In 1983, I wrote my first quilting book, America’s Pictorial Quilts, on an Atari computer. It was not connected to the Internet because the Internet did not exist, and everything I wrote was saved on a cassette tape that was connected to the computer. It was a tedious process. Because of the lack of an electronic connection to the outside world, I did my research on pictorial quilts the old fashioned way: using a library, pen and spiral notebook. I mailed hand written letters to quilters all over the world. Their names and addresses were, for the most part, gleaned from quilting magazines such as Quilter’s Newsletter, Lady’s Circle Patchwork Quilts, and QUILT Magazine, of which I was a contributing editor.

My second book was created in much the same manner, but with the guided research assistance of Cyril Nelson, Editor at E.P. Dutton. Contemporary Quilts From Traditional Designs was a stab at understanding the strange new direction quilts were taking. In 1987/88, quilters pushed the envelope with quilts that used bold colors, abstract art and fresh new renditions of quilt patterns created by our ancestors several generations back. We were so bold as to dye our own fabrics in buckets in our basements or backyards way back then!

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My adventure in the world of TV started with a request from Pokey Bolton of Quilting Arts to tape a small segment for Season 3 of Quilting Arts TV.

Pokey and the producers of Quilting Arts TV planned to tape right at the Make It University area of the International Quilt Festival in Chicago. Since I was one of the Open Studio artists demo-ing in that area, it was easy to agree.

The first thing I did was to become so nervous about the whole thing that I gained all my usual 15 pounds of winter fluff all in one month. Once I calmed down, I made appointments for a haircut and a manicure. And went clothes shopping.

The segments at Quilt Festival would be shot with Pokey and her guests seated, so I only had to look good from the waist up. Solid colors always look good on TV, so I went with a pale lilac jacket. It looked kind of plain, so I added pearls. Although it looked nice, this was a mistake as people couldn’t see the jeans and tennis shoes that are the real me. A funky pin would have been a better fit with the show.

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For me, quilting has always been about connections – connecting pieces of fabric with other fabric and trying to make it perfectly square again.

I’m kidding. The absurdity, however, of cutting fabric into pieces, then being upset when they aren’t square after being sewn together with a kind-of-quarter-inch seam is not lost on me.

What is truly not absurd, however, are the very real, emotional connections that quilting has brought to my life.

My mom and I started quilting about the same time – 15 years ago. And for us, quilting has been something to talk about, get excited about and complain about. It’s kept the 500 mile distance between us seem shorter than it is.

My mother-in-law has even gotten into the act. And, honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about that – it’s my thing, with my mom. But her generous spirit – she’s given quilts to kids at a Mexican orphanage – is something from which I can learn. She’s even moved away from the novelty prints, that’s progress in my book.

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“It’s the year of the quilt!” That phrase has rolled off my tongue time and time again for the few months. I just started quilting early last summer and have loved every stinking moment of it.

Sure there are a lot of new terms I had to get used to, and sure I get nerved a bit when I have to square off something for the ten millionth time…but I love it all! There is just something so cool about piecing together piece after piece of beautiful fabric to make something that is entirely yours.

Then…then there’s the connection I feel to all women who came before me. I instantly feel a bond between my mother and I (and not just because she’s my partner and quilt mentor) but because we laugh and giggle through each block we make—even if it doubles the amount of time we spend on a project. I feel connected to my grandmother, my husband’s grandmother, and neighbors—even women I didn’t know in colonial times. Sometimes I imagine myself sitting in a circle of women appliquéing a special block I might be making for a friend’s wedding.

Quilting is escape. It draws me away from the television, Internet and other distractions in life. Sometimes I imagine myself sitting in a circle of women appliquéing a special block I might be making for a friend’s wedding. It brings fulfillment and the unique satisfaction that can only come from a handmade good.

Upon receiving my bachelor’s degree I decided I never wanted to stop learning. I decided that education was more than books and that meant I was going to focus on learning new skills. Quilting was one of the first hobbies I decided to pursue, and now it’s something I find great joy in.

I authors two blogs: Project Domestication and Utah Loves Cupcakes. Quilting is part of my “domestic journey” and one of my new favorite hobbies.

I am currently taking a year-long quilting class at a local quilting shop, American Quilting in Orem, Utah. The class project is Civil War/Americana-themed quilt—each month we make a block and the finished look of the quilt is a surprise. My future quilting plans include designing my own cupcake-themed quilt and wool appliqué ornaments!

Hi, I am Laurie Breadmore I have been residing in Dubai for 2 yrs and have just returned to Rotorua, New Zealand. “I really don’t remember the first piece I stitched. My mother stitched doing embroidery, quilting and crochet, and she also did all manner of crafts and household stitching from whenever I could remember. She passed on all these to us girls of which there are three, but I am the only one who continued with stitching as a hobby.

I recollect sewing on “sewing cards” at school in UK, so I must have been around 5 or 6 years old then. I was making doll clothes maybe around 8 years old when I could use the machine and got into real trouble when I caught my little sister’s finger under the needle at 10 yrs old.

The first stitch for embroidery I remember using on a hanky was lazy daisy stitch; of course it was an iron on transfer. Also, I made the inevitable tray cloth, with stem stitch and daisies and back stitch which I could never keep to a regular size much to my mother’s annoyance.

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As crafters, we know how fun and satisfying it is to make and give a handmade present, especially when the recipient is a child. Remembering back to our own girlhoods, some of our most cherished gifts were handmade clothes for our beloved dollies. Whether they were made by moms, grandmas, aunts, or even purchased from craft bazaars, they were unique and special, just like the women who created them.

YouCanMakeThis.com would like to invite you to share in the tradition of giving handcrafted doll clothes to girls at Christmastime.

True, we are the beginning of a new year, but this is something we can create all year long in preparation for an event that begins each November — the Marine’s Toys for Tots Drive.

Knowing that thousands of dolls are donated each year to this wonderful cause, we decided to make "tiny twirls" and tops so that children can dress their new dollies.

YouCanMakeThis.com is providing free, easy patterns so that you can make beautiful "twirl" skirts and tops to donate to your local Toys For Tots campaign. Our "Twirls for Girls" campaign just completed its second year and we are hoping for an even greater response as we launch into its third year.

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