A Lovely Day for a Road Trip

Robin and I went to Missoula yesterday. At this time of year, our valleys can get socked in under inversions—cloud layers that sink down and make everything gray and sad for days at a time—but as we drove south, we exited an inversion straight into brilliant sunshine. The entire day stayed sunny and bright.

Robin has been shopping for a new sewing machine. We went to A Clean Stitch, the Janome dealer in Missoula. We will not shop at or take our machines in to be serviced at the dealer here in Kalispell (We both have Janome 6600s.) Robin has been kicking around the idea of trading in her 6600 for a larger machine. I reminded her that I was with her the first time we stopped in at A Clean Stitch to look at the new Janome machines, and that was almost two years ago. These things take time and consideration.

While she was deciding which of the new machines she wanted to order, I dashed over to Walmart to check out the remnant rack. It was full, but I didn’t see anything I needed. I went back to get her and we headed to Vicki’s Quilts Down Under. If we ever need specific fabrics for quilt projects, Vicki’s is the place to go. Robin found a border for one of her quilt projects and I came out with two yards of Robert Kaufman Trainers French terry in black. I have a Nancy Raglan in the Spruce color and it has worn like iron.

By then it was time for lunch, so we went over to the Montana Club. I had a reuben sandwich and Robin had gyro sliders. I cannot stand the smell of corned beef when it is cooking, but I do like reuben sandwiches (go figure) and this one was excellent.

The Joann Fabrics in Missoula looks as awful as ours does. We left without finding anything. Our last stop in town was The Confident Stitch downtown. Robin bought a bit more quilt fabric and I picked up this Jalie pattern:

I have a couple of long tunics in this style from Kohls that are looking very worn and could stand to be replaced.

We stopped at the Amish store on the way home. I bought more Clear-Jel—I used most of mine making apple pie filling in September—and each of us had a cup of ice cream. Their ice cream comes from Wilcoxson’s, which I think is in Billings, and it reminds me of the kind my grandmother used to serve at her ice cream parlor in Ohio when I was growing up. (Lorain Creamery, for my Ohio peeps.) The store is quite generous with the servings, too.

The BMW drove beautifully, although the husband seems convinced that some other part is about to fail and the check engine light will come on again. I think he has been traumatized by that car.

We got home just as dark was falling. Robin’s new machine is supposed to come in no later than the first of the year. We may be making a return trip to get it. A Clean Stitch is the same store where I taught the Bernina serger mastery class in October, and I have another serger mastery class on the schedule there for early February. The owners are finishing off the classroom space—we heard all the construction noises while we were in the store—so we’re holding off scheduling spring classes until that space is ready.

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I think my two upcoming projects will be making a Simplicity 9018 dress out of some black stretch velvet—the same as that purple stretch velvet from a few weeks ago—and changing the neckline on the Simplicity 8557—the red stretch velvet dress—to the mock turtle neckline. I only have three yards of the Minerva stretch velvet and I am not sure I can get the longer Simplicity 9018 dress out of it. I’ll have to see. I’m not intending for the black stretch velvet dress to be my Christmas dress, but it will be nice to have something cozy to wear in January.

And we’re awaiting an update on the status of the husband’s work truck. Hopefully soon.