butterflywing

come, come, loretta! how would you know?

butterflywing

let's see....
i've ben 20 three times now. does that count?

Baren*eh*ked_canadian

I'm 27, but I started sewing when I was really young. I started taking lessons so I could make my own clothes when I was about 9, not because my parents couldn't afford clothes, (since we all know how expensive fabric is) but because I was sooo tiny that no age-apropriate clothes fit me. In early high school I was the size of a 7 year old. :roll:
Anyways, I have been sewing for a long time, and only quilting for a bit over a year now, but I love it. I don't personally know anyone else my age who does any sewing, never mind quilting. I know one girl who does cross stitch who's my age.

dojo36

well, well, well, am i ever on the wrong page today!! i have only been quilting 2-1/2 years but i'm one day older than dirt, lol. get out your calculator - i was born in December of 1936! i know, that's ancient, huh?
i would just give anything if somebody had introduced me to quilting when i was young. i will have to live to be at least 150 to get done what i want to get done. so it's so nice to hear of younger ladies interested in quilting - that way the art will hopefully never die.

motomom

Loretta, me too! I wish I had started when I was in my 20's, just think of all the things I could have made by now!

omak

The reason that quilting seems to be done by "old" ladies/gentlemen is because - - the current culture stifles traditional anything.
So, if you would like young people to quilt with, start offering classes to young people .... like-minded people will join you.

I have to admit - - if I had ever taken up quilting in 1976 when it enjoyed a revival because of the bi-centennial, I probably would not be quilting today ... 1976 was before rotary cutters, great hints and tips, so many ways to connect with others. It was a time when the quilters who came into quilting could truly be considered pioneers because they were going into a craft that had almost died! At a time before copy machines, plastic templates, books by the HUNDREDS ...
Think back to why you are in your twenties and quilting ... think about what you like about it ... and use those things to identify your next quilting buddy, because you are not alone ... either in your gender, your town, your age group, or your thinking ... sometimes, we sort of have to go looking for the treasures that are inches away from us ... of course, as in all things ... we have to make others WANT to explore the idea. Being an example for others is a fact of life, no matter the endeavor.

peachrose

I started crocheting at the age of 15 and have been ever since. I have taught my daughter and she has taught my niece who is 12. She loves it. I am also teaching her to quilt. She is upset that she doesn't have her own sewing machine to take to her house but she knows her younger brother will tear it up. But she is a quick learner and even got class points for sewing blocks together for a purse that we worked on together.

So remember there is always someone out there that wants to learn from you. :D

omak

I hope I never forget the two nice ladies who were visiting my home when I was pregnant with my first baby.
I was saying that I couldn't save any money by sewing my baby clothes because I didn't have a sewing machine to sew with.
One of the wise ones said to me: You know that before we had access to electricity, all things were sewn by hand.
Anything a machine can do, you can do by yourself ... modern convenience is very nice, but not having it is no reason to not use the hands God gave you to make some nice things for your baby.

When my kids starting growing, and I saw things changing so drastically, I began to understand ... it is a good thing that you know how to use a calculator ... but it is a better thing that you know how to do the math without a calculator.
When we teach others to do things with their hands, as well as using modern conveniences, we have given them a choice to do either. Like my dad raising us on the ranch ... I can live on the land or in the city, but there are a lot of city born who would be lost in the wilderness. My dad gave us a choice by raising us on the ranch.
The ladies who urged me to use what I had, gave me a choice that I had never considered before.
Sometimes, the simple solutions escape an otherwise intelligent child, but when someone helps us see the simple way to accomplish instead of being upset because we don't have it as good as someone else ... isn't that the better gift?

shaverg

For all the 20's and 30's something, please keep up your quilting it is so important for the art of quilting to continue. I started quilting at 31, I am now 57. It is so great to see young women and men too of course quilting.

jojo47

I'm a long way from being in my 20's, but have been quilting for about the last 6 years. More power to all of you who are learning now! (When I was in my 20's with small children, and I expressed a desire to quilt, my own mom told me I 'wasn't old enough yet!') Right now I'm needing a 'sewing fix', but before I can do that, I have to get my sewing room organized. (Yes, Joanne S., we have finally completed our move, but the unpacking is going a little more slowly, what with my work schedule and spring planting underway!)