I had to go to the "Tri-Valley Mother of Twins Club" Spring Sale this morning. We buy most of the kids clothes here. It's all used clothing. I used to be able to find a lot of stuff for $1 an item, but prices seem to have gone up in the last 4 years. I still find some stuff, but $2 and $3 per item is more common.

Because of the sale, I had to miss the morning session with Sandra Betzina at the San Jose's ASG meeting. I was able to attend the afternoon session. After getting lossed in Sunnyvale, I made my way to the Los Altos site. Los Altos is pretty upscale; reminds me of my girlhood days in Piedmont. The meeting was held in the community center. I was about 2 minutes late, but they had left a seat for me up front. I love sitting in front. I'm myopic, so proximity is helpful if I'm going to get a clear picture even with my glasses. And it's easier to ask questions if you are in front.

The session was on pants. Sandra spent about an hour talking about pants contruction. Then came the fun part. She brought pants for 2 patterns: a trouser, Vogue 7027, and jeans, Vogue 7608. It was really cool to try on the pants and have Sandra tell you exactly what to alter to get them to fit right. Some alterations are easy to identify, like my front crotch length is very, very short, but some aren't. Fitting the inner thigh has always been difficult for me. And it was great to try on the pants. I'm between an F and G, and being an optimist, I would buy the DEF size pattern, but I couldn't get the Fs zipped, not even started. So while the Gs are too big, it's a better starting place.

I highly recommend attending a class with Sandra Betzina. She's a dynamic speaker, no droning, and she passes around samples for you to closely examine. She brings her clothes, so you can see different options for the patterns. And she's a fun person.