My mom taught me to sew hems on dishtowels, then I took a sewing class in high school. Never quilted / pieced til I was retired. I pretty taught myself by trial and error. I bought books , have taken a couple of classes but after I learned,( too late ). I learned to sew on a treadle sewing machine. In 1964 I bought my 1st sewing machine, a Singer Golden Touch & Sew. I pretty much conquered the machine by reading the manual and again thru trial and error. I don't give up easily. I search for answers. I love to quilt, mostly the putting together, not the quilting as much. I keep my sewing machine on top of my sewing cabinet, covered when not in use. I conquered my machine by learning how to clean it, take it apart from the bottom and get rid of all the crude. Saves me money . If I fail, I try again.