I was one of those little girls playing 'tent' under the quilt frame as my relatives and family friends worked on the quilt over the heads of myself and my cousins. Then I graduated to threading dozens of needles onto a spool of thread to help out the more aged eyes among the quilters...but of course, I was still young enough to want to get under the frame with everyone after my chore. This is something I still do (with my thankfully good eyes...when visiting relatives or friends in senior homes..... thread all the needles they have onto the spools of thread they are using...that way they can pull off the amount of thread they need, slide one needle onto it and clip off. All the other needles remain till needed.) In time I was moved to one of the chairs with the other quilters and loved being included in the group. I have been quilting (meaning my first tops) since I was a teen, but every quilting session, whether on the treadle, the featherweight, pfaff, or nolting longarm, is a time to commune with all the other women in my life, my family and merely others who enjoy my hobbies. I love the sense of herstory that accompanies all handwork that may have been a necessity at one time and is a hobby now.