I made my first couple of quilts over 30 years ago and then took a 25 year break. Since 2004, I have been doing a lot of quilting. Previously, I never did much sewing at all.

I was a mother of three little girls and found that sewing for them was not only econmical but fun besides, so I sewed before I ever did any quilting. I never took any classes, just flew by the seat of my pants....I have learned much from this group and continue to do so. Sue

I have been a seamstress since age 12 or so. I made quilts in the old days that were sort of like the Gees Bend quilts, just intended to use scraps and keep my kids warm. Th kids are parents themselves now and my daughter always said "why don't you quilt Mom?" as she does. I didn't pay attention till I saw programs on TV about 5 years ago. I was required to be close to home so it appealed to me as an extension of other hobbies I love. I decided to take a class and have continued on full force since then. I am an arty person who has always done all sorts of needlework from knitting to tatting so it seems a good fit.

I love colors and working with combining colors. I still take classes constantly and go to any show I can.

Mom taught be to sew clothes when I was 8 years old. I made a basic strip quilt when I was about 11 or 12. Mom didn't know quilting, so I figured this out myself.

I didn't make another quilt until the late '80s when I was in college. I saw a picture of a Grandmother's flower garden and made that...king size, with templates, on the machine.

After graduating college I started making baby quilts and things took off from there. I guess I've been truly quilting for the last approx. 20 yrs...

I can totally relate to your being a modern day quilter. My first quilt in the 80's was a whole cloth quilt. I was my design and it took me 3 years to complete the full size quilt. I basically just drew something and quilted it and went on to the next area, no planning what so ever. I was too new to know you should plan LOL.
Rotary cutters were just coming out but the patterns instructions had not quite caught up. So we used scissors and it was time consuming and very difficult to be as accurate.
I appliqued by hand a full size floral and it some how dissappeared during a move.
With a full time job, raising 2 children, and going to school I didn't find much time to quilt.
I can honestly say that I have just learned to piece 3 years ago and any thing on the machine is new to me.
I did sew a little before quilting and I crochet, knit, needlepoint, soap, bath bombs, painting (I'm not real good, but it's fun). I am artsy too and I love any craft.
I had access to classes in Orlando and didn't have the time, now I have the time and no classes LOL.
We are reaching out to other quilters in our rural town to start a guild and some have responded YEAH!!!!
Rosa

I started "quilting" at about age 12 (about 36 years ago). I took squares/rectangles of fabrics that were lying around the house and sewed them together on my mom's Necchi machine. She didn't sew (so why she had -- and still has! -- a sewing machine, I still don't know! lol), but I dug through old jeans, clothes that didn't fit any more, lining materials, wool, etc., etc., etc. I think the pieces were about 2"x3" and I just sewed them together. No plan, no consistent seam allowance, nothing!

This piece was never backed, batted, basted or quilted. But it stayed with me until after college and got used as a picnic blanket, a cover in the back of my Pinto station wagon (when I didn't want outsiders to see what was in there, like at the Mall), a warmer cover on those cold nights, something to wrap in at football games, and lastly as fabric to put down in the back of a car/trunk whenever I would haul things that were dirty like pine branches at the holidays, potted plants, etc.

In the mean time, I took a sewing class in High School to learn clothing construction. As a new Bride, hubby bought me my own machine our first Christmas. I have sewed ever since, and spent many long nights sewing clothes for myself and my three daughters. Christmas, Easter and the start of the school year meant trips to the fabric store for patterns and fabrics. I probably have nearly every pattern I ever bought, and they do come in handy for things like costumes if I can find the right silhouette.

Most of my clothing choices for the girls was 100% cotton. Quilting was a natural extension of that. I started working with graph paper and colored pencils and decided that I could use the scraps I had kept from those dresses to make my designs. That was probably 1988 or so, I did some teaching of basic quilting at a local fabric store and fell in love with my artform of choice.

I maintain a fairly vast library of books and magazines devoted to my art, and of course my stash seems to be neverending ... well, the search for more fabric to go into it, that is! I try to get in some form of quilting every day now that I only have 1 daughter left at home. It keeps me sane and keeps my blood pressure down.

I've gotta say, this is a great question.

My first venture into quilting was when my first child was due, about forty one years ago. We were living in the foothills of the Ozarks then, and my husband was not yet through engineering school. My parents were very generous and probably had no idea how tight things were for us, because back then if a woman was pregnant, and she had a 'man's" job, she just quit when she got too far along to do it. We lived on what money I had saved up, what food we could hunt at the farm, and lots of frugality.

I sewed my baby's entire layette and then made him a postage stamp baby quilt. Only I had never quilted before, so I didn't know the blocks didn't need to be scaled down to that size. It was a humdinger. LOL. Then I started him an embroidered quilt in puppy patterns and never finished it until my g'son was born seventeen years ago. So, I gave it to him.

I have actually only been quilting about three years. I did no learning, just picked it up and did it. No quilting tools, had no clue what a rotary cutter was. I've come a long way since, even though I have a long way to go.

However, I have been sewing since about eight. My mother always said she couldn't sew, but she was a good seamstress but didn't teach me, because she thought she couldn't sew. LOL. I had a sewing class in school at about age twelve, and flew with it.

I was just upstairs thinking about it before I logged on. I've sewn two of my own wedding dresses, formals, coats, bathing suits, curtains, tailored MIL's dresses, because she was so petite and rotund, mens clothes, etc. Got away from it for about fifteen years and then when I started quilting, actually make a piece of clothing now and then when I want something and can't find it on a sales rack.

I really envy the members that can tailor and sew clothes. I do know that the patterns out there now are expensive and drive me nuts with the 3 sizes on the cheap tissue paper.
At one time I had more of an hour glass figure (not perfect but OK LOL) now it is more teapot!
I looked for a pattern to make a dressy shorts set to wear an had a very hard time finding one, I finally found it in thrift store.
I have to learn to tailor my clothes.
Rosa

I made a gingham apron and a wrap skirt in Home Ec in eighth grade. I bought a used machine when my two sons started school because I thought I should hem their jeans. I never did. I did counted cross stitch for a relaxing hobby for years, and once crocheted half an afghan.

Three years ago I thought I'd try to crochet another afghan, but found out my hands get too spastic for the constant holding of the yarn. I decided to make a Cathedral Windows instead, and my mom asked me to keep an eye out for extraordinary fabric for her Grandmother's Flower Garden. It turned into one for me, one for her. And then two for me and one for her. And then....well, you get the idea. I decided to do a fabric album quilt--Applecore charm.

I put the CW away, away, away. Too many black squares! I had more fun cutting my applecore pieces. My neice got pregnant with her second when my mom's eyes were messed up with cataracts so I said, Never fear! I will make this baby's quilt! I'm pretty sure my niece was bummed and worried, and mom was sad. I did the absolute best I could. It turned out well all except for me finding a lost quilting needle inside it after I washed it.

My mom took it, and fingered every inch of that quilt five times while she was listening to books on tape and her eyes were all patched up. The first round of fingering found TWO more needles, and the last four rounds were needle free. The eyes got well, I got both praise and happy mom instruction on keeping up with needles, and assorted other things I needed to know along the way. My sweet niece was almost rude in her stunned surprise and pleasure when we presented the quilt (couldn't have satisfied me any better!) I've pushed her into actually using it by saying I need to know early on how my stitching will hold up to wear.

So, all together, that's three years for me.

I have been quilting for about 8 years. I made a quilt in the 70's but didn't have the rotary cutter, etc. I decided that wasn't for me and didn't try again till 2001. I had tied some baby comforters made from panels for new babies in the family.
I did sew clothing for myself and my kids for years. I took one sewing class when I was in my 20's and made most of my own clothes after that.
I watched the quilting shows on tv and that is what sparked my interest in quilting.
Linda OH

I have been sewing since I was 10 or so. At first I made doll clothes by hand, then progressed to making my clothes by machine. I have made small doll quilts, pot holders, hot pads, etc since then. But my first foray into actual quilting was about 28 years ago. I have had no classes, just did my own thing. I've learned a lot from the internet (mostly that I shouldn't do the things I do), but mine have held together and been loved. That is what is important.

beverly

I'm another one that learned to sew in the 8th grade Home Ec class. I made a gathered skirt and a blouse with a collar, buttonholes and ALL! From then on I made just about all my clothes with the help of my mom. Then when I wanted to make man-tailored bermuda shorts, she said I was on my own! LOL!

Over the years I made formal gowns and skirts for school, then I took tailoring in college. After I got married I made curtains, pillows, maternity clothes and little overalls for my two boys. Now I make my own nightgowns, simple dresses for work, curtains, and accessories for my home.

I stared quilting in 1984, making a lap quilt for our sofa. Then I took my first class, making templates out of cardboard! Ha! So I've been quilting for 25 years. I've also done a little knitting, crochet, cross stitch, macrame, toile painting, etc. etc.

Teresa

I made my first quilt almost exactly 20 years ago. It was a log cabin. Sewing is not the best hobby for someone sewing professionally, LOL. Sometimes you need to step away from the sewing machine!

I only made one or two quilts a year - mostly baby quilts for the DH's young co-workers - for the next 15 years or so.

Now I make 10 or so quilts a year - I quit my sewing job, so I can now enjoy my sewing hobby, LOL.

I have been sewing since I took an elective in sewing in highschool but didn't own a sewing machine of my own until my DH was discharged for the army in 1953. Until then I used my mom treadle (now mine) or stitched by hand. When my children were little I sewed so they had cloths (money was tight) later because they liked what I made. I was a 4H leader and took many cloting classes so I could teach others. I hate sewing for myself but dearly love sewing for children, heirloom sewing etc. I made my GD wedding dress which was special. I still would make Christening gowns if I had market but I refuse to make them and sell them for less then they are worth. In 1978 I took a quilting class and learned the "old fashion way" making my first quilt. Since then I have made more then I can remember, many many wall hangings that I used to sell and quilts that live with other people. I have done most techiques except I have never quilted a whole cloth quilt. I have done knitting, crocheting, embroidery, needle tatting and other crafty things but decided a few years ago there wasn't enought time to do everything so now concentate on quilting.
Jayne

Thank you everyone for sharing~I have enjoyed reading about how each of us got started. Most of us have surprisingly similar beginnings in sewing, even though our ages and backgrounds are diverse. Please keep sharing your histories. Hopefully others will contribute.

I had forgotten about that ugly gingham apron we had to make in Home Ec.- mine was orange, decorated in cross stitch across the bottom. I found mine & my older sister's in my Mother's dresser drawer when cleaning out her house after she died - she had kept these for 45 + years!!!

When I asked this question, I never dreamed your answers would be so insightful and interesting. I was really wondering how long it would take me to rate myself higher than an advanced beginner based on how long you all had been quilting!! ~~LOL~~

It was one year ago this month I took my first quilting class!! It was a little difficult as I also had just gotten my very first sewing machine and never sewed a stitch in my life before that!! LOL!!! I remember I kept getting an E5 error on my machine and I didn't know back then to carry the book with me. I was so stumped!! Imagine my embarrassment when the teacher came over and pointed out that my presser foot wasn't down, ay yi yi!!!! There's no stopping me now!!!