When and how did you start quilting? Tell us your stories!

I first started quilting about 30 years ago. The teacher I had was a purist. Everything was by hand. NO SEWING MACHINES. We had to hand piece and hand quilt everything. No wonder I only got a sampler done. It didn't take me long to jump on the sewing machine when I was out of class. Raising triplets kept me busy and away from quilting for a while. Kids raised so it was back to quilting for me. I had lots of tops done with the hopes of someday hand quilting them. I still had that hand quilted thinking going on in my head.
I went to a quilt show a while back and 60% of the quilts were just tops. I couldn't believe my eyes. I was under the theory that it wasn't a quilt until it was quilted. Out of the completed quilts 30% were machine quilted and 10% hand done.
I didn't want my tops to end up unfinished. I gave myself permission to get them machine quilted and I'm so happy I did. Now they can be used and cherished. I love the long arm quilter I use. She is a sweetheart.
Someday I hope to have a long arm of my own. In the meantime I'm grateful for the talent of those who do.
Thanks for posting this tread. I've been thinking about sharing my story for a while. I love the inspiration I get here.

My first "quilt" wasn't actually quilted. I made it in 1979 to cover a ceiling in the living room of an old Hawaiian home that dripped detritus(cockroach crud etc.) I started with a center square and sewed strips on the sides then top/bottom till it was big enough to cover the room. I learned years later(2005?) that this is a form of log cabin blocks. I've sewn many more of those OBW's since then and also sew them when I want to relax with an "easy-to-sew" quilt. No pins, mindless sewing etc. I'll post pix later when I figure out how to do that. Right now I'm just getting used to using the internet(believe it or not). LoL

Just last October! I saw a quilt my sister-in-law was working on, and thought, "I can do that!" She took me fabric shopping, and it was over...

My neighbor across the street (now deceased) got me into it. Although when I think of it, I actually did some quilting before that. When my grandchildren were born I made them flannel blankets out of squares of flannel, with a little batting and flannel on the back. I didn't call them quilts at the time. Then when my children moved into their new homes I made each of them a blanket (quilt?) out of flannel with fleece on the other side and hand tied together. My neighbor got me into place mats and table covers quilted.

Wanted to quilt from way back when I was young. I was always starting crafts, but never stuck to any of them. One day, about five years ago, in a book store I found two quilt books. I called Hubster and asked if I could buy them (which to this day I think is silly, cuz I have my OWN bank account) His response was "will you actually finish something? How about you buy one and see how it goes." So I bought one. My first project was a block that became a pillow. I thought I was going to either pull all my hair out, or kill hubby who kept saying "it doesn't matter if it's a little off." First experience was horrible, but several years and quilts later, it is the only hobby that I have stuck with. It is my poison! Never did go back for that second book....

I have loved to sew since I was a teenager. Mostly home dec, costumes and some clothes. I saw a rag quilt that my aunt sent to my sister when she was in Iraq. I fell in love with rag quilts and made quite a few of them.

When we found out that DD was pregnant with DGS, she asked me to make him a Johne Deere quilt. I made her one with the Streak of Sunshine pattern from Quiltville. I was hooked after that.

I decided after I got laid off from work about 8 years ago that I was going to learn how to quilt. That is hand quilt.
I bought a book and gradually taught myself. My boyfriend made me a small quilt frame that you can quilt one block at a time on. I quilted my first quilt on it. I have since quilted some on regular sewing machine. I just bought a handi quilter and plan on trying my luck on it.

When my son (now 13) was 6 weeks old, I decided to spend the several days with my folks during my last week of maternity leave. They lived about 7 hours from me at the time. My step father was very ill and not expected to live much longer, but able to be home thru hospice. We were homebound with him and we just decided it would be a good time to teach me to quilt. We got out Quilt in a day Log Cabin book and went thru my Mom's stash and by the end of the day had a lap size quilt top. It was a new hobby I took back home with me. Bought my first inexpensive machine and I was in business!

I started quilting about six years ago. My daughter was taking a dance class and one of the other mothers brought her quilting with her. She was hand piecing and hand quilting a Dear Jane! I was fascinated with the entire process and decided to give quilting a try. My first quilt was an ugly mess, but I was hooked.

The first quilt I remember was a scrappy bow-tie we inherited from my dad's grandmother. It was pretty utilitarian but as a young child I was fascinated with all those different patches of fabric! No one in my family quilted, although my mom is an excellent seamstress and she taught me sewing at a very young age. I sewed clothing, crocheted, painted...did almost everything except quilt.
When I got married, my mother-in-law and I didn't seem to have much in common, but one time she was talking about playing under her mother's quilting frame as a child and regretting that although she sewed, she never learned to quilt. She then showed me two quilts her mother had made, one was a scrappy bow-tie, very much like the one I studied as a child! We bonded over our love of quilts...a short time later she bought me my first quilt book!
That was over 15 years ago, and we've been quilting ever since!

My first attempt at quilting was in 1981 when I started a "Hexagonal Wreath" quilt. I got one wreath completed and pinned to the 18" square to be appliquéd. I still have all the 1" hexagons that I cut out.
Then in 1992, my dh encouraged me to take a beginner quilting class where I made my butterfly sampler king size quilt. I'm still trying to hand quilt it.

It was 1990 and my DH was deployed in Desert Storm. A girlfriend and I went to the Ham Festival in Cadiz, Ky. Part of the festival was a quilt show. We admired all the quilts, both of us were experenced sewers. I commented to one of the white glove ladies that I would love to learn to quilt. The rest is history. I was invited to join in the quilt club. Turns out it was local for me. We lived in TN. They invited my 4 year old son to come with me. And later my newborn twins. Most of the ladies are gone now, but they taught me so much. I will be forever gratefull for their help and guidance in my quilt journey. A lifelong quilt journey.

We bought a nice new bedroom suite 6-7 years ago and I wanted a king size Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt to put on it. No way I was going to pay $500+ for someone to make it for me so being my usual stubborn self, I set out to make it myself. After cutting what seemed like a bazillion hexagons on paper & fabric and getting maybe 8 "flowers" complete, I became hooked on the tv show, Simply Quilts which showed me so many other patterns & possibilities that I realized hand piecing a king size quilt one 2" hexagon at a time was not going fast enough. I had grandbabies starting to pop out that needed quilts and kids still at home that needed quilts whether they knew it or not! I wonder if hubby can sue HGTV for loss of companionship?--LOL! He's got his own quilt to snuggle with anyway!

I saw a cot panel Peter Rabbit(Beatrix Potter) in a sewing shop just after my 1st grandaughter was born 15yrs ago, also bought wadding n backing without knowing what to do with it!!Joined a sewing course at night school and the teacher was a fantastic quilter!! Most of the class were dressmaking but she was so enthusiatic and taught me how to put it all together and hand quilt! I had finished it by the next class and was hooked!! Took lots of courses and classes and have made 70+ quilts!!

I enjoy producing tops, but due to lack of space I take them to a friend who has a long arm machine!! She does a fab. job and has quilted 20+ for me! I am working on Quilts 4 injured soldiers at the moment from recycled mens shirts and have 4 tops to take to her.I have used the disappearing 9 patch and 4into 9 patterns found on the web and they look great!! when I learn how to post pics will do so!!I am only just learning to use a computer but am enjoying finding all these goodies!!!