I got started on this path because I wasn't given a choice. I'm so old they actually taught the girls basic sewing and cooking in 7th and 8th grades, when I was there.. (The guys all got to take shop, of course, and no one even considered asking the young people which they preferred!) I wasn't taken with sewing as a past time, but it was a good way to get more dresses to wear. (Pants were not allowed on females.) Then I'd meet someone doing ... Read Full Bio »

I got started on this path because I wasn't given a choice. I'm so old they actually taught the girls basic sewing and cooking in 7th and 8th grades, when I was there.. (The guys all got to take shop, of course, and no one even considered asking the young people which they preferred!) I wasn't taken with sewing as a past time, but it was a good way to get more dresses to wear. (Pants were not allowed on females.) Then I'd meet someone doing crochet, and I had to see how that worked, or someone else doing knitting, and what was counted cross stitch, anyway? Before I knew it, I'd picked up the fundamentals of several forms of needlework, and discovered that this sort of activity helped me maintain my "calm", for a given value of "calm". Now I'm on a journey to just see how much I can learn about all forms of needlework, and maybe a few other crafts besides. Just because - and that is the best reason to do anything!