Well, that's a tough one. My Grandmother's both sewed & quilted but they died when I was 7. But they did pique my interest. Then my Mother sewed but I could never learn from her (she was something of a perfectionist with a short span of patience & when I fumbled, I got "Oj, just give it to me" -- don;t get me wrong... I ADORED my Mother but that was one area that didn't go so good... tho we quilted together lots when I learned to do that). My tried in 4 years (!) of Home Ec were horrible. I always picked a pattern that was way over my skill level & it just led to tears. So everyone was SHOCKED when I took a quilting class at a local junior college. And it was there I had the teacher who got me hooked, Mrs. Barry. She was strict, she wanted you to listen up, but she was oh-so- patient & full of all kinds of good stories (she brought in old quilts & taught his history in addition to straight up sewing) & more knowledge than I knew a head could hold. But I like to think I'm still learning... from books, magazines, online, TV shows & really from here on the board.