I developed an interest in sewing, when spending time with my Great Aunt Olga. She had a sewing machine that worked
with a treadle. My first lessons were hemming flour sack dish towels. That machine was a thing of wonder to me. When I was a very young child, every time I went near the machine, I was warned by older family members to "don't touch, that needle could go through your finger." I guess that is what is called an early warning system for little hands.