Retired Elementary School Principal - formerly 2nd, 5th, and Middle School Teacher. I retired and then Coordinated a 21st Century before and after school program. 40 years in Education. When I was about to retire for the second time a very close friend talked me into taking a quilting class because she knew I don't sit still very well. I am so happy I took that class. I love it and it has really helped deal with retirement. In the last year and a half I have pieced 5 quilts and completely made one "easy" Quilt. I would have finished more but I spent a great deal of time making face masks.

this sounds a lot like me except it will be my daughter in law who will be the retired teacher. I think my granddaughter might end up a quilter

Took Home Economics in high school with some sewing, but had no interest in it. Fast forward to my late 20's, and out of necessity (no extra money) needed clothes for work in a office. So I sewed my own clothes until I retired in 1992. A friend that I had made got me interested in part time work at the local university theater costume shop. Then another friend that I met there was the one that finally got me into quilting, and since then have been doing nothing but quilting. Do most of my quilting for Linus and VFW cancer unit at local VA hospital.

Teacher, well I have taught elementary, preschool and now am retired university faculty who teaches part-time as needed. I have known that teaching was my passion since early elementary school and although I have had the grand opportunity to teach different age groups, each has fed my passion and given me great joy. I learned to sew at about age 6 sitting up to my mother's machine on a pile of Sears and Roebuck catalogues. Never looked back. For a span of time I supported my children's music lessons and sports needs by sewing for a company. My sister-in-law was a master quilter and when she passed, her mantle of quilting fell on me when I took all of her stash, tools, books and "stuff" twenty years ago. Many, many quilts late I find myself making the difficult choice between grading student work online or quilting and playing with fabric and colors. Quilting often wins, then I have to play catch up with my students.https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png Two passions require balance.https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png

I am a retired teacher and now love quilting more than I ever loved teaching. When I was very young (1st grade) I drew a picture of my favorite flowers--tulips--and colored some of them black. My teacher told me there were NO black flowers. I know now she was wrong, but I make scrappy quilts for hospitals and such and include all the colors. God made all colors and they are all beautiful together or apart!

I am a retired journeyman maintenance tech for large utility company. Very boring job but excellent pay. Not much call for being creative except when I opened a new big rag box. Never knew what treasures were in those big scrap fabric boxes. The guys would even save the scrap pieces they thought I'd like. LOL Oh when I requested lint free rags, it was any fabric that was white. I got most of my neutrals from the lint free box.
I had the best first grade teacher. We had art everyday. One of my favorite was when we free styled drawing lines, waves, loops and circles then made something out of it, like seeing shapes in clouds. Not all the kids could see anything but a few saw and had amazing shapes. I was very proud of my shapes, some I made up stories for in my head. The teacher would put the the most colorful ones on the bulletin board and took time to ask each child about their drawing and choice of color. I remember one little guy coloring a dog blue with red ears. Some of the kids laughed and said that wasn't right. The teacher said he had what was called imagination and creativity. Big words for my first grade mind. His blue dog went on the bulletin board.

When I was in first grade my teacher, Miss Hart, had us draw snowmen. I could do that but I forgot to put him in the snow. I put him in grass. I started crying when I realized what I did. My sweet teacher said, well, you used up all the snow to make him! That made me feel so much better since of course the other kids laughed at my grass. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png
It's amazing how a good teacher impacts us for a lifetime.

Ha! missed the retired teacher thing. sorry, not a teacher. I would think after teaching and being so very busy, that quilting fills many needs daily. so keep up the good work! !

We had to take home ec 7th, 8th, and 9th grade in my day. My friend and I could sew faster on a treadle machine than the other girls could on the electric ones. I knitted, embroidery, and crochet for a long time. Then my grandma bought me a featherweight. I made clothes for my 4 kids, myself, and even me shirts for my husband. Then went to school for nursing. and worked for 30 yrs.. Then the quilting bug hit me. I just bought a new machine yesterday after my Pfaff quit, and would have cost a small fortune just to send it to maybe it could be fixed. I'm not good at picking colors due to one of my home ec teachers telling us that if white wasn't in the fabric you couldn't use it. My friend or DH picks out the fabric for me. lol One of my girls will sew a top when I cut one out. I've cut my own finger with a rotary cutter so I don't let her use one. She's deaf and I want her to keep her fingers.

I'm a retired LPN/educator. I loved Home Ec, went to college for 2 years towards a Home Ec Ed degree (young and dumb, quit college to marry my ex -- long story, suffice it to say, he is my ex for a good reason!)

I went to the VoTech and became a CNA, then an LPN and was then trained to TEACH CNA's -- best of both worlds! I loved teaching, and I love being a nurse.

I discovered quilting at a young age, and I still prefer the traditional scrappy quilts.