I had always sewn since age 10. When I was first married, we had trouble conceiving. I figured I should have something to keep my mind busy. I took classes. Flower arranging (no good!), caligraphy and cooking (also no good!) Finally quilting. This was in 1987. We cut templates and sewed by hand. We did some machine piecing, but machine quilting was not taught. I made a sampler quilt in pinks and blues and yellow.

I was hooked. Then I began making baby quilts for all my friends' babies and finally, after a few more years, outfitted our nursery and made a quilt for our bed, couch, etc. Raising 2 kids put quilting on a back burner except for the occasional teacher gift or other gift. (I made all the kids Halloween costumes, Christmas stockings, etc.) Once the kids got to middle school and I no longer helped in the classroom or in scouts, my obsession blossomed!

Along the way, I found a quilt guild, SQ, discovered retreats, Padukah and took lots of classes. The owner of my favorite QS asked me to teach and I found that I was good at it and got lots of compliments and repeat students. She later closed and I began teaching at JoAnn's.

Hardly a day goes by that I don't sew. I've rediscovered the other kind of sewing - garments, stuffed animals, totes, home dec, etc. but quilting remains my main thing. I love all kinds from fusing to needle turn to hand quilting to long-arming to thread painting to machine embroidery. I have 5 sewing machines ranging from an 1886 treadle to a 1970's Singer, 2 Vikings and an embroidery-only Brother. I do envision a long-arm someday, but for now, I can rent time on one.

It's been an interesting 22 years! Nancy in Brrrrr western NY

Many years ago my Mom bought an old wool blanket at a church rummage sale and gave it to me and said "why don't you make a quilt and use this for the batting,it would be nice and warm" and I thought "why would I want to do that,I hate to sew?" At the time I only did hand work(embroidery,etc).But,I got out my fabric scraps and cut a bunch of squares and fought my way through the process calling a friend who sewed many times for advice.For my birthday this friend gave me a quilting book---Huh!! Lots of surprising information in there.Needless to say with the right information and the right tools the next quilts were better and easier.And now I have TQS to point me in the right direction. Julie

In 2002 I was looking at magazines and saw QNM. The cover quilt grabbed me hard so I bought the magazine. Read through it for weeks before deciding I could do that. I started watching Simply Quilts. I finally picked out a rail fence pattern and went to walmart and picked fabrics that matched the pattern. I dug my very old cheap machine out of the bottom of the closet. It froze up almost immediately so DH said go back to walmart and buy another. Okee dokee! That was it for me-totally and completely hooked.

I always sewed since I was a little girl.. sometimes well and sometimes not so good. My mom made drapes so I grew up helping her in various stages. I made extra pennies by sewing side-seams of the drapes. I put myself through college doing that... That is why I hated hand work til recently. VERY labor intensive work.

I made quilt for my niece and nephew when they were babies cause I was childless. I had thought that when I had kiddies I would get to sew for them.... WRONG.. between work and loving my babies... my machine just gathered dust. I did try to teach my daughter how to sew.... I sent her to SEWING CAMP, but she did not appreciate it until she had a home of her own. NOW SHE wants me to sew project for her and her home.

I was at loose ends in a new area when I found a little quilt shop that had FREE meetings once a week, where we actually got to work on quilt projects. We went through a lot of different type of projects... That gave me the interest and the dreams but not the techniques. I have since taken classes to learn how to do it correctly... so as a QUILT ARTIST I can now do it MY WAY... creating my visions. I later took classes... lots and lots of wonderful classes.

I feel strongly that anyone should learn the correct techniques then they can branch off from that.

I have been quilting for about 5 years... I start lots of projects but only get one or two quilts actually done a year.... I now make most of my trial blocks (B.O.M.s) out of the same fabric stash so they all will go together. I am currently working on finish all my UFO before I start on a new project. ( NOT likely to happen... something else will catch my eye. )

I looked at my stash and even if the quilt shop closes tomorrow I have enough fabric to make a 100 quilts. So more sewing less buying for me.

Since I got my machine and I am not fighting the machine to get things to work. I found I enjoy the sewing more... I have been coming home and sewing for an hour each night. VERY LIBERATING AND SATISFYING.

ANNA

I want to know how all of you started out quilting :shock: Have you been quilting your whole life, or just started?

I started quilting in 1989..20 years ago by accident
With 3 small childeren I wanted 1 night off a week to do something for just me.
I browsed the class lists...did I want to learn speak spanish, cook, write esseys or novels etc?? No...but that Lappeteknikk-thing (lappeteknikk=fabric piecing) sounded kind of interesting mainly because I had never heard of it before :shock: :shock:

Ok, off I went, with some blue fabric in my bag..no rotary cutter, cutting mat or ruler

First think I learned was to make Log Cabin Blocks...I thought by myself..I will make 2 blocks and turn them into pot holders
My pot holder project grew...and grew..and grew! I hunted for fabric all over, at stores, friends houses..and ended up with a queensized quilt In pinks and blues (It is posted on my profile).

Since then, quilting has been with me in sickness and in health, for richer and poorer....and will be till death us do part!