Don't know - my mum was always sewing for us when we were small, so I guess it was just 'in the blood'!

husband worked several petit point victorian cushion fronts,so had to back/cord ----bought black fabric and made my own stencils for backs ,30 yrs ago.
then inherited lots fabric so make lap quilts for funds of USA charity English toy spaniel rescue

Good chilly morning from Colorado!
At least this cool will keep my large apt. cool toady. Was pretty hot this weekend.
As for this quilting business - my Grandmother White, dad's mom, was a quilter well before I was born. She was born in 1869 and I was born in 1942 - ya I"m gonna be 68 soon - but don't tell anyone. :)

My mother was a seamstress before I came along, but never quilter.Wonderfull knitter as well. I can knit, but takes me forever. Do better at crocheting. :) She was a genious seamstress for herself, and made my clothes---always stylish. Knitted the most beautiful sweaters for brother as well as myself..When she was in a high school,during Depression - took a suit her father could not wear anymore and made a suit for herself.

Did not inherit my mother's gift for patientce or genious, or talent but, I did learn to sew. As, a child and teen growing up, I was always sewing something, not just clothing but craft things and selling them.

Never realized Grandmother quilted until 10 years or so a her death in the 60's. I tried to make a patch quilt and they never lined up, and just get the scraps in my late father's "Grip' as he called it - briefcase. Didn't learn the tricks of the trade until later.

In the late 80's the high school where I taught, put on the play - ? QUILTER - believe that was the name of it and also a movie by same name came out later. This inspired me to once again try my hand at this lovely art. And it is indeed an art, whether you are a genious or not. Indeed, somedays it take patience, but We like it and we forge on.

Since CFIDS hit me a number of years ago, don't quilt as much, but still buy fabric and my daughter thinks I am silly to do it. She frowns upon it. :(Keeps my creative juices flowing and my mind from becoming stagnet.

Still take a class once in awhile. They are always fun. 8-) 8-)

When I was very small, I remember the wedding ring quilt my parents had on their bed. As I got older, I did a lot of different crafts, crocheting, needlepoint, to name a few. I then went to a Pennsylvania Dutch craft festival, and I was even more interested to learn a new craft.

I made all my children's clothing until the "name brand" came to be. That is also about the time I got a job. Well, we had mainly women employed and having babies seemed to be something that goes along with working women, too. I needed something different for showers...this was back in the late '70s and '80s...a baby quilt, a baby afghan, bibs, whatever homemade was considered really GREAT...as long as it turned out nice, the process f putting together wasn't even a consideration. No right, no wrong...just looked nice and it wore really well. Take pictures and duplicate however you wanted to or could do. Now, quilt police would have a hay-day with those beginning quilts...

like so many of you, i've sewed since i was a kid. i did a lot of crocheting for many years, mostly edging on baby blankets that i gave away.
with the birth of a grandbaby i started dabbling (self taught-seat of the pants) in quilting. with the next grandbaby i stepped it up to a more intricate pattern and now i'm hooked.

When I was a kid we had those knee high socks with the elastic at the top. Those made great barbie dresses. Although, my Mother would rant and rave because I'd wear the socks that I hadn't cut up. So most of my sock pairs were of two different colors. After that I saw how my older sister made a quilt out of polyester scraps. My first attempt with polyester scraps almost made me want to never sew again, then I tried cotton. And I was hooked.

I had been sewing for years, and teaching sewing for 20 years and my BFF asked me why I hadn't tried quilting. I said "cut all that beautiful fabric into little pieces and sew it back together again? Are you nuts?" She took me on a quilting retreat and challenged me to try it - I did and absolutely fell in love with it. I've been quilting now for 15 years. When I first started, I saw so many quilters making quilted jackets & vest with no idea how to fit the garments, so I started teaching quilted clothing. Now I teach quilting and sewing for the local junior college, so I've come a long way - still challenged by it every day and still loving it!

I was fortunate enough to be able to go from full-time to part-time work a couple years ago, and one of the things I always said I would do when I retire is sew again. Had sewn since I was a kid, but never had much time for it when I was working. But, to me, sewing always meant making clothes, and I really don't need new clothes! Last summer, tho, I watched a movie called "how to make an American Quilt", and I realized that quilting might be a great way to enjoy sewing. And, it surely has been! I have always loved geometry, too, so I find the geometric patterns of patchwork really fascinating.

When I was 7 my mom went to a fabric store near our home and they were selling swatch books for cheap we bought them out. She spent the day sorting and decided to make a quilt. So I asked if I could make one. She never showed me how to sew I just did it. Now 30 years later (I really dread saying that). I don't mean to bring this up evertime I write but it is important to the topic. 2 years ago I had to stop working due to a back injury (I have scar tissue in my spine that involves the nerves I live in constant pain on scale of 1-10 it's around a 9) I decided since I could not work I didn't feel like I provided to society so to give back I created my own business. It allowed me to use quilting as a one way for me to theraputically escape the pain for a little bit and make beautiful quilts. My husband decided to start his non-profit which takes care of police/fire/vets families so we combined them and now I make quick quilts, bargello style and strip quilts. All this from my mom buying material 30 years ago!

A friend was looking for something new to do. My mom knows someone who gives quilting lessons.

My friend and I were talking one day, I mentioned quilting lessons, ta-da - here we are almost a year later :)

I can't remember how young I was when I started sewing doll clothes by hand! When I was ten I convinced my parents to let me join 4H so I could be in the Sewing project and sew with a machine. I made a simple blouse earned a red ribbon for the construction and another red for the "dress review". I have been sewing ever since. I think it was when I was a junior in High School that my 4H club's sewing project kids decided to make a quilt and raffle it off. We each made a block, or two, in what we called a cross design, which was a 9 patch of 6&1/2" corner squares, a 4&1/2" center square and 4&1/2" rectangles between the corners. After I graduated High School, my Mom thought I should make a quilt to take away to school with me, so I made an entire "4H Cross" quilt and backed it with quilted flannel & tied it off. I still have it and use it as a utility/picnic quilt. I didn't make another quilt for about ten years, then I started a "Rose of Sharon" hand appliqued quilt. It took me another ten years to finish it. Mom helped me finish it & she liked it so much I gave it to her for a gift. She still has it on her bed, even though the edges are getting rather worn. I guess I'll have to put some new binding on it for her when I go visit sometime. After that I took a couple quilting classes, one of which I have actually finished, the other is on my list of UFO's to finish. My latest quilting projects are small items, much closer together, and getting finished on time. So I guess it has taken some time to convince me, but I'm hooked, at least on the smaller projects! :D

I've always enjoyed trying to master something new (not that I'm a master at anything yet). I learned to crochet and embroider as a small child and then kind of stopped everything when I got old enough to be interested in boys. OMG, if there were only do overs, hahaha. Anyway, when my daughter was born my husband surprised me with a used Monkey Ward sewing machine, straight stitch only but that lit the fire. I started making clothes for my daughter, Ginger, and never stopped. So, I started making garments and still make all my husbands shirts and some things for my great grandkids. Mostly, I make quilt tops and now I have a friend who has taken up piecing also and do we ever terrorize the fabric stores (and you do have to watch them cut and check you out) I also love to make preemie quilts and donate them to the NICU for all those little babies.

My grandma tought me how to sew and other needle crafts. When I moved to this country (I am from Uruguay- South America) I was looking to take a class at the high school around the corner. A Quilt class was offered for just $40 - 9 week class twice a week. It read "basic sewing skills needed". My English was poor, I didn't have a clue what Quilt was but I decided to take the class. Next week bought a Brother for $120. I was hooked. This was 10 years ago, I Love quilting, I wish I could do it more!

I took Home Ec in high school and love to sew.Then I went to work,got married an had my kids(Little time then to sew)After 32 years of working I became ill and had to quit working.Did not know what to do with my time so I stated making my granddaughter dresses until my daughter said the DGD just didnt need any more.Then on day in 2003 I went into Handcocks and they were having a block of the mo. starting and the rest is history.

I took my first class with Mary Ellen Hopkins out in Calif in the middle 70's in her first quilt shop. Need I say more?

My grandmothers made such wonderful quilts. I cross stitched for years but raising a family of 6 it was impossible. Now that all are grown I have taken up quilting and love it truly. I have made quillows for all the grandchildren and just finished a wall hanging. Hope to be able to do this for years.

On a walk one day I stopped into a quilt shop and saw a sports kids machine embroidered quilt and decided that I needed to make THAT quilt. The owner of the shop took pictures of her quilt, as there was no pattern-My husband bought me a Bernina embroidery machine and I set out to learn to use it and make my first quilt for my granddaughter. And 5 years later I am an obsessed quilter.

I loved to sew when in school. We always had quilts on our beds and because my room was so cold in the winter I had piles of quilts that left me feeling like I had wrestled all night long.

I always dreamed of quilting but was hesitant to dive in. After buying quilt books, tools and looking at hundreds of patterns I had to teach an unrelated course. One of the assignments was for the adult students to write out three personal golas - somwthing that they always wanted to do , but never did. I thought, although I am the teacher, I need to do this also. Quilting was one of my goasl and we were about to have a grandbaby. This was the first quilt that took me three days and turned out beautifully. What a creative adventure! I amazed myself and have been quiklting ever since ( 5 years).


Ellis' Granny B

Me and hubby always loved looking at quilt, and I have wanted to learn for years to make them. God bless. Penny

I learned to embroider from my Grandma Ruth when I was 6 and then at 9 or 10 Mom and Grandma started teaching me to use the sewing machine; by the time I was 12 I was making some of my clothes. Both Mom and Grandma Ruth made most of my clothes. When I got married I had to sew so we could have something to wear. It wasn't until I was 30 that I started making quilts. Georgia,Eleanor and Kaye(PBS Shows) were my teachers and I was mostly self taught until we moved to South Carolina and joined a small quilt guild and started taking classes. The other quilters showed me how to do hand quilting and much easier than I had been doing it.
I've been quilting since 1988 and haven't stopped yet. Most of my quilts are for in-need children through "The Linus Connection" ; local group in central Texas. I make my quilts all by machine, the quilts are mostly in bright colors that I love to work in.
Sharon W.
http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562396634NVWSUO

I have always admired handwork of any kind. I think and dream in living color patterns and often wake out of a sound sleep to sneak off to my sewing room and at least get these ideas down on paper . I come from a long line of quilters, tho I did not know it til 3 or 4 years ago. I quilt, sew, crochet and craft to keep me from being violent. Quilting is my therapy and my passion.If I ever have to be put on life support I pray it will be another Janome!!!

As a child, I used to sit in a cane bottom chair around a quilt frame that hung from the ceiling at my grandmother's home. After the men left for the fields, we would let the quilt down and all the women would gather around and quilt. Several years went by and I took a quilting class at a local college and more years went by while I tried my hand at tole painting and cross stitch. After the movie "Step Mom" came out and she made the memory quilt for her daughter, I decided I could do that and I made my son a quilt for graduation. I have made 3 memory quilts so far, but now I am trying my hand at more piece work. I am also reading the Elm Creek Quilts series and on it goes!

My husband thought my soap making was just too expensive. So he actually dragged me over to a quilt store and signed me up for a class. Little did he know he opened up pandoras box. Hehehehehe Well he is a good man bought me many nice sewing machines including Janome 6500 and a Feather Weight and built me the biggest nicest studio. I told him my car could stand outside and he has the double car garage as his wood working shop. Him down stairs in his shop on the table saw and me up stairs in my studio quilting. Both of us are driven artists and need to in order to stay sane.

My DGM made clothes, etc when I was a child, but no one in my family ever quilted - When I turned 50 was when I wanted to learn how to quilt - I have always crotched and did cross stitch - so on my 50th bday dh bought me a sewinging machine and I have been quilting since (4 years now) - I machine piece and hand quilt and love it.

Guys: That last sentence should have read :If I ever have to be put on a life support machine I hope it is a Janome!!!!!

I waited years to take the quilting class I'd ALWAYS wanted to take. I wanted to wait until I could go to class, every class without missing one. While my children were in school, they were incredibly busy with sports and I know I'd have missed at least 1/3rd of the quilting classes....so I patiently waited until this Feb. I was so excited about my 1st night of class....I was like a kid on xmas eve! :) My husband still laughingly tells people about seeing me off to my car my 1st night of class. He says I was skipping and grinning from ear to ear. I think he's right! I've been in love with my quilting hobby ever since and dream about the next quilt I want to do every night!

In 1999 my sister and I visited the Amish area near Lancaster PA. I fell in love and was hooked immediately. I was raising two daughters at the time and couldn't afford the larger bed size quilts. I was able to purchase a beautiful wall-hanging and ended up decorating my living room around the wall hanging. Needless to say, as soon as I got home, I taught myself to quilt, not an easy task, almost gave up numerous times, but stuck with it. Still in love with quilting. Kathy

My grandmothers and my mom quilted. I liked the quilts, but never thought much about it until my 1st grandchild was born 30 yrs. ago. my friend made her a cute quilt. I deceided I wanted to make one. Well it only took me 7 years to finish it.mY MOM WAS QUILTING A DRESDEN PLATE when she passed away20 yrs. ago.it is hand quilted. i have been going to finish it all these years.Still in the closet.Well I retired 2 years ago and became involved in everything i could.I love to sew and had been going to the state extension office for a sewing circle. The first of the year we pieced a quilt, mine is a lap quilt. That is as far as i've gotten. So glad my friend carol who quilts sent me this web site. Iam learning a lot.Everyone is great.

I am 54 years old. I used to make Barbie doll clothes as a child with my grandmother. My mother made all of my clothes (we were poor and she knew how to sew very well). She taught me how to embroider, sew, crotchet with wool and thread on handerchiefs, etc. I used to make most of my own clothes then discovered the "love of quilting" seriously about 10 years ago. Now I just can't get enough. I have enough fabric to open a store, and yet I feel I need more. Do I have a sickness? No, just a passion for quilting. Am I good at it? I'm OK. Some good...some so so, some BAD. I keep looking for new and different challenges and techniques. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God Bless you all and remember, everyone wants a Quilt. Sophie (Zaza)