My paternal grandmother taught me (and my 2 brothers) how to knit, embroider and crochet as we were motherless at a young age. However, I was taught to sew in Home Ec. I never really got beyond mending, and did make a skirt for my daughter which was a disaster. Fast forward to 8 yrs ago when I was talked into joining a guild, and everything snowballed from there. Read a lot, sewed a lot, ripped a lot, and was given some very good advice from fellow quilters. I'm still in the learning process, and loving every minute of it!

My mom taught me and my two sisters how to sew. When we were growing up my mom made all of our clothes. When each of us turned eleven years old, she began teaching us how. I am self-taught with machine embroidery, machine quilting, upholstery and boat canvas. I have also tried my hand at repairing some of my older machines and have thus far been successful. I have no fear when it comes to anything sewing related.

My Mother taught me to sew and I am ever so grateful.

My mom was a 4-H sewing superstar and a home ec teacher. Sewing and really any craft but knitting was her thing. I didn't stick with 4-H but I did learn to sew my own clothes.

I learned the basics in Home Ec. Then progressed further with my mother and grandmother. I agree that it is a shame that Home Ec is no longer taught in schools. Great class for both girls and boys.

I taught myself, my home ec teacher was not much, I didnt sew for about 20 years then I wanted something and couldnt find it in the store, so I bought a pattern and material and made it myself. It was alot easier to do than I remembered in jr high.

My mother taught me how to sew and all the other sciences of becoming a wife and mother. Whenever I tried to learn something from my father like changing the oil in a car orchanging a tire, he would always send me back into the house to learn the joys of housework and cooking. I took home ec. and made an apron. I won a prize for embrodery in girl scouts when I was seven. I think it's such a shame that most girls today are not taught the basics of life like they did in the old days. I tried to teach my girls but they wanted me to show them how to measure, slice and dice and put it all together but then they wanted to watch TV and let me watch the stove. Then they would tell eeryone that they cooked it all by themselves. Right.

My son used to tell me I am a gourmet cook because I only cook with ingredients none of his friends families cooked from anything but a box.

When I was a child I would sit at the kitchen table and lean on my elbows and watch my sweet Mother sewing. Years later after I got married I bought my first sewing machine. It was a Singer and it worked great for me for over 20 yrs. He was in the Air Force so we moved often and I did not have my Mother around then to really "teach" me how to sew. So I am pretty much self taught.

I wonder how my mom learned to sew and I cannot ask her because she died four years ago. I learned because I said, "I want to sew."

Mom said, "There is the sewing machine. Have at it. Don't run your finger under the needle!" That was over 40 years ago and I still haven't ran my finger under the needle. I would yell and ask mom something (she was in the other room) and she would yell back. She had bought a pattern to make 18" doll dresses. It was too small for her to work with. I started practicing with that and her scraps. I bet I made that dress 20 or 30 times.

I have often heard that my grandmother had to start making all her own clothes at age seven because she complained too much about what her mother made. Mammaw was NOT good at teaching anyone anything. It was easier to do it herself. Mom let us do anything but you had to figure it out on your own. I have been sewing on a machine since I was 7 or 8.

All these stories about home ec make me laugh. The only thing I ever learned in home ec was how to measure brown sugar. I had never seen it before.