My mother always told me that sewing would be useful

When I was about 11 years old, my mother and grandmother decided it was time for me to learn to sew. I was taught to hem and baste and was put in front of a sewing machine to start learning the basics. My grandmother put me to work making dish clothes and pillow cases out of inexpensive muslin and terry cloth. I ultimately made a blouse and skirt. And that was the end of my instruction.

I wanted to know more but was told that if I could master dish clothes and pillowcases, then I could sew anything. What I did not know was that these lessons were the extent of my grandmother's and mother's knowledge.

My daughter has been graced with my father's figure: long waisted, thin and tall. At her 18 month appointment, she was 35 inches tall - the 99th percentile for her age. She was also just under 25 pounds, putting her in the 55th percentile. So she's fairly thin but beautifully proportioned.

This is great but not fun to buy pants for. If I buy for her weight, the pants are too short. If I buy for length, they are too big in the waist.

So when I found a really cute pair of pajamas that only came in a 2T, I did what I never thought I'd do: I bought them and hemmed them up and took in the waist a little - by hand!