I made my first quilt in 1976 or 1977. It was a nine-patch with floral calico prints and muslin and adjacent to these was a muslin square upon which I embroidered a flower (a rose on one, violet on another, etc.). I depended heavily and advice from my mother-in-law, a farmer's wife. It was a full-size quilt, and while the piecing actually was lovely, I tried quilting it on my machine -it took forever, lots of tears, and help from my husband to guide it through my machine. I made just because I wanted the experience, and I never made another quilt until I joined a quilting group at my church in 2015! When I asked to join the group, I told them of my inexperience, but they said, "Good, then you don't have a lot of bad habits to break!." Now, I dedicate most of my time to quilting -I am forever learning something new. Of course, a decent sewing machine, the new fangle tools such as rotary cutters, self-healing mats, wonderful (if you buy quality) pre-cuts, and amazing You Tube videos surely makes quilting easier. Now, there's rarely a day goes by that I am not quilting or thinking about quilting. I think I am addicted!