I sure do recall my first sewing project, in grade 7 home ec. We all had to make an apron, and the teacher had precut lengths of fabric for us. This came after practicing on printed paper with the machine, to learn to sew straight and curved lines evenly. When the fabrics were distributed for the aprons, there was very little choice in colours,so I got stuck with a hideous pink print I just hated. Never did like pink very much..It was a fairly simple project, but we had to do it all perfectly. Gathering across the waist had to be perfectly even,then the waistband and ties had to be just so and edge stitched evenly. Next we had to sew on a pocket and edge stitch that and finally, hand hem it. I didn't much care for the hand hemming part either. It seemed overly tedious for such a mundane item and I didn't see any reason why we couldn't just use the machine to stitch it down, but I soon learned the teacher did not share my views :-). I finished it, because there was really no other option and promptly gave it to my grandmother as a gift, because I couldn't stand to wear it myself. Of course I never told her that :-), and she was tickled with it. My grandmother was a very skilled dressmaker, tailor, milliner and did lovely knitting and crochet too. She made so many lovely things for my sister and I, including new hats for Easter every year. As for me, I didn't sew again until I was well along in high school, when I discovered I could sew a blouse for far less than buying ready made. Unfortunately, I was terrified of snipping into the curves, for the collar and armholes,certain they'd just go to pieces. And I was sure that if I trimmed a seam as closely as the pattern said to, it would ravel to nothing the first time I washed it, so I never trimmed any seams either. Needless to say I had a dreadful time doing collars and sewing in sleeves....my efforts looked dreadfully 'homemade' at first. I think I still have one of those blouses tucked away somewhere that I never did finish because I made such a mess of it. But eventually I learned that snipping into a curve did not mean it would automatically fall to shreds... and that trimming the seams made it so much easier, and didn't fall apart in the wash, so I eventually became reasonably skilled at making clothes. But I'll never forget the pink apron !