No fame and fortune in my family - but I can relate to many enjoyable days watching a great aunt weave rugs and got to help her string her loom, as she could not bring the warp up and string it alone - so guess who was there to help! ME.
Then I remember my grandmother on my father's side making quilts; she'd set for hours cutting out every piece by hand; no rulers, nothing to say it was square - other than eyeballing everything she did and those quilts were wonderfully warm, made with wool batts, and tied. One was so heavy it was a bunch of 4-5inch squares of old overcoats and heavy fabrics sewn together with a big wool batt, and a flannel backing- once you were put to bed, you didn't move - it was too heavy to allow you to even roll over! :) But, it was the comfort and warmth we needed in teh old farmhouse - the fires would sometimes go out overnight and the mornings were very brisk in the house till the old stoves got heated up again... and we think we have things rough now - oh to go back to the good old days though!