Wow.....what a great subject. I am self-taught way back when I lived in California, and broke my leg and had a full cast on it & was in a wheelchair. About the only thing I could do was sew. Did some crafts, but soon got bored with that. Husband went to a flea market and came home with a used quilting book....and the rest is history. That was about 16 years ago.
I now live in Texas close to my oldest sister, and we sew/quilt/shop/talk fabric/quilting everyday...wonderful!
I taught classes at a LQS for several years, and now am selling on Ebay and Etsy. Oh...did I mention the husband is not around anymore?? Just me and my 3 "quilt inspectors" (cats in case you didn't figure it out.)
Thanks to whomever started this subject...great one. Enjoyed reading all the posts.