It's not just outsiders that have pre-concieved notions of who quilters are. Just a few months ago, someone on this very board was amazed that Judi Madsen (Green Fairy Quilts) was so young and pretty for such a skilled quilter.
I guess I'm lucky. I've learned not to talk about quilting in my casual relationships; too many times I've been asked to hem pants, sew on a button, or recover furniture (yes that actually happened!). But my non-quilty friends always want to see my latest quilt, or what I'm working on right now. Even the dads in my son's Boy Scout troop are fascinated.