had quilted her whole life. She never married and worked full-time in a factory to support herself. She took in people's quilt tops and handquilted them to make extra money. Though she retired at the age of 76, she still handquilted to supplement her Social Security and retirement.

I asked her one time how long it took her to quilt a quilt. She told me that when she was working full-time it took her 3 weeks to do a king-size...but after she retired it took her 6 weeks! ROFL

She was a hilarious person to be around and was still sharp as a tack, lived by herself, and even still drove up till the day she died.

RIP Aunt Priscilla! I know you are in heaven quilting right now!

She was probably the strongest in character, hard working, loving, caring, down to earth, level headed woman I've ever known and yes, my life was blessed by having her for a mother. Doubly blessed by having an equally wonderful father.
They were truly a matched set in the things that mattered, total opposites in looks. Mom had natural platinum blond hair (it finally started to darken after the twins were born) and light blue eyes, Dad had almost black hair with hazel eyes. She was statuesque --almost 6' tall. He was the same height with broad shoulders and narrow hips. They made a striking pair--she with an angular unique subtle beauty and him drop dead, spin your head around, handsome. But their greatest asset was their love for God, each other and their 6 kids.

My amazing mother-in-law taught me to sew in 2004. My own family does nothing crafty. We never had any quilts in our home. My mother-in-law sewed for her 4 kids, and has made several quilts. I am so thankful for her!

My mother-in-law sparked my interest in quilting. Even though she has been my ex-MIL for the past 10 years, she is still one of my best friends. She is a remarkable woman.

Mom... and other wonderful assorted Grand's and neighbors!!

My mom only made two quilts. One for DD and one for my sisters son. All my kids slept under that quilt. It was retired to my youngest closet because it was going to pieces. One day my DGD wanted a blanket to curl up under. DD said pick any of them from the closet. There was a huge stack of fleece blankets but she immediately went for the quilt. I decided to try making her one. And then another. And then one for each of my kids. And then I was hooked. I wish my mom was still here to mentor me.

My Grandmother who said to always stitch with love to make it last forever

I watched my Grams and her ladies quilting guild every Tuesday at school. They used the school basement for their quilting, sometimes pieced by machine and other times by hand, but alway's quilted by hand. Those ladies made 30 - 40 quilts a year. My mom did not quilt, but sewed as did my DS.

My real quilt mentor was and still is my ex-boss. She is a great teacher and quilter.

I can't really say I have a quilting mentor. I just kinda figure it out as I go with a lot of help from the Alex Anderson's Simple Quilts show and reading this board. Mistakes make the best teachers. :)

:thumbup:

don't have one. No one (alive) that I know quilts. When I started I just jumped in head first with hand applique. I did take an online class after that to learn more but no one guides me. I come here for questions and inspiration now. I've been quilting just over a year so still consider myself a newbie. If the boys are okay for me to leave them Saturday I found another guild that meets then and I'd like to try them out. The other guild here is so big I just never went back.

My EX MIL! I still miss her, LOL, not the ex though. Shewas as thrifty as they, had lived in Milwaukee, as a child during the depression, so she saved EVERY scrap.
She taught me to garden, make jelly and jam, can, quilt, save money........
We made quilts for each one of my kids with her scraps!

I always sewed my own clothing as a teenager, but got away from sewing after many years of teaching. My sister got me into quilting when I retired from teaching in 1996. She would provide me with video's, books, etc. & I in turn would go to the fabric shop sales for her. When I finished each quilt, I would have to mail it to her & she would hang it where she worked to show it off.

She was probably the strongest in character, hard working, loving, caring, down to earth, level headed woman I've ever known and yes, my life was blessed by having her for a mother. Doubly blessed by having an equally wonderful father.
They were truly a matched set in the things that mattered, total opposites in looks. Mom had natural platinum blond hair (it finally started to darken after the twins were born) and light blue eyes, Dad had almost black hair with hazel eyes. She was statuesque --almost 6' tall. He was the same height with broad shoulders and narrow hips. They made a striking pair--she with an angular unique subtle beauty and him drop dead, spin your head around, handsome. But their greatest asset was their love for God, each other and their 6 kids.[/quote]

Rapture, that is a lovely truibute to your parents.

My mom is my quilting mentor. We started quilting around the same time, but she definately gets more done than I do and her quilts are stunning.

That is beautiful!


...and everyone here is my mentor!

Ok so I have sewed little things over my years, more like fixed, hemmed and patched holes. I'm a Nurse and while at work one day one of my co-workers said she wanted to take a class at a LQS but wished she had someone to take it with and could I sew. Well seeing how I could patch a hole in a pair of little boys pants, I said I would go. We had a great time once a month making new small projects, bags, wall hangings, placemats, and then it happened........we went to Road to California!!! I was totally hooked, I wanted to make everything, my bags were heavy, my feet hurt, and my friend who taught me how to quilt was right there with me just as happy!!! We still quilt 4 yrs later at least once a week. Good times :)

My step-mother. Although she wasn't the nicest person to me, she did give me and interest in quilting and eventually I joined the group of ladies at the church to learn to handquilt.

Hmmm... I don't really have a quilting mentor. My best friend quilts a little, and she made my oldest a quilt when he was born. She definitely didn't make a "traditional" quilt. It was very bright and colorful, and I LOVE it! Up to that point, I hadn't paid a lot of attention to quilts, because I didn't like most of the colors in the few that I saw. When I saw that they could be different, I said, well, heck, if she can do it, so can I!! I started small, a table runner was the first thing I made, out of a beginning quilting book. I have been hooked ever since! I have taken 2 classes, but I am mostly self-taught. Now that I found this board, you all are my mentors! I love this board, and I love getting feedback/help/suggestions with my projects. You gals (and guys!) are awesome!
My grandma was a crafty lady, she knitted/crocheted and did needlepoint, so I guess I originally caught the creative "bug" from her!

Don't know if it would be considered a mentor but Georgia Bonesteel sparked my interest in quilting years ago with her Lapquilting TV series. That's what really got me going with my quilting. I think part of it was that she "broke the rules" by quilting in small pieces rather than the whole quilt. I haven't done much of that but it showed me that it's OK to do it your way.

My BFF taught me to quilt. When she and her DH and me and my DH were still getting to know each other, we went on a camping trip to the CA coast. While there we visited a quilt shop in Cambria, and when we walked in, my jaw dropped!! As I looked around in amazement, I said, "Annie, you know how to do this?" She laughed and said she did. I said (still mouth hanging!) "Will you teach me?" She said she would. I picked out a FQ bundle of beautiful teal fabrics, and a couple of weeks later we found a pattern and she started teaching me. She is a member of this board, Azam, and an excellent quilter. She is very meticulous, and I learned a lot from her. Although I am not as meticulous as she is, and I have modified her ways to suit my ways, we both admire each other's work, and I have her to thank for teaching and guiding me. Since then we have taught quilting together at our church, and had a blast doing it. She and I have both taught our grandaughters to sew and quilt, and I feel very thankful to have had that opportunity. And, believe it or not, I actually taught my 84 year old mother to quilt. And she loves it!!! AND my DH is now a quilter...and I taught him, too!! :-)

I realy do not have one unless I say it was my Mom Who taught me to sew. But she never quilted. She made us girls all our dresses when we were little.

I don't have a mentor. No one in my family sews. I have learned from books. I wish I did have a mentor though.

My grandma (who we called "MOM") was a woman who firmly believed that busy hands were happy hands, and no one should spend any time at all doing something that was not in some way productive. She didn't 'waste time' and never allowed me to even sit down without something to do. I can remember thinking she was a tyrant!

Since she lived in the low desert we got up before dawn, did our cooking and heavy cleaning, then took our baths and got ready for the day. By that time the sun was up and it was already hot. There was no such thing as A/C in homes then, and she didn't own a fan. There was no TV, or any of the electronic gadgets we have today. So to pass the time she taught me all types of handwork.. knitting, crocheting, tating, hand embroidery, needlepoint and QUILTING!

There was not one piece of fabric used in a home or worn on a body that was not emblished in some way. Every kitchen and bathroom towel was edged with lace and embroidered.. every chair and table was covered with dollies, needle pointed cushions or embroidered cloths of some kind. Her beds had hand stitched quilts and those were covered with hand made lace bedspreads.

I didn't really like working on some of those things, I just wanted to play... but as I grew up those lessons have done more for my life than nearly anything else I can think of. I am happiest with a project in my hands.

I think I am healthier, and happier than most people. Learning to do these things well taught me to work hard, do every job well, work until it's done, and to do what I needed to do whether I wanted to or not. On top of those life lessons, I haven't been bored in years!

I wish she were still here to see how much those 'lessons in the desert' have meant in my life! Her lessons have now been passed to another generation, and I'm hoping to be able to teach my granddaughter as well! Thanks Mom.

My sister--- she lives w/ her hubby in a big house out in the sticks of Flagstaff Az. But has no room to let alone move around let alone sew. They are clutter freaks. Anyway- she has decided to live her quilting dreams thru me. So far she has sent me 8 quilt kits- tools and toys that I am still trying to figure out what to do with..... gave me a Featherweight 221 and a Bernina 930. She buys tons of machines from ebay. Just finished my first quilt. Called paperweights. After beginning my new hobby- my in laws have given me 3 - eight foot tall bureaus full of old fabric-- ranging from wools to silk-satin- linen- lace- upolstery- etc. you name it - I inherited it. Will never use alot- will have to sell it sometime. Anyway-- I am very grateful to her for living her dream thru me--- I Love It!!!!

I have 3 wonderful ladies who tolerate my endless questions and chatting about quilting. I have Sandy in Idaho who motivates me. I have Carol in Utah who's encouragement keeps me going. And I have my dear niece KrisStena who answers my endless questions and gives me the best advise. I'm a lucky lady.

Probably Fons and Porter via TV, Taught me the basics. Then joined a guild filled with great teachers.

I will say my mother also. Actually my mom taught me to sew when I was twelve.She insisted I learn to sew by hand first, then sew on the machine. She was right there (it was her only machine at the time)to guide me. She always has been. Now I am 56 and she is still there with me. We always sew together in her beautiful and very large sewing room. I think I would be happy to just sew every day. We both quilt (I do more than she right now)and she is a great mentor to me in helping with design and color choices.My mom is the greatest and probably my closest friend. I cannot imagine life without her.

This quilting board was my first mentor :D:D:D

My mother and grandmother taught me how to sew, but neither one of them quilted at that time. Many years later, I had a friend that I babysat for and she brought me cutaways from the uniform factory where she worked. I didn't have the heart to throw them away, so learned to quilt (they were some really ugly quilts). My first two books were Georgia Bonesteel and Eleanor Burns, then in the 80's took a quilting class with my grandmother. Got my Mom quilting and one of my sisters and we all have a good time with it.

My mom sewed our clothes for many years and at Easter we all had clothes to match. School time-she would take her patterns and we always had new dresses for school. Of course as we got bigger it wasn't "cool" to wear handmade clothes. My mom didn't start quilting till she was nearly 70. I was telling her about a quilt I was making. She lived in MO and I lived in TN so many of our phone calls were about quilting. She didn't follow patterns but would find a coloring book and use that as her pattern. Once while visiting my brother in CA. we saw a quilt that was hanging at one of the famous areas. My brother really liked it and told mom he would pay her to make him one. Well, that became a challenge to her. She bought a poster and then made her pattern of each animal and successfully made the quilt. When we were all home for holiday my mom pulls the quilt out. Of course, I knew what she had been working on as during that time when I came home we would pick out the colors for the next animals. When it was given to my brother he cried which made us all cry. He couldn't believe it. Mom was so proud. I am the oldest of 7 kids with my brother the youngest. My brother was special to all of us and it was wonderful to see him so happy. And yes, mom got her money even though she didn't want it. She just wanted to do something special for him.

My first quilting mentor was my first MIL. She also taught me to crochet with fine thread. Told me then that I could do ANYTHING I PUT MY MIND TO! She was right!! :) (I divorced her son....ROL!!!)

I pieced a quilt for my son that looked like little boats. Then we hand quilted it on a quilting frame sitting up in my tiny livingroom! Oh, the fun we had! I sure do miss her!

I am considered a "aged old Woman" at 66 now, I wanted to start sewing for my grandchild, age 10 who had no one to show her the things we all had learned , I met the most wonderful mentor of my life teaching quilting 1 year ago, until that time I had given up thinking I could learn anthing new until I met her...she is 83, runs her own quilting shop and has no patience for me what so ever, that is why I love her so much. Learning does not need to be fun...learning is in the accomplishments you feel when you know you have done everything the best you can be...isn't that what learning is all about, it doesn't matter how old you are, it just matters who you are inside that others sometimes cannot see

:) My grandmother. She never quilted when I was around, but as a kid someone in the family was always getting quilts or embroidered pillow cases. Her eyesight has deteriorated, and she doesn't have the patience for sewing anymore.

I have the quilt she made for me when I was in elementary school. It was all poly-blend fabric, so it's still bright and unfrayed. She always tied her quilts, and because of the use, the backing has come loose. I haven't gotten around to re-sandwiching and quilting (vs tying) it. Someday.