If you’re a quilter, when and why did you start quilting? Was it something your mom and grandmothers had done? Is it something you always wanted to do or just decided on the spur of the moment to do? Did you already have a sewing machine and a bit of sewing history or was quilting your first encounter with sewing?
Here’s my first quilt. I do still have it. My grandma had quilted but not much. Mostly she sewed clothes but I do remember her doing some hand piecing and I remember a few quilts on the beds. Mom has a quilt or two that she made either in high school or when I was a baby but I don’t remember her quilting when I was a kid. She sewed a good bit but mostly clothes.
In the very early 80′s, I could never find anything to do during lunch. Well, I occasionally found
some interesting things to do during lunch (Thanks Sarah!) but one day I stopped at this little quilt shop, The Calico Patch. I didn’t want to leave! I went back there many days for lunch and became totally hooked on quilting. This was my first quilt. All hand pieced, hand cut with little plastic templates. I thought it was so beautiful!
I wonder how many of the ladies who took those first classes with me are still quilting.
Judy L.
Such good color sense you have. A real gift.
I still have my first quilt–and second one. My Mother didn’t quilt, but Grandmother did…Remember the old iron-double-knit stuff?! I still have that one, and the double wedding ring she made for me.
Amazing but the older quilts I have from relatives are small.
I just think about all the short-cuts that we’ve gotten use to. The rotary cutter…how would we live without it?!
My grandmother quilted so I’ve always been around quilts. My first quilt has been long gone. It was made from a hodgepodge of stuff pulled from Mama’s scrapbag. cotton, poly, denim, corduroy, velvet, drapery fabric. You name it – it was in there! I did finish it and used it for a few years and have no clue what happend to it. I was about 15 at the time so it probably hit the trash when I went off to college.
BTW, one of my early quilts when I got back into quilting in the mid 80s was a sampler in colors very similar to the one you’ve shown. I guess back then EVERYONE made a pink/blue sampler. LOL! That one I know what happened to. It eventually ended up as a dog bed.
Neither my mother or grandmother quilted. I have always loved to sew and am a pretty good seamstress if I must say so myself. lol! My kids finally got to the point where they didn’t want homemade clothes anymore, so quilting was my next step.
The “dusty” mauves and blues are a definite give away that your first quilt was made in the early 80s!
A friend of mine quilted, but nobody in my family. Now I have got some friend and also my mother addicted. I even learned my mother quilting. I gave my first quilt to my mother. It is a nice quilt with poppies.
I got interested in quilting in the late 80′s, collecting books and patterns and dreaming of “one day”. In my case, I guess this was the “pattern stash” stage. You know, the stage that comes before the fabric stash? It wasn’t until the late 90′s though that I actually did something about it. My sister forced me to make a log cabin quilt with her. I still have it and my husband used it just last night to cover up while watching tv.
I have sewed since high school, mostly making the clothes I wanted but couldn’t find in stores. My mother also sewed clothes occasionally but no one that I knew personally made quilts. Until my sister.
Now, I have a longarm machine, so I guess I’ll stick with the quilting for a while!
My great grandmother quilted. I have the only remaining quilt from her – a real flour sack quilt. It’s red and white and has no batting, but it weighs a ton! I also pieced and tied many doll quilts as a kid and through college (auntie bought me a mint condition garage sale FW for $10. My mil hand pieces and hand quilts and has offered me her fabric stash (woo hoo). I started reading blogs like yours and something clicked in my head. I’ve started quilting again and I love it: all the colors, shapes, quilting motifs! I have refound my artistic medium! Thanks for asking this question. It really made me think.
I wish I knew whether my grandmothers quilted. Mom’s Irish mother died when Mom was 12. My Dad’s mother died when I was 2 or 3, so I don’t remember her. I would suspect she quilted as they were farmers, and my grandfather also made furniture. With lots of kids on a farm in the middle of nowhere, it’s a good bet she did. As far as I know, I’m the only quilter on both sides of the family, and I’ve only been at it about six years. Wish I had started this obsession in the ’70s when I bought some quilting books.
I’m the fifth generation of seamstress/tailors and quilters in my family (as far as I know, could be more) My paternal grandmother quilted, I have one of hers even tho she died before I was born. On mother’s side my great aunt made me a quilt. I’ve always been around quilts, didn’t think of trying it until the early 70s when we visited an older friend of dh’s family. She was making quilted place mats. I was completely captivated but afraid to ask for help. I traced her cardboard templates when she was out of the room. However, I was a garment sewer and tried to make 5/8 inch seams! Didn’t try again till the early 90′s when I spied a quilt shop (who knew they even existed??) that offered classes…the rest…….
I’ve always wanted to make a sampler quilt – my first 3 quilts were given away but I still have my 4th.
I started quilting 6 years ago – had never sewn, didn’t own a sewing machine but had seen a memory quilt with photographs. Haven’t made one of those yet either!
My mom was a seamstress but did not quilt. She did teach me how to sew when I was 9. I made my first quilt in 1978 while in college. I copied the pattern from a roommate. A index card was our template and the layout was a staggered brick design. I no longer have it…I think it got used as a packing blanket for moving furniture etc.
The big quilting influence in my life is my MIL. She is a marvelous quilter and an inspiration to many. Not to mention a pretty special lady. I also thoroughly enjoy talking about and quilting with my mom’s younger sister. So I guess in a way, it does run in the family.
Isn’t it fun to see how we’ve changed from our first attempts at quilting. I bet most of us had that sampler quilt as one of the firsts! Very pretty.
I got into quilting because my mom was on this fantastic quilting message board and I wanted to be part of it. I still have my first quilt (that I designed myself). She sewed clothes quite a bit as I was growing up, so I wasn’t a true beginner to sewing, just to quilting.
For a first effort your quilt is amazing! I wish I could construct half of those blocks and I’ve been at it for 6 years or so. Luckily for me, my first quilt is in protective custody. My mom has it — as with all children’s first efforts (handprint ashtrays, school art) it is well looked after where I don’t have to be reminded of all of the mistakes I made!
I like your first sampler quilt – my eye was immediately drawn to the string block. Good colour scheme – some weren’t back then LOL. No-one in my family quilts or even sews much so I’m carrying the flag all alone!
What do you mean ‘was so beautiful’ it still is a lovely quilt – our tastes and techniques may change and evlove but don’t belittle your first efforts – it’s lovely
Judy! I need your help! My computer crashed and I am trying to reset up my mail….but I can’t remember how it was configured with the webhost you gave me…..I can’t even remember the name to get to their website to get customer service! ARGH. Could you email me at quiltville@yahoo.com and give me the website of the webost we use? THANK YOU! This is ridiculous!
Bonnie
I learned to sew when I was 9. I didn’t start quilting until I was about mid 30′s. My kids were tired of their ‘homemade’ clothes and wanted clothes from the mall, so I switched over to quilting. Like someone else mentioned, I started by using 5/8″ seams… didn’t work so well!
My grandmother was a professional seamstress, as was her mom (in Norway) and her mom and her mom, etc etc. So, I think I just have the gene.
She only made one quilt and that was a Cathedral Window, which my aunt has now. I’d Love to have that quilt, but seeings how she has 9 kids, I doubt it will ever get to me!!
And I do still have that first quilt I made.
Judy, I think it is still beautiful! It’s a good thing you felt the need to keep busy during your lunch hours.
When we lived in Okinawa I had a friend who quilted. We would have crafty days once a week..she would quilt and I would crochet. When she would go fabric shopping I’d tag along and buy fabric. Silly I know but I just couldn’t resist. When we moved to Houston for a three year tour I met a woman who talked about learning to quilt. We looked at each other and it was love at first sight!! hahaha We went out that day, bought a book and some thread and quilted the most hideous wall hangings you’ve ever seen in your life. We spent the next year making quilts at her house during the day while her young son played under the table. It was a wonderful year and I will always carry memories of that time. I am now living in Korea and the love affair I have with fabric and quilts continues. Quilting is such a part of me now that I can’t imagine my life without it. I love everything about it. From the fat quarters to tiny threads on my clothes. It quiets something inside of me I didn’t know needed quieting. There are no other quilters in my family tree. I am proud to be the first, but not the last!!
This was fun!! Thanks for bringing back some great memories!!
dawn
Nobody in my family quilted that I know of-I don’t remember either of my grandmothers. My mother once said she was “forced” to make a quilt and hated it.
I went to the Amish country in PA when I was in HS, and fell in love with the quilts. Years passed and I forgot about them.
Mike and I took the kids on vacation there in the late ’80s, and I saw some really beautiful quilts. They were very expensive and hand made. I decided that I wanted to learn how to make my own. It took me almost 5 years to find a class, because I knew I needed help.
It was a continuing ed class and we did everything by hand, even the binding.
Obviously, I got hooked and still am hooked. Only now, I don’t get to do as much as I’d like to do.
Your first quilt was beautiful then and still is today. I began quilting in 1983, was a first generation quilter in my family. I don’t know how many from my first class (also a sampler, of course!)are still quilting now.
Hi Judy
I have just finished my first quilt. Finished 4 otjhers in the meantime and several others on the go. I remember my Mum doing a little sewing and when I was a little Brownie she made my uniform for me and my little brothers and sisters were under the table playing with the peddle and she packed it all up and never did another thing. She never patchworked at all. I picked up sewing at school and my interest has come from there. Love it.
OH and I do like your first quilt……
What a great question! My first quilt was a Thimbleberries sampler. I don’t really like it all that much anymore but my DD won’t let me give it away! I have been sewing off and on from the time Iwas a tten. my mother sewed a lot, mostly clothes. I think her mother made quilts but she passed away when I was only 2. I have (had) one quilt she made for my sister that became my son’s. It has been loved into oblibion! I did kids clothes, then Halloween costumes and became fascinated with quilting around the time my first DD was quite young. I ran out of time for that and really began in earnest about 7 years ago or so.