Count me in with the ladies who know shorthand! I took two years, two-hours of shorthand/transcription in high school. I was proud to get certified at 160 wpm. My shorthand teacher told us to practice our shorthand by transcribing the news because the news commentators had to speak clearly and enunciate.
When I reported to my first secretarial job after high school, my boss handed me a dictaphone and told me to type everything on it. I never used a dictaphone in high school so I transcribed everything on the tape in shorthand and typed from my shorthand notes. My boss thought I was crazy! He told me to eliminate the "middle man" and type directly from the dictaphone. After I got the hang of using the dictaphone, I never looked back. I felt bad that I never used my shorthand skills.
And yes, I enjoy hand quilting! I just wish there was someone in my area of town who hand quilts so I can see if I'm doing it right. My quilting friends prefer to machine quilt.