I have been sewing since I was 4yrs old, and I started on my Mom's Featherweight that I now own. I just stitched on the lines of school paper to start, then drew shapes and followed the lines. I was making doll clothes (nothing with an actual pattern) pretty soon after that. I gathered lengths of fabric for skirts, tied knots in squares for "tops" for my doll, etc. My mom gave me all her scraps and elastic and cord, I was VERY creative! I was making my own clothes in jr. high. I am now 70 yrs old, teaching my 9 and 7yr oldDGDs to sew and sent them home with a machine last visit. They are pretty smart little cookies, figured out the buttons and knobs and were making pillow cases on the second day. We made a bolster pillow together, I embroidered and they stitched pillow cases for friends' b-day gifts. We had a blast. Don't discount 10yr old's ability to sew!