Pants

I have issues with pants. I have short legs and a long torso/ high waist. Jeans are really hard to find. I've found that New York and Co jeans and Levi's fit the best. Unfortunately, they are both either a) expensive or b) too long (see: short legs). The petites are usually too short (since they are made for girls usually 5'3" or less). This last winter, thanks to having two babies in two years, I had one pair of jeans that fit great but were too long, and another pair of jeans that fit okay but are too short. I bought petites. I know I hate petites. The legs are always TOO short. But I bought them because I was frustrated after a long day of shopping and no end in sight in the hunt for jeans (this was before I had Claire). They look okay with no shoes or sandals, but who wears those during winter? Anyway, I finally learned how to hem jeans, and hemmed the "look great" pair. I like them a lot. Unfortunately, I shortened the hem the same length on both legs, and um, my legs are not the same length. The left is definitely a tad shorter. Enough that I usually ruin the hem on that side and the other side is just fine. The left drags just a tad, but it's much better than what it used to be. (I could rip it out and fix it, but I have more important things to sew, like my messenger bag.) True story- my mother in law gave me these jeans after Claire was born. I've worn them since then, and have just been turning the cuffs up. For two years. Yes, I have owned a sewing machine this whole time. Lame, I know. 
But, this is a story about success. Well, limited success anyway. I was at the thrift store in town this week and found not one but TWO pairs of Levi's jeans in a cut I know I like and looks good on me. They are in perfect condition and get this- 50 cents each. The DI has NOTHING on my new thrift store. I bought both of them- one is the size I normally (at least for the last two years) wear, and the other one size larger (this is where the limited success comes in. I really want to be in my normal size. I can accept the fact that I will never go back down to where I was before Claire, thanks to my generous hips becoming more generous. But I really want to go back down just one size. That's not too much to ask, right? And these pants are a bit loose now that they are clean and have been worn, so I have hope. I also have a superstition that if I buy a larger size jean and they are a bit too big, I will get bigger to fill them out. It's happened all my life.) I brought them home, tried them on, and surprise surprise, the legs are two inches too long. But, I knew I could hem them, which is why I bought them. I knew they weren't too short in the store. I hemmed the larger pair, which currently fits a bit better, did each leg independently (which means I shortened the left leg a bit more than the right) and they look great. I am so proud of myself. Unless you really look at the hem, you can't tell. Why did it take me 6 years to learn this? I've had the internet. I've had a sewing machine all this time. I've had problems with pants. When I think of all the frustration that buying pants used to cause me, all because I didn't know how to make them the right length, it irritates me. Sheesh. Sometimes, I make myself crazy. Now I will just have to hem every pair of pants I buy for the rest of my life. And Alann's too. Because he does the same thing- ruins one hem and the other looks totally fine.