Should I teach my husband to quilt?
 

My husband does not have a hobby. He comes in my quilting room and sits in my chair and I take him on a tour of my room. He is fascinated by everything I have. He's shocked by how much I have. He thinks all the notions are cool. Whenever I finish a quilt he wants to see it and is impressed that I did all that work. He's impressed that I can stay in my quilting room for 8 hours working away without a break. He went to work for the railroad when he was 18. He's been "on call" for 30 some years so he doesn't know how to work on cars or work with wood. He hunts and fishes, but he needs a different kind of hobby. Something that he can work on during his free time. Do you think I should teach him to quilt? I don't know if we'll get frustrated with each other or if he'll start hogging my quilting room and using my favorite stash. I talked to him about quilting and told him that men are doing it now, so I put the bug in his ear. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?​

I think it's a GREAT idea! Whayt a wonderful way to spend time with your DH :thumbup:

There sure are lots of men who are exquisite quilters - if he's interested then go for it! It's wonderful to have someone you can share your joy with :) And maybe he'll find he really likes doing something you don't like quite so much.

My favourite LQS in my little town is operated by a couple - they work very well together - she is the sewing and fabric expert, he's an excellent schmoozer and he's starting to make quilts now too :)

I think that would be a great idea. Another one that you might propose is Needlepoint. That is something that I became obsessed with a number of years ago, and filled the house with lots of nice pillows and tapestry wall hangings. He can sit in his favorite chair and watch TV, if he wants to or, anywhere else. Not cross stitch but Wool Counted Stitch Needlepoint. I learned to do it from books and it is great sport. If that gives him pause to think about it, tell him that former NFL player Rosie Grier, who was/is a gigantic Black Man seemed to be able to pull it off and not have to worry about 'Appearances".
Either way you might save yourself from having to share the Quilting room if you headed him in the "Tapestry" direction. Just a thought.

John

If you have a longarm machine maybe he could learn that and quilt all your quilts for you and others.

I think it's a great idea, but what about Latch Hook?

I think it is a great idea. I wish my husband quilted. He supports what I do, but it would be fun if he quilted too.

Dina

Sounds like fun but i would be fighting over the scissors and other notions with my DH, you might enjoy the bonding time might be worth sharing your stuff

Personally...I would never want to share my space, my hobby, etc. with my husband. Not that he'd be remotely interested. I think people need their OWN hobbies and a little space both emotionally and physically from their spouse. He needs something but WHY does it have to be quilting? Find him something to do that's HIS.

I would definitely sound him out about helping you out with an easy quilt with train materials in it so his interest can be quickly captured.

If he likes doing that, then sign up for a class so you don't have to get involved in teaching him every step of the way. He may be fascinated with the idea, but turned off by the fact he won't be as good as you right from the start. This way you can share a hobby, but not a project where he would feel intimidated by your expertise.

You may also want to drop a couple of quilt magazines with articles about male quilters around your home so he can see that he is not the only guy interested in the craft.