I took a evening quilt class at the high school of the town I was working in. For years I wanted to make a quilt and my dream came about. She was a good teacher and I learned a lot from her.

My Grandmother taught me to quilt, knit, crochet and to sew when I was small. I really wanted to play ball with my friends but now I am gald she did. Glenn

same here. I have always loved sewing but when I was about 20 (just a couple of years ago LOL) I tried doing a hex quilt and it almost ruined me for life. then I discovered machine quilting and I am hooked. it has been trial and error but this board has made all the difference

I was living in California with 5 small children. My mother had
done some quilting before I was born, but I had never seen it
done. My grandmother had given me a Dresden Plate quilt.
I had done a little sewing and had a few scraps. I took her quilt and
put a piece of paper over the top and drew off a pattern of one
of the pieces in the plate. Looked at the quilt and sewed up my
top. Called my mother to see what to use for the back and the
batting. She said some people used an old sheet. Not me!!..I
had worked too hard to use an old piece of fabric on itl My
husband knew how to 'sandwich it together' and made a frame
for me that had little pulleys and cords on each corner and I
could pull it up to the ceiling when I was not quilting. BUT I
didn't know how to actually quilt. Mentioned it to one of the
women at church. She said "come over tomorrow we're putting one in I went...she handed me a threaded needle and
said watch us and give it a try. Fifteen minute later I was on
my way home to quilt my top. I have learned soooo much
since then..but you have to start somewhere. Really it turned
out pretty good.

I started in 1969. I saw quilts at the Newark Museum in Newark Museum and I fell in love.

I taught myself to piece as best I could by looking at unfinished tops, seeing how the seams went together. I taught myself to quilt as best I could by looking at antique quilts up close and personal.

As years went by, I continued my research with antique quilts. Quilting cameintovogue with the Bicentennialin 1976 and books appeared. Quilt shops popped up. There were magazines, classes, and shows, and I learned from them all.

I joined AOL in 1997 and there was a quilting message board and quilting chat. It was like an online guild. We shared and learned together online. And this board keeps that rolling along, the sharing and the learning.

I teach workshops on antique quilts and quilting, and I've been a professional longarm quilter since 2005. I hope I am continuing the thread for future generations.

As for an easy pattern, there are many. Rail fence is super simple.

But another easy pattern that looks hard is the Chimney sweep, and it is a particular favorite of mine. It was one of the most popular patterns in the nineteenth century. It has no seams that have to match. I'm working on several samples now for my next workshop, which will be on the history and making of the Chimney sweep quilt.

I went to a quilt guild meeting with my sister and met a lot of encouraging ladies there and my interest was UP! Between them and my sister, I learned to love the art.

I learned a little by helping at my church's charity quilting. We make quilts to send to other countries as well as local shelters for people.

When I found out I liked it, I took lessons to learn the basics about how to use the tools and how to sew seams.

I think one of the easiest quilts to make is a Turning Twenty quilt of the original design. That was my first actual quilt. It was easy to assemble and plan. You can use an assortment of fabrics that you find on sale. I would not spend a lot of money for expensive fabrics in the very beginning. I looked for fat quarters that were on sale in a local quilt shop. I still love it.

I watched Eleanor Burns' Quilt in a Day on PBS and got the "bug", then took a beginner class at LQS. We did a small simple Irish Chain, which we tied. Then I bought Quilt in a Day books and just followed the directions. Her books are really detailed and good for the beginner.

I was pretty much self-taught (with a little cutting advice from a friend). The lady at my LQS recommended the book Rotary Magic and I found it a wonderful reference. I still use it quite often.

And my first quilt was a rail fence. It was a nice simple design that still gave me lots of experience with accurate rotary cutting (I wasn't aware of strip-piecing back then) and 1/4" seams.

Okay first I started on my own then I wanted to learn something new so I took a class. What I learned from classes is not all teachers are equal. Some teachers are generous then others who don't cover enough to complete a project. I find quilt shop owners make the best teachers as they see a happy student as a good customer. They normally give more than less. What I have learned classes are the short cut to learning new or different techniques. Taking a class saves me time and money. I need both now.