yeah, thanks for asking.

I lived with my grandmother for several years. She taught me to sew by mending my play clothes. You know sew buttons and such. She said I should learn this so I could take care of myself. She also taught me to knit and crochet. I would have rather been playing ball outside!!! LOL We made a quilt together and I have beeen sewing and quilting ever since about 6 years old. I am now 63. I have her old treadle singer and all her sewing stuff, including some unusual pin cushions. I use all of it still today. I piece with the singer and quilt by hand. I am retired army officer and made all my wife's formal dresses for all the balls we attended. When I get a new digital camera I will post pictures. Glenn from Huntsville :lol:

I loved reading this thread! Glad to see there are men in this group, no matter what motivated them to learn! We're all quite different in the way we go about it, but seems like we all feel the same about quilts!

These stories were all heartwarming. Thank-you for sharing.

Well, my story . . .

We had to make money go farther than far when I was growing up. Mother didn't make all our clothes but made a fair portion. My brother, sister and I learned to do everything we needed to take care of the basics; sister to fix a car and my brother and I to use the sewing machine. Everybody planted the garden, fixed things that broke, etc.

I also have an art background which my father supported. It was one of the first things he observed about me as child that he recognized as part of my personality. So, I have been doing visual things like drawing and painting all my life. We lived up a 'holler' in the coalfields of West Virginia, but my father arranged for me to apprentice to a traveling artist who painted wall murals as his specialty. He was a coal miner by profession.

I spent weekends traveling around the tri-state area learning composition, color theory, perspective, and cleaning a lot of brushes and packing a lot of gear.

Years later I took formal training in high school and college, but never worked in the field.

Ten years or so ago, I needed a tree skirt for my Christmas tree. Saw one I liked in the department store for over a hundred dollars and said it can't cost that much to make . . . It didn't, but some of the quilts I have made since then have!

I went to the local fabric store to get supplies for the tree skirt. Didn't know there were quilting supply stores at the time. Four sewing machines and one sewing studio in my basement later, and I know what LQS means.

I have been sewing all my life but drew the line after sewing upholstery for my husband's Model T. He pulled the fabric and I pushed. It was a nightmare with an old household machine. I told him I would never do another. So when he finished a 1929 Nash sedan he purchased a used upholstery machine and made the patterns himself (the old upholstery and padding was all gone and he had just the springs to work with). He sewed all the pieces and did a very nice job. He hasn't done any quilting but I am convinced that he could make a fine quilter! Our son was very proud of himself because he learned to knit. He loved quilts but never did any real sewing. He did patch a few pairs of his jeans when I couldn't get to them as fast as he thought I should.

Thanks for a most interesting thread. I really enjoyed the history of these special quilters.

Thank you so much for starting this thread. It is really interesting - and personally I am AMAZED at EDDIE doing this EXPERT work after one year! whew!! Keep it up guys! We all LOVE your work and creativity - even tho we envy it sooo bad!

my hubby doesn't quilt but is a big help when it comes to "me needing help"

He has been doing wooden quilts to hang on the outside garage, shed or wherever and they are adorable.

He started doing that by preparing the wood for me but then I decided that it might be fun for him to do and now it's his quilting time !!!!

Your description of growing up in your family gives me the feeling of a closeknit, loving and caring family with everyone treated equally. Nice. I enjoyed it.