My mother was a self-taught seamstress. She was amazing! She taught me to sew when I was 8 years old. I learned the difference between knit cloth and woven cloth at a very young age, and through the years I would find myself returning to sewing. I took the plunge and learned to knit in my early forties and then went on to learn to spin yarn and weave cloth. I find myself thinking a lot about my mom when I am creating. She taught me so much more than the differences in types of cloth and how to sew a straight seam. She learned to sew with a pattern and a sewing machine. No YouTube. No one to guide her. A pattern, a machine, and her own initiative. When I'm stuck on something I can hear her saying, "Go on. You can figure it out."