You know you homeschool when your neighbor calls you &

[Prairie~Phlox]

Asks you to hem her 14 year olds pants & you say you'll gladly teach her how to hem her own pants.

 

Granted that's not 100% how the conversation went down, but they are not afraid to ask me to do something for them & I always turn it into "you can help me do that" sorry, I'm not going to be taken advantage of, she's a ahort gal & will need lots of pants hemmed in her life.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I'm short so yep I know.  Although more and more places are selling petite length pants.  Used to be only expensive places. 

 

I hate hemming.  I didn't know I could sucker a neighbor into it.  I've been doing this all wrong for years.  :lol:

 

Hey Prairie, my 10 year old will need his choir pants hemmed...you busy? 

[Mimm]

:confused1:  Do you sew in general or does she think you simply must have nothing else going on in your life?

 

I'm kind of glad I'm not friendly with my neighbors. :)

[TammyS]

Asks you to hem her 14 year olds pants & you say you'll gladly teach her how to hem her own pants.

 

Granted that's not 100% how the conversation went down, but they are not afraid to ask me to do something for them & I always turn it into "you can help me do that" sorry, I'm not going to be taken advantage of, she's a ahort gal & will need lots of pants hemmed in her life.

 

I'm assuming this isn't in the spirit of "helpful favor" (that is, you do something now, eventually she'll do something when you need it)?

[Prairie~Phlox]

I'm assuming this isn't in the spirit of "helpful favor" (that is, you do something now, eventually she'll do something when you need it)?

Umm, sure, if I ever needed anything done, she'd do it in a heartbeat, but I barely ever ask of anything & she asks of stuff quite often. I'm not going to just hem the pants, there will be a lesson involved, even if I have to use scrap fabric as a fake hem. Normally another friend hems things for her, I'm not that nice to just let tgem dump it on me, that's not how it work. These are things I've been asked by her dd: "hey phlox, when are you making granola again & can I have some?" "Will you dehydrate me some apples?" Hello, you can come & help with the stuff & have a little. Like mother, like daughter.

[GailV]

Hah, sort of like the old saying about "if you teach a man to fish"  -- if you teach a 14yo to hem pants, she can learn to do her own alterations for the rest of her life.

 

Our neighbor is more the sort to say she might give us a call if she can't figure it out herself.  She's a former preschool teacher, so the idea of "hey, let's learn how to do something new today!" permeates her life.

[zoobie]

Hemming pants is right up there with scrubbing toilets. DIY or hire it out. Don't ask someone else to do it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah I find it odd when someone claims to be unable to do it.  That they don't WANT to do it, ok, but really it is not rocket science.  I taught myself how to do it.

 

 

[GailV]

Eh, some people don't own the equipment and are clueless about where to start.

[Julie Smith]

I don't hem pants. We never had a need. 

 

But isn't it something that is easy enough - if you have a sewing machine? I assume it would take some time to do it by hand. 

[Ali in OR]

My neighbor asks me to sew her son's Little League patch on his shirt every year. No big deal--takes me 5 minutes. And last time she gave me a huge tupperware of raspberries she had just picked in exchange. Score! But after hemming a few pairs of jeans for my short-legged dd, I don't even do this for my own family anymore. We only get her jeans at places that have a "short" length now! Who cares if they cost a bit more than Old Navy!

[Guest]

I don't hem pants. We never had a need.

 

But isn't it something that is easy enough - if you have a sewing machine? I assume it would take some time to do it by hand.

Depending on the type of pants, you may be *only* able to hand-hem.

[Reefgazer]

Perfect response!  She can always hem by hand if she doesn't have a machine.

[Carol in Cal.]

That is really a weird request.

[SounderChick]

The title totally made me think this was going to be a did you know you child is outside doing x.  Like you know tying a harness from the dog to the wagon for rides while wearing nothing but a swim suit.

[happi duck]

I'm feeling dense...what's the homeschooling connection? Thinking homeschoolers have all the time in the world? Seizing a teachable moment?

 

I grew up with a neighbor who could sew and she'd sew stuff for neighbors and charge a small fee.

[Prairie~Phlox]

I'm feeling dense...what's the homeschooling connection? Thinking homeschoolers have all the time in the world? Seizing a teachable moment?

 

I grew up with a neighbor who could sew and she'd sew stuff for neighbors and charge a small fee.

Teachable moment, why just do something for them? I would teach my own children if something like that was needed.

[kitten18]

The title totally made me think this was going to be a did you know you child is outside doing x. Like you know tying a harness from the dog to the wagon for rides while wearing nothing but a swim suit.

Haha, I'm sure I would get those calls if anyone could see into my yard.

Right now ds has fashioned a swing out of ropes, a dog harness, and a pillow.

[LibraryLover]

I don't see anything wrong with doing something I do well for someone/battering for something they do well. We don't all need every skill set. 

[lovinmyboys]

Well, I think it is great that you are teaching your neighbor. I would love to have someone show me.

 

Threads like these make me sad. Of course, we don't know the situation and this neighbor may be a pest, but I wish people didn't jump to the conclusion that she is. (Not just in this particular thread. I have seen lots of others where someone does something nice and a bunch of people respond by saying they hope that person reciprocates).

 

My neighbor sewed my son's lovey back together. I don't know how to sew and it really meant a lot to me that she fixed it for him. I would have gladly paid her, but it took her like five minutes and I didn't want to offend her. What is the going rate for a five minute job?

 

People have different capacities to help at different times. The neighbor that sewed for me does more for me than I do for her. I would love to reciprocate, but she has older children and has a huge extended family that lives near. She rarely needs anything from me. Of course, I can do things just to be nice, but she doesn't usually need favors.

 

I guess I just wish more people felt ok to ask for help and then the person being asked felt ok to say "sure" or "I can do this instead" or "I can't do that for you." Instead, I feel like it is "how dare she ask if I could help."

[kitten18]

I don't see anything wrong with doing something I do well for someone/battering for something they do well. We don't all need every skill set.

That's true but if the girl is short then being able to hem her own pants will save her a great deal of money throughout her life.

[happi duck]

...

 

I guess I just wish more people felt ok to ask for help and then the person being asked felt ok to say "sure" or "I can do this instead" or "I can't do that for you." Instead, I feel like it is "how dare she ask if I could help."

I totally agree.

[TammyS]

Eh, some people don't own the equipment and are clueless about where to start.

 

As another non-sewer, all I can say is, Stitch Witch is your friend!

[TammyS]

Well, I think it is great that you are teaching your neighbor. I would love to have someone show me.

 

Threads like these make me sad. Of course, we don't know the situation and this neighbor may be a pest, but I wish people didn't jump to the conclusion that she is. (Not just in this particular thread. I have seen lots of others where someone does something nice and a bunch of people respond by saying they hope that person reciprocates).

 

My neighbor sewed my son's lovey back together. I don't know how to sew and it really meant a lot to me that she fixed it for him. I would have gladly paid her, but it took her like five minutes and I didn't want to offend her. What is the going rate for a five minute job?

 

People have different capacities to help at different times. The neighbor that sewed for me does more for me than I do for her. I would love to reciprocate, but she has older children and has a huge extended family that lives near. She rarely needs anything from me. Of course, I can do things just to be nice, but she doesn't usually need favors.

 

I guess I just wish more people felt ok to ask for help and then the person being asked felt ok to say "sure" or "I can do this instead" or "I can't do that for you." Instead, I feel like it is "how dare she ask if I could help."

 

Yes.  And besides, your neighbor is storing up a lot of goodwill capital that might be worth a lot one day.