Welcome from me too, Tim. It's wonderful that you're having a go at something new. I have 2 tips, which is to look at the youtube tutorials on whatever aspect you're interested in or having difficulty with. I think they are even better than real life sewing lessons because you can watch bits over and over till you get it. The other is that once you have mastered the easier things you could make simple things like shorts for your boys if you wanted. The tutorials often have links to free patterns. Anyway I think you'll enjoy sewing!