It started as a dare..sort of. Someone told me I couldn't do it and I was young and immature and had this "I'll show you" attitude. I didn't really like my only beginner class, but I got in with a couple quilters in a volunteer group and the rest, as they say, is history.
I'm so glad I kept at it after my first disaster, I mean class, was done. At the time I had 2 kids under 2 and my oldest is a special needs child. It was therapy for me. I was a full time SAH mom and my husband traveled for work. Then baby number 3 came before baby number 1 was 3 and I quilted to prevent insanity.
Fast forward to now? Why do I quilt now? Because I want to. I don't have to keep myself busy with something to maintain sanity. I have 3 growing boys and 2 of them are interested in quilts. They know making Christmas gifts is one of our traditions and they know how good it feels to make something with your own hands and give it to someone else. We make a list each year of the projects we should do together and I'm including them in the list of projects I make in January to be done by Christmas time so they can see how you can bless people all year long.