Originally Posted by Millstream Mom

There are so many wonderful quilters out there that I thought I'd play "Tell Me About...." I'm sure there are some fascinating quilting stories!

Who taught you how to quilt? I'm self-taught. My mom taught me simple sewing when I was about 7yrs old. My best friend and I spent hours making dresses for clothespin dolls (remember those?) from cloth scavenged from our mothers' rag bags (and remember those?). Mom taught me knit, too, but I also taught myself embroidery, and crochet.

What pattern was the first quilt you made? Baby Blocks for my third child while pregnant with him.

Do you still have your 1st quilt? Unfortunately, no. He was saddened at losing it (long sad story), and his wife said that he cried when they opened my wedding gift to them on their wedding night and found a new quilt. Their wedding quilt was a Rail Fence pattern. I am now working on a quilt for their 10th anniversary coming up in September.

Which of your quilts is your favorite and why? An old one that is on my bed. It is a flower pattern, all hand-appliqued and hand-quilted. All the fabrics are scraps from sewing clothes for myself & my daughter or from my mom and sister's scrap bags. When I look at it I can remember making "that dress for Monique when she started 1st grade" or "that was a blouse I made" or "my sister made that maternity top when she was expecting her third child" and so on.

What do you do with the quilts you make? Most of the quilts I make are for family. I have 7 children and 8 grandchildren. All of my children have had a quilt that I or my mom made for them. As each gets married (4 so far) I make a wedding quilt. And one for each new baby and then when the grandchildren graduate to a "big kid's bed"... and so on... you get the picture LOL

What is the oldest quilt in your collection? The one on my bed.

Do you belong to a guild, or attend workshops? no

Have you ever entered a quilt in a quilt-show or fair? no

Have you encouraged others to try quilting? Both of my daughters recently took up quilting. It was very therapeutic for my younger daughter: she first tried quilting while recuperating from a serious car accident. She suffered a traumatic brain injury and had a lot of trouble concentrating, organizing, remembering, and naming things. A 22 yr old college honor student, she couldn't read and follow directions and she had never sewn a stitch before. So I would explain and demonstrate a step to her each evening and by the time I came home from work the next day she would have it done. Her first quilt is a beautiful design of her own in batiks and is reversible! Her own idea because she couldn't decide on a backing.

Why do you quilt?