On Fri, 21 Jan 2005 15:36:04 GMT, "KJ"
wrote:

I'm taking a break before tackling the last part of a project. DD's friend
called me yesterday to ask if I could hem some dance pants for her. Sewing
buttons and hemming pants...some of the most practical sewing projects but I
put them off as often as possible. It must be my "time" though. DH left me
a jacket on the kitchen table yesterday with one of the front buttons lying
beside it. I promptly fixed it to get it off my conscience.
Last night DD and friend stopped by so I could mark these polyester wide
legged pants. The pants come unhemmed and VERY long. I now have them
marked, trimmed, and the edge serged. Of course that meant I have spent an
hour rethreading my serger after retrieving it from the closet.....where HAS
that manual gone??? (And I DID try to rethread it by tying the new threads
to the old ones....didn't work out this time.) I now can't decide if I
should blind hem or just topstitch the hems. I did leave a 2" hem for any
further adjustments in the future. We marked the pants to her flattest
dance shoes. This girl is quite an accomplished swing dancer and this is
part of a new costume. I'd never make any money with alterations or custom
sewing. Too slow!

One of my (very short!) friends worked out that I have a sewing
machine, and phoned up to ask if I would hem up 3 pairs of trousers
for her. I didn't want to say "no", but I didn't really want to say
"yes" either.... so I said, "I'll make you a deal. I'll hem the
trousers, you show me how to make a curry. Any curry." Sejal is from
Gujurat, India.
So she came round, we made a curry (plus she brought another one she
had made for her & her husband's own dinner) and I fixed the
trousers... while she continually freaked out over Sasha. Apparently
they don't keep cats as pets in India - she'd never heard a cat purr,
for example.
But it was a good trade. Sasha's psychological scars are healed
now. Just.



-- Jo in Scotland