Hi there, bbhatch. I am Patt from our capitol city of Montgomery. I recently started quilting and loving every minute of it. Am retired (3 years) with 3 adult children and 4 grand-children aged 10 to 15. Love quilt shopping too. Are there any good quilt shops in your area? There was 1 here in Montgomery but they closed a few months ago. Am currently sewing on charity quilts for Lutheran World Relief, but have made a couple of quilts for family too. I am self-taught, with the help of this board and you-tube. I figure that the charity quilts will be my learning base and when I am more confident I will tackle something more detailed. It's good to meet you, and welcome to the board. I feel these are my old friends now and look forward to "visiting" with them every day, and you will too.