onthemoveinrv

started quilting when i Joined my new Church in 2006 right after my husband passed. Since then I have made many have one on the two beds in my home one on each of the 4 sofa's and two in our RV and have made several for wedding gifts and graduation one for my step daughter when she graduated with her double masters. Our family goes camping every year and this year my daughter and I have made quilts for each memeber that goes so we all have our "camping quilt." So now I am starting one more for my step daughter has decided to join us camping. Have to add it was my daughter that inspired the everyone gets a quilt for camping idea.

gramajo

Your daughter had a great idea!

yorkie luv

I just started quilting about 5 years ago. I had always wanted to learn, but thought that I needed to take classes. Then I found all these great patterns and tutorials on the internet. So I think the internet has helped more people get started in quilting.

jmoore

I started quilting winter 2010 on an old Pfaff, bought a couple of books and shopped bigger fabric stores using coupons for notions, etc. Then I purchased a Janome in November 2011 and as I was doing the research and polling members here on the QB, it seemed that the world of websites and tutorials popped up everywhere. I agree with an earlier and similar post, that the more you become interested in a subject, it seems the doors of information open up before you.

my-ty

Totally agree. There is always an "in" hobby. Have you tried to find macrame supplies lately? LOL

For me, my grandmothers quilted, my Mom started quilting after kids left home, and I started when my kids started to not require me as much. Hope my kids decide to quilt later in their lives and continue the tradition.

icul8rg8r

I use to think that quilting is something that old ladies do when they retire. Well, I'm not retirement age, but I love my new hobby! I enjoy making something of beauty out of nothing but scraps of material. It's made me a happier person and because of that a happier mom & wife. And it's exciting sharing this hobby with my 9-year-old daughter - when she's my age she'll be able to say she's been quilting for xx number of years (whereas I count mine by the months).

seamstome

I think the technology is driving the boom. Newer machines, rotary cutters, great fabrics, faster ways of making things.

It amazes me how much time and money is spent on this hobby. I think it is great. The innovations seem to be coming daily.

I dropped out of quilting for about 10 years when I hit a technical wall where the stuff just wasn't there to do what I wanted to do from a creative aspect. Now it is all here. From the stabilizers, threads, etc, that allow you to do almost anything you want with a "quilt".

roguequilter

ditto. qnm was the first quilt mag i found to buy off of a magazine rack at grocery store. it had just becomeavailable that way as it had been, literally a "newsletter" mailed to subscribers. one of the things that, i believe, also contributed to the speed with which the industry grew was the introduction of the rotary cutter, mat, rulers. rotary cutting enabled the making of cutting out & assembling several quilts a year. especially for working women. outside the home,that is )

ILoveToQuilt

I think quilting has exploded recently because of how "quilt" is now defined. It used to be that a quilt was a blanket that was used on a bed. Now, if something has fabric in it, it is called a quilt. Many of the art quilts that I've seen are so far from the "blanket" definition, it sometimes defies logic to call them quilts. (Just my opinion). I am fairly traditional in my quilts. I make some bed quilts (yes, I do use them as blankets) to wall quilts that don't resemble art at all...just a small quilt. Most of the art quilts I have seen are very, very impressive, but I would not try to make one. Just don't have the "art" streak in these old bones. (Been quilting for about 15+ years now and favorite technique is paper piecing).

Anita