Saturday, August 8, 2009

Looking for a new pair of pants?

I remember as a teenage girl going to the store looking for the right pair of jeans. I would place them up to my waist to see if I thought they would fit. Seems logical, right? I always thought that was the way to figure out whether a pair of pants or a skirt was worth trying on, but seems like I may have been wrong all these years.

I have watched the girls here at the orphanage go through clothes that generous people have brought for the kids. They would pick up and wrap the waist of the skirt or pants around their neck. Yep, the neck! (If you are one of the enlightened ones who do this also, please forgive my ignorance and be patient with me). I finally asked one day why they did that and they told me that was how they could tell if it would fit. I just shook my head and thought how silly teen age girls are.

Well, I have lost some weight and wanted our guesthouse helper who is also a seamstress to do some of her magic and take in the waist of one of my skirts. I took it to her and asked if she wanted me to try it on so she could see how much to take in. Oh, no, she said, just put it around your neck. What around my neck? So knowing she was a good seamstress and knew what she was doing, I hesitantly put it around my neck and then gave it to her hoping it would fit when she brought it back. She came back two days later and guess what! It fit perfectly!

The other day, I was going through my closet and found another skirt that needed to be taken in so I took it to our guesthouse helper again. Except this time, I held it up to my neck even before she asked. So next time when you are in the store and want to see if a pair of pants fit you, all you have to do is put it up around your neck. Never know what you will learn. Still not sure how it works though.

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