No one in my family quilted. I never even saw a quilt until the year I turned 21. My mother graduated with a degree in fashion design. I never even knew she went to college until after she died. She tatted, crocheted and knitted amazing things. She would thumb through Montgomery Wards, Ragamuffins, and Penny's catalogs and then one day these clothes just materialized in the house. I was a hyper child and no one thought that their lessons would "stick". My mother taught my sister and my only cousin on that side to embroider. My grandmother sewed and worked as a seamstress during her evening hours during the war. During the day, she worked at a factory that helped the armory supply ammo to the boys overseas. No one taught me anything or even thought I would be interested. A friend of my mom's taught me how to chain stitch in crochet and nothing else, so all that is self taught.
Fast forward a few years, to when I met my husband. He couldn't believe that I called his favorite quilt the weirdest bedspread I had ever seen. He still chides me about it. My mother in law didn't really approve of us at first and didn't send a quilt to us until we were married 2 years...and even then it was hurried. I went to visit her and sat in a chair and told her I wasn't going anywhere until she taught me how to quilt. So she got these tiny little knit squares that were about 1 1/2 inches and told me when I could sew them together by hand I'd be ready to quilt.
My stubbornness softened her heart and we became great friends. She gave me better than any wedding quilt, she made sure I got bit by the quilt bug!
My wonderful MIL and mother both passed away in 2007. I made my grandmother a sampler quilt 18 months ago and she couldn't believe I could make something that beautiful. She kept it on display for anyone to see when they came to visit. She died 3 weeks ago tomorrow and now I have that little sampler back.
I have a lot of other influences, but wouldn't have any of them if it wasn't for my grandmother, mother and MIL as they all knew one of them....I miss them all very much, but stitch a little something special for each of them in my quilts. I recently finished hand quilting a queen size sampler for my husband for our anniversary. The names of his mom and my mom are quilted into it...our initials are in the bottom, and I put the years of my grandmother's life next to the binding.
What I find so funny is that to this day my sister and cousin gripe about all that wasted time in their embroidery lessons...and here I am, the one that wanted lessons and I'm the only one that makes anything. Serves them right! : - )