My journey to quilting began a long time ago. I started sewing as soon as I could see over the top of my DGM's white treadle ) -- that was over 60 years ago. That DGM only used the machine for mending, but my aunt made clothes (she was one of those who found something ready made and came home and made it without a pattern). My dad was overseas so we lived at Grandma's and my aunt taught me to make doll clothes. When we moved to Alaska, Santa brought me a crank machine -- I made more doll clothes and Mom made curtains, and all manner of home dec stuff that should have been impossible on a small machine. When we moved to the lower 48 (I was 8-9), Mom taught me to use her White electric (don't know what kind but it was gray and weighed a ton). I bought some patterns and some remnants and started making my skirts, blouses and dresses (couldn't wear pants to school) from remnants (was paying less than $5.00 for all the fabric I needed for a semester of school clothes. I continued to make clothes after I married (made DH wool shirts and pj's). My paternal Grandmother was a quilter, but unfortunately she did not live nearby, but when I saw her she showed me how to make templates and hand piece quilts -- I never picked it up because I liked my machine. When I had kids, I decided to try to make them quilts, but sew with the machine -- it worked. I still did more clothing construction than quilting, but I did make my first bed sized quilt -- whole cloth quilt embroidered through the entire sandwich (yeah -- through batting and backing as well as the top). I loved it but it was hard work (went to Goodwill when we moved). Somewhere in here I started watching Eleanor Burns when she was doing her show in the attic -- and I got her log cabin leaflet. When I started working full time, I could barely keep up with the clothes and Halloween costumes, then I quit sewing completely. I retired in 1999 and DD told me that I needed to make her a quilted Christmas tree skirt with no hole in the middle and she wanted it in about 2 years. I was watching Simply quilts and the shows that came on PBS (still watch them) and I said sure. Once started, I haven't stopped -- I have taken a few classes along the way but with some good books, EQ (1-7), grid paper and Quilter's Cache I pretty much draft my own patterns in whatever size I want. I give most of my quilts away to family and charity. I love to assemble fabric, cut and piece the tops but the for actual quilting, I pretty much stick to straight line -- after years in the computer industry my hands are a mess and I can't even seem to doodle like I used to.