Getting Young People to Quilt

Sandra Hatch

Mary suggests: "Until I had children of my own, I went through spurts where I would sew a lot, then sew nothing for a long stretch.

"As soon as we had a house, I set up the sewing machine permanently. It was very relaxing to sew while the kids were napping or playing -- kind of a therapy. It was a good time to talk to the Lord.

"I would make little quilt squares and decorate my daughter's jumpers or bib overalls with them. Sometimes they ended up as pot holders to give as gifts. Sometimes they just ended up in a box to finish later. Now I am looking forward to retirement and getting a bunch of those UFOs done!

"Maybe one way of getting young women interested in quilting is to provide some daycare for them while they are in a class. This would be a good job for an eager teenager, too! Short projects are rewarding and not overwhelming. Classes where everybody is a beginner aren't so scary. Holding classes in churches or someplace where there is already a kids' room available makes sense to me."

Great idea about having the classes where there are already places set up for children to play. Thanks, Mary.

Daneen tells us about her granddaughters. "I had fun reading your thoughts about encouraging younger women to learn to quilt. I have three granddaughters who live nearby and all three of them are happy quilters. They are ages 16, 14 and 10. Yes, even the 10-year-old quilts. In fact, she is often more conscientious about getting it right than her oldest sister!"

"I started it all by teaching them easy things when they were much younger, and they have grown into young ladies who design their own quilts as well as make them from patterns. I loaned them my older sewing machine when I bought a new one and now I am greeted with, 'But Grandma, you can't take MY machine!' We've taken classes together and had our own quilting retreats. It's great fun!"