Alice: Obsessed with Quilting!

I remember precisely when I made up my mind that one day I would learn to quilt.  Years ago my husband and I were invited to dinner at a new friend's house, and the wife took me on a house-tour.  Every bed in the house was graced with a quilt that she had made.  I told myself then, "Someday, I'm going to make quilts.  And then every bed in our house will have a quilt made by me!"

Well, that's not yet happened!   I made my first quilt, machine pieced but hand-quilted, between 1990 and 1993, working on it only in the summers, since I was still teaching full time.  In 1999, newly retired, I began quilting in earnest.  Many of my quilts have been given to others.  I have several wall hanging quilts in our home--including my few art quilts.  But none of the beds in our home has made-by-me bed quilts!

I've sewn for almost as long as I can remember,  and some of my earliest memories are of sitting with friend Kitty out on a quilt under a tree in the hot Texas summers (prior to air conditioning!), sewing rather sloppy doll clothes.  As a teen I made many of my own garments, and once I married and the children came along, I sewed for them and myself until I went back to teaching full time.

I discovered art quilting some four years ago.  I feel as if I have one foot in art quilting and the other in traditional, which I still love.  I NEED this group to spur me on to make more art quilts, to experiment, to risk, to dare, to rev up my creative juices.  I am excited and can hardly wait until tomorrow, when Carolyn will announce our theme!

Judy-A little quilt crazy

To say I am a little quilt crazy is true. I've tried all kinds of crafts and I enjoy them, but when I found quilting it took over, literally. My husband and 3 sons know more about quilting, quilt patterns, techniques, and any quilt related equipment needed, then some quilters do. They have put up with my sewing machine, cutting and ironing station in the living room for over15 plus years. Now I even have an 8 foot by 8 foot design wall in there. Only our youngest sons room, (he is 20) doesn't have anything related to quilting in it except the quilts made for him. When he discovered quilt batting under his bed one day he brought it out to me and said,"What is this doing in my room?" Poor him, I now have taught his girlfriend to quilt:) I am excited about this journey we are starting. I am also nervous, but I know it will be a learning and freeing experience.