My MIL had a lot of tops cut out and neatly stored in boxes in her closet. When she showed me some she had made, I was hooked. she gave me those boxes and sat by me and showed me how to put the pieces together. I had to take out her stitches because of her eyesight but I learned a lot from her. No, I didn't start out a pro. But, I had such a good teacher that I did a heck of a lot of ripping until I got it right. Sewing by hand, makes things go together so much easier, in my opinion. Thanks for the compliments.