What an interesting question and what fascinating responses! I was editor of both my high school and my college yearbooks (the only all-nighter I ever pulled in college was for yearbook deadlines ), so those experiences started me on a publishing path. I've worked for college textbook publishing companies, both as a full-time employee and for the past 20 years as a freelancer in copyediting, designing, managing, and production capacities—basically using both sides of my brain, though sometimes at different times (good practice for my quilting now !). I also worked for Apple Computer for a couple of years, where I was able to earn an MBA through a program in which Apple was trying to "grow" its own managers so professors from San Jose State University came to the Apple "campus" for our classes. After I graduated with my MBA, my DH finally decided to realize his dream of becoming a college professor (as long as I've known him, I've felt he should be a professor; we've been married 28 years) so we moved to Wisconsin in 1994 so he could get his PhD. After 10 years there, we became what DH calls "migrant workers"—he had four one-year positions in Springfield, Missouri, then one year in Tulsa, Oklahoma, before landing his tenure-track position here in eastern New Mexico almost five years ago. Fortunately, it was easy to move my freelance business with each move (most of the work comes in via email), though the moves were hard. At one point, we made four moves in five years, three of them interstate. Ugh! Hard work and expensive, too! Now my freelance business is winding down, and I'm happily devoting much more time to quilting.

Interesting stories, ladies! Here's a bit about my life. I'm a native Minnesotan who lived for short periods in both Iowa and Chicago, but have spent the majority of my life in the Minneapois/St. Paul metro area. I've outlived two spouses and have been happily married to my current husband for over 10 years. My husband's wife succumbed to breast cancer. My family includes a son & daughter in law who have 2 boys and 2 girls, a daughter & son in law who have 2 daughters, a daughter who is engaged to a great guy and a stepson and his wife. My grandchildren range in age from 18 months to 14 years and are a joy to me. We're so fortunate to have them live in the area, so we can spend time with them and enjoy their piano concerts, soccer games, swim meets,etc. When she was 9, my oldest granddaughter (now 11) and I made a quilt together.

As an RN, my working life was primarily spent in nursing with jobs in clinics, hospitals and long term care facilities. I mostly worked administrative positions in the hospital and LTC facilities. I left nursing in 1998 when my second husband had a liver transplant and was hospitalized at the U of M for 7 months until he succumbed to a deadly infection. He had many complications and infections during his 7 month stay. It was a tough year. After his death I worked with my son, a real estate appraiser as his bookkeeper and assistant (I had done bookkeeping for my husband in his appraisal business). I also did bookkeeping for a preschool and a friend who had a decorating business. My son is now an airline pilot.

My quilting journey started with my first quilt, a baby quilt for my 14 year old grandson. I became a "quilt addict" around 8 or 9 years ago and have had a great time learning & growing in creativity. My mother and grandmother were both sewers, knitters, crocheters and my grandmother also made quilts, so the "quilting gene" was passed on to me, yay!! I became interested in quilting my own quilts on a frame so started with a shortarm which I "outgrew" in a couple of years. I went to the AQS show in Paducah in 2008 and shopped machine systems, Gammill won out and I became the owner of a Premier (18" throat). I was only going to quilt for myself and do charity quilts, but after having my arm twisted by my favorite friends in my small quilting group, I caved and started quilting for them, the rest is history! My business quickly grew by word of mouth and the following year I went to the 2009 MQS show and traded for a Gammill Classic Plus and it was the best move I made! I love longarm quilting and have not only won pretty ribbons for some of my quilts but also some of my customers have won too. Can you tell that quilting has taken over a good portion of my life? My husband is not only very supportive, but is now a certified Gammill service tech serving Minnesota for our dealer. He got bit too! Course, he's very mechanical and it's right up his alley.

Life is good in my senior years so far, and by the grace of God, I hope to quilt for a long time!

Margo, this is a terrific idea! Love reading everyone's story!
Here's mine:
Born in Cleveland, Ohio. DH & I met in high school, married, left Ohio & never looked back!
(Well, not exactly, because we do visit family.) Have lived in Florida, Alabama & South
Carolina. Moved to Georgia 35 years ago for DH's job & have lived here since.
I was mostly a stay-at-home mom with 2 (DS & DD).
Always loved being creative, and studied art in college (at age 47!).
Also studied sewing then. I learned a bit in 7th grade, but mostly self-taught in the
early years.
I worked in a fabric store, but had to quit because I was spending more $$$ on fabric
than I was actually earning!
I really enjoyed working behind the scenes with local theater groups on sets & costumes.
Have studied millinery and even made a hat that was worn to the Kentucky Derby.
Another place I worked was in a photo shop (in the olden days when film was
developed). Have loved photography since I got my first camera 40 yrs. ago.
Love to travel & will be doing more of that since DH will be retiring this year.
We are planning a trip to Alaska!
Especially looking forward to spending more time with grandkids, 3 boys, 1 girl & wee
unborn babe, due in June.
And hope to come visit as many of you dear ones as possible!
Quilting has intrigued me for a long time, though I'm a beginner at sewing them!
I have so many quilts in my head, I wish I had a magic wand to wave so they would
appear! Right???!!!
You are all such an inspiration and I'm blown away at your talents & productivity!

What a great thread. I am enjoying reading about all of your life adventures. As some have stated already, I feel that I have led a pretty dull life but it is what it is and I am happy. After finishing high school I went to Bible College where I completed a three year diploma. I gained very valuable life skills plus met my wonderful husband. After college I worked as a secretary while my husband finished college. Over the next seven years we welcomed four daughters into our family. When our youngest daughter was six months old my husband got sick and has been ill for the past 22 years. This presented a challenge as I loved being a stay-at-home mom (my dream job!) but I knew I needed to go back to work because my husband was unable to work. I took an office administration course and then started my current job as an admin assistant (still a secretary just a different name for it now!) at a high school where I have worked for almost 17 years. I was able to spend all day with our girls as they attended the high school I worked at! Definitely a bonus for me.

In my high school home ec class my teacher told my mother at Parent-Teacher interviews that I would be able to sew quite well if I would just follow instructions. Little did she know that I did follow instructions--just not her's. My mom was way better at sewing tips and I listened to her instead. Now I love to sew -- quilts that is. I always say that being in my quilting space is my "day at the beach".

I love being mom to our four daughters and one son-in-law, Grandma to our two grandchildren and a wife to my wonderful husband.

I grew up on the high plains of northeastern Colorado. After graduating from college with a degree in secondary education, I got married, moved to Albuquerque, moved to Chicago, got a degree in Dental Hygiene, divorced, taught at a Chicago area college, and worked in a practice on north Michigan Avenue for years. I loved Chicago and thought I would be there forever. Then I met my husband who swept me off my feet, out of my profession and all the way to the left coast. We have been working together for 30 years manufacturing and marketing our "gee whiz" stair climbing powered hand trucks. We spend a great deal of time traveling and exhibiting at trade shows. I have 2 step sons and a granddaughter in addition to being the doting auntie to several nieces and nephews-- all of whom love their quilts!

Well this is fun! In my "other life" I work in casino tablegames. About 20 years ago gaming came to south Mississippi. I got a job in housekeeping at a casino. Lost 20 lbs doing that job. Went to an in-house dealers school as soon as they would let me, and started dealing blackjack. The tips were incredible! Went from $5 or so an hour cleaning toilets to being able to buy a decent car and go grocery shopping without my calculator. Now I'm a floor supervisor (babysitter/referee). I watch the dealers, watch the players, keep up with the cash and the chips on tables, and make sure everybody follows the rules. Most folks refer to me as a "pit boss". Its a good job (but very not glamorus) and has enabled me to take care of my family financially. BUT...I'm looking forward to the day when I never have to set foot in any casino anywhere. Ever again. Folks get drunk. Folks get grumpy when they lose. The noise level at my casino is sometimes deafening. Quilting has been my escape and therapy for a bit over ten years now. I probly would've lost my sanity without it.
DH and I have been together for about 26 years and have three sons...one in the Air Force, one living in Alabama, and one is a Marine. We also have three nephews in the Army, and one nephew in the Navy. Life is peaceful and pleasantly boring now that the nest is empty!

Ritzy, I beg to differ! I see nothing insignificant about your life. Look again! No small accomplishment getting educated and caring for small children on your own. Look again. Hugs!

Hmm, I am starting to feel insignificant ladies. OK--I have done many jobs: key punch operator (remember that?), secretary, bookkeeper, waitress...then I got married. Moved to Indiana from Chicago. Was a stay at home mom until my youngest was 4 months old and then I went to college for the first time. After two years of going to school for six days a week and caring for a 4 year old and 4 month old, I was graduated as a certified Medical Laboratory Tech. I like the work but not the hours and I needed to be home with my girls as I was a single mom at this point in life. I went back to school for an associates degree in Medical Lab. Tech. because I was told I would make more money. What I love to do is teach. I have learned many hand crafts and it seems that I did them until I was really accomplished and then went on to a new craft. So, I teach whenever I get the chance. I would love to teach beginners quilting. So far instead, I substitute teach at the local middle school. It gives me money to spend on my addiction--quilting.

Lotti, please organize an exhibition in England so that we can meet!

I taught German for 23 years to more or less anybody who wanted to learn. My youngest student was 5 years old, and the oldest was 98. Quite a lot of my work was one-to-one with senior managers of companies as diverse as chemical and pharmaceuticals, lace manufacturers, jet engines, and importers of bananas (). I worked with a lot of very big egos, and felt I needed a change of direction almost 10 years ago. Since then I'm working with special needs teenagers at the local secondary school. I work across most of the academic subjects (putting my excellent German education to good use), and deal with anything from severe behaviour problems to physical disabilities.

Between the age of 12 and 20 I spent a lot of time showing guys that this girl was no push-over. I put away my black belt in Judo when we moved and I couldn't find a local club.

My father was a safety engineer for Texaco and my most exciting childhood memory is the day when - during a school holiday - he took me to work with him. We flew by helicopter to at off-shore oil-drilling platform in the North Sea. Today 'health and safety' laws are so tight that this would never be possible.

suehenyon wrote:
Sure, I will let him speak for himself. He (and my brother) made this video introduction about 2 years ago in my garden.
http://gregorypossman.dk/wp/?page_id=480

He also has an American website http://gregorypossman.com/

I totally forgot to tell about my big garden, which I enjoy during summer. During winter I dance Danish Folkdance. Actually I should be there now but a flu forced me to stay home today.

I love this thread. My first job was piecework in a clothing factory. It was summer work while I was a student. In college, I studied Home Ec. I took all the clothing courses offered (Of course!). I worked for a short time as a Home Economist for an electric company. Then I married and worked in public relations for a university medical school. That job supported us while my husband finished school. After that I was a stay-at-home Mom for nearly 20 yrs. I did lots of home sewing and gardening during that time. I did that for nearly 20 years until my youngest child was 15 yrs old. Then I went back to school and got a Masters in Social Work. Since then, I have been doing counseling. My other passion, aside from quilting and all things fiber, is learning about the resiliency of the human spirit. I am fascinated by how creativity keeps us all afloat during life’s tough times. I am positive that as a group Quilter’s are among the most mentally resilient on earth. All of you prove that to me over and over again. It’s been a pleasure getting to know all of you.

Ah thinking back on my life is an interesting thing for certain. After high school graduation I went to beauty school and worked in that field for 35 years off and on, off while I had my two daughters and on to support myself when I divorced my first husband. I remarried to a wonderful man 5 years later and moved to Saudi Arabia for 10 years. While there I did hair in our home to keep busy. Before leaving for saudi Arabia I worked in an engineering company where I was involved with the reproduction end of engineering drawings and then became very involved as the lead person in putting together proposal books for future projects for the company. This had me involved with each discipline of the engineering end of the project, designing the book covers and leading a group of 15 to 20 people to actually put the books together in the proper order and presenting the completed books to the head of the project. I also took a turn at teaching self hypnosis and worked with a group of psychologists in using hypnosis for stopping smoking and giving birth painlessly through hypnosis. After I returned to the US from Saudi Arabia I opened a wig shop and worked with cancer patients, so you can see my working life was very diverse and at times challenging, but always fulfilling and fun.I retired at 50 years and moved to Nevada and took up my quilting and have been building a very impressive stash ever since.

OK Margo. I'll play. Great topic! Everyone has such interesting stories!

I started working for Walgreens in high school in the cosmetics department and eventually ended up working in their offices when my boss got promoted to district manager and brought me with her as her secretary. I married my high school sweetheart and had my oldest daughter and a few years later that marriage ended. I continued working through that and met my current husband. When my second daughter was born in 2003, I gave up my job to become "Mommy" full-time. One more daughter showed up (I think my grew-up-with-only-one-brother-husband is being punished for something -- there's an awful lot of estrogen in our house!) and I'm still at home.

In 2005 we opened our business. We provide roll-off dumpsters to homeowners and contractors. Upside -- people always have trash to get rid of. Downside -- my husband comes home smelling like it. It's all very glamorous! I do the books for our business (when I feel like it -- and a few days before we have to see the accountant) and volunteer at my girls' school. Once per week I'm "lunch mom" and then "library mom". I also spend time as Girl Scout Daisy leader and 4th grade room mother.

After 10 years of being at home, my former boss called out of the blue to see if I could help fill in at my old job while her current secretary was having health issues. Thankfully she's better now, but I still get called in about once per month to fill in at the office for vacation days and such.

I better get off the computer and out to the studio -- I have a 4th grade handprint quilt to get finished by tomorrow to donate to the school auction!

Thanks to everyone for sharing their great stories!

What interesting stories everyone has to tell.

I too was a stay at home mom for the first 20 years of my marriage. Sewing and crafting was my creative outlet. When my youngest son was diagnosed with ADHD at age 6, sewing and crafting became my way to survive. It was during the 3rd decade of my marriage that I had to take over the bookkeeping responsibilities and there wasn't much time for sewing. An occasional drafting job during that time helped me through the hardest decade of my life. I've always had the need to be creative. So when inspiration hit for a quilt design in the summer of 2000 I again found time to sew by getting up in the early morning hours and finding a couple more hours in the late evening. You'd be surprised how much you can get done during those times. I've been blessed to be my own boss all of these years so I can do things on my own schedule and most of the time I get to work at home. The only disadvantage to that is you are always at work, but I get to do my shopping during the day when crowds are light. And I'm looking forward to the new opportunities that are arriving in the near future.