My grandmother did every type of needlework but only made whole cloth tied quilts with 2" wool batts from a local mill in Appleton, WI. My mom had a sewing machine but only used it for mending and before I could learn she used it on a folding table, which collapsed under the weight and vibration and it quit working. A sixth grade friend's mom taught us both to sew one summer and we each made an "A line" skirt. I was hooked. I took every Home Economics class in Jr. High and H.S. and finally got my own machine at age 16, a Christmas present. I still have that work horse Singer that weighs a ton. I went to UConn and majored in Home Economics and though I never worked in the industry, continued to make gifts, home decorating items and clothes for myself and the family. My first applique quilt, probably 45 yrs. ago, was a wall hanging for a friend's first baby. (I was informed recently that that baby now uses it in her children's bedroom LOL) I took two beginner quilting classes, one in Laramie, WY while my DH was in grad school and one in the IL town we finally settled in to raise our family. Both involved cardboard templates and scissors and hand quilting. Never did finish those and got rid of them. I made tied quilts for the kids, like my grandma, and they were well loved. In the early 90s my mom moved into a condo with a large blank wall above the kitchen in her cathedral ceiling living room and I found the perfect pattern for a Welcome quilt. I pieced and appliqued and hand quilted the approx. 45" quilt and it now hangs in our entrance. I made a few more hand quilted items, all small: a tree skirt, wall hanging, stockings when finally I discovered quilts could be machine quilted. That discovery and that of the rotary cutter, made all the difference. When our middle son moved out after college in 2001, we converted his bedroom into a formal sewing room, instead of the dining room table. We bought a country house in 2008, but with the recession my DH continued to work until 2012, 100 miles away, and would come home on weekends. It was during this time that my quilting really took off. I finally bought a Tiara in 2017 and no longer have to depend on my friend to quilt the larger ones for me. I have two closets full of fabric and projects, enough to last me 5 more lifetimes, but continue to widdle down my supply with quilts for family members and charities. My DH has an Etsy woodshop in our full basement, so we each have our retirement hobbies, but relax together in the evenings. It is a wonderful life.