HEM IT ALL IN

I am starting to wonder if sewing is becoming a lost art.  And I don't mean sewing A DRESS; I'm talking about the simple work of hemming and mending.

I have the unfortunate circumstance of not only being short of stature, but short of waist and narrow of shoulders too.  It truly is not possible for me to buy slacks without plans to shorten them.  I take the previous statement as an OF COURSE comment, but lately I've met sales clerks who seem not to have heard of hand-sewing store-bought clothes.  One lady in a "high end" store was bereft that she couldn't find slacks that were my right height and she showed surprise, horror (and a bit of awed interest) that I was purchasing some with the intention of hemming them when I got home.

This summer a clerk didn't want me to try on a blouse.  "That's going to be far too long," she said.  I chuckled and said something along the lines of "Oh, that's life...that's the way it is...no getting around it!"

Later she saw me and asked how THAT all went for me.  There was a bit of snidefulness in her tone as if to say "I was right, wasn't I?"

I told her the sleeves were too tight.

Anyhow, I suppose it never entered her mind that hemming is an art some people HAVE to do.

Otherwise, it could go one of three ways:

1.  Wear the one piece of clothing that fits over and over again as the years go by.

My dad, 1989

2.  Wear them as is.

3.  Go naked (sorry, no photos).

I hemmed a new pair of capris today.