pinkcastle

My mom sewed and she made me take home ec when I was in junior high. I'm so glad she did. I made clothes for myself for many years. Then I started working and didn't sew as much. I'm not sure how I got interested in quilting but I do remember being fascinated by it when I was about 20. As time went on I started picking up quilting supplies but never did much with them. When I quit working and moved to Wisconsin about six years ago, I joined a local craft group to meet new people. They had a class on making baby quilts and that was the real beginning of me becoming a quilter. I have learned so much since then. Quilting has become in integral part of my life.

maviskw

I don't remember when I really started to sew, but at age 11, I made my first dress: with full circle skirt, double ruffles for sleeves and a gathered neck line at the top of the bodice, in a beautiful yellow. I remember sitting outside in the shade while hand sewing that huge expanse of rolled hem. I wore that dress a lot.

Fast forward to the late sixties. I had been making clothes for my eight kids, and was wondering what to do with all those beautiful scraps. I thought about them for months; while milking cows, doing laundry, hoeing garden and such. I thought just sew two of them together, add a third and a forth, and just keep adding pieces until I have a a quilt top. Big mistake! I got bubbles that I had to slice through to get it to lay flat. Then I sewed a decorative stitch in black on each seam. It was really pretty. I really liked it when it was finished, but I should have worked in squares or used a foundation.

I learned my first lessons in quilting at a 4-H quilt camp, which I attended for six years with my granddaughter. Each young quilter had an adult with her, usually her mother, but there were two grandmothers.

Since that time, the most I have learned has been on this board. I can't believe how much I have learned here.

Now I have a great-granddaughter, one week old, who has one quilt already, but there will be more.

JENNR8R

Back in the olden days the girls were required to take home economics. (I wanted to take shop!) I had to make a dress. I knew nothing about sewing and had to ask the teacher what to do with each step. The dress turned out sewn wrong side out. (I would have been better at shop.) The only sewing I have done since then is to make a simple rod pocket for some curtains.

Four years ago I chose the book "The Quilter's Apprentice" by Jennifer Cheverini for our book club. That piqued my interest in quilting. I read the books "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Quilting" and "Quilting for Dummies" and designed my own bedspread. I hand quilted it, and it took a year to complete. I've gotten a little faster since then, but not much.

shortcake2012

A year ago last month a friend suggested I go with her to a co-workers house to learn to quilt. I scoffed at anyone who would go to all that trouble when you could go to a store and purchase a quilt. WELL, my friend didn't take to quilting but I fell in love with it. I have made nine queen size quilts, two baby quits and four wall hangings. I can barely finish one before I want to start another. I also worked with the same co-worker and remember her bringing in small pieces of fabric to pin together and I just shook my head thinking why would anyone waste their time. Now I wish I'd learned early, I'm 65, just think of how many quilts I could have made. I quilt daily and love it, still learning to sew that perfect 1/4 inch seam...I think it's my machine but I'll keep trying.

roserips

My mother taught me to sew at age 12 she said if I wanted clothes for school I would have to make them myself. She showed me her stash and patterns. She helped me make my first garment a pant dress and then the rest is history. I love to sew I have made so many things and enjoyed the whole process. Both my grandmothers quilted and I was given a quilt at age 8 which went everywhere with me. I never went to sleep without it even as an adult. When I was seventeen I needed an art project for school so I took all of my scraps from sewing items with coudroy. There was no wale, pin wale, wide wale, medium, printed and solid colors. I cut them into 5" squares and made my first quilt tufting it. The art teacher was amazed and wanted to share with the home ec. teacher who was unimpressed (that was the '70's) anyway that began my rode to quilting and learning everything I could about quilting. I still love to sew and quilt and have learned a lot along the way but still continue to learn as I try new techniques and play with new ideas. There is never enough time in the day for all the sewing I would like to do.

momsobon

Learned to knit, crochet & sew by the time I was 10 so when I had my last child I decided to go to a quilt class in the early 80's when everything was done by hand before the rotary cutters....then I put it down did a few quilts for church to raffle off then I got back into it in the last few years since I retired.....

caspharm

I began quilting about 12 years ago when I was looking for something new to do. I had sewn a few items - last one before a quilt was a knight costume in silver lame-like fabric for my then 5 year old son (he's 27 now). I had tried to go back to school for pre-pharmacy classes while working full-time. It didn't work out so well, so I was frustrated.

So one day I was walking down the street with my DH and saw a quilt shop. I decided I could do that and signed up for a quilt class. I went from there. I have enjoyed it ever since and when we retired ~3 years ago, we moved into a house with room for a longarm. I was so happy, since I used to have to rent time before and there was no shop near our house when we moved that had a machine for rent. I love to do my quilts from start to finish.

I love to go to classes as well.

maggiek

I started at about age 60 after years of doing all kinds of other sewing and needlework. I had travelled a lot in my job and really didn't know any ladies in my area (I live in the country near a small town). I knew there were quilting guilds so I thought that might be a way to meet some folks. I took a couple of lessons at a local quilt shop and joined the guild. Little did I know it would take over my life and become an obsession :-) I have met lots of folks, done lots of different styles of quilting and generally enjoyed it. Now that I am partially retired, it fills in all my spare time. Love it.

misseva

My mother was an excellent seamstress. Don't remember her making any quilts until later in life. I took HomEc in jr hi and made a skirt & vest. Didn't sew any more until late 60s/early 70s when I bought my first little singer (which was a treadle head converted to electric) for $14.98. Started sewing some of my clothes then. Think I made my first quilt in 1990 (embroideried) for my first granddaughter. It's just grown from there. Sure do enjoy it now. Don't remember what happened to that first machine - wish I had it now.

debbiemarie

I have sewn since I was old enough to sit up and operate the machine, prior to that my Mom had me doing hand work, and filling the bobbins for her. My Mother made ALL my clothes until I was about 16 years old and had exquisite taste.(she was a stay at home Mom) Her work was better than I see in the fanciest stores, so when I was begging to have a dress "from the store like everyone else", she tried to convince me how poor the quality was, I didn't get it until I was older. Mom and I would work out a design and details on paper then she would whip it up. I cleaned house and cooked to give her time to sew everything I wanted. She went on to upholster furniture, sew her own drapes etc. she was an amazing seamstress...she passed away 2 months ago, she hadn't sewn for quite a while because she couldn't see well enough. When she went into the assisted living home, she took her blue "around the world quilt" for her bed. I pretty much take after her, except I don't upholster furniture. I did made cornice boxes and drapes. I am just taking up serious quilting now at age 60, well about 25 years ago I made patchwork pillows for everyone for Christmas. I have my Mothers latest sewing machine the Viking 150, her old White Westinghouse sewing machine is long gone. I have retired from my office job and babysit my 3 year old Grandson, still having trouble finding "enough" time to quilt as much as I would like. I do love this Quilting Board site, I read it everyday and get so much inspiration to keep on trying things, and learning something everyday. Thanks everyone.