I taught myself to sew about 10 or 12 years ago... making Civil War uniforms, believe it or not... using museum patterns and picking up the little details from looking at original items. I use a machine on the inner seeams that don't show in the finished product, but everything outside (topstitching, buttonholes, etc.) and that shows on the inside is handsewn. I started out with some simple stuff like little bags or "poke sacks,", then started working on shell jackets and shirts. Trousers are probably the most fun, once you've figured out how to put in the fly ;-) (no zippers allowed. I haven't tried those, so I'm a little clueless with those...) Frock coats are probably the most frustrating garment to try. Single-breasted is tough enough, but double-breasted is a booger.

It's a lot of fun, and very calming in stressful times to simply be able to sit there and stitch. And they look better, more real, and last much, much longer than the stuff you can buy commercially.

Tom