Shadow Dancer

I knit, crochet, do cross stitch and needle point, as well as sew. I used to sew prom and wedding dresses, and made my daughters clothes until it just wasn't cool to wear clothes your Mum made! lol I needed an outlet for sewing, so I bought an Irish Chain pattern and have never looked back. :)

Lucky Patsy's

My Mom was a quilter and did beautiful work. She would always have me over when she got her blocks done and ask my opinion about layout. We would try them this way and that way and I always enjoyed my time with her. I decided to try my own hand at quilting and Mom helped me cut all my fabric. Just looking at all the little squares of fabric in neat little stacks just sent a thrill down my spine! And I just knew quilting was going to be my thing! HOWEVER I had a lot to learn and most of it was learned by doing it wrong first. I threw that poor quilt into the closet and repeatedly abandoned it many times and often felt that I didn't really have time for it, between working, running my own household and dealing with my parents aging. When driving at night became a problem for Mom, I joined her guild (although I'd never completed a quilt!) and drove her to it. I started doing block of the month and really enjoyed comparing my block with Mom's. Seeing everyone else's quilts every month really inspired me to dig mine out of the closet and complete it and I have kept working at some project or other ever since. One of the things I like about quilting is that it combines logic and mathematics (construction and piecing) with creativity and artistry (color choice and design.) I love the process of making a quilt as much as I love the finished project. Mom is gone now , but I still hold up everything I finish and say "Look what I did, Mom!"

bearpaw

I started sewing in middle school. We made a stuffed animal in one of the classes. Then in high school, started making clothes in home ec. Several years later, I happened upon Simply Quilts on TV and said - I can do this. That's when it started. I went and got Alex Anderson's beginning quilting book and made my first wallhanging. My grandmother used to crochet. Don't think she sewed much. Really, no one else in my family likes to sew, except maybe my neice. She has a sewing machine and likes to alter her clothes.

reneebobby

Wow interesting but me well, i hated home ec in school, couldn't stand the sewing machine, couldn't sew a straight line if you paid me, but i could draw a straight line. So i drafted, and got married, taught myself how to crochet, knit in the last couple of years. But when i went to there forums no one would answer my question nothing. So anyhow our boat needs the cushions redone, so i bought a sewing machine the hubby said you can't sew. Now i have to prove to him I can sew, well my girlfriend brought over fabric and i had no clue what i going to do with it. Went to Jo Annes spent some money and made a baby quilt which turned out my nephews girlfriend was ahving a baby so that quilt was out the door and that was in January and i have made about 4 so far. And i want to make more.

Grumpy

Moved to a small town in WY, hard to break into established friendships here or make any friends at all, so, I thought back to what the pioneers did for friendships, and I came up with Quilting Bees. So, I took a class at a local community center, and now, 17 years later I am still hooked. Every time we moved with the AF, I looked up local quilt stores and groups and always found great friends that were sooo difficult to leave.

minstrel

I've always loved doing creative things. Been doing embroidery, cross-stitch and crochet since I was about 10. I hated sewing clothes and such, but I always loved antiques, history and quilts. I wanted quilts, but never wanted to pay hundreds of dollars for the good ones! So about 12 years ago, I picked up a magazine with the quilt pattern in it, and decided to try and make it for myself, and the rest is history. :lol: I've made a lot of quilts - mostly throws and baby quilts, but a couple bed quilts and wall hangings and misc. quilted accessories. All my other needlework has pretty much been abandoned for quilting! Nothing better than being all curled up on the couch with my dh or dd under a soft, cozy quilt!

achancy

A friend invited me to the quilt show in Arlington Tx in 2003. I took a bunch of pictures of my favorites. My daugter wanted to see them so I uploaded them to my website as I had no idea how to use one of the services. (Picasa wasnt available then LOL) Never got around to taking them off. I dont know if they are copyrighted or anything but I sure enjoy looking at them every once in awhile. Good thing, too, as I lost my harddrive soon afterward.

http://www.chancy.org/family/quilts2...ington2003.htm

I also put up the ones I took at the TAQG Rally in 2006. (Texas - Area Quilters Guilds)
http://www.chancy.org/family/taqgpho...ly_15_2006.htm
and the TAQG Rally 2008
http://picasaweb.google.com/achancy/TAQGRally2008

mrsj82

I grew up around my grandmother and she would always have a quilt going at some point or another. They were always tied, but they were beautiful. She would always give a quilt for a wedding present and I wanted one from her when I got married. Sadly she's not able to do quilts by the time I got married, but I guess I picked up on her talent.

When I was 19 mom made a pioneer dress for sister to go on a pioneer church activity and there was leftover material. So I wanted to do something, and decided to try my hand at making a quilt. I cut out each 4'' block with scissors and mom made the design for me. It's still my most treasured quilt today just because it was the first.

I did quilts on and off since then, but after I got married two years ago I really became addicted. I was looking for something to define me and keep me busy while hubby worked long hours, and I finally found it. The rest they say is history! :wink:

Overlander

My mother sewed all her own and our clothing when we were children. I've always liked sewing and did the same for my children and now some for my grandchildren. A few years ago after my mom died I found an old bably quilt I didn't even know she had made. I decided to take a class since my first attempt on my own was... well... lets say functional, but that's all. I fell in love with the process and have tried a few different forms of quilting. I enjoy hand stitching so am doing an English Paper Pieced quilt and am dabbling in Foundation Piecing too. I take as many classes as I can and just enjoy working with color and material. Soon everyone in the family will have a quilt and I'll get to keep a few. My only keeper so far is my Bargello Links that I finished about a month ago.

Jim's Gem

My mother liked to sew and as a child she enrolled me in several sewing classes and even took sewing in 7th grade. Hated it!!!! Really hated it!!! Everything I made had to be unsewn at least 4 times before my mother would take it from me and make something else out of it. When I married I took the sewing machine with me that my mom had given me. DH needed some gaters so snow wouldn't get in his hiking boots. Bought a kit cause it was a lot cheaper and said "you have sewing machine, you're going to make this for me" Well...... Then I did some sewing, then more sewing then I got into making crafts, lots of sewing. Mostly did cross stitch and when I moved here to this town and church, the ladies had "all night quilting nights" and I would bring my cross-stitch and stitch all night. (32 count linen got tough at 3 in the morning) after 4 years of friends trying to get me to quilt, DH said "you ought to make a quilt" and well..... the rest is history. That was about 10 years ago.