I got started in 2004, thanks to my Dear aunt, mom and daughter. My aunt found out that she had lung cancer and passed away within two months.
When I had gone through my divorce ten years previous, I had moved in with my mom across the states. My aunt had never driven before and after she became widowed, my mom would pick her up on Friday nights afte work to take her shopping. When me and my three children moved in with mom, we went with them. We would take her to Joann Fabrics to buy fabric and she would buy bunches and quilted like crazy! I was envious of the fabric cause I hadn't been sewing any clothes in years. My mom and aunt kept telling me I should quilt and of course I said no. She passed away from cancer in 2004 and I decided I was going to learn to quilt (mom did too). So, with mom being in Indiana and me in Montana, we constantly were on the phone and emailing pictures to each other and taught ourselves to quilt!
My first quilt I signed on the back "inspired by Aunt Shirley and encouraged by Mom and Deandra"...
It was cut out with scissors cause I had never heard of a rotary cutter! I thought pinwheels just had to be half-sqyare triangles....didn't know about the light/dark thing, so they look nothing like they should! It was a scrap quilt, but the most-loved one I have ever made! I made it mainly with clothing scraps from clothes and curtains and such that I had made for my kids over the years. I had quilted it and used a ton of stencils....but I love it!
Since then, I have made well over fifty quilts and tons of purses and other things!