Murphy1

I started quilting in 2007 after I retired. I was motivated because my son was having his first child and I thought a quilt was a perfect project for me. I searched the web and did make on of the basic quilts with a variety of block fabrics and post and sashing. But I don't remember there being so many resources then, and now I find the web is rich with information on quilting. Has the interest in quilting exploded over the past 5 or so years or is it just me becoming more proficient in my passion and of course spending each morning on this wonderful board. I am part of the baby boomer generation and I thought perhaps with more of us retiring and discovering quilting that it has grown.

HillCountryGal

Good question.

I'd guess with technology what it is today, we are all more aware and/or in touch. Our "world" is larger, so we get to meet more people that share similar interests. Kind of like when you're shopping for a new car. You pay attention to whatever it is you're interested in. Think the same goes with quilting.

ptquilts

I started quilting in the 1980's, and believe me it has EXPLODED since then. I think I heard something like 20 million people in the US say they are quilters. There are a lot more of us now!! Yay!!

mpspeedy2

I made my first quilt when I was in my late teens. At 62 I know what I like to do and don't do. Over the years I have belonged to two different guilds and have made a lot of bed size and other size quilts. The information available has grown and quilting is very popular, mostly for woman who have older families or are empty nesters in my experience. My main quilting now is on Linus quilts and they are made by machine. I am a handquilter for hire but get few customers as they are used to Longarmers and fast turn around. I have handquilted the last two or three raffle quilts for our Linus Chapter's fund raiser. I handquilt on a raffle quilt for our local Senior Center with a small group of ladies there. We only work a couple of hours a week. I spend more time on this board than I do with either guild anymore. Most of the guild members are only interested in getting things done fast and easy. I have forgotten more about quilting than most of them have yet to learn. The guild most handy for me meets at night and they are not interested in hand quilting. They recently ran a mid-month quilting class which ended with teaching them how to prepare their quilt for the long armer.

IrishNY

I started quilting in 1989. Quilting was fairly popular even then - there were quilt shops around and guilds were available to join. Of course, the profusion of fabric was certainly not like it is today! I think it wasn't the explosion of quilting, but the internet that made it feel like an explosion. Quilting is definitely more popular and the market for it is bigger today, but the internet helped it become the huge force it is today. When I started, there was no internet and there was no way to share or learn beyond your own community for the most part.

Today we have wonderful things like the QB where we share from around the world and we can have quilting conversations at our fingertips any time we want. We can view the fabrics out and coming from manufacturers, and find them online if we don't see them in our LQS. Seeing patterns, and machines, and long-arms create a market where little would have existed in the past. So I think it's the exposure that's really pushed the growth of quilting. Of course, that's just my opinion.

jcrow

I agree that online shopping has really 'exploded' the quilting world. I started quilting in 1992 and had three shops within two hours of me. Now I can shop from my home. I can go to the Pictures section and see some fabric I like and Google it and purchase as much as I need and I'm done shopping.

My favorite shop closed March 7th because of online shopping. She had been open eight years. She couldn't compete with all the fabric choices you can find online. I think that is why quilting has 'exploded' - online shopping and quilting forums like 'The Quilting Board'.

DOTTYMO

Also being a baby boomer who retired and Started quilting I agree that in the last four years I feel a major boom in shops on the Internet. Also more people have lost jobs retired or have more. Free time and therefore are after a hobby. My cousin he has found that wood turning has made the same boom. Neither are cheap hobbies and require patient as well.

kheliwud

The internet has been great for quilting, and other hobbies. It is so much fun to "meet" other quilters from all over the world to exchange ideas and support each other.

Daylesewblessed

Episode 8 of "Why Quilts Matter" (whyquiltsmatter.org) covers the topic of the demographics of quilters. It is very interesting!

Sierra

Perhaps it's also because we are living longer (think of all of us on this board who are retired). After we retired from our job (and kids WERE time consuming too) we are freed to celebrate our creative side. And many of us have hubbys who are pitching in with the limited housekeeping 2 people require.

Quilting is exciting, but it does consume a lot of time. I suspect that the "quilt police" are losing their gripe (grip) on quilting because there is no longer a "standard" or "right" way to quilt. Some still worry about "the right way" but many of us are really enjoying just .... doing. I think that brings a lot more people into the quilting world. I particularly love the way quilters send things to areas that have been hit hard. And the fact that more and more of us have the time and energy to work with G-kids, or, less frequently, our own kids. The internet certainly is a huge issue, whether building quilts or building bombs. Or maybe many of us simply have great friends with totally individual ideas about quilting who keeps us reaching reaching for new ways/patterns to quilt!