my mother taught me just about every needlecraft there is ... except quilting. i had my own sewing machine by kindergarten, and was matching plaids and making fully lined suits by the time i had to take home ec sewing for the first time. like mic-pa, i was engaged in a running battle with the teacher. we had to use machines my mother wouldn't have had as doorstops, tracing wheels, and all sorts of bizarre methods i wouldn't have dared use while working with mom. :lol: the skirt i made in home ec was good enough to wash a car with, but i don't think i ever wore it. :lol:
once i was out on my own there was no time to sew. i donated my machine (one i would KILL to have back ... :lol: ) and turned to the stores for my clothes and sweaters. now, of course, i can buy several articles of clothing for the cost of making one from scratch so i doubt i'll ever go back to making clothes.
i stumbled into an episode of Simply Quilts while channel surfing about 10 years ago or so. before the episode was over i had run to grab some fabric scraps left from a decorating project, hauled out scissors, needle and thread and was following along with Billy Lauder to make 3-dimensional bow tie blocks. until then it hadn't fully sunk in how much i missed all those years working side by side with mom in the sewing room and on other crafts.
now, every stitch connects me to my mom and to those memories.