I make quilts just so I have an excuse to buy lots of different bits of gorgeous fabric. :D

I'm an artsy-crafty kind of gal, and my favorite handicrafts are things that can be made to be functional as well as being art, and quilts fit that perfectly. I also love that quilting connects me back to both of my grandmothers.

I get to indulge my desires to surround myself in color and hone a skill...and then I get to give this tangible thing away to someone I care about; this thing like a hug trapped within a pretty envelope... What's not to love!?

But really...it's all about my magpie-like need to have pretty things I can put my hands all over. Everything else is just an awesome bonus! Hah! :thumbup:

I watched Georgia Bonsteele (spelling?) on PBS teaching quilting on TV and then my niece was turning 4 and wanted to make her a quilt for her birthday!! That was April of 1989 and am loving it more since I retired two years ago!!! I finally joined a guild and am learning alot from the teachers that have done presentations!!!! Who doesn't like to play with fabric and all the new tools each year?????

There are lots of factors. One was that my grandmother did it when I was a child. She passed away when I was 9, but I remember enjoying the quilts on the bed where I slept when we visited her house and remember her sewing a quilt. I don't have anything of hers, but feel a connection to the family tradition.

Another factor is that I have been sewing since childhood. At some point it didn't pay to sew clothes any more. Ready made clothes aren't much more expensive than they were 30 years ago (speaking of the kind of basic things I usually wear every day). At the same time, the cost of fabric and patterns and even thread rose to the point where it costs more to sew clothes than to just buy them.

A third factor was that sewing clothes became much less rewarding after my daughter grew too old for cute little toddler things that she loved to wear, and meanwhile I added just enough (poorly distributed!) weight that the easy fit I used to get from patterns had become much more complicated. It's hard enough to find ready made clothes that fit right and are becoming, and when I reached the point that something I spent hours sewing wound up looking very bad on me, I knew it was time to give it up.

I missed sewing as a creative activity, and have always done a variety of crafts, so it was almost inevitable that I'd eventually pick up quilting as an alternative. We live in a warm climate and don't need a lot of quilts, but joining a guild that donates a lot of quilts to needy people has given me much needed impetus. I love feeling that something I made will help someone stay warm and to feel connected to people who care about them. Besides that, I just spend time playing around with different designs and colors. I make things such as doll quilts just because it's fun.

I have to add that going to the huge International Quilt Festival in Houston a few times over the years was also extremely inspiring, as was watching Alex Anderson's Simply Quilts.

I was hooked on HGTV when they actually had shows that were interesting. Found Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson. A friend also quilted but did all of her piecing by hand at that time. Started watching Simply Quilts regularly and decided to give it a try. Found that, for me, it's a great mix of hand and machine work. I machine piece and hand quilt. I love all types of hand work - knitting, crochet, needlepoint, cross-stich, etc. but was getting bored with them so quilting it is!

When I was a very small child, my Grandmother made quilts for Sister and my Twin Beds. They were the "Sunbonnet Girl" blocks. Made from family clothing. How I loved to touch fabric from my Fathers Purple Paisley print PJs.. that was my first falling in love with Quilts.

I like houses decorated country style. I wanted a quilt but they were so expensive. Since I sewed I figured i could make my own.

I have sewn for years and a friend would come spend time with me in my sewing room. Michele began quilt lessons and would stop by after every lesson and show me what she learned. When she finished her quilt I would make a 'mini' sample of what she just made. About the same time my mother living in another state began quilting so we had that in common. I am very thankful for Michele stopping by!

What a heart warming tribute to your sister, God rest her soul .I learned from my MOM at a very young age,will always treasure those times with her.

My great grandmother made quilts that we used on our beds as children. So, when I had children, I made them quilts. It's grown from there.

I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky and spent a lot of time at my grandmothers farm in Elizabeth Town. As a kid, grandma's house was 100 years old and they only heat was provided by the wood stove in the kitchen, one in the living room, parlor, grandma's bedroom on the 1st floor and my aunt's bedroom on the second floor. My cousin's bedroom where I slept didn't have heat, just relied on what ever heat filtered from my aunt's adjacent bedroom. I slept on a feather bed that once warmed by your body kept your back and sides warm, on top Grandma layered on family made quilts, the only form of blankets she had. I loved the rainbow of colors of all the quilts and felt very secure under all the weight of the numerous layered quilts. To this day I love heavy weighted blankets and quilts on my bed, of course my dear hubby who grew up in Michigan with central heating says he can't move under the weight, but I'm happy as a clam. Now when I quilt I naturally gravitate to the old fashion prints and patterns - that's definately my comfort zone!