Just curious :).

Well, for me it was just a natural thing to do. My grandmother and mother both quilted, and I guess I just thought everyone did!! I'm so glad they got me into it!

My kids! :lol: They had a home-ec class in school and wanted to pratice on a sewing machine at home. I got the one from my mom and haven't looked back since.

I lost my grandmother when I was young and she excelled at everything domestic. Now that my kids are grown; I'd like to be more like her and quilting was one of her many talents!

My nieces and nephew. I wanted to make a quilt for them and didn't know. Well, I went to Joann's and took a sewing class. I've been going full force ever since. Just don't ask me how much stuff I accommulate since.

Not so much what attracted me to quilting, but how I got started. Fall of 2005, Mom said the county extension office will be having a quilting class next year, want to do this with me? First response, no. Thought about it a day or so, and decided that Mom was really asking me so that she and I could do something together to get out of our houses at least once a month. Told her yes, that...as they say...was history.

A group of ladies at my church were doing lap quilts for foster kids and hosted a 'class' for all of us who had never done it before. I was hooked. I like the preciseness of piecing and really enjoy the history of it all.

I thought I was joining a cross stitch group in Autumn 2006, only to find it was a patchwork class. I didn't have a clue!! I came away with a handful of scraps and a dresden plate template....never touched cross stitch since lol!! :D :D

This is what I made

I worked at a fabric store and one of the other associates quilted and asked me if I wanted to take a quilt class with her and I said Yes...I have never looked back!! That was in 1992! I love working with fabric...we won't even discuss my "stash" and no, I don't have any pictures of it. It's in long bins by color (3 bins of just blues!!)...comes from working in a fabric store.

I love the history, too. I'm a big history buff, so doing something that has so much historical meaning is rather a win-win :).

I decided to try it since a friend of mine was quilting. Went to the quilt shop, got my materials, and pieced my first top without knowing a darn thing about how to operate a sewing machine - it was so bad that I'm embarrassed to even find that top (it's in my parents' house somewhere). But then I took a class in hand-piecing and hand-quilting from my MIL as a birthday gift, and fell in love with it. Have pretty much taught myself via a friend since (4 years ago).

I love your pillow Izy.

I came from a very poor family and we needed blankets to keep us warm in the winter so whenever a blanket or quilt would get too thin Mom would buy whatever fabric was cheapest, usually flannel, and she would sew big pieces together to make it cover. They weren't necessarily pretty but they were warm & snuggly. They were always tied.

Mom sewed and quilted at times, so why not follow in her footsteps? Now, if I could only crochet like she did.

I can crochet Terri. Come on over and I'll show you. LOL

Oh my mom quilted... But that so is not why I settled into this delight.

I wouldn't even let DH buy a sewing machine for years. I eventually let him buy an iron, because it was for a home improvement project.

But then it happened. DD's outgrown much loved baby clothes began to pile up... I'd always loved fabrics and colors, but the machine had been OFF-LIMITS when I was growing up.

So I decided the clothes would become a quilt, and then I let them pile up some more. But then... A friend needed winter things for her preemie daughter who had now made it into clothes and needed winter things when no winter things could be found. I went through dd's and discovered I still didn't want to part with most of the girlie clothes. Around that time I picked and pattern... It's much to fun to stop with one project.

It is so soothing, even when the quilt is misbehaving. I find I'm able to quilt and let my mind wander. It has helped me to deal with many difficult things... Oh and of course the grief forum was sick of me. LOL

I bought a Better Homes and Garden magazine 19 years ago that had a quilt/embroidered alphabet quilt in it. I had just gotten married, moved away from all my family, and had to justify spending all that money on a magazine! LOL. I held onto it and 6 months later, I had moved back to my home state, gotten my first job, and with my very first "bonus" I bought a sewing machine. My mom drove an hour over to help me learn how to use it. Together, she and I embroidered all the blocks, assembled them, and I had a quilt--now, remember, I cut it all out with scissors and cardboard templates but, I still have it. It's one of my family's favorites to snuggle with and watch football.

My hubby ended up working 3rd shift and I was alone alot. I made my own dresses for work and many people asked me to make clothes for their kids. I declined--could have been something great now that I look back on it! LOL. Anyway, I was hooked on sewing/quilting and have always done some project to keep my hands busy. Once I had kids and they were school-aged, I wanted something to show for all that time in carpool line--mini quilts fit the bill. It has been a great stress reliever for me. :!:

I did cross stitch for 17 yrs. They are pretty and I enjoyed doing them, but when they were finished and framed, they just hang on the wall. Something about quilts being functional..........THEY get finished and you snuggle under them and watch an old movie and drink hot chocolate.....aaahhhhhhh!!

This is a terrific question, by the way. I like them. Feels like a survery. :D

Dorothy of Kansas.....It's in long bins by color (3 bins of just blues!!)...
Oh my goodness. A Woman after my own heart. I LOVE blue. I counted my blues once. 289. (but not much of any one) I have a bad habit of buying 1/4 or 1/2 yds.

I sewed a lot for my kids when they were growing up and ended up with a lot of leftover fabric. Being somewhat of a pack rat I couldn't bring myself to throw the scraps away. One day I made a 9-patch out of some fabric that was a particular favorite. Don't know what inspired me to do that but I soon decided it was the perfect way to use up all my fabric scraps. So I put together my first quilt top. I knew the quilt would never get finished if I hand quilted it so I got a book from the library on machine quilting. This was back in the 80's when machine quilting was pretty much looked down on by most quilters. I finished that quilt and even though it wasn't exactly a masterpiece I was very proud of my work. That got me started and I've quilted on and off ever since.

I have to say thank you for this. I am loving hearing everyone's stories.

Thanks.

My boyfriend at the time (15 years ago) his mother was a quilter. I use to love seeing the pretty projects she would make. One year for my birthday she bought all the fabrics and taught me the very basics of quilting by making a sampler quilt. I was HOOKED!!! From there I taught myself. I have been quilting for 15 years now, teaching for 12 of them!

I was into restoring the old quilts, and one day found a sewing machine at a yard sale and started making my own.

Sewing is a natural attraction to me. I taught myself pretty much at age 14 to sew. My grandmother came that summer and gave me support and showed me some things. I made all my school clothes my junior year in high school, and pretty much thereafter. Quilting.....that desire came about 20 years later, I would buy magazines or books on How to Quilt, but never had time to really sit down and get into it (or maybe I just needed a group of quilters like you). My grandmothers quilted out of neccesity and we always had quilts on our beds for blankets....Quilts feel good...Guess it's kind of in my genes....I'm just a late bloomer.

I've always loved textiles. And quilts. I just collected them before I sewed. My great grandmothers were quilters, so I think they were dropping hints from beyond! Anyway, almost two years later and I am hooked so bad! I hope I'm making the greats proud. They would probably shake their heads at my color usage! LOL!

When my mom found out she had cancer my sister and I spent hours at doctor offices and at the hospital. She would crochet and I would knit.
After a long hard battle with cancer my mom passed away and the knitting and crocheting brought back too many sad memories so my sister suggested we try quilting. Now I bring handwork to my dads when I visit in the evenings ( to keep him company ). My sister has made a few quilts, but is now back to crocheting, I on the other hand can't get enough quilting. It is my therapy and keeps me happy.

My mum has always been quite crafty doing bobbin lace and cross stitch and things, so sewing has always had a place in my childhood. I guess what really inspired me though was when I visited Canada in 2004 and saw a double wedding ring quilt in nova scotian tartan and royal blue - fell in love with it. A double wedding ring of my own is my 'one day' ambition.

What wonderful stories!
I have "always" enjoyed sewing -- took my first class when I was eight or so, then moved on to garment making at 13 or 14. I'm short, so I always make my formal attire. :wink:
I've always wanted to learn to quilt, because of the sewing and also because I do a fair amount of crocheting, especially afghans and baby layettes. I wanted to add something more...
Then we got pregnant with our first child, and I made her baby room. Including something I niavely called a quilt. :oops:
I found out that our church has a quilt group, a very active and loving bunch that welcomed me with open arms. I have never found a more loving community than quilters. They seem so willing to share their knowledge and experience rather than keeping them secrets to find out the hard way.
Needless to say, it became an obesession! Three years, and already I've got more UFO's and ideas than I can reasonably hope to carry out in a lifetime!

My Mom used to make my clothes and then I started making my own clothes, made my daughter's clothes when they were little and about 10 years ago I decided to take a class - was either going to be stained glass or quilting. Quilting won out and I have been playing with it ever since, though since I am retired now, I do something almost daily - could be buying fabric, washing fabric, ironing fabric or sewing. Have so many things I want to make and they will never get done. Oh well. UFO's ae fun to look at!!

I have been sewing all my life, I am the oldest of 10 kids and there was never money to buy clothes for every one of us so my mom decided to make our clothes because it was cheaper. Back then we used to make clothes by hand. As I grew older I learn to do all kinds of handcrafts and things for the house. I started quilting in the fall of 2006. and I Love it. :D

Honestly, it was the Jennifer Chiaverini quilting novels. I read the first one where Sylvia was teaching Sarah how to hand-piece and I said to myself "I can do that!" And I did it! My great-grandmother had also taught me how to cover old blankets and tie them so I already knew how to do that.

Hi,
I started sewing doll clothes by hand when I was 8 or 9. By the time I was 12 I made myself clothes. When I was a junior in high school I made my first quilt out of 4 inch blocks from all the clothes I had made for myself before that time. I didn't know anyone else who quilted and it took me years to find out real information. My parents gave me a sewing machine for a high school graduation present. I had been crocheting for years before I took up quilting. I have only taken about 4 formal classes in my life but I now belong to two guilds and have seen at least 100 quilt professionals give presentations etc. I now do handquilting for other people when they are willing to pay me for my time.

Come to think of it i have sewn since i was around 10, but on and off. I learnt in school to handsew little embroidered bookmarks and also crocheted blankets and doilies but could never get into knitting as i felt it just took so long to grow..possibly because of me not being a fast knitter..
When my kids were little i made a lot of their everyday clothes out of necessity and crocheted each of them a blanket and made their cot sheets. I didnt sew for many years but felt that something creative was missing in my life but didnt know what and tried folk art painting amongst other things but it wasnt until i went to a couple of craft shows and saw all the beautiful quilts that I knew that was what i wanted to create. That was a couple of years ago and even though i have only made a couple of wall hangings and a baby quillow i have thoroughly enjoyed making them. I have given everything away as gifts so far and am currently making a baby blanket and bag to hold it in for my niece. I find it to be an enjoyable past time and my list of to do projects just keeps on getting longer and longer!!

Pretty pillow Izy!

I guess what attracted me to quilting would be that I love to sew and I was cold at the time :lol: .

No, just kidding, I wanted to make a really nice quilt for myself for my birthday so I did. I'm self taught. Now I'm hooked!!

My Mom taught me to sew when I was 6 I was already knitting and crochet at 4 She did not know how to quilt. So when my grandson was born I wanted to make him a quilt.Never doing it I just picked up some fabric and a templat and started to quilt hexagons togeather by hand. I got hooked.

Omigosh, yes! I actually read those first, wanted to quilt, and then when my friend was quilting, I decided to give it a try. Those books got me hooked on the 'idea', I think my friend got me hooked on the actual execution :lol: .

I was a young mom. The neighbor girl - well , same age as I - used to make things for Gattlenburg for a shop. I could help a little and eventally took my own classes. I had sewn my own clothes " Marsha Brady style" most of my high school years. Just evolved. Never knew my grandmother did this.

Thanks for asking. enjoyed the memory.

My grandmothers and Mom were all quilters. I always loved quilts but never thought I could make one. But after my MOM passed away I inherited alot of her fabric and some blocks she had left over so I decided to give it a try. Now I'm hooked.
My youngest daughter is now a quilter too and we are teaching her 2 girls ages 8 and 5.

I never took any kind of homemaking classes in school, I wanted to take shop, but GIRLS couldn't take shop. Anyway, no formal training for sewing, but until I got my serger, I rarely got anything finished. Once I got the serger, I really went to town. When my granddaughter was little I started making her clothes, when she started living with us, I made all her clothes, but then in 5th -7th grade we home schooled, so she didn't need school clothes, so I joined a charity quilt group, still swearing I was not going to quilt. Well, then I discovered rotary cutters, mats, rulers, etc and have been going at it since. My husband wants to know where the REAL Carmen is, because she said she would never quilt. I tell him I wouldn't be quilting if I still had to cut by scissors and cardboard templates.

MY Mother had a singer treadle machine she used to make us 3 girls school clothes. But she also sewed by hand She made us girls hand sewn skirts and tops. She taught us to sew on the treadle and to imbroidary. Especially when the Weather was bad, kept us occupided and not bickering. The three of us,I am the middle child, Knows how to use a sewing machine and to make clothes. My oldest sister learned how to make Quillows. Talked me into doing one, made 22 altogether. It was a small step to whats next. Piecing and quilting. I haven't look back since. That was 2003.
Bill'sBonBon

I started sewing when I was 12 and have loved it ever since. I made all my own clothes in high school and as a young mother I made lots of my kid's clothes too. I made my first quilt, a queen size log cabin in 1981. I used cardboard templates (made from cereal boxes) and hand pieced and hand quilted it. By the time I was finished I was very proud of my quilt, but knew I would never quilt again! Ugh-what torture!!!

Then in the fall of 1999 we moved to PA and my next door neighbor was a quilter. She started a quilt group of about 10 ladies in our neighborhood and told me I could bring my X-stitch and join them. Week after week I was fascinated by the gorgeous projects they were working on. Before the year was out I owned a rotary cutter and mat, patterns and fabric and was making another quilt. In March I got a brand new sewing machine and by June (when we moved) I had a stash that filled several Rubbermaid tubs. I was in love with quilting and have never looked back!! That X-stitch project I was working on---it is still NOT finished!!!

I love making quilts for friends and family. It is how I "wrap them with a hug" when I cannot be there. Nothing says lovin' like a quilt.

I was raised by my grandmother, and she was a quilter. She and her many sisters all would get together, or as many as could come, and they would cut out their pieces using cardboard templates and scissors. Cutting, hand sewing, with whatever fabrics they had. Everything was used. Outgrown clothes, the backs of shirts and skirts of dresses. They bought big 25lb sacks of flour that came in a fabric bag. The inside of the bag was calico or a tiny floral. I can remember them. It doesn't seem that long ago. I would tuck myself in a corner and listen and watch, not drawing attention to myself, knowing that I would be shooed outside with the rest of the younguns, if I made a nuisance of myself. But I watched and took in what they were doing with their hands and listened to their stories. My the stories, I can still recall, such wonderful memories I have of those women. Of course, I got to an age where I couldn't be bothered with sitting with "old" women and sewing and such. But that didn't really last long. I made my first quilt for my oldest daughter, knotted it, with the help of my grandmother. She would be around for another 15yrs, and she taught me so many things. Sewing, quilting, knitting, crochet, canning and as we worked together she taught me by example what it is to be a wife, mother, gr. mother and anything about me that is good. To me quilting is honoring those women who came before me and I hope one of my six gr. daughters can take over where I leave off. Nothing would make me happier.

I grew up around quilts and being a detailed oriented person, always loved the fact they were so reflective of their owner/creator's taste.

Mom wanted me to use a machine and I had NO interest in any of that. I thought I'd get a chance in high school but home ec classes weren't offered and I had no idea where to take any lessons. I did a little embroidery and tried a few other crafts but didn't find my niche until I had my first child. I had so much fun designing costumes (I still can't follow a pattern to save my life) for him and sewing them by hand. Mom probably thought I was nuts...she must have offered to teach me the machine about a million times until I was ready 8 years later :lol:

When I was pregnant with my second I was on bedrest and almost lost my mind....by the time my third pregnancy rolled around, I had to get a hobby. I learned the absolute basics on an old kenmore and then mom taught me to hand quilt on the cutest kitty panels ever. I completed that project and learned about the sandwich, basting, and making bias binding. I sent it to a good friend from college who was living in oregon. She had her first baby girl just before my daughter was born. I've made some toddler blankets in the mean time, but nothing major since I've been so busy being an active mom.

The women in my family have been quilters for generations and joining their ranks is an honor.