None of my grandmothers quilted. One came into this country via Ellis Island from Ireland. Her family did not quilt. The other was from farmland somewhere in Indiana and quilting was not a her thing. However, my first quilts (made 2 at the same time-one for each daughter) were ~1/2 way done and dh said "Oh dear. You need professional help." Now that can be interpreted many different ways, but he really meant I needed to take a quilting class! I had been using a yard stick, a pencil and a pair of scissors. I had no clue what a rotary cutter, quilting ruler or mat were. Can you believe it? The second halves of my daughter's quilt looked great! Seems butt up and all squares are even. The first halves look questionable at best. You can really see my progress! That was only ~15 years ago!