When we were newlyweds (won't say how LONG ago that was!) the wife bought a sewing machine. Pretty expensive one IMHO, but it came with several nights of sewing classes included. I went with her. So I learned how to work the machine, what each of it's bazillions of different stiches was used for, and how to get thread on the bobbin and run the thread through all the little levers and holes and springy things inside the machine (which is not a trivial task for the uninitiated!)

But, being an engineer, creative sewing was not for me. I did make several things though. "Engineered" things, not pretty things. Like a cover for the birdcage - which is basically a bottomless cube with a slit going up one side and over the top. Right up an engineer's alley. Of course, to show off my newly learned sewing skills, I made it lined with black fabric with a flashy floral pattern on the outside, and used not only straight stitches, but zigzag (to prevent fraying), bar-tacking (to reinforce), and a nice hem at the bottom.

But when I realized (in horror) what I had been doing, I quickly grabbed my Man Card, drank a beer, spit, farted, scratched my crotch, and plopped down in front of the TV. Man, I barely escaped what could have been a really awkward lifestyle for a guy.