Groovy 1971…Adele, Barb, Sharon and grandma Mabel- all outfits made by mom. And check out those knee socks!

What (or who) sparked your love of quilting/sewing? There are as many answers to this question as there are people...each person has taken a different route to this wonderful hobby.

You grew up with the comfort of quilts belonging in your family for generations.
You wanted to try a new hobby.
You wanted to mend, alter or repurpose your own clothing.
You became a new parent and wanted to make something special for your baby.
You wanted to join friends for some crafty classes.
You needed a creative outlet.

...you get the idea.

It’s all my mother's fault...my love of sewing came from her influence, and her never ending patience to teach me.

My mom, Adele, was a single parent from the time I was 6 years old and I remember her making dresses and outfits for me and my younger sister, Barb, to save money. Back then it was much cheaper to make your own clothes than it was to buy them...not like nowadays when so much clothing is cheaply mass produced overseas. I loved the pink velvet and smocked dresses she made, but the sailor outfits? What was she thinking?!

Mom used to sing in a band during the 60's and 70's and made all her own gowns and fancy skirt suits with glittery buttons. What she could do with brocade and velvet was magical. She was such a girly girl and loved make-up and doing her hair and dressing up. I'm sure I was quite a disappointment to her since I was such a tomboy and hated all that stuff, so I know it surprised her when I showed an interest in sewing.

I think I was initially drawn to sewing because I had always loved drawing, crafting and making things with my own hands, and the fact that I could use machinery to do it was a bonus. My first sewing project, when I was about 10 or 11 years old, was a simple blouse with elastic at the sleeves and neckline, but it got me hooked big time! After that I couldn't get enough and one of my very first jobs when I was 13 or 14 was at the local fabric store in my small northern Ontario town.

During my teen years (in the late 1970's) I sewed all the time...anyone else remember vest and skirt sets made of plaid, elephant or bell-bottom pants and raglan sleeve t-shirts? My clothing life was “That 70's Show”! I made my own prom dresses and a couple of others for friends. It was also in highschool that I made my first quilt.

Aside from working at the fabric store I had another part-time job working at a convenience store. When it wasn't busy with customers I looked through the magazines on the racks. Well, a Better Homes & Gardens craft magazine caught my eye and in it was a quilt. When I saw it I knew I had to make it! The entire lap quilt was one huge eight pointed star. Our family had a draw of names for Christmas that year and when I pulled my cousin Paul's name from the hat I knew that he and his wife, Judy, would be getting that quilt for Christmas.

My love of sewing took me off to Seneca College where I studied fashion design. Even though I wasn't a very good designer (my instructors said my designs were too saleable...not avant garde enough) I excelled at patternmaking, technical sewing, and drawing. My second quilt (while in second year) was again for Paul and Judy when they had their first son, Ryan. It was made from pre-printed fairy tales squares. And in my final year of college, when I was only 22, I made my third quilt.

My grandparents were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and I wanted to make them something special. Blocks were made using cardboard templates and cut with scissors (just before rotary cutters came on the market), and each person's name was hand-embroidered on alternating blocks. Not only that, but my seam allowances were 5/8” instead of 1/4” because that’s what I used as a garment maker! What was I thinking?! All three quilts were tied, not quilted. I cringe a little when I look at pictures of my first quilts, but realize that it was a huge learning curve even for someone who had already been sewing for quite some time…and I didn’t know anyone who quilted that I could go to for advice or guidance. Seams didn't line up, points were cut off, but I had a ball making it. With every mistake made I learned so much.

So, no, I wasn't fortunate enough to have had a mother or grandmother who actually quilted. Stories from fellow guild members who, as children, sat on the floor under quilts on frames being hand quilted by their mothers, aunts or grandmothers are wonderful, but it's not part of my story.

My mom had incredible patience to teach her own very impatient daughter how to sew garments and I will forever be grateful for that gift she gave me. The techniques I learned, both from her and while at college, helped me immensely along my quilting journey. Quilting (and sewing) runs through my veins, keeps me sane, calms me down when I'm stressed, feeds my creativity... and I wouldn't be me without it.

What's Your Quilting/Sewing Legacy?