We can make that ourselves!

I remember going clothes shopping with my mother, when I was just old enough to have "my own opinion" on fashion.

I was the last "chick" in the nest, so she had the time to spend the day with me.

We would go to the local shops that she and my dad "had accounts" with. We would look for things she needed. Usually she would look at the dresses in the "half-sizes" as she was a little woman, but plump. She struggled with fit every where we went. I was patient (as patient as a nine-year-old could be), and often wandered around the store looking at whatever there was to see. We didn't worry about anyone grabbing me, or attacking me. It was a  quiet, neighborly time of life. Once my mother finally decided on her dress/es, we would find the shoes, and the ordeal of trying on shoes would commence. Usually for her, but sometimes for me, too. Saddle shoes for school and canvas tennis shoes for play. Then we would go for a little lunch somewhere. That was a real treat! I would have my peanut butter and jelly sandwich and my milk. I would hope for some sweet treats from the bakery, and then off we would go again.

When I started to notice fashion, my mother would usually say,"we could make that ourselves!" Oh, how I hated that phrase!! She was always making my clothes. I had corduroy pants that she made that were two sizes too big for me, with elastic in the waist. She would say, "they will last longer, and you will grow into them!" I didn't want to grow into them! I felt fat!

I will admit that she was right to save the cost on a growing child. I just couldn't understand at the time.

Recently, I have taken to sewing a few things, again. My mother made sure that I learned how to sew. She took me to the Singer sewing machine store for lessons. How bored I was with the whole thing. But I learned it, and today, I can sew a straight line (mostly), and am not afraid to make curtains, or make my own fannel lounge pants. Of course, when I say "curtains" I mean a simple panel with a rod pocket on the top! Hey, I never aspired to be a seamtress. That's my sister's role!!

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