vjengels

funny thing; it was a maxi dress, in Home Ec; I didn't finish it , failed that part of Home Ec. My Mother was disapointed...She didn't say anything, but I rememeber the look on her face when I picked out the fabric... it was only cotton gause-y type fabric, but expensive for us back then. I only took HomeEc because when I showed up in typing class the teacher told me I'd have to cut my finger nails or I'd fail... I showed her, I changed classes. I still keeep my nails long, and other than the letters wearing off the keyboard over time... I don't have any trouble typing, go fig.

ghostrider

I was seven and made a quilt for my doll from 1" fabric sample squares. Still have the quilt and the doll.

clem55

Hemming feedsack dish towels on Grandma's treadle, probably about 8 years old. Home Ec. in 7th grade, apron, headband and pot holder( this was to get us prepared for cooking class). Had home Ec. all through highschool, including the Pendleton wool lined suit . In highschool I made all my dresses and skirts( never liked blouses because of buttonholes!), made baby gowns and blankets for my first child and sewed all her clothes until she was out of school and working, and a lot even then. Have sewn for the house,(curtains, bedding and even upholstered some chairs)! Sewing has has always been my passion. When I didn"t have the money to buy fabric for something I wanted to sew for myself, my sweet sister would send me double the price of fabric, and I would make one for her and one for me. Still sewing clothing for my 8 year old granddaughter, and now I am getting back to some quilting after many years of putting that on hold. When my daughter was in elementery school, I sewed dresses for little girls in that school who were unable to have proper attire for school use, and taught a 6th grade class of girls to make an A-line jumper. That was a real challenge!!

Karenmay

I dont remember how old I was, around 6 or 7 I would think. I'd been watched my Mum do her embroidery and wanted her to teach me. I remember my Dad bringing home a silk parachute when I was around 8 years old and mum cut me some out so I could make new clothes for Esmeralda. (She was my doll.. I have a photo of her somewhere!)...she was kitted out from top to bottom in pure silk...and my Mum made herself new undies! We seemed to be cutting that parachute up for years! lol

Karen xx

feline fanatic

I made a stuffed animal, it was a tiger, from a kit when I was about 9. Hand sewed it because I didn't know how to use a sewing machine and we didn't own one anyway. In high school I took sewing and got my first taste of sewing on a machine. I was 15 or 16. I loved that class and looked forward to it every day. I made a skirt in that class and a one piece jumper type thing that was shorts on the bottom and a collared shirt up top. At the time I worked for JC Penney catalog and someone returned a sewing machine. Nothing wrong with it, I guess they just changed their mind. So I snapped it up at a deep discount. I still have that machine but it has been living in a closet since I got my Bernina around 8 years ago. I didn't start quilting until we bought our house in the early 90's.

JJs

I remember doing hand embroidery when I was about 5 or 6 and my mother and sister both tell me that I was using the treadle machine even before that (I don't remember - I was very ill at age 6 and "lost" some stuff from fever)
I don't remember a time in my life that I haven't sewn or done some kind of hand work..
I used babysitting money to buy fabric for school clothes (also for eyeglasses, dentist, etc)
I still have my "antique" embroidery hoop around here someplace!

wvdek

I was about 9 yrs old, visiting my DS in Valentine, NE while she was doing her student teaching for the summer, walked to the 5 & 10 store and she had me choose fabric to make some summer baby doll jammies. The fabric was blue/green/yellow/white with daisies on it. Fact, I still have some of it. Love that fabric. Wore those jammies out.

stitchhappy

Me too, 7th grade. First the apron, next pants and a vest. Wow! So many years ago, 1967. Been sewing ever since. Guess I owe my teacher a debt of gratitude. Got me hooked!!!

shaverg

13 an apron in Home Ec. Hated sewing and could not get the hang of it, even though my mom was a seamstress. Never could set in sleeves or zippers. LOL

Tiffany

Wow, all of you learned so young. I took Home Ec in junior high but we weren't taught to sew anything. A girl the previous semester had sewn the machine needle through her finger and thus it was deemed too dangerous for any of us kids to use the machines. :( The first time I sewed anything I made dresses for my girls and I was in my mid-late 20's. I didn't have any help and while the dresses turned out amazing, the process was a nightmare and after making a handful of dresses for each of them I quit sewing. Then back in January of 1992 a niece was getting married and I needed a wedding gift. We were very poor and I decided that I could make a quilt. I'd never made one before, didn't know anyone who could make one, but I was certain I could do it and that it wouldn't cost very much. ...Yes, I'll wait for some of you to stop laughing... I finished that wedding quilt in six weeks; not bad for something that was cut out with scissors and hand quilted. It was a bargello style quilt that I had seen done on Simply Quilts. I discovered that show and began taping them and that is how I learned to quilt. Sadly, I didn't know enough and I did not do anywhere near enough quilting on it. After my ex's niece washed it a dozen times the batting all wadded up in the bottom of one corner of the quilt.

That was over eighteen years ago and I'm still quilting almost every day. I haven't made a single dress since my girls were younger and I have no plans to learn. Quilting is my happy place. :D