What a great question!! I haven't read the responses yet...couldn't wait to answer!! My mother was beginning to quilt when her heart began to fail... but her mother and her grandmother quilted... and, more than likely, many previous generations since the quilts were mostly utilitarian. They were beautiful, too, of course... My (already grown) daughter will not likely pick up my love of quilting... but I'll do my best to lure my (due any day now) grand daughter!!!