All young quilters out there...
 

A male friend (?) and I were talking the other day and I told him I quilted and he said only old women quilted. I'm 58 and said I wasn't an old woman and didn't know what constituted an old woman. I told him that women and men of all ages quilted. I said there were many 20 and 30 year old people who quilted. Any of you want to come forward and let yourself be known so I can tell my friend?

That's why I posted in another thread that I get strange looks when I tell people I quilt.
I just turned 40.

Well, I'm a 43 year old woman, and I'm NOT the youngest in my quilting group. The youngest is 38, I believe. There are also LOTS of famous men quilters: John Flynn, Ricky Timms, George Siciliano, just to name a few. There is even a facebook-style community page for male quilters: http://manquilters.ning.com/

I may not be 30 anymore, actually 41 now, but have been quilting for about 10 years now. And, nope, don't think I am old either.

my granddaughter loves to quilt, she just turned 12 - she is really pretty good too, just did her first FMQ

our guild teaches high school age girls

im 48 right now and i quilt ive been quilting since i was 40 so not real long compared to to some but not quite a newbie either. ill never stop lol.
carla

I'm 49 and a Newbie. I've wanted to learn this craft for a long time. But I am not old I hike, ride a bike and a motorcycle. I have tried to stay active. Did you tell him he must be one of them male idiots to think something like that much less say it. LOL Everyone quilts and it is just one of many types of crafts.
Diane

I'm 24 and have been sewing for ages.

You should send him to some of these blogs and websites, have him take a gander at these "old woman" quilters:
http://greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/
http://www.quiltingismytherapy.com/
http://www.daystyledesigns.com/aboutme.htm
http://www.designerquilts.com/

Then ask him if he would like some chocolate syrup on those words he now has to eat! LOL

BTW, I have been quilting since I was in my 30's. I am 51 now, so maybe in his mind I am an old woman. I also ride a HarleyDavidson Roadking and have tattoos. So there.

I am 32 and picked up quilting at about 21, before that I would crochet and read as hobby.

I am on the old end here!! 55..but my 17 and 18 year old daughters are beginning to quilt and love it!

I was 35 when I started. I could have learned a few years earlier than that, because I had a ready person standing by to teach me, but I (at the time) thought quilting was for old ladies too.

I learned to quilt when I was 28. I always wanted to though. I think it's an "Old woman" thing because quilting takes a back burner to raising kids and working 40 hours a week and cleaning the house and going to baseball games and cooking dinner and washing dishes... one of these days, when my son is grown, I'll have time to quilt like I mean it! Of course, I'll be an old woman by then...!

I'm 52 and my husband said the same thing to me when I started a few years ago. I also was not the youngest in my first quilting class, there was a woman of 28 there : )

In our little group, I'm 57, we have ages 61, 53 and her 15 year old daughter who has been quilting since she was about 11 or 12.

40 here! Started at 24.

I'm 30 and have quilted since college. As a teen, I pieced, but I never knew how to make a finished product. No one else in my family sews, I taught myself.

In December I taught my 23 year old neice, a recent University of Michigan grad, to quilt. She brought up the idea, not me. Got her hooked though!

i'm 34 been at it for 10 years!!!

I don't want my DD to post but she does read this site sometimes. She just turned 15 and quilts very well. Most of my other children know how to quilt but my 23 yr old sews and quilts alot too.Ages of my children quilting and some of the ones I taught to quilt are from 3 to 20 yrs old.

I made my first quilts around 30 yrs old.

I am 47. I have made quilts since I was 13. I don't consider myself a quilter but rather someone that sews. Quilts are just one of the things I sew. Both of my DILs asked me to teach them to sew/quilt. They were each in their early 20s at the time.

I will say your husband is not alone. I went to a quilting retreat in March and my husband made a comment about " a bunch of little, old quilting ladies." There was one woman younger than me there. I think part of that is due to how difficult it is to justify taking that much time away from your family.

Well tell your friend he is so wrong. I'm 51 and I don't consider myself old. I know i've seen other threads where there have been youngsters who are learning to quilt, and I believe there are a few grandparents passing the skill onto their grandchildren. I think you will find you will get lots of responces to this question.

I"m in my mid 30s and just started quilting. As with many things there is a stereotype of a quilter. And as with most stereotypes, it is wrong! :)

I am 34. Though I just really started I love it and don't plan to stop anytime soon so call me an "old" woman.

I am 47 and have been quilting for years- my sister 44 started just over a year ago after she saw a quilt my niece ( her daughter age 14 ) made for a school class- now my nephew ( my sisters son and brother to the aforementioned niece) age 13 is starting to quilt. In fact just last weekend I picked up an older Kenmore machine for him - it is in his bedroom , but he told his friends he is just storing it for his mom :rolleyes: LOL That's ok we won't tell his friends :)

I am two years older than you but know people who are much younger than me that like to quilt. My granddaughters want to learn and we sew when they come for a visit.

I'm 25 (wil be 26 the end of June) and have been quilting for about 2 1/2 years now. I'm teaching our 10 yr old cousin to quilt and my 6yr old son loves to sew! No way am I an old lady yet, but I should be a great quilter by the time I am with all this practice I'm getting hahahah!
:thumbup:
My DH tells me I have old lady habits, it's his mantra now I think :D

i went to the machine quilters showcase in overland park, kansas the 17th of this month, and there was a 11 year old girl who made a quilt from start to finish and won 2 ribbons she put me to shame she did great!!

I'm 34 and I've been quilting for a little over 4 years, but I've known how to sew since I was 12. I've been told numerous times that I'll make a "great old lady" since I like to quilt.

I will be turning 50 in July. Does that count? Anyway, what do we care what that person thinks? I am so thrilled to be learning new things

I am 62, not that "young", but how many quilters do you know that runs half marathons (13.1 miles)? I don't feel like an "old lady" and hope to be quilting and running for a long time!

Define old!!

My Gramma taught us that you are as young as you act!

I am 32 and just started quilting/sewing. Tell him young and old love to quilt.

Started when I was 31, but sewed since childhood. For old ladies!? Pttphhpthhtpt!!! For anybody!

Alison

You can tell that a lot of younger people are quilting now by the modern fabrics and patterns coming out. I am not young and I like them also, but I think that the young people quilting gave it the push

I have been quilting since Oct. 2011 and I just turned 36. My BFF is 28 and she started when she was 26. We are out there.:thumbup:

I am 55 (soon to be 56) and I can tell you....I don't consider myself old at all!

One of the things that maybe we all need to realize is that we NEED to take time for ourselves. Too many of us end up running on empty and feeling cranky and resentful because we are constantly giving and sacrificing for our families, and putting ourselves last. I finally realized that I function better and can serve my family better when I take better care of myself. That includes occasionally telling my husband that I need some time for myself to just sit and sew. He has quickly learned to keep the kids occupied, and I come back an hour later in a much better mood.

I think that's another thing.. how "old" is "old"? I feel old on my son's birthday, every year. I still remember when 30 was old!

started when I was 25- am now 43 ( :p )