Why I Started Quilting

Quilting has the reputation of being a “grandma hobby”. So as a 30 year old quilter, I often get asked how I got into it.

I work a 9–5 in marketing, which means a lot of my day is spent behind a screen. Yes, I get to be creative, but I rarely get to make something I can physically hold at the end of it. I wanted an activity that got me away from the screen at the end of a work day, and something that made me use my hands, not just my mind.

Around that same time, one of my best friends was about to have her first baby. That overlap made me google “How to make a quilt?”

I bought a sewing machine the next day.

A photo of my very first quilt!

From the very first one, I was hooked. There’s something so satisfying about taking random scraps of fabric and turning them into something tangible. Watching it all come together piece by piece felt equal parts calming and challenging.

I still have the first quilt I ever made. And if you ask me about it, I’ll probably be the first one to point out everything that’s “wrong” with it: the corners don’t line up, the stitches are uneven, I used the wrong kind of thread… But it’s also one of my favorite quilts I’ve ever made.

Because that quilt is a reminder of how far I’ve come. It reminds me that I tried something new, even when I didn’t know what I was doing.