I mean't are you passing the craft down to anyone else?

did you see I sent you a PM?

I'm self taught on everything. Sewing, embroidery (both hand and machine) quilting, knitting, crocheting,china painting, ect.

My mother only did mending and gradening, she had several gardens and did canning of fruits, veggies, and meat for everyone in the neighborhood. Back then I don't think she had much time for the fun things like we do today. She still had the outside potty, and only cold running water with a bucket under the sink.

How lucky we are today to have all the modern conveniences, so we have time to play with our sewing ect.

Mary Ann

I have no siblings and I learnt my sewing skills from my mother, who used to make all her own clothes, even suits and coats. I have 2 daughters, neither of them interested in sewing. Too busy working and bring up families. Sewing is just such a wonderful thing to be good at. Sarah.

I learned from my Mum and from my Gran. I am passing my craft interests to my DIL who is really keen to learn :)

same with me, My mother. And long time ago I was a teacher in creativty. My children are creative too but not in sewing or embroidery.

Self taught doing Barbie clothes and a couple of things for myself till 7th grade Home Ec. class. Nobody else in the family sews other than slight repairs. I have nobody to hand it down to though. I have a friend who sews a bit and when I am no longer here she will take over my embroidery things and learn her way around this site.

Pretty much self taught. I hated sewing class in junior high. It was like trying to read another language, and not having a clue. Not enough pictures, lol! I started with mostly slight repairs and then when I had my children, I picked up some patterns and material at a garage sale. I did a lot of sewing and ripping before I could figure out what the devil the instructions where trying to tell me. Pretty soon I could "see" in my head how the pieces went together without having to read the instructions. To this day I don't read the instructions step by step, I read them BEFORE I cut anything than try to picture how they go together in my head. THEN I cut and start putting things together. I do refer back to the instructions when I get stuck and hope there is a picture that makes sense where I'm stuck. If not it gets set aside so I don't get too frustrated with it, lol! I have a sister 10 years younger than me that sews and embroiders. We don't see much of each other, so don't exchange information. And I have 4 daughters. My oldest took to sewing at about 13 and will make things out of the oddest items, lol! Long story, and she is learning to quilt also. For Chirstmas I gave her 10 fat quarters and some batting to make a quilt with. I can't wait to see what she came up with, lol! Or if she found another use for the material. My step-daughter will make costumes for her Anime skits once in a while and ask a few questions when she gets stumped, and my youngest has tried to sew on and off, but doesn't have much of an interest in it at this time. My other daughter does not sew at all right now, but is starting to show some interest in it so we'll see, lol! I hope to pass it on to them, and my grandchildren. I also have a niece that is starting to learn to sew, I hope to spend more time iwth her this summer making things and using up a HUGE stash of material, lol! I have tons of material and many boxes of patterns also.
Diane

Mother was a garment worker for her father in New Jersey.. she brought that machine to Ca. and I started on that power machine.. I watched her and that is how I learned and My daughters all sew and so does my hubby.. I always catch him in my sewing room trying to get some thing done.. usually it is something for his boat that needs repair.. my oldest daughter has an embroidery machine but I don't think she uses that feature very much..

I too am self taught, My daughters (3 of them) all do some sewing. Not one of them has tried the embroidery though my youngest daughter seems interested in it. I have a niece who does all her own designs and sells them. This is for hardanger and hand needlework. She has her own web site. She does beautiful work. Her sister does hand quilting and that is the extent of the family crafts.

My mother started me sewing when I was about 8 (hard to believe that was 50 years ago!). I only did regular sewing until I got my embroidery machine two years ago, now I do mostly that and the other neat things my machine does. I had sons, but one's girlfriend kind of sews, but hasn't asked for help much. She usually gives things to me and asks if I can fix them!!
Maureen

My Grandmother at the age of 10 she sat beside me in her wheel chair showing and explaining things to me .I was so proud when i put a zipper in my Dads work coat ****i still remember it:):)Noone in my whole family sews only me hugs carolyn

My mama got me to help her make quilts when I was nine. At the age of 11 she said if you want doll clothes, here is the sewing machine.
a little girl that comes here is trying to learn everything I know about sewing and other crafts. Her moma doesn't sew. We call her and her three sisters our grand babies, by love.

I am self taught. Eons ago when I was 16 my Mom decided she wanted a sewing machine so she could hem and fix my brothers jeans and stuff. So, I should Mom how to thread it and put her foot on the pedal. Lord forbid it anything happened while I was in school. My older brother even made her a sewing table for it. Well, 6 months later that table and machine were moved to my bedroom. The first dress I made was sooo ugly I cut it up and made some shorts. I improved over time. My oldest gd, she's 10, is taking an interest in sewing. I wish she lived closer. Mom never did learn to sew. Hugs..Carol

I wanted to learn to sew when I was a teenager, but my mom and I butted heads a lot. But she was so wise to ask a neighbor to teach me and I babysat her children in return. Ended up with a great babysitting job with her children for pay later and have been sewing ever since. Sometimes mothers are wiser than their teenage daughters:)

My mom had 4 daughters and taught us all to sew. She gave up on me though. I was the tomboy in the family & I couldn't have been bothered. However many years down the line I am the only one who now sews and even own a manufacturing company making baby clothing!

I taught myself. My Mother sewed but was the nervous type and couldn't really teach me. By Mother was rare. She could look at anything and cut her own pattern and sew it out.
When I was a child she made all my clothes and never had a pattern except one she cut herself out of the newspaper. She was good!
She crocheted and everything the same way...... So I taught myself everything but do use patterns.
MJDG

My grandmothers, My dad had wanted a boy first(I'm the oldest of six) and he got me instead. Didn't stop him though from showing me how to use tools and guy stuff. My grandmothers in an effort to feminize me taught me to sew and cook. :)

My Mum, wish she was here now to see this stuff. I have GD s round to sew I put picks of bag big one made she did not want her face on , and two little ones Cerise and Macey made bags out of fleace.

My mom taught me but my daughters show no desire to sew. I have hope though cause my soon to be 10 yr. old grandaughter has sewn with me and wants to continue to learn to quilt.

My mother used to sew all our clothes and she also made our school dresses. She still uses her Singer Hand machine, even though I gave her a electric machine and taught her how to use it. My youngest sister also sews and does corporate embroidery. I do mainly household items and fun things, baby blankies and so forth. Lovely photo from justsew's two GD's.

I think it was a combination of my mom and aunts, they all used to sew, I remember sewing machines at home all my life. I just do not know how can some homes do not have a sewing machine.

I want to thank you all for sharing your stories with us they are all wonderful & because of them we are who we are today!

My Mom did not have the patience to teach me. She always worried that I would "ruin" her Singer. She was extremely talented in the home economics area. She was 4H state champion in Maine.
I too made doll clothes, Barbie clothes, this and that.
My two daughters were very busy as youngsters and did not care to "learn". My son was the first to make a vest and drawstring bag. Now, my baby boy is 28 and always asks me to sew for him.
In the last few years both daughters, in their 30's, have sewing machines and are very creative. My middle daughter helps me embroider at craft events. Now, she loves to sew!
My granddaughters are 2 and 2 months, I hope they will take an interest in sewing.
Hugs, Bonnie

I guess my mom did without even realizing it. From as far back as I can remember-she was always sewing-we woke up in the morning to hearing her machine running and usually after we went to bed at night.So I it just kind of seemed natural fro me to do the same-along with needlework and crafting.I would love my daughters to share the interest but at this point my oldest daughter(23) does the needlework but not sewing-my other daughter(15)shares no interest-she prefers to paint designs on T-shirts.

My Mum, starting when i was about twelve on an old hand operatated Singer.She kept us three girls dressed beautifully with that machine,we are so spoilt for machine choice these days when i look back to what she used.I have two daughters neither whitch are interested, oh well i will have to work on my grandaughter

I learned in school, we had to take home ec and I have 8 gks and all love to go in my sewing room, my youngest is 6 and she can change threads on my old machine

I learned to sew from my MUm when I was very small and then learned to use a hand operated machine at school before I was let loose on hers! She continued to teach me various tricks and techniques throughout her life. She would have loved to be by my side at my embroidery machine!
I teach anyone who shows an interest! Currently I am putting projects together for childrens workshops at an event over Easter. This will be the 4th year I have done these and some of the children keep coming back - this year they will be making glove puppets and peg dolls.

I come from a long line of quilters. I remember learning to sew in school, as required. Sad to say, I don't think young girls/boys learn this anymore. In the 5th grade we embroidered by hand, 6th grade we knitted, 7 th grade we sewed by machine and 8th grade we cooked. It was all about raising a family then and learning things that people don't think are important anymore like proper table settings and penmanship. Such a shame our school system doesn't keep some of those views of learning manners and such. My Mother, Aunts and Grandmothers also taught me to quilt.

I'm self taught. I started when I was about 5 or 6. My mother had a sewing machine, but she was busy in the shop (she had a beauty parlor in part of the house). I was allowed to use it as long as I didn't put the needle through my finger (which I did end up doing later, but never said a word - she knew I had but didn't stop me as she figured I must have really wanted to sew badly if I didn't holler when I did it!). I made doll clothes for my walking doll and then made an outfit for myself out of an old dress of my mom's that she gave me to use for material - shocked her when I walked into the shop with it on! I used to hold the materiel up in the air and cut. When I went into gr. 9, I took homec. and when it came to the sewing part, I had to use a pattern (which I didn't know how as I'd never used one) and my teacher was suprised to find out I'd never used a bought pattern as she knew I'd been sewing for a long time. After that I had to use a pattern, but I still to this day don't buy them, I make my own as I have trouble getting anything to fit right if I use a bought pattern!Oh well, saves me on patterns!
I am also self taught for crocheting, macrame, punch embroidery, hand embroidery, liquid embroidery and many other crafts that I have done and do. My mother did get me started with knitting, but I taught myself how to knit the other way as there are two ways and I can do it either way. Now, of course, I'm doing the machine emb. and loving it. I'd seen a machine a few years ago and would have liked to get it, but even on sale I couldn't manage it. Now, a couple yrs. ago I saw the Janome MC11000SE and what it could do and fell in love with it and a week later gave in and got it (hubby had been at me to go ahead and get it) - no regrets! Both my girls have been taught how to sew (just basics), but the older one has just never had any interest (but is liking what I'm doing with the embroidery - maybe she'll get interested in that) and the other one has done some sewing and had her own machine, but she moved to Barbados and couldn't take it, but occassionally borrows a friends, so maybe when she moves home she'll take up where she left off. My youngest (my son) requested my old machine for his wife when I got my new one and I just found out a couple weeks ago that he set it up one day at the kitchen table and was doing some repairs for himself instead of asking his wife to do them! She took some pictures with her phone to show me! Just like his dad with the same machine (it is so user friendly). My aunts and cousins all know how to do the basics, but they don't sew or do any crafts that I can think of, so where all my craftiness comes from????!!

My Grandma (Dad's mom) when I could hardly reach the treadle on the old singer, and have loved sewing for more than 75 years. My mom loved to knit and crochet, but depended on me to do the sewing. I help my sister when she has difficulty, but my daughter was never interested. Hugs x0x0x

I did one summer when I was 10.My sister-in-law is the best Thank god I'm marred to her brother she quilts and I'm lucky that she gives so much away (to me).

Nobody taught me to sew. I know a little, little bit from school (years ago). The rest I'm trying to figger out myself, and with the help of Cuties ofcourse :-) My mother loved to knit, when I was young and living at home, we both were knitting in the kitchen and telling stories to eachother. Loved that. But when I got married, I knitted at my home and but she still sewed the parts together. Now I have to do it myself since she passed away nearly 2 years now. My mother-in-law loves/loved knitting, sewing, crocheting. But she is getting older and has troubles seeing clear. So she has given up. But she is very pleased with me 'cos I have interest in all these things. But she can't explain this very clearly so to me it is not such a big help. So I depend on every one of you whenever I have probs.