My mom taught me to sew and I took classes in Home Ec. in high school. I learned on my mom's Singer treadle. I never gave up when I had a problem. One time I was making a black taffeta dress and was having a problem with one of the sleeves. I was determined to get it right and stayed up all night to accomplish it.
The biggest problem I had was adjusting the tension. We did not have zigzag when I learned and use the straight stitch.
I was about 10 or 12 when I learned sew, but only got into quilting in 2004. Took a class at JoAnn's, joined a quilting guild and learned so much from my friends. Wish I had started sooner. I remember giving away so many scraps to someone that did quilt before I knew anything about quilting. Oh Me!!