gmaybee

We lived in Ohio for a short few years and would come back to Michigan to see my grandmother almost every weekend. I can remember in the winter my sister and I sleeping under the quilts as there wasn't any heat upstairs in her big old farmhouse. Still to this day I hate getting into a really cold bed. We keep our bedroom cool so I still sleep under the quilts that I've made.

omak

I was between four and five years old.
When our babysitter sent us upstairs for a nap, her "big girl's" bed had a scrap quilt on it. For whatever reason, I don't remember the quilt blocks, but I do remember the quilting - - I would trace the little "roads" with my fingers ... and, how I ever knew that it was a quilt is beyond me, but I KNEW!
My dad's mom was a seamstress supreme, but she didn't make quilts - - just gorgeous gowns and stuff. <wave>

Scrap Happy

I grew up with my Dad & paternal Grandparents. My grandmother wasn't a quilter (she did crochet, needlepoint, etc.) I don't know how I got it in my head that I wanted to make a quilt but when I was 7 I decided to make one. I can remember sitting on the floor cutting up my clothes. I'll never forget the look on my Grandmother's face when she walked in to find me cutting up my clothes LOL! :-D

Celeste

When we'd visit Dad's parents, there were quilts there to sleep under. My Dad has one- it's just a tied, I think four patch, but it's from Grandma, and I love to see it/

QM

I had a baby quilt that was 2 pieces of fabric, batting and ties, I remember it when I was about 3 and my mom put a new "cover" on it. The earliest serious quilt I remeber is a crazy quiltmade by my great grandmother about 1880. It was all silks and silk velvets, with huge amounts of embellishment. When I got my first twin bed, my mother gave it to me. I loved it to death, literally.

emptyshellamy

Both of my grandmas quilted. My maternal grandma did have a sewing machine but I think she only used it for making clothes (she worked in a childrens dress factory when my mom was growing up). She had a quilting frame in the "front room" and I remember her hand quilting lots of "cheater quilts." I have a couple she made on my bed now, ragged but treasured, loved & used :thumbup: She also crocheted & tried to teach me many times, it finally took the internet a few yrs ago for me to get it, lol. Oh I just remembered she did machine piece, I hope my mom still has the one I remember. It was a bright, simple patchwork made from those loud 70s knits & tied with red yarn. Ugly as sin but warm and I swear that thing always smelled like grandmas house.

My paternal grandma made (still does!) all kinds of quilts. My baby blanket from her is an appliqued 3 bears quilt that's so ragged there are almost more holes than top left. I have it tucked away until someday I'm confident enough to repair it. I found her quilt guild online recently & there's my grandma holding up a prize winning quilt! I have 2 upstairs that she made too in the rotation, one has some gorgeous applique & scalloped borders. She also knits & crochets, she used to make these white crochet angels that she dipped in starch & dried on a form for tree toppers. When I was really young I remember collecting what we called "sweet gum balls" from the trees in her yard, she'd attach them to big styrofoam balls, spray paint them and they hung from the ceiling for Christmas decorations, lol. She used to use the word "tacky"--I still crack up when I hear it and immediately think of those weird tree balls :lol:

I remember when I was 8-10 or so my parents had a yard sale. We had an extra twin bed that sold & my mom included the beautiful appliqued butterfly quilt that had been mine. I don't know who made it, I don't think it was one of my grandmas, maybe a great aunt. I remember it had lots of purple & embroidered antenae, I used to play with the french knots. It was gorgeous & I've thought of it many times since I started quilting. I hope the buyer appreciated it!

Rymer

wow these stories are amazing! My grandmother passed away many many yrs before i was born and I'm pretty sure she didn't quilt anyway. I never had quilts growing up. The very first quilt I ever got was a quilt my best friend made me when I got married. The next year she got married and I got it in my head that I'd repay her with a quilt I made! I had a friend at work who quilted and I managed to talk her into teaching me. I'd go to her house and she tought me everything from cutting to binding! So I gave my very first quilt I ever made away as a wedding present....but that's OK I have made 2 quilts for my daughter, one for our bed and one for my son so far and am working on lap quilts made from my brother's shirts at the moment. I can't wait to pass this on to my kids and future grandkids. My daughter is 5 and is already interested.....very exciting. I hope she has these fond memories of quilting like you ladies! (my mother just shakes her head at me and says "I don't know how you have the time to do this...just sew two pieces of fabric together and call it a day, you do too much") LOL!!