Welcome to the Board from the Seattle area.
Fascinating history. When I went through college the second time (finished up my degree at 40), I wrote every paper I could on some aspect of quilting history. I have a very good foundation on why I believe that cotton is the reason for a lot of things, including the industrial revolution.
I love those post-war Japanese machines, have spent most of the last 30 years sewing on a Remington older than I am. For a few years I would pick up good machines at the thrift stores for super cheap, clean them up and gave them to a charity that connected them with recent refugees and immigrants. I'm not all that mechanical but I can do sewing machine basics! About a year ago I was given a modern Bernina and while the bells and whistles are great, I still love Remy.
One of the things I really like about quilting is that I can see/point to what I do. When I did payroll or other office work if I was doing my job correctly things just passed through my desk and I know I worked hard all day but didn't really have much to show. Sure that final "press button to process payroll" told me something, but it wasn't like the last stitch in a quilt.