Late evening. A city in South Carolina. Back roads. That is all I know.
It has been a great weekend, the weekend of a sewing retreat with really six fabulous women, five of whom are now new friends (one has been a friend a long time). It has been a weekend filled with sewing yes, but also a weekend of great food, fellowship, laughter.
I didn't complete any garments, but I did not expect I would. My goal was simply to get started, to make some muslins of garments that actually fit --- not as in this is good enough because it is what I can buy, but as in actually fit. And I made a good start, with lots of help. You can't tell much about the dress above, and truthfully I love the pattern of the light on the table as much as whatever I was trying to photograph.
I finished two muslins, two garments that will become basics. That I did not produce three muslins was completely my own fault. I am not one to pretend like life is perfect, or that I never mess up, and mess up is exactly what I did. I had traced off a favorite pair of pants, but stressed, distracted, and completely unthinking, I grabbed non-stretch fabric in order to muslin those stretch pants. It was not an abject failure however. I have a pretty good idea of where I need to go from here, and what I need to do next. As I worked, memories were reignited and I am looking forward to the process.
Then it was time to go home. I didn't get far -- about ten miles. But first you need the back story. You see, I had a blow-out on the way to the retreat. It happened in Columbia, in heavy traffic, when I was in the far left lane passing a truck, in an area on the curve that was not very safe. I controlled the car, there was an exit right there, and I am grateful to the drivers who let me across traffic so I could exit to safety. I drove the rest of the way on the donut on back roads, arriving in the dark.
I found a tire dealer who could replace my tires with something in the right size and of similar quality. I suspected the rim was damaged, discussed this, both on the phone, and with the person who looked at my car, and was told they would look at the car and let me know if that was the case -- if they could replace the tire or if I needed something more. But somehow, somewhere along the line, someone forgot, and they mounted a new tire. Less than 20 miles later, that tire was shredded and I was going nowhere. Luckily for me, my friend Marjorie was still in Myrtle Beach. I called the auto service, they found someone to tow my car to the Audi dealer in Charleston, and Marjorie kindly took me down as it was on her way.
My car is being repaired and I should be on the road again tomorrow. In the meantime, I had a glass of cabernet when I checked into my hotel, a lovely dinner, and a good night's sleep. Despite all the agitation, I am incredibly fortunate to be here, to be able to enjoy this very European-feeling American city.
