Choir Wardrobe 04-29-12

There is a cami under this top for security ;-)  The last day of turqoise/gray/yellow, and I just didn't have it in me to do a repeat.  Most of the stuff is hanging on the 'to be ironed' rack anyway, so I pulled out an old poly (ITY? Maybe?  Feels like it) top, Burda 05-2009-103A, and wore it with Lee bootcuts.

So this is the 4th?  I think? Weekend in a row that I had to Do Something (meaning the laundry and the housework is still languishing).  But I had 4 ladies come with machines over the weekend, so we got all the banners trimmed out; one lady took them home to sew all the casings at the top.  We fiddled around and got a decent 'Chain mail hood' pattern...I'll have to post a photo of that one...and I have 9 hoods cut out and ready to sew.  Our progress on the tabbards was a little slower, mostly owing to the fact that we couldn't just go buy 30 packages of wide double fold bias tape.  So, some of them have the double fold tape and some of them we are fudging with single fold, which takes two passes with the machine.  I brought home 12 tabbards, but I think I have talked someone into taking 8 of them off my hands and adding the bias.  The other tabbards were farmed out amongst the other ladies.

So, except for the items that I saw on the list that looks like we need to make that we haven't discussed with our Children's pastors as of yet, I think we may make it.  If I can just motivate myself to go pull the stuff out and sew it.

Costuming continues

Can I just admit that there are times when I wish my name didn't pop into everyone's mind the moment the word 'costume' comes up?  Don't get me wrong, I really and truly am glad to be able to sew for a cause, and I'd feel really, really awkward if I weren't involved but...there are times...

We are in our second sewing weekend for the children's ministries summer theme.  We're getting a bit more done this time...we've had extra ladies coming with machines...but we've still got a ways to go, and we're running out of time.  We still had a few pieces that we didn't even have fabric for, so I stopped at Hancock's (and hit a great sale!) on the way home and picked up the last chunk of fabric and...hopefully...the last notions we'll need.

It just so happened Vogue patterns were on sale for $4 each; the newest book wasn't in but I found 3 patterns to bring home just the same.  The nod to the 'I wish I had time to sew for ME!' pout.

I picked up Vogue 8669, mostly because I am looking for great one-yard top patterns and I thought the sleeveless version was worth a try.  Vogue 8743 landed in my basket because it's a shoulder-princess style dress.  I think the fabric they show pictured on the website is too stiff for this; I'm seeing it in a nice rayon/linen blend.  And I just happen to have a nice red rayon/linen blend in the stash...

I picked up the Kay Unger dress, Vogue 1241 mostly because I had a Cold Water Creek catalog lying around for the longest time with a black dress the dead spit of that one.  I think I tore the picture out...but who knows where it is.

I have a real hankerin' to make some dresses...dunno where I will wear them, but I am ready to make something pretty and feminine looking.

When we're done with the knights and squires, that is...eventually...

Maybe I can snap some photos of what we're doing tomorrow.

Choir 04-22-12

Yup.  No picture.

This was one of those days where I hit the ground running...with a trip to the airport to see My Sweet Baboo off on a business trip at 5 AM...and have just now sat down, at about 10:30 PM. 

I sang in the choir for 2 out of 3 services today, but I didn't get a photo.

It's all stuff you've seen before anyway.

Today was the matinee closing of the show that closes the theater at the school; there's a brand spanking new building right across the railroad tracks that will be opening next fall.  There will be ball fields over the space that is now the old theater very shortly.

To Kill a Mockingbird was an excellent play to close the theater.  What an incredible message it has.

I just wish we could've gotten a few more folks in the theater to see it.  But our promotion budget is, like, pennies.  A few posters and some facebook posts were about the best we could do.

So, in lieu of the choir photo, I will leave you with a picture of The Flute Player in costume as Mrs. Dubose...in a costume that was golden, as it fit perfectly and needed no alteration whatsoever. 

...and the show opens

They did it.

Pulled it together and gave a strong performance.  Oh, it wasn't perfect, but it was amazing.  Knowing where they were Monday night and watching tonight's show...well, I'll be honest, I was bawling like a baby at the end.

I know it is a common tech week experience; horrific rehearsals that somehow meld the cast into a unit that reaches beyond what they've done before to do a show that touches folks, but it still has sort of a miraculous feel to see it happen.

Anyway, I'm very proud of the cast and crew. 

Midnight Oil...

Rough night in the theater...

We have a first year director and, boy, is he getting his baptism by fire on this show.    Let's just say this was the kind of evening that results in folks shaking themselves out and pulling it together...or falling into pouts and coming unglued.  It could go either way.  Everyone was exhausted by the end.  But I have seen shows at this point before pull it together and do fabulous stuff...so, we'll see.  One more rehearsal and then 6 performances.

Costuming, we are in good shape...I think...finally.  There have been no new costumes made; everything has come from either the school's costume shop,  other community theaters costume shops, the thrift store, or folks' own closets.  We've altered and redesigned a few things; most of the sewing is looking at a garment and trying to figure out how to make it work.   The directors' aunt, who is very active in local theater and education and has forgotten more about putting together a cast costume story than I will ever know gave us about 4 days out of her busy schedule and pulled and pinned and instructed and got us on target.  It was kind of amazing to watch.

I learned how to raise the closure on a jacket quick-and-dirty style.  It ain't purdy up close, but from the stage it works pretty well.  Makes those contemporary jackets look much more depression-era, so it was worth doing.   You press the stew out of it, then toptsitich the lapel to the jacket.  Yeah.  Really.  But it works.  We tried just tacking it, but that didn't put enough security on it and it kept reverting to the old roll line.  But once we stitched it down hard, it stayed.

At least so far. ;-)

One more late night; I've got a couple of small things to do...I think...and then it'll be mopping up.

Then I can focus on the children's ministry costumes...

Choir Wardrobe 0415

It has been a long day.

Long week, in fact. 

I'm not going into the blow-by-blow account, just suffice it to say that I have been home very little this week, as the laundry overflowing the hamper readily testifies.

Now, I had in mind one thing to wear this week, but when I got dressed I found that the top I'd planned was, after all, in the laundry.

I really thought it got through before the crunch hit.  Guess not.

So I went with plan B.  Last week, one of  my friends in the choir handed me a turquoise jacket.  She'd bought it on sale at a local department store, then, after she got it home, decided it just wasn't her style.  So she gave it to me, thinking that if it didn't fit me I might be able to alter it to fit.

It fit pretty well for a RTW jacket, although there were some details that I really think I could've done better...or that I would feel like I should've done better if I had made it.  Still, a free jacket is a free jacket so I thought I'd see if I could remedy at least the most glaring of those items before I wore it.

However, given the excess of unwashed laundry at my house, I grabbed the jacket this morning and wore it with my Lee bootcuts and my rayon/lycra jersey Christine Jonson Baseware 2 t-neck top

And I taught my class, sang in choir for 3 services, and then  went straight to the high school and worked on costume alterations until 5 PM.  Then we took the photo.

Maybe I can wash some clothes after the show opens on Thursday...

These are the comments I get...

I've gotten some pretty pathetic ones, but this one takes the cake.  It was posted from some spammer in Pakistan; I actually laughed out loud when I read it.  I mean, does the poor person even know what they wrote?

This was a comment on yesterday's lengthy choir weekend post...which, of course, did not mention a lamb anywhere:

I’ve never heard of that before, there are lots of fascinating customs. Your lamb turned out really well. I hope it brings you every good thing, including prosperity. TFS! 

The link tacked on to the end purported to be  to an online source for the GED.  I don't think I would trust the writer of that comment to advise anyone on getting educated...unless GED stands for something else that my sheltered life would not recognize.  In any case, I wasn't clicking on nothin'...not after just getting the computer back to something like normal after the last virus.

Spam, spam, spam, spam... delete, delete, delete, delete....

Choir Wardrobe 2012 - Easter Weekend

Three days of services...one on Friday, three on Saturday and three on Sunday.   A fuzz over 5,000 folks (counting babies and everybody) attended, spread over the 7 services.  Yes, it was tiring.  But it was also very cool. ;-)

Anyway, the mundane side of it was that there were 3 outfits for choir this weekend.  Fortunately, turquoise is one of the colors that lives in my wardrobe, so it really wasn't so hard.  The colors actually are turquoise, charcoal gray and soft yellow...with jeans...

 Friday night was a last-minute.  I actually had sort of a plan...but, well, I picked up The Flute Player from the school bus stop, hit the grocery store for a couple of things I needed for today's dinner and pulled into the drive a fuzz over an hour before I needed to be ready and out the door.  My hair wasn't behaving well, so I decided I'd hop in the shower and give it a quick wash to see if I could get it to tame down a bit.  I stuck my head in The Actor's room and gave him a notice that we'd need to leave in an hour, and hit the shower.  Just as I got the shampoo lathered up good, he pounded on the bathroom door, and what I pieced together over the sound of the water was that he'd just remembered he'd gotten a text message earlier in the day and he needed to be at church an hour before choir call to help move some furniture.  Which meant that we pretty well should've been walking out the door at that very moment.

At that point, I was committed to the shower, so, well, he was half an hour late.  And I went with my hair gelled instead of  styled, wearing what was hanging in the closet instead of what needed a touch from the iron. But, hey, I was out of the door in less than 30 minutes from when I got the word, so I felt like I had Done My Part. ;-)  This was Coldwater Creek denim jeans,  my gray denim Jalie 2320 jacket and the yellow sweatery-knit Simplicity 2603 top.

Saturday, I did get the ironing done before taking the Flute Player to drama practice.  I stayed with her and measured the cast; that had not been done yet.  I still don't know how much help I'm going to be for that show...so much depends on how well the church sewing  goes this weekend.  I rather expect to spend most of Tech Week evenings at school, doing alterations.  Anyway, we left school about 11, ran home and changed clothes and got a bite to eat, then headed to church for round 2.

This was the first go at New Look 6407; in turquoise cotton/lycra shirting from Hancock's.   I've tweaked the pattern once since this version; I think if I do one more tweak it'll be just about perfect.  But this one isn't, and I usually try to wear a scarf to camouflage the too-low neckline.  ;-).  The scarf was a cheapie from Wal-Mart; the jeans were Lee boot cuts.

Today I wore the 'B Minus Jacket', (Vogue 1100) which hasn't been reviewed yet.  I really would like to find the pattern so I can check and see if the skimpy hems were because I goofed up on an alteration or not.    It's teamed up with another Simplicity 2603 top; this one from sparkly gray jersey knit, and the Coldwater Creek Knit Bootcuts.   The jacket looks rather rumpley, but then, this was AFTER 3rd service today, and I was feeling rather rumpley!   Actually, I think this jacket is something that is going to be worn for its own sake...not because it is particularly flattering, shape-wise.  Part of that is the fabric choice; this is a tropical weight gabardine and, really,  it is not at all forgiving with any kind of wobbly bobble, and I had plenty!  But it feels really good on (it's that silk cotton lining, I'm sure), and I expect I'll wear it, even if it isn't skinnifying.

And about halfway through today's services I wondered why my legs felt so sore.  Then I remembered all the up-and-down I'd done yesterday, measuring inseams and out seams and bending over to write things down...guess I got my exercising done...

Now, after going through all of this, I gotta give a little disclaimer that, really, it's not about the clothes any more than it's about a bunny.  Before we left the house this morning, I posted what was on my heart about the day on my other blog.  Just so you know. ;-)

The 'B Minus' Jacket

Some things go together so nicely; others, well, others make me think I've no business claiming 'advanced' sewing skills.

The Vogue 1100 jacket started off well enough, but the whole collar debacle kind of threw all my sewing rhythm off and I ended up with a so-so jacket.

The redeeming features are the color and the fabulous scarf panel lining. Oh, and the fact that the fabric was on mad clearance and the jacket cost something like 20 bucks all told.  The small things that are 'off' will glare to me (and quite possibly to other seamstresses), but, well, in the middle of the choir it's not going to matter so much.

For all that, I really like the pattern and would like to make it again, now that I have THOROUGHLY acquainted myself with the pitfalls.

I did have what I believe is a drafting-an-alteration error, after all.  Won't go into it here, but it resulted in very skimpy hems.  If I make it again, I will correct that.

Anyway, here's the hanger shot.  I expect to wear this for choir on Sunday, so you'll see the 'on a real body' photo then.

I'm just really, really glad to move this into the 'Done' column!

Two Steps Forward, One and a Half Back

I am *still* working on the Vogue 1100 Jacket.  I finished off the bottom edges and topstitched it all, then decided the facing had somehow wonkered up too short; the jacket was curling at the bottom.  So I unpicked the topstitching and released the bottom edge; I'm going to have to hand hem it, to offset the facing at the bottom a teeny bit.

Part of the problem is that the pockets I drafted turned out to be too long.  So I'm going to trim about 3/4" off the bottom of the pocket bags and see if that helps with the lumpy bottom edge much.

They really only need to be big enough to hold a kleenex anyway.

So...*maybe* I'll get the jacket done by Sunday.  If I can work on it steadily tomorrow.  'Cause tomorrow is about the last chance.

The first of our 7 Easter Services (yes, we are repeating the same service 7 times, because we can't fit everyone into the building at once) is tomorrow night at 7 central; we're having 3 on Saturday (2 PM, 4 PM and 6 PM) and 3 on Sunday (8 AM, 9:45 AM and 11:30 AM).  If you are interested, the services will be streaming live at therockfamily.tv   (the dot tv stands for Tennessee Valley, not Television like I thought...)

Next week the children's ministry sewing starts.  Of my list of 8 or so volunteers, 2 of them have already told me they aren't going to be able to make it.  And I still don't know for sure what all we are doing...only that we need to do it quickly.

How DID I sew before the Internet?

'Toteworthy' nailed it...the problem with the jacket wasn't the mysterious unknown alterations, it was that I put the collar on upside down!!

Spent a bit of time spent unpicking and resewing and...TA DA...the humongeos error has evaporated:

It's wrangled and mangled and in need of a good pressing, but I am back to the point I was at last night.  And the collar is as it should be.  A long shot from perfect, due to the fudging necessary to deal with the already-trimmed seams, but WAY better than it was.

Obviously, the guide sheet is a necessary friend for this project.  And, since I recollected that page one/two of the guide sheet was missing from the envelope when I originally cut the jacket out, I signed up for Club BMV and ordered another copy of the pattern.  

I'm going to have to make this again, correct from the beginning, and see how it turns out. ;-)

Thanks to all my internet buddies who offered consolation and advice, and especially to 'Toteworthy' for spotting the actual error!!

Choir Wardrobe 04-01-12

And the choir colors have changed...for April, we are wearing aqua, dark gray, and yellow.  At least I have some of that in the closet! ;-)

So, today I've got the Lee Bootcuts, my Simplicity 4076 original scoop neck T, made from a very worn and pilling poly/rayon/lycra blend knit I got at the Atlanta Expo probably 6 or 7 years ago. It's matched up with the  Jalie 2566 cardigan and Jalie 965 tank top from the Double Twin Set and some yellow plastic beads.

It might look odd out of context of choir, but I blended well with others today. ;-)

Next weekend, in an attempt to get everyone into the building for Easter services, we are having 7 services spread over 3 days.  It's gonna be a marathon...but it should be great!  And, although what I wear really will be the least of all the aspects of the weekend, here on the sewing blog you will likely see 3 outfits, as we are serving in all seven services.

And praying hard for a larger facility. ;-)