Hello from up north!
 

I am from Maine, and like some of my fellow quilters on this forum, it's a long cold winter so what better way to get through it then to make quilts.
I grew up with a crafting mom who had a business making and selling leather and suede clothing and items such as purses, handbags, and fanny packs. I have been sewing for 20+years and about 10 years ago the quilting bug bit me. I bought my first sewing machine at our local thrift shop for $3, it was a vintage Dressmaker that I sewed on for many years. I still have it and use it for heavy duty items. But my daily machine is a Janome.
I try to learn a new technique or will challenge myself with a difficult pattern every year. Last year I made a queen size quilt with 5600 11/2 inch squares, I loved the challenge and the quilt came out great.
I love paper piecing and because I have made a quilt for everyone in my family I now mostly make charity quilts, or small items like bags, table runners, or wall hangings.

My husband is on some forums and is always telling me about how much he has learned and encouraged and helped me to join this forum. I have learned a lot already and look forward to sharing and learning with you all. Happy quilting.

Welcome from western NY and happy quilting :)

Welcome from Oregon!

Hello from Washington, and happy stitching! :)

Howdy & welcome from Texas. We would love to see pictures of some of your quilts.

Welcome from Oklahoma. I know what you mean about long winters. I am from Massachusetts.

Hi and welcome from North Carolina! Wow! A $3.00 sewing machine! And still going strong! I thought mine was cheap at $99.00! Great deal for you!! They don't make 'em like that anymore!

Welcome aboard! I've been using a vintage Remington older than I am for the last 20 years or so ever since my modern machine broke down and was not repairable. Remy was a friend of mine's grandmother's machine and I bought it for $20 instead of going to a stranger in a garage sale. It was/is a wonderful machine with a great steady straight stitch but just recently (last month!) a friend gifted me with a modern Bernina sewing computer and it's fun to have a machine smarter than me... but Remy isn't going anywhere other than under my sewing table.

Thrift stores are amazing. Years ago when they were overlooked I bought not one but two Singer 301s for under $20 each. All I had to do was clean and oil and plug in and they worked just fine. Craig's List also has some wonderful deals for cheap or free.

HI there and welcome from New Hampshire. I'm glad you found us.

Thanks for the welcoming. My local thrift shop is wonderful,I buy my irons for my quilt studio there too, in fact I just bought one a few weeks ago and when I got it home and brought it to my studio to get ready to use it,I discovered that the plastic film was still on the metal. I get my irons there inexpensive so when they stop working or start producing rust I don't feel bad when I throw it away.
Craigslist is great too.I have bought two sewing machines on Craigslist, My current Janome 8900, it was to good of a deal to pass up, and my previous machine a Janome QDC 3160 with a sew eze table. When I upgraded to my current machine, I sold the QDC on Craigslist. A lady from California actually bought it. I shipped the machine and table to California. Bargains are always fun to find.

Welcome from Michigan!:)

Welcome from NE Ohio.

Welcome from Québec, Canada. Do not hesitate to show us pictures of your quilts. We all like to learn from each other!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]605116[/ATTACH]well there. I've been trying for a few days to upload unsuccessfully. This is one of my quilts hanging in my studio. From now on I will post in the pictures section.

Welcome to the board! I'd love to see the one with a zillion pieces :)

Great! thanks for sharing.

Hello and welcome! I have to say when I saw "from up north" I expected the Yukon or Alaska LOL ... as a Canadian, Maine is not up north!!! LOL

Love your pics!