I started out not quilting, but, going shopping many trips w/a quilter. Her only son left for college and she retired all in the same year and was looking for someone to help her fill a void and I was that friend. Even though I did not know how to sew, I'd shop w/her and help her pick out colors. She convinced me to do a Dear Jane w/her, paper pieced. Verbally told me how to do it and I raced home, dug in the bottom of a closet for my old brother (that burned up w/in this 6months!)sewing machine and sewed my first paper pieced and first quilt block....upside down!:))I figured it out and we had a great time buying and sharing our fat quarters for this project. I became very addicted to quilting at that point and now have 2 janomes in my space:)Skeat