My beloved Nanny Lena (my paternal grandmother) taught me to sew Babie clothes by hand at the age of 5 or 6. She was a wonderful seamstress, and I loved her making things for me. She taught me the basics of embroidery too. I did mostly handwork until 7th grade home ec with Mrs. Shields. She was demanding and not terribly helpful, but I learned to set a sleeve, sew lovely darts, and put in a zipper. Of course I didn't sew for years after having her!
I really started sewing again when my oldest son was born, and I've been doing it ever since. I started quilting 6 or 7 years ago, more in the last 2years.
Pam