Self taught from very early age, doing a lot of hand stitched doll clothes, then received the child's chain stitch, hand guided wheel sewing machine that I amazingly used to make an Easter dress with fabric my mom bought through the Aldens catalog; used the elderly neighbor's treadle machine to make the casing waist skirt in 4-H that won me the county purple ribbon and went on to state (made an apron out of it for my oldest daughter when she was very young and still have it 40 yrs later)!! Won a Free-Westinghouse sewing machine in the eighth grade (1958) and made all my clothes through high school and continued on to sew for myself & our four children, mostly for the oldest daughter who always picked out the most complicated patterns. Many a finished garment came directly off the ironing board to wear to whatever school function and etc. My hats off to Miss Nemer, my HS HE teacher, who stressed 'press as you sew' because the finished garment/quilt sure shows that time worthy step. I still sew for our four DGD's but prefer piecing quilts for the last 36+ years (haven't taken time to put mine together for myself as am always giving away quilts as gifts, charity & raffles). I, too, was Pres. of FHA in HS. I LOVE TO SEW, just ask anyone around me.