Hi, I am Vivian from south Louisiana. I have been sewing for 50 years, mostly self taught. When I wanted to make my first dress, at age 11, my mom got me a McCall's pattern, showed me how to read the pattern and the directions, and said: "Have fun, all the directions are there. I am going shopping and you can ask me questions when I get back." I made a striped sheath and put the zipper in. I can't remember if I matched the stripes, but probably not. At age 14 I made my first lined suit, jacket and skirt. My aunt who was a professional seamstress didn't believe I made it. Anyway, I am a home sewist, and constantly wanting to upgrade my skills. This is why I joined, as there are very few sewing shops here, let alone someone to get correct information from or ask questions of. Thank you for this site.