Choir Wardrobe: Easter Weekend

 Three days of services ...because there's just not room in our converted-retail-space facility to get everyone in at once.  So we have services on Friday and Saturday for the 'regular' folks, some of whom bring family from other churches, so as to leave room in the three services on Sunday for the folks who don't come so regularly.

And, as usual on days when it just seems silly to talk about what I wore, I'll refer newcomers to the 'What's the choir wardrobe?' post linked on the sidebar to explain why I wander into such shallow waters.

March choir colors are gray, black and mint green...and the greens look much closer in color in real life than they do in these photos!  One looks almost blue, one looks almost white...but, truly, they're all minty green...a little lighter or darker but still close enough.

Friday night kicked off with comfy stuff...the new modified, as-yet-unreviewed  Vogue 9057 green T that was almost a disaster...I'm thinking I might shorten it a bit; it's just a bit on the sloppy side of long, I think.  I think the print version that I made earlier this year is a wee bit long, too, so I think I'm just going to fold a tuck in the pattern to adjust future iterations.  I need to make the sleeve a pinch longer if I want to roll it up; not sure if I want to go that trendy.

I'm wearing it with a vest from the May, 2008 edition of Burda World of Fashion, made from a strange stretchy poly that was, according to the online vendor,  stretch charmeuse, but was a heavy matte-back gray satin that was horrible to sew.  I had one wadder from the fabric, but managed to get a vest that is somewhat useful.  The comfy comes from the dark gray double knit Sewing Workshop Helix Pants, which also have not been reviewed yet, and also which you could see better if the kitty wasn't being friendly.


Saturday, we started the process of adding another vehicle to the family by wandering around a car lot trying on various models to see which ones actually felt like I could see out of them (my number one criteria for a vehicle I drive.  Amazing how many different manufacturers are following the same style and making the rear window teeny...).

But, it took a lot longer than we'd planned and the afternoon went by way faster than I'd expected. So, even though it doesn't look like it, I felt really thrown together.  Went with black and mint;  cotton/lycra Daphne pants from Fred Bloebum,  poly herringbone Bistro Jacket from Loes Hinse,  ...and a RTW, mail-order experiment.  I'm sure you've all seen advertisements from an online vendor whose name starts with a 'Z' and ends with a flower...some very cool, funky, interesting pieces.  I'd read some rather favorable comments on their customer service, a couple of my friends had made purchases they were happy with, so I thought.weeeellll,  maybe I'll give them a try on something I can't find fabric for.

I was a little disgruntled to see that you have to create an account before you can even browse the site.   And I really didn't see anything like the tops that were in the facebook ads. But I did find a crochet vest and a lacy mint green top, so I decided to give it a go.

Well, I discovered another thing I didn't see in print anywhere when I ordered...these folks take orders for stuff for a specified amount of time; once the time has expired, THEN they place the order with their supplier.

So the stuff I ordered on March 2 actually arrived March 22...because I ordered early in the 'event'.  Now, that's their business model and that's how, they say, they keep the prices low.  They also don't allow returns, although they do work with folks if something is clearly defective or misrepresented or doesn't fit.  But...this ain't those instant-ship shoe folks. 

So...when the merchandise arrived, I was pleased to see that the size chart worked and the vest and the top both fit.  The vest...which I'll try to get photographed sometime soon...is a nice enough poly-cotton and is created by sewing various bits of crochet or crochet-like fabrics into the vest shape.  I'll wear it and enjoy it, I think.

The mint top...oy, it's not really what I expected.  I don't remember how they described it, but the fabric is created by wooly-nylon satin stitching somehow.  It's sort of like eyelet, only...snaggy wooly nylon thread.  I had to dab fray-check on several spots so I could trim dangly bits without  the overstitching unraveling.  And the lacy stuff is over a lining, which is exceedingly cheap tricot.  I had to wear a cami under it.  The back is split, which I knew, but it exposes that cheap lining.  It really looks pretty bad..  It will NEVER BE WORN without a top layer.

But...truth be told, it's stage wear.  And from 10 feet away, the ugly really isn't discernible.   So it will do when we wear mint green in choir.  And I was right...I was looking for garments in fabrics I couldn't buy and, well, that's exactly what this is...lol.

Will I buy more stuff from the Z people?  Um...maybe.  But I'm going to read all descriptions very carefully and not assume anything.

Easter Sunday had a rainy forecast...gray RTW jeans,  my light gray Jalie 2566 T, and the ALSO un-reviewed McCall's 6844 matelasse knit cardigan, that turned out to be borderline too warm for the building today. Dunno if the AC wasn't quite working what, but I kept pulling it off in the conference room, where I was working with some volunteers to get a jump on the data entry that always follows a major outreach like Easter weekend.  I actually attended the Friday night service, then spent the rest of the weekend services working on the data entry, when I wasn't singing in the choir. Bur I got warm, just sitting and working, so this jacket is probably not going to see much use between, say, March and October.  It's cozy.

So, to everyone who stops by Sew Random...I pray the blessings of the day would touch you!