Should I teach my husband to quilt?
 

My husband does not have a hobby. He comes in my quilting room and sits in my chair and I take him on a tour of my room. He is fascinated by everything I have. He's shocked by how much I have. He thinks all the notions are cool. Whenever I finish a quilt he wants to see it and is impressed that I did all that work. He's impressed that I can stay in my quilting room for 8 hours working away without a break. He went to work for the railroad when he was 18. He's been "on call" for 30 some years so he doesn't know how to work on cars or work with wood. He hunts and fishes, but he needs a different kind of hobby. Something that he can work on during his free time. Do you think I should teach him to quilt? I don't know if we'll get frustrated with each other or if he'll start hogging my quilting room and using my favorite stash. I talked to him about quilting and told him that men are doing it now, so I put the bug in his ear. Is this a good idea or a bad idea?​

I think it's a GREAT idea! Whayt a wonderful way to spend time with your DH :thumbup:

There sure are lots of men who are exquisite quilters - if he's interested then go for it! It's wonderful to have someone you can share your joy with :) And maybe he'll find he really likes doing something you don't like quite so much.

My favourite LQS in my little town is operated by a couple - they work very well together - she is the sewing and fabric expert, he's an excellent schmoozer and he's starting to make quilts now too :)

I think that would be a great idea. Another one that you might propose is Needlepoint. That is something that I became obsessed with a number of years ago, and filled the house with lots of nice pillows and tapestry wall hangings. He can sit in his favorite chair and watch TV, if he wants to or, anywhere else. Not cross stitch but Wool Counted Stitch Needlepoint. I learned to do it from books and it is great sport. If that gives him pause to think about it, tell him that former NFL player Rosie Grier, who was/is a gigantic Black Man seemed to be able to pull it off and not have to worry about 'Appearances".
Either way you might save yourself from having to share the Quilting room if you headed him in the "Tapestry" direction. Just a thought.

John

If you have a longarm machine maybe he could learn that and quilt all your quilts for you and others.

I think it's a great idea, but what about Latch Hook?

I think it is a great idea. I wish my husband quilted. He supports what I do, but it would be fun if he quilted too.

Dina

Sounds like fun but i would be fighting over the scissors and other notions with my DH, you might enjoy the bonding time might be worth sharing your stuff

Personally...I would never want to share my space, my hobby, etc. with my husband. Not that he'd be remotely interested. I think people need their OWN hobbies and a little space both emotionally and physically from their spouse. He needs something but WHY does it have to be quilting? Find him something to do that's HIS.

I would definitely sound him out about helping you out with an easy quilt with train materials in it so his interest can be quickly captured.

If he likes doing that, then sign up for a class so you don't have to get involved in teaching him every step of the way. He may be fascinated with the idea, but turned off by the fact he won't be as good as you right from the start. This way you can share a hobby, but not a project where he would feel intimidated by your expertise.

You may also want to drop a couple of quilt magazines with articles about male quilters around your home so he can see that he is not the only guy interested in the craft.

I think this is a fabulous idea. My DH does not quilt, but he does have a good eye for color and he helps me coordinate my blocks from time to time. He is a very gentle person when it comes time to critique my quilts and he gives me good ideas. I so wish he would learn to quilt, but he likes cars etc. Encourage your husband and it will be a wonderful bond between you.

If he's interested I'd say go for it. Maybe you could convince him that the "Best" things to do are binding and basting. I would borrow him any day if he liked those things.

If he's interested go for it. Or maybe he's just proud of you and how good you are at what you dol Love him for it. Barny

I think that is a great idea,my DH worked with me on my first quilt,it was a( star of the ozark ) quilt ,the center star had to be apliqued, he did twelve of the fifteen and I must say,he appliques better than I.
d.swindle

Let him decide.

A friend of mine (not a quilter) got her husband to take a wood carving class at their local Senior Citizen"s Rec. Center. His work is absolutely gorgeous. I wish I could get my husband to do that. I don't think I would want to share my quilting notions or my fabric with my DH. He would have to get his own.
Sue

I surely wouldn't do it especially if you want your own space and independence. My DH has no hobbies and I wouldn't want him taking over my sewing room. It's MY SPACE!!!!

I very much agree with Candace & KnitnutBZ

Personally, I wouldn't like it. My quilting time is just that - my time. We do a lot together as a family, and I love socializing and being with people, but I definitely need some alone time every single day and most of the time I get that in my quilt room.

But, if you and your hubby would find it enjoyable to share that time together, then I say go for it!:)

I would say it's a bad idea because he might become a machine hog, but as a beginner myself I have to say go for it. I have just begun to learn myself and so far I love it. I feel like I get to spend more time with the family and at the same time it gives me something to keep my hands busy and at the same time I get a great since of accomplishment when I finish a project.
Chris

I would definately introduce him to the process. I found that men love to cut fabric with a rotary cutter. I guess its the tool thing. They are not so big on the ironing part .. LOL. But by all means let hime play with the tools, he will take the steps he wants to take . It might be a good idea to sign him up for a class ,,, men are really popular in classes... and it starts to give him his own "quilting identity".

I think that it would be great if after he learned he wouldn't continue to rely on you to help him. Both of you would have to work on your own project I would think.

I'm an accountant, so of course I'm a math nerd. My wife didn't like the measuring and cutting steps and expressed her frustration with it one day, so I read the directions and started cutting. She decided she liked that arrangement, so I started cutting everything for her. When she signed up for a class, I went to do my part. Both she and the teacher encouraged me to make my own quilt, so I took the class alongside her. Then she realized she had to do her own cutting, and she was less enthusiastic.

Now we work together, shop together (and enable one another), and I have picked up a few vintage machines as a result of reading this board. We do get to spend quality time together in the sewing room, and I think overall she's glad that we can work together on quilting projects. If you want something that you can do together, it's relatively harmless to teach him. You may have to share tools for a period of time, but he will buy his own necessities like scissors, thread snippers, the all-important seam ripper, etc. He may eventually need his own machine, but you can address that when you come to it.

Let us know how it works out.

Darren

I have mixed feelings about this. For me, I'd like to have my hubby quilt, but I really don't want to teach him. We have enough family time & quilting is My time & space. But this is something you'll have to weigh carefully. Take your time deciding. If you & he decide to do this, set up some ground rules for both of you.

ditto for an LQS up this way too! :)
They have two LAs ... he's very accomplished and has won many awards.
When Shop Hops are on, he's the one who sets up the demo station with his sewing machine and has you sit down and learn how. Then of course, you just have to have that pattern and tool that's "needed"!



The real question is ... does your DH want to learn to quilt?
You've put the bug in his ear, now stay quiet, until he asks!
And then you'd better be prepared to help him get started ... and be prepared to "share"!

I agree with Candace..my husband has his hobbies and I have mine...We did share one hobby and we were always disagreeing on how to do things, ended up with to much stress to enjoy "our" hobby.

I say go for it - fair warning though, lots of guys excel in this so you may be in for some major competition! I would love it if my DH would get interested in quilting, he's got a quirky mathematical mind and could probably do some mind bending things. I'm just a simpler the better kind of quilter.

I would love it if my DH was interested in quilting. He supports me doing it and loves to see my projects, even pics up fabric and other things for me from yard sales occasionally, but he's not personally interested in doing it. I would surely enjoy spending that time with him if he did.

Very interesting. I like working on things with my husband but I can't picture him sewing. He'd be scary with a rotary cutter. He's a sawyer and has a wood shop so he uses many tools but I don't know. Still, I like being with him and it would be fun if he was interested. He has never expressed an interest in anything about sewing but if he did I would work with him in a heartbeat.

I have no desire for my DH to get involved with my quilting. If he came to my sewing room and started asking about this and that and going through what I have I'd be frustrated to no end.

Teach him, if it becomes impossible, move him to his own room.

If he is interested, why not??? Think of the fun you will have together!!

I'd appreciate a nice word about anything I sew. It's all a bother to my hubby.

Absolutely teach him. Men are natural engineers. and some of the best quilters are men I think. Tell him, there is a chiropractor in Flint Michigan, Dr. Myler, his quilting is outstanding. I look forward to you posting his first project.

It depends on the dynamics of your relationship. My husband and I do nearly everything together. We farm and when we pick corn, I drive the combine, he hauls the wagons etc. etc. We eat 2 meals together everyday. NOT breakfast, I'm so not a morning person. He didn't have any hobbies either. When I fell in love with quilting he came along too. Now we have a long arm, a website and are developing the quilting as a business for retirement $$. That's provided he ever quits farming.

We know other couples who get along much better with as little time spent together as possible. Consider your relationship and go forward from there.

I would. People that have hobbies live longer and are happier. Maybe he can have his own stuff and corner or space. Maybe you can have a comon stash and some that is your own. I am sure you will have to give too but in the long run it will be so worth it.

Love this expression, never heard it before.
Annie

my husband quilts. he loves it. bought me a longarm with qbot. he helped me learn to run that now he runs it and i piece.

I say let him try a small sampler and see how he likes it. I'm one of those guys that likes to try different things. I get bored pretty easily so I just do something else for a while and then come back to the other after a while.

My wife and I took a beginners quilting class about 10 years ago. We then seperately took a block of the month class and I was the only guy in my group...didn't bother me at all. BUT....my wife does NOT like to share her toys with anyone so she has her sewing room and I have mine. She was using a 30 year old Singer until I bought my new Bernina 153 QE and now she has one. She doesn't quilt anymore because she is into knitting.

I retired 6 months ago and now my goal is to do all the quilting and woodworking I can. I've made 3 quilts in that 6 months. As my wife says I also have my MANLY hobbies.....I have a bass boat, camp, I travel on my motorcycle towing my camper, I do woodwork where I make dulcimers and autoharps....I DON'T PLAN on getting bored.

This was a long way to say TEACH HIM IF HE'S INTERESTED. Set him up his own room and go slow to see if he's serious with it.

David