Angel Two: Done!

It took 15 hours to make the cape, about 7 of which were neck-numbing hand sewing. I spread it out on a table, which helped but didn't entirely prevent the neck creaking. I put the cape on the hanger with the dress, then decided I'd put it on so you could see the hood. I'm about 4" shorter than Angel Two, so I had to stand on tiptoe and DS, who took the photo, is not yet sufficiently educated in fashion photography to know to look for things like a flipped up hemline. But you can get the idea!

Today's agenda: Determine what Dickens meant by his description of Bob Cratchit's wife as 'brave with ribbons'...leaves much scope for the imagination, doesn't it? Time to figure out what to do with Mrs Cratchit's dress...

Flying Fur

Got Grandma Cratchit's skirt done; she can wear a sweater under a cape for the parade and no one will be the wiser. So I have moved on to Angel Two's cape, which is from THIS Butterick pattern. It is mostly a deep forest green robe velour...the poly kind that just sticks to you when you get out of the shower. Feels really icky but the color's great. I did find fur, after all. The Hobby Lobby nearest me had just gotten a bolt of some kind of silky fur that is very soft. It looks like fur on one side and curly lamb fleece on the other. However...after I cut it and worked with it to get it on the robe last night, I looked like I'd lost a pillow fight. It shed little feather bits EVERYWHERE. I've got to take the lint roller in today!

I've still got to line the robe...I think. The lining is a grass green (only green they had on the dollar table); I didn't think it would show so I went ahead and got it. After I tried on the unlined robe last night(it's about 4" too long for me...Angel Two is tall), I'm not so sure the collar won't roll back a bit and let the lining show. Gotta make up my mind on that one today. Also have to add the trim around the edge...hand stitching time. Finishing it could yet be an all-day project.

I try to remember to take in the camera and take a picture of the whole thing today.

DeTails on De Coat

Ok, so no tails anywhere to be found; while at church yesterday I picked up the little bundle of scraps left from the jacket that we'd folded together and held on to, thinking it could make good patches on Cratchit garments. I was hoping to find enough fabric to piece together to make the tails, but at least I knew I could use a scrap for matching the fabric if I had to go buy more. But...folded in with the scraps...there were the tails! One of the other sewing ladies and I had team-cut the jacket, so I don't know which of us folded it up. Doesn't matter -- I was just glad to see them! I got them lined and attached yesterday; all I have left to do is put on 6 buttonholes and I can hand it off to Mr Sewing Cast Member to finish up.

But, just for the record, I did switch out the trash can in the sewing nook; I now have a trash can with a lid on it in there. ;)

Missing DeTails

I worked hard yesterday. Put the lining together, got the lining into the jacket and hung the jacket up to make the tails. And hit a brick wall. I had the lining for the tails, but the tail pieces themselves were AWOL. I tore my sewing nook apart and still no tails. Either a) I took them back to church by mistake or b) they fell into the trash can which, having not been emptied since we moved into the house in July, was overflowing and I had DS empty it about a week and a half ago. So if they fell in there, they're gone. I'm hoping to find them at church, but I suspect they've gone to the city incinerator.

The irony is that I happened to glance at the trash can before it was emptied, noted its proximity to the serger table and thought, "It would be really easy for something to fall in there and I wouldn't know it." But there's no other space for it, so I told myself I needed to be careful about what gets left where....

The fabric came from the dollar table at Wally World; I'm already praying that there is one yard left.

I spent the rest of the day boning my bodice, so it wasn't time lost. Just not spent on what I had planned.

Back to the Machines

Well, the turkey dinner was scrumtious, the tree is up and trimmed...it's time to get sewing again. Today's agenda is simply to get the lining in, tails on, and buttonholes made in the Victorian Gentleman's Jacket, Butterick 3648. If I can get it done to the handwork, I can give it to fellow castmember and sometime sewing gentleman at church tomorrow and he'll finish it. He bought the fabric; it's his jacket anyway. I've got the jacket shell finished and shoulder pads in; I have hopes of getting it done today. I'll post a review and a photo when the two of us jointly have finished it out!

No Shopping Here

There are those who love to shop today; more power to you. As it's the only free weekend between now and Christmas, we'll be putting up Christmas in the house while we nibble leftover turkey.

I'm hoping to do a little sewing on either the costume jacket I'm to have done to the handwork by Sunday or my own dress bodice, but the holidays approacheth and the sewing's got to give way now and then or the family revolts ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

DH did fine yesterday; I got Young Ebenezer's hat and Bob Cratchit's jacket patched. Didn't finish with all the turkey prep until 1 AM, though...short night! But it's nice to have the turkey deboned and carcase rendered and disposed of before the major cooking marathon begins. But it's just us'ns today, so we'll just eat when I get it ready. No rush. I have much for which to be thankful and I intend to enjoy the day. :D
Anyway, I'm off to bake pies and chop potatoes and tear stale bread with the Macy's parade in the background. I wish everyone good food, good fellowship and much contentment.

Hand Sewing Today

Well, DH is scheduled for one of those 'Oh-you're-past-50-we-must-check-things' invasive health maintenance procedures today; I've got Bob Cratchit's moth eaten jacket and Schoolboy Scrooge's moth eaten hat to patch and repair with needle and thread whilst I wait around with his stuff. The trick is to patch the holes so they look patched, but neat. As usual, I'll be making it up as I go along.

And sometime today I've got to cook a turkey, too.

Schedule Lessons

I've learned something this year; we shouldn't take on custom costume projects after September 1, or at least after the cast is set. There have only been a couple of folks who have brought in fabric and asked for their own costume, which is ok and I don't mind doing it, but it has thrown us off just a bit. But, since one of those people is me I'm going to have to include myself in the 'do it early or don't do it' list.


My dress from last year was just too short waisted. Last year, I was happy enough to have it done and wearable that I ignored the short waist issue, but when I pulled it out of storage in October and tried it on I realized it was going to bug me no end. If you look closely at the photo, you can even see the waistline seam above the belt. Sigh. Not good. So,I found some sort-of coordinating fabric (depends on how the light hits it), took the skirt off the dress, removed the center front panel and replaced it with a panel of the new fabric,cut off the hem allowance and replaced that with a horsehair braid facing. I used the hem allowance to make a waistband for the skirt and then had half a dress. Sunday I finally got a new bodice cut out of the salvaged front panel; it JUST fit. I will need a Bertha collar from the new fabric to pull the skirt and top together a little better, but fortunately the Belle dress pattern includes a Bertha collar (which I'll use for at least one other dress besides mine). That, and the jacket I mentioned in the Band Aid entry comprise my Thanksgiving weekend sewing, when I'm not cooking or eating, of course!

But I intend to announce to everyone that, if they desire their own costume for either Scrooge or the Easter production (that's Biblical costumes), I'll be happy to make them...in June and July.

Parade Priorities

The parade entry will feature the Cratchet family, Angel 2, Scrooge and perhaps one or two townspeople on a float with about ten or so townspeople walking, mingling with the crowd along the route. So that has determined my sewing priority for the little bit I will do this week and all of next week. Grandma Cratchet, having no costume at all, is at the top of the list. If I can at least get the skirt portion of her dress done, she can wear a blouse and a cape w/bonnet and no one will really know the bodice and pelerine are still not done. Miss M sewed the hooks and eyes on the back of the bridal dress to bustle the train up out of the way, so Angel 2's dress is finished...but I still have to find the fake fur trim for her cape. I'll probably go looking at the Hancock's on the other side of town, then check Hobby Lobby. The Hancock's by me did not have white fur in a large enough (2 1/2 yds) piece. There has to be some, somewhere in Huntsville...right?

Please Pass the Humble Pie

Today's lesson is from Rom. 2:1c, NIV "...you who pass judgment do the same things."

Bloomer party yesterday; we (a crew of 6) made 12 pairs of bloomers, plus a couple extra 'false bloomers' (I'll 'splain that later). Now, we had just kind of estimated the amount of fabric we'd need, not knowing when we went shopping exactly how many pairs we needed or how big they were to be. And we came up short of fabric on the last pair. So, we pulled some eyelet-looking fabric out of the remnants from last year and cut the last pair. Since the fabric was so fancy, we decided to make these Schoolgirl Belle's bloomers and put multiple rows of lace on them, so we left sewing them for last, so we'd know how much lace we could use. After much squinting at the embroidery and discussion between those who needed reading glasses but didn't have them handy (um, that being me), younger eyes prevailed and we marked the 'outside' sides as the wrong side. One of the other ladies started putting the lace on them...one row on each leg, then two rows on each leg, and so on. The plan was to put all the lace we could on them; after all, according to our script Belle's family was somewhat wealthy (I know that's not the case in the original story, but this is a based-on deal). Anyway, the lady who started it had to leave before she was finished, so I took over. Put the rest of the lace (a total of five rows) on, sewed up the inseams and proceeded to *try* to sew the crotch seam. Whoops. One leg had been trimmed wrong-side-up. I grumbled, I sighed, I found someone who preferred ripping to sewing and got her to unstitch it all while I started another project. When she was finished taking it apart, I carefully compared the untrimmed flat leg to the correct trimmed and finished leg, marked the wrong side and put on the first row of lace, then handed it off to another volunteer, who put the rest of the lace on it. I sewed up the inseam, put them together to sew the crotch and discovered that (you guessed it)we had two left legs. It was sewn with the wrong side out AGAIN...and this time it was MY fault. How could I have done that? I have no idea. Arg!!!

Before we took it apart again, we all looked at it and pinned an "X" on the wrong side of the fabric. Once more, from the top, with feeling... Before I sewed the first row of lace back on, we checked it again. Held my breath while I sewed, but the third time was the charm. Whew!

I repent me of the grumbles and the sighs.

After that, we checked the bloomers off against the costumes and discovered that we were two pairs short...two of the girls were listed on another list, but not the one we were working from. And we were out of fabric. So our solution was to make two pairs of false pantalets...tubes w/elastic at the top and one row of lace (we had enough remnants of other pieces) at the bottom. Under the long skirts, no one will be able to tell they don't go any higher than the knees. Ah, costuming is such great 'outside the box thinking' exercise.

But we did get bloomers for everyone! That's a biggie down!

Bloomer Party

We're going to try to get 12 pairs of girls bloomers made today from ironing the yardage to finished product. Miss A and Miss M, my costuming co-conspirators, will join me, of course, but there are about three or four other ladies who have also indicated they will come. It's a stack-and-whack and sit-and-sew; hopefully we'll get 'em done.

Wouldn't you know, there are about 4 other things going on at church today...we're heading in Very Early to hopefully snag enough tables that we can have at least two cutting stations.

And for some strange reason I stayed up WAY late re-reading (well, skimming) Dune. I kept asking myself, 'Why don't you go to bed?' but I didn't have a good answer. The best I could come up with is that it was nice to have some free chill time...even if it was when I could have been profitably sleeping. So it may be a sit-and-YAWN-and-sew-and-YAWN for me.

Band Aid Time

I have a poster I got from Nancy's Notions somewhere in the neigborhood of 10 years ago featuring the 'Sew A Holic' - Y'know, one of those ditzy things with labels. Now, the hat wrapped w/my favorite fabric and the skirt with the button motif will probably never appear on my body, but the rest of the poster...sigh. One thing that was labeled was the Band Aid on the finger. Always. I just ditched one day before yesterday, then yesterday...

Fitting a jacket on one of the guys in the cast, I had the shoulder pads pinned in. Somehow in tugging on the jacket to get it to hang right (it's not lined yet and was hanging up in places) I snagged my pinkie finger on one of those pins. Ripped her good. The guy I was fitting (who actually sews a bit himself and is going to do all the finish handwork on his jacket for me, bless him) heard the pin catch and tried to lean with the motion so I wouldn't stab it too badly, but the damage was already done. Ouch. Since it was a rip and not just a stick, it bled like nobody's business. So much for working on the Angel 2 dress, which I'd been doing before he came back to be fitted. I left it on the sewing machine, needle down, which is something I HATE doing.

I had one bandaid left in my purse; once the bleeding slowed I used it but it was time to go to rehearsal. Gotta remember to restock before I head out again today...

Um, Look but don't Touch, Please

I got four slightly-sewing-experienced Master's Commission students for 2 hours yesterday afternoon; they cranked out a good day's worth of tedious tasks for me and I'm EXTREMELY grateful! Big help! One of the girls sewed the small amount of sparkly (green sequins) that I'd pinned to the Angel 2 dress down for me; left the dress hanging on the end of one of the rolling racks that are now resident in Ye Olde Dresse Shoppe (aka sewing room). As I've mentioned, this room is basically a thoroughfare between rooms and it's smack in the middle of the area in which the girls have their Wednesday night club classes. All the girls who walked through the area had to stop and google at the dress. After about the fifth time it was handled and admired I finally wised up and moved it to the center of the rack, where it wasn't quite so obvious. It is (or was at one time, anyway) a sort of white dress, after all.

But it's kind of gratifying to see all the oohs and aahs...nice to know other folks think it's pretty. I've pinned on a circle of the green trim at about knee level on the front of the skirt; it looks a little better balanced, I think. If the director agrees with me, I'll sew it down and I think I'll put some of the sequin trim on that, too, but that'll be it. I don't want to overdo it.

The Heat is On

Literally; the cold front has gone through and our 80+ temps have probably left us for the season. It feels a little more like turkey and Christmas Carols now than it did last week...

Figuratively; the costumes need to be pretty much done for most of the characters by the first Saturday in December; that's the town's annual Christmas parade and one float from church will feature the Scrooge cast. I sort of forgot that until just a couple of days ago; hopefully I'll find out today who MUST be ready for that event and prioritize the sewing for the next two weeks accordingly.

There's still an awfully lot of work to do...

Sewing Exploits

To help battle the overwhelmed/panicky feelings that do crop up from time to time while working in the costume room, I hung several encouraging Scriptures about the room. One of them is Daniel 11:32b, KJV... "The people who do know their God shall be strong and do exploits." The dress for Young Adult Belle, Simplicity 5724 is definitely in the 'exlpoit' realm for me. The role of Young Adult Belle is double-cast, which means two different girls will be wearing the dress. One is a size 10 and the other is a size 16. Believe it or not, the skirt (which is a separate garment from the bodice) uses the same pattern pieces for all sizes, except for the waistband. The grading is done purely by gathering up more or less fabric to the waistband.

I've already modified the skirt pattern a little; this is pre-hoop, so I am not making it quite so full, and the tier of ruffles on the underskirt has been replaced by one deep ruffle. And I'm going to use an elastic waist treatment, supplemented with a drawstring. The good part about that is that I only have to make one skirt; the girls are close enough in height that we can make up the difference in shoes. When I first saw the pattern, I suggested using one skirt for both girls, but the (non-sewing) Powers that Be were not receptive to the idea. However, once I got into the pattern and discovered that the pieces were identical, I made an Executive Costuming Decision: One skirt will be made. If the directors are not pleased with that, I can always promise a second skirt...to be made *If* we have time.

I'm making the skirt first so I can fit the bodices over it. Boned and highly fitted. Yeah, definitely exploits.

Pattern Envy

Well, maybe 'envy' is a little strong...perhaps 'wistfulness' would be a better word. :)
I wasn't one of the hundreds who swamped Hot Patterns with pre-orders; I knew my late fall sewing time would be consumed by Scrooge and there just wasn't any reason to order patterns that would sit around and sing a siren song the whole time I was busy with other things. And, in all honesty, perhaps the person who will receive the patterns that I might have ordered will get them made up quickly and be happy. But I am watching the reveiws begin to trickle in and I'm wishing...just a little...that I had both a pattern and some time to play with it. Right now I'm leaning toward getting the Pirate Queen Swashbuckling Pants Suit and/or the Wong-Singh-Jones Sari Tuxedo Shirt. There are a couple of things in the Miss Moneypenny collection that really appeal to me, too, but I suspect I've got some things very similar to those already in the pattern stash. DH was shaking his head, wondering what the big deal is with these patterns, and my reply was that they are highly fashionable, which is one thing, but the really big deal, to me, is that they come in three size ranges for three body types. It's going to be interesting to see the reviews to see how well these patterns really do fit the body types for which they are marketed. Personally, I'm a Glamour Girl with narrow shoulders...I think.

Ah, well, something to look forward to trying after the holidays have come and gone and life has settled down somewhat. Maybe by then, the Hot Patterns people will have cleared out the backlog and be taking orders again.

Frump City

The fabric with the adolescent tendancy to argue had been brought into submission; I finished the blouse from it last night and wore it to church today. The blouse itself worked fairly well; I thought that fabric was just playing control games and I was right. However, a look at the photo I posted with the review on PR reveals a hairstyle that makes me look frumpier than any old blouse would. Sigh. It's just that icky in between stage; I'm letting it grow out so that it won't be so difficult to deal with when Scrooge hits the stage in a little over 4 weeks. (Deep breaths, Lisa, don't panic!). As soon as the show's over I can get it cut into something a little more fashionable, I hope. However, it has occurred to me that if I get it cut I'll just have to go through this growing-out bad hair season all over again next year. Maybe I'll just buy a hat and let it grow on out. Either way I'll be a resident of Frump City for some time.

I Get it Now...

Pants fitting has been an ongoing struggle for me, as it is for just about everyone who sews their own clothing. It doesn't help any that so many of the 'experts' seem to offer diametrically opposed advice, including some absolutes like 'never scoop!'

I'm sorry, I just don't think there are any such things as absolutes in fitting. There's waaaayyy too many variations in shape of the human female form. Since I've become, um, highly concerned (that does fall a bit short of obsessed, you know) with fitting, I've become a people watcher. There are women with huge cabooses and there are women who must surely sit absolutely on their hip bones. If a pattern was originally drafted for a flat seat, with very little curve in the back, simply adding on to the crotch point and the waistline is not going to correct for a fanny that curves. Ya gotta scoop it out.

Now, I don't have an excessive backside, but I apparently do have more rear curve than the average sewing Jane. My common sense told me that I needed to scoop the rear, but it didn't work. The resulting pants were always too tight at the low hip. I didn't want to add to the side seams; I had visions of jodphurs. So I kept adding to the ends of the back crotch seam; it worked...sort of.

Then arrives issue 122 of Threads. In it is an article on pants fitting. An excellent article, I might add, with wonderful visual aids (I'm wondering who made those teeny pants for the wooden doll models, but I digress). The author writes about scooping the backside and adding the amount removed to the side seam. Suddenly, I saw my error. I had been removing fabric from the curve itself; the recommendation is to remove the fabric from the curve all the way up to the waist..then add that whole bit onto the side seam. Bingo! No jodphurs! The addition goes all the way into the waist!

I think I've found my answer. Now, to find some time to make another pair of Oxford Pants and try it out!

The "AHA!" Moment

Someone on Sewing World asked what everyones 'Aha!' moment was in sewing...a realization that caused a paradigm shift. Some mentioned discovering the fit of European patterns, others when they realized they could cut between or outside of the lines on a pattern...my real 'Aha' moment came when I realized didn't have to rely on a pattern to tell me how to do something.

Back in 1982, I bought a pair of Liz Claiborn raw silk pants on sale and wore them for probably 10 years...until they really looked bad. They had the zipper in the pocket, which I just thought was the coolest thing. I looked long and hard for a pattern that had a zipper in the pocket. There were a few patterns that had a hidden open seam in the pocket, which provided plenty of room for entry but they tended to be drafty. Then one day it hit me: The zipper's IN THE POCKET! No one will see it! Who cares what it looks like!

I played with the pocket just a little, came up with a way to stick the zipper in it (no, it doesn't look wonderful, but who cares? For anyone who's curious, I've got a photo album of the process HERE), put a blue zipper on a pair of black pants and never again considered the pattern guide to be The Final Word on how to put a pattern together.

Which I suppose was the foundation for the waaaayyy out of the box thinking I now find myself doing to put costumes together.