Wrong Side Out

When I was a student at William Chrisman High School I sometimes hung around on the edges of a crowd of popular girls. They were catty and smug, but I found them interesting and attractive in an oblique way. One member of the group became known for openly peeking at the label inside the necks of other girls’ sweaters. This was seen as an affront, and as a rebuke the other girls started wearing their sweaters inside out. Everyone in the hallways noticed. The message got through and the girls went back to wearing their sweaters right side out.

Several years ago I owned a green, gauzy skirt. It was made with overcast seams on the outside, not the customary way of hiding seams inside the skirt. Each time I wore it someone would ask, “Isn’t your skirt on wrong side out?” Usually the questioner was my dear husband. But I liked it and kept wearing it.

The point is, of course, that we expect one to wear clothing with seams hidden from sight. Wearing clothing with outside seams is a sure way to get attention. Isn’t it strange that we have certain unspoken customs such as clothing must be worn “right” side out? The high school clique members knew that they were violating a social norm. They purposefully violated it to send a pointed message. I chose my green skirt because I liked the fabric as well as the design with its delineated seams.

Outside seams ­– even unfinished seams – have become more common during the ensuing years, thank goodness. Our society has loosened up in many ways, but we still have a long way to go toward respecting others’ personal preferences.

On a lighter subject, I want to write about something sweet – sugar pies.

Sugar pies are made from pastry scraps from making a pie. Scraps from trimming the crust from pie pan edges are laid aside and rolled together. Do not wad the trimmings into a ball, but lay them side-by-side before rolling them. The shape will be irregular, but that doesn’t matter. The important part is that a flaky, tender crust must be handled as little as possible.

Lay the sheet of dough in a baking pan and sprinkle it with sugar and cinnamon. Use a pastry cutter or a table knife to cut the dough into squares or triangles or leave the sheet whole.

When the main pie is done, lower the oven temperature to 375º and bake the sugar pies for about 12 minutes. Watch for them to disappear as soon as they’ve cooled a bit.

Copyright 2016 by Shirley Domer