Circling Back To Sewing

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Wanchen Chang, 34, wasn't looking for power so much as a skirt that fit. She enrolled in Smith's beginners' sewing class ($120 for nine hours spread over two weekends) because she has such a hard time finding clothes for her petite figure. A textbook editor by day, Chang was hooked after her first session. Says she: "The class was great. We ended by making a little purse, and it felt great to walk out of there with something you had made."

That's one feeling you'll never get when you're heading home from the mall--no matter how good the bargains were that day.