All I had was vague memories of my 9th grade home ec class, which was &^% years ago, and a good pattern sale (look for the 99-cent or 10/$10 sales and stock up on what interests you). By reading the inserts to the patterns, you can learn a lot. Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions at the cloth store. I know those old ladies can look scary, but some of them are really nice!