#278 Travel Panic

The picture is my new suitcase.  It's huge!  Bigger than it looks in the picture, it reaches to the top of my hip.  I also bought a matching wheeled backpack/carryon.  The two together came to about $70.  (Wow!)

Jay and I had always preferred hard-sided luggage, and I have some really good (expensive) suitcases in the basement, but they all have integrated locks.  I refuse to leave my luggage completely unlocked.  The new bags use combination padlocks that airport screeners can use master keys to unlock.  They won't stop a determined thief, but at least it will discourage casual pilfering, and the bags won't accidentally pop open and spill all my stuff all over the tarmac.

Something that surprised me - the new bags have zippers in the linings, so you can inspect between the linings and the shells.  The old suitcases might have come through inspection with cut and torn linings! 

I'm leaving Wednesday, and I'm starting to panic over what clothing to take.  New Orleans in July will be hot and muggy.  (Hawaii in August won't be so bad - Hawaii is never bad.)  I don't know why, but as soon as I get more than 100 miles from home, by any means, I bloat and get constipated.  So clothing that is quite comfortable at home is too tight, binding, ugly, and uncomfortable away from home, especially if it's muggy.

So, I bought a bunch of Coldwater Creek "travel knit" slacks (I NEVER wear shorts!), tunics, and sleeveless long dresses.  They are spandex, but loose and airy and drapey.  Unfortunately, they all need hemming.  Hemming spandex is not fun.

I also have some cotton caftans from India and Egypt - also all needing hemming. 

Saturday night there's a formal dinner.  I have no "formal" clothing, so I plan to wear a new sari.  It's a dark green very lightweight silk with bits of real silver pounded into the fabric, very unusual and beautiful.  But, because I am so short and, um, full-bodied, I can't wear a sari "freehand" - there's just too much bulk to fold over and tuck into the waistband - so I trim saris and sew the lower portion onto a turned-over waistband.  With  a sewn waistband, I don't have to wear the traditional petticoat, just a half slip to keep it from "walking up", which is cooler, more comfortable, and cuts the bulk even further.  And - the pretty pleats don't keep falling apart.  You can't tell on casual inspection that it's not traditionally tucked.  It takes about six hours to fit, cut, pleat, and sew properly, and I plan to do that this evening and tomorrow morning.  

Sigh.  I guess that means I should get started.

~~Silk