All About Costumes

Happy New Year !

2008-01-08T11:45:00.000Z

It's been a great start to 2008 - I am still averaging more than one costume hire enquiry for each day of the year so far. Fantastic. Looks like I might be busy in the next few weeks.

Wig hires and fancy dress items over Christmas
Terry Pratchett Mort Props
Buttercup the cow is off on her travels again. Her second panto of the 2007/2008 season.
Mort costumes and Props
Oliver! costumes
A newly written play revolving around angels and devils

Unfortunately there are occasionally hires I can't help out with:- an Ali Baba basket big enough for a woman and a snake, an Edwardian boys suit.

Sleeping Beauty Costumes

2007-10-22T10:20:00.000Z

The show was cast, ideas were sown at a Production meeting - and it was time to begin the task of compiling a costume spreadsheet for everyone for panto. Sounds easy ? Hmmm.

DirectorBeauty had lots of ideas but wanted a zero costume budget. The two didn't quite go together as the people cast in the parts are not quite the same shape and size as some of the costumes so we finally agreed a budget and off I went.

DirectorBlonde has also given her input and we have a black, white and pink finale planned which will look FANTASTIC!

Luckily all of the items I have purchased have great hiring potential. When I say I though, I actually mean we, as Setman has been putting bids on items on EBay during the day when I have been at work - which means that half of the things we have bought are now in Somerset!! will arrive next Saturday when he comes to stay.

Purchases so far include a tailcoat for Churchill the Butler, Fairy dresses and wings, a shirt for Prince Albert, dresses for Belle including a new wedding dress, assorted waistcoats and black velour trousers in large sizes for boys.

Surprisingly there isn't too much to make this year other than a few ensemble skirts, two tutu's and the inevitable alterations on existing items to make them fit better.

It's all coming together very nicely.

Curves!

2007-07-05T09:25:00.000Z

Learning Curves!!!!! - It sounds easy doesn’t it – just four costumes to actually make for a summer show. How wrong can you be. The dresses are full length matt coloured in black, dark bue, light blue and brown. They all have white long, waist tied aprons to go with them, large white collars and white cuffs and are of an early American "colonial" style.

Girl came round last Saturday afternoon and having devoured hot rotisserie chicken rolls we proceeded to cut out the pattern parts for two complete dresses for her and Calm Woman together with aprons, collars and cuffs to the strains of Bon Jovi and Nickelback. Girl has good taste in music. That or I have an equally poor taste. This meant that we were then way ahead for the first Sunday setbuild.

On Sunday am Neat Woman, Girl and I set up the "Witches Sweat Shop" in R1 at the hall whilst the boys turned their attentions to the set. Neat and I measured ourselves to work out what size to cut the pattern for our own dresses and only then did it become apparent that the sizes were less than generous. At that point Neat made the decision to start sewing my dress and I to work on Girl's dress so that at least they could be fitted to us as we were working. While all this was going on, Girl was industriously cutting out the remaining collars, cuffs and aprons. For someone who’s never done any dressmaking in her life, she’s doing a sterling job, especially as a "leftie" battling with "normal" scissors.

By 5:30pm we are all exhausted – no wonder Lucia thought I looked bad – I felt it!!!! In the midst of this both Neat and I had decided that the instructions were less than adequate. We'd both also had sleeve issues. There’s a dart on the elbow, one one side only. Neat managed to sew hers on the shorter side so the seams didn’t match. I managed to sew both of mine on the same side for both sleeves and had two LHS sleeves instead of one left and one right.

Lucia (Asst. Director Demon) joined us in the afternoon. After making several cups of tea to keep us sane she came and cut out all the interfacing. This coming Sunday, Neat is away for the weekend so Lucia will be bringing her sewing machine and has been nominated (in her absence) to make a start on the aprons, collars and cuffs ready for us to complete the dresses. Mrs Director Witch has been asked to bring her ironing board down for the interfacing.

Neat has just emailed me this morning. We had both set aside last night to sew and get the dresses to a trying on stage and we both had the same "issues". Gathering threads on the skirts snapping whilst working, pinning the right side of fabric to the wrong side so the seams are on the inside on the top and the outside on the bottom etc etc

I’ve said before that the cast would probably be very worried if they realised just how inexperienced I am at sewing and how much I fly by the seat of my pants. Well guys; this time I’ve managed to learn how to do darts, set sleeves, use interfacing and gather something bigger than an apron. Tonight I’m getting a zip masterclass from Neat!!!!!

Unsurprisingly – There’s still a lot to do.

Surprisingly – No one has moaned about having their costume made out of sheets from Matalan.

Very surprisingly – Everyone still has complete faith in me (I think!!!)

Thank god for Neat Woman !!!

PS. For the boys benefit…. Unlike Forum, I would like to hearby announce officially that the girls will all be sporting matching collars and cuffs for this show!!!!!

Movies! wrap

2007-05-15T13:28:00.000Z

Another show over. Three amazing performances by all the kids who were overwhelmed at receiving standing ovations, flowers thrown at the stage and calls for encores.

They all looked great in their costumes - but then I would say that. Wardrobe Assistant got to see the whole show from the audiences perspective and said that it all looked great. I saw all three performances from the wings, acting as Stage Manager.

I've learned a lot in the last 5 months. Both about dealing with large volumes of kids, making large volumes of costumes how to make stuff and where to source stuff from as well as how to use a follow spot and Stage Manage (both jobs I've never had to do before but both very satisfying in their own way).

Less satisfying is the very large rail of damp washing in the dining room. It's dark and miserable and pouring with rain outside so the small costume rail from the hall is in the dining room groaning with wet T-Shirts, Chinese dresses and tops. Yuck.

Lyric of the Blog: " Gonna make it rain and rain and rain and rain and rain. For 40 days and 40 nights, soon there won't be another living thing in sight. Rain and rain and rain and rain and rain. Captain Noah and his floating Zoo !

Dress Rehearsal

2007-05-11T09:58:00.000Z

Tonights the night!

After nearly 5 months of planning, auditions and rehearsals the kids of CAST Academy all take to the stage in their very first show "Let's Go to the Movies!"

The technical rehearsal went very well and there was enough to time to run every song in full.

The dress rehearsal was fantastic. It was the first time everyone had been in their costumes at the same time other than in small groups trying them on so it was so exciting both for them and for me. I can't wait for us to have an audience.

Wardrobe Assistant was sadly stuck at home in bed with flu so missed it all but will be there tonight.

Nearly there

2007-05-08T12:07:00.000Z

Tomorrow is DRESS REHEARSAL .... OMG !

Luckily (with a lot of help from my friends!) we are there..just!

On Sunday, Wardrobe Assistant and her sister put the finishing touches to the last of the Oliver costumes whilst some of the kids labelled up the 29 costume boxes with their names and costume lists. Meanwhile Wardrobe Assistant Jnr spent her time getting blisters from scissors by cutting up loo rolls! - We'll she did ask if there was anything she could do for me!!!!!!

I should probably explain here that we get everyone to save the cardboard inserts from toilet rolls which are then cut into rings and have the performers names written on them and are slid over the hooks of the coat hangers on the rails to make identifying costumes as easy as possible. It seems to work.

Meanwhile Alice (DW) and I erected the dressing rails in the dressing rooms and Alice transferred all the costumes from the hall loft to the hangers on the rails and the pair of us labelled them all.

Last night was the Tech rehearsal for the show and although the kids weren't in costume, a number of them brought down their remaining clothes to go on the rails to save time on Wednesday. All of a sudden the show is upon us.

As I speak Wardrobe Assistant is STILL sewing buttons on the Pearly Queen outfit. She's SO sick of buttons it's untrue but it looks fab. I don't know if she's counted how many are on it in total yet. I think she secretly wishes she hadn't volunteered her Mum's tailors chalk to design the jacket. Once she started sewing buttons, she couldn't stop.

I'm not sure if she's been sewing them in her sleep or not though - apparently the lad who is playing "Dodger" in the Oliver songs, woke the whole house up at 3am recently singing "I'd Do Anything" IN HIS SLEEP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wardrobe Assistant definitely won't be volunteering to do "Anything" for me after this week!!!!!!!!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " I'll do anything, For you dear anything, For you mean everything to me " Oliver

Sigh of Relief

2007-05-02T09:35:00.000Z

The mermaid costume for Movies! arrived from Tampa in the post this morning with just a week to spare. Phew!!

It looks good so just hope it fits ok. After that there's only 16 sets of Oliver costumes to do and a Pearly Queen costume to finished and we're done!

Lyric of the Blog: " The seaweed is always greener, In somebody else's lake. You dream about going up there, But that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around you, Right here on the ocean floor. Such wonderful things surround you, What more is you lookin' for?"

Hollywood 2

2007-04-29T21:23:00.000Z

http://allaboutdevils.blogspot.com/ ...... Wardrobe Assistant and I were knee deep in fur and felt, making collars for the Lion King principals.

Wardrobe Assistant cut them out and then, once the neck holes had been cut I machined them, then she turned them right side out and sewed on the Velcro.... Apparently Velcro is hard to sew... Wardrobe Assistant had numerous holes in her fingers by lunchtime and was sporting at last one plaster by the time she had finished. Meanwhile, Wardrobe Assistant Jnr was threading elastic into trousers for me. Another new skill.

Wardrobe Assistant then made a start on the Pearly Queen outfit for the "Wouldn't it be Luvly" number whilst I manipulated the costume database so that each child has a complete list of what costume they are wearing for each number in the show, in order to be stuck on their costume box lids. Apparently, as I type Wardrobe Assistant is still sewing on buttons!!!! and you thought dedication was only something required to break records.

The one worry that remains is this week whether Ariel's mermaid costume will arrived from Tampa in time for the show. An EBay bargain which I'm assured WILL be here in time for the show. I have EVERYTHING crossed at the moment and will be staring lovingly or glaring at the office postie until it arrives....

Lyric of the Blog: " You want fame? well fame costs, and right here's where you start paying. With sweat " Fame

(Yes Wardrobe Assistant - and with blood too!!!)

Rags n Riches

2007-04-24T13:47:00.000Z

Wardrobe Assistant, Mummy Mermaid and I spent our evening ripping clothes and patching them up. We weren't enjoying ourselves at all, much!

I had hoped that we were going to be able to let the kids make their own costumes for Oliver but unfortunately I was let down with the old clothes I was promised from other sources and now it's too late so each child has been asked to bring their own shirt and trousers in for us to "Rag and Patch".

We were all very amused by the fact that we were cutting holes in clothes, making them dirty, sewing on patches of different colours and then folding the finished garments carefully to put them back in the children's bags!!!!! When we realised what we were doing we stopped and Wardrobe Assistant developed a way of quick crumpling by sitting on the finished screwed up garments instead.

I guess these will be the one set of costumes that we won't mind if we find them strewn on the dressing room floor, torn to pieces!

Lyric of the Blog: " Consider yourself at home, Consider yourself part of the furniture. We've taken to you so strong, It's clear we're going to get along" Oliver

Production Lines

2007-04-20T08:12:00.000Z

What team work! Wardrobe Assistant roped in Mummy Mermaid and Mummy Aladdin had volunteered to stay and help so together the four of us set up a white apron production line with Mummy Aladdin cutting out fabric for me to whizz though the sewing machine before Mummy Mermaid and Wardrobe Assistant pined bits together, pinked edges and sewed in ends. Wardrobe Assistant also had to do a mercy dash home for additional white thread as I ran out and the replacement bobbin wasn't arriving until 8:30pm.

Another five aprons made. Result!

On the down side, MD says that songs have had to be cut where they just weren't working so I will need to establish just what and alter the costume lists accordingly on what's still to be made.

It's clear that the level of enthusiasm has dropped significantly over the last week or so as far as the kids are concerned and just three weeks before the show, for the adults it's scary. For the kids - who knows. They say very little when asked questions but of course continue to be able to make 250% more noise off stage chatting than the do on stage singing.

Very frustrating.

Time Flies!

2007-04-17T13:43:00.000Z

3 weeks this week is show Movies! show week. Scary! Another productive evening but even though rehearsals have been extended until 9pm, the time still flew by.

I managed to get the two skirts which I'd made at the weekend for Nancy and Bess fitted for Oliver as well as Eliza's jacket and skirt for "Wouldn't It be Lovely" I also managed to measure the shoulders and necks of the Lion King soloists for the extras that they need.

The countdown has begun and all of a sudden I'm not more conscious of what's still left to do in the remaining time rather than what's been done and is hanging on the rails.

Lyric of the Blog: " Aow, so loverly sittin' abso-bloomin'-lutely still. I would never budge 'till spring Crept over me windowsill. My Fair Lady

Sunshine

2007-04-14T15:03:00.000Z

With the house to myself for the whole weekend, I decided to make the most of two days with nothing planned and get on with some more costumes for Movies! namely two full length skirts for Nancy and Bess for the Oliver songs and the numerous white aprons for 'Be our Guest'.

After a quick trip to Director Witch's house this am for a late summer show audition I braved the charity shops once more before coming home to set up the sewing machine for the rest of the day. Tomorrow am it's of to the car boot sale to look for 'stuff'.

Lyric of the Blog: "The sun is out, the fabric's blue. There's not a cloud, to spoil the view and I'm sewing .....Sewing skirts for girls!"

Aprons

2007-04-11T21:34:00.000Z

I've been a bit tardy over Easter. I'd had this huge piece of white sheeting, shouting at me from the bag all weekend saying "cut me up and make me into aprons".

It wasn't that I didn't want to do it, I just had to get my head around making myself a pattern from an existing apron and a sheet of greaseproof paper to be able to then cut out the fabric.

So; Tonight I made a start. Made a pattern, labelled each piece and then pined it to the sheeting. There isn't enough. Understatement. I must admit to having wandered into several very nice daydreams in the process of cutting out but I suddenly realised that I only had enough fabric for approx. 5 aprons by the time I'd cut out waistbands, ties and fronts. Bugger.

Back to the Charity shops and car boots this weekend to find some more cheap sheeting I guess. This piece cost £1.99, which isn't bad for 5 aprons. It just isn't enough. I need 21 in total and there's only 8 in the wardrobe so that's 13 to make and I've just cut out 5. I need at least another two single sheets or a king size at this rate to make them all. Bugger.

Lyric of the Blog: " If music be the food of love then laughter is it's queen" Procol Harum

Circle of Life

2007-04-06T00:42:00.000Z

Following a raid on Primark last Saturday morning, Wardrobe Assistant and I spent the first 20 minutes of Monday's rehearsal trying the T-Shirts and masks on everyone which they will be wearing for the Lion King segue. Out of 26 T-Shirts, 25 fitted their wearers and only one needs changing for a bigger size. RESULT! They now all have the performers name on them and are on hangers on the current show rail in the loft. Phew!

The kids all did a run through of the show on Monday night with all songs that have been rehearsed to date and all choreography that has been done so far. I hadn't heard the majority of them sing individually either at auditions or at rehearsals so there were a lot of great surprises. Some of those kids are really, really good! I can't wait to see them do the show in costume. Equally there are still a few numbers that need work and words that need learning. It's just 6 weeks to the show now.

The new Wardrobe-mobile made it's first visit to CVH on Monday night and was greatly admired. I'm sure it will soon be doing the journey on auto-pilot as Sven did. The CVH car park was his second home!!!!!

Tonight was a quiet night as far as Movies! costumes were concerned as wardrobe Assistant and I spent most of the rehearsal putting away from costumes from Mort which had been returned washed and ironed.

Lyric of the Blog: " From the day we arrive on the planet and blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen, More to do than can ever be done. There's far too much to take in here. More to find than can ever be found. But the sun rolling high, Through the sapphire sky. Keeps great and small on the endless round.

It's the Circle of Life And it moves us all Through despair and hope, Through faith and love Till we find our place, On the path unwinding In the Circle, The Circle of Life " The Lion King

Homework

2007-03-28T18:41:00.000Z

The Ploughmans lunches that we served for the matinee at Mort went down so well that I suggested we do Ploughmans for the interval of this years summer show and make it a supper night as we are potentially going to be doing two one act plays rather than a musical.

NO! I am NOT about to start a catering blog !!!!!!

Anyway; I have been tasked with finding and pricing up fabrics to 'costume' the village hall for two Rat Pack cabaret nights we are doing in June and to transform the venue into a 'club'. It's going to be just like costuming people for a show, but on a much bigger scale with a lot more fabric!

We will have round tables at this event as well as for the summer show, so I started looking into tablecloths. Disposables, vinyl wipe cleans, linen etc etc etc. I googled 'em, priced 'em and then checked out EBay. I like EBay!

And there they were!! A seller, selling 10 white linen tablecloths, 90" square, used once and in excellent condition for £8.00 each plus postage, or £108.52 total to be precise. I rang the Rat Pack show's Producer who said that he was happy to go with white tablecloths instead of black and had already had thoughts about a black and white theme for the Rat Pack programme. I emailed Treasurer to get the go ahead to spend the cash and then I emailed the seller, told him about the group, that we are non profit making and raised funds for charity and that we did supper nights, hiring in 10 x 4ft round tables and that I was interested in his tablecloths, at the right price.

The lovely, lovely man has emailed me back today to say that he will sell us the tablecloths for £75 incl postage and packing. What a great EBayer.

Solvent Again!

2007-03-27T22:35:00.000Z

Hurrah!

It may not have been quite as much as panto, but I still had over £500 to claim back last night at our "Paying In Night" for costumes, food, props and set 'stuff'.

Having paid in a group of us sat around in the bar and dwelt on times gone past and future shows & ideas.

So that's Mort finished which now leave me free to concentrate on "Let's Go to the Movies", the CAST Academy's debut show which is being staged on 11th & 12th May 2007.

Lyric of the Blog: " Money make the world go around, a clinking, clanking sound " Cabaret

Mort:- All over barr the ....

2007-03-25T18:23:00.000Z

...Washing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not that there's as much as there was for panto. Just four bin bags full of whites, blacks, coloured and oddments plus the dry cleaning stuff.

We spent today striking the sets, photographing and putting the props away, clearing the dressing rooms and finally, 19 of us sat down to Sunday lunch at The George pub behind the village hall at 2:30pm. The earliest finish to a set-strike in ages.

Today I also said a sad au-revoir to Sven the Volvo. My Wardrobe-mobile of the past 4 years.

Mort:- Show week

2007-03-24T09:51:00.000Z

I think it would be fair to say that although it's been hard trying to sell tickets, the show has been very well received. There's been the usual hiccups along the way, mostly but not all outside of our control.

The oaps loved the show. We do a free performance for Age Concern for every show that we do but decided to try something a little different this time as our other punters were having fish and chip suppers and offer the oap's sandwiches and cake. We knew we had 30 ish turning up, of which 26 had paid a nominal sum for the food. What happens; 60+ turn up and sit anywhere, so we don't know who's ordered food and who hasn't.

We've had great audiences, good audiences and an audience that poss nodded off. Not their fault but we started late, the food was delivered very late and when it arrived, orders were missing.

So here we are. Four performances done and two to go. Then it's the customary aftershow party tonight before we strike the set and turn the venue back into a village hall again, wash the costumes and count the pennies.

Mort:- The Final Countdown

2007-03-22T09:36:00.000Z

It was a very long, long weekend to get the set, props and hall ready for the show.

It all started at 6pm on Fri 16th with the usual nucleus of Production crew and cast. A Chinese, an Indian, two full cooked breckies and several bacon sarnies later .........

As far as the costumes were concerned, The dressing rooms were all set up on Saturday and all the costumes moved from the holding rail in the loft to the male and female changing areas and everyones boxes were filled with their socks, hats, gloves and extras.

That left me free to join in the painting for the remainder of Saturday and all day Sunday. There was still a lot to do and when the remainder of the cast materialised at 3pm, we were still far from being able to run a tech rehearsal. In the end we downed tools to allow the paint to dry, then started painting again at midnight when they had all gone home.

The same thing happened on Monday. Those members of the Production crew and cast on holiday for show week met up at the hall at 1pm to try and get everything finished. It wasn't enough time. We ended up running the dress rehearsal with one backdrop still on the floor and two unpainted flats. Again we picked up the paint brushes once the rest of the cast had gone home, finished painting the drop and flats (after tea and toast to keep us going), cleared the hall and hung the drop once finished. The remaining 7 of us left the hall at 4:15am.

We then spent the next two days trying to sleep ourselves right and carry on with everything else that needed doing for the show. We had sandwiches and cakes to make for oap night, tables and chairs to set out and dress, props still to make, the programmes to collect, the front of house boards to erect and in some cases had to get on stage and deliver a performance that night as well. It was hard.

A Funny Thing Happened .....

2007-03-14T13:20:00.000Z

Our group secretary forwarded me an email this morning which she had been sent.

It was an initial enquiry from a lady called Nancy from a school, enquiring if we hire out our costumes and how much we charge as she requires some for a production of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum".

I've emailed Nancy back and advised her of the hire charges and have sent her a spreadsheet showing all the "Forum" related costumes. I can also send digital photos to her of each of the costumes so she can see what they look like. I've also advised her that she'll need to cover the cost of shipping and insurance.

She's in Colorado !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " Stunning surprises, cunning disguises. Hundreds of actors out of sight. Pantaloons and tunics, courtesans and eunuchs" Forum

Masquerade

2007-03-12T17:55:00.000Z

At the Movies! production meeting last week, I was able to go through my various ideas for the remaining costumes and talk through my one remaining headache for the show with everyone:- the Lion King segue.

It would have been lovely to have costumed everyone fully for these three numbers but with a limited budget this wasn't to be. So it has to be 'representational'. When I started looking for ideas for the show I came across some amazing masks on EBay. They are fabric/velour and based on a headband and come down over the nose but leave the mouth area completely free for singing whilst still looking like the animals they are supposed to. The downside was that they were £7.99 each incl P&P.

On a "don't ask, don't get" whim I wrote to the company and explained that we are a new group and that I am costuming the show on a very limited budget and Hey Presto, they agreed to a one off payment bringing the total price down to £3.99 per mask incl VAT and P&P. Fantastic!

So now the kids will all be wearing Lion, Tiger, Zebra, Elephant and Monkey masks with appropriate coloured T-Shirts and black trousers. It's still going to be the most expensive bit of the show, but it will be worth it for the effect and we are also using the monkey masks for the Jungle Book songs as well.

Lyric of the Blog: "Masquerade! Paper faces on parade . . .Masquerade! Hide your face, so the world will never find you! Masquerade! Every face a different shade . . .Masquerade! Look around -there's another mask behind you!" Phantom of the Opera

Reunions

2007-03-11T18:32:00.000Z

It's been a costume free few days. I went 'home' to my parents for the weekend as the group I belonged to had their 20th anniversary reunion and 'do'. A chance to catch up with old friends.

Whilst there, Mum questioned me on Movies! and then spent the next hour of so rummaging in drawers, suitcases and boxes in the spare rooms and I have come home with;

White cotton to make aprons for 'Be our Guest'
Some trousers for someone for Oliver
A huge tub of white and pearl buttons for the pearly queen outfit I want to make.

It'll all help keep the budget to a minimum for the show. Unfortunately Mum's church are having a jumble sale the day of the final performances of Mort otherwise I probably could have got her to keep stuff back for me from that as well. I must start checking the local papers for such things.....

Dad meanwhile has been very busy for me as he bought himself a wood lathe before Christmas. I therefore decided he needed some practice on it and nominated him for the job of turning the ends for the hour glasses for Mort!. They look fab and they caused great hilarity when unpacked as they were all wrapped up to avoid any damage, in a box, masking taped down with brown paper on it and string. It took setman 30 mins to unpack them. 5 mins to undo the knots in the string, 10 mins to prize the masking tape off, 5 mins to take photographs of said packaging to show me and a further 10 mins to stop laughing.

Think he's pleased with the hourglasses though!!!!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favourite things " Sound of Music

Rats Tales

2007-03-09T18:45:00.000Z

We had rats in Dick Whittington. Ok so it was only 8 kids in brown t-shirts, brown leggings with brown cord tails and masks, but we had rats.

For Movies! the rats will be monkeys, with a change of mask. The costume have been sized and assigned, however the tails were badly frayed so my wonderful Wardrobe Assistant spent last night repairing the tails so they wouldn't fray again and sealing the end with a lighter. The kids were very amused to see their costumes out again. Wardrobe Assistant was not amused at repairing them!!!! She was sick of the sight of them by the end of the night.

I meanwhile unpicked seams and sewed ribbon onto the greek style "geese" dresses that the 3 girls are wearing for "Zero to Hero" from Hercules.

Lyric of the Blog: "Look for the bare necessities, The simple bare necessities. Forget about your worries and your strife. I mean the bare necessities, Old Mother Nature's recipes. That brings the bare necessities of life" The Jungle Book

Deirdre and Lorraine

2007-03-06T22:16:00.000Z

In the words of the song ... "I can see Dierdre now Lorraine has gone" :-)

Mort:- Saturday Landlord tried on a pair of trousers last night that Tea Bitch had found in Portsmouth and they fit a treat. YES! Director Him (to use Mort Producer's names) brought down Death and Mort's black hooded cloaks which Director Him's Mum had made and needed fitting for length.

This means that as Albert's gold rimmed glasses arrived in the post this am, as of 11am this morning, the only costume left on the list is Ysabell's dress. Phew. This means that other than making sure that each member of the cast knows what they have to provide (many shoes and socks/tights and some ironing, everything is done.

I'm just waiting to find out what I've forgotten or what doesn't work. I guess I'll find that out at the dress rehearsal !!!!

Movies:- This evening I joined the group leaders and other 'extras' for our first production meeting for the kids/children/junior section show. A very productive night and everyone has gone away with tasks to do and a far clearer idea of how the show will work. Yes. It's going to be damm hard work with rehearsals, behind the scenes and on the show nights themselves. But I for one am quite excited by the possibilities and I know the kids are very excited about it all too.

The group leaders are now going to produce a rehearsal schedule for the remaining sessions and a ticket totaliser to get the kids selling tickets so they have an audience on the nights to see their hard work pay off. As soon as Mort is underway I can focus my attentions on Movies! and the remaining costumes that need to be made and purchased.

Lyric of the Blog: "We're all in this together When we reach We can fly Know inside We can make it. We're all in this together Once we see There's a chance That we have And we take it" High School Musical

Set Build 2.

2007-03-04T21:11:00.000Z

Another great days work. The usual suspects were at the hall for a 10am start and I bagged the same corner as last week and set up my two tables, next to the loft hatch, by the power point and more importantly next to the radiator.

Doorknocker helped me for the day, adding bands of fabric to the wizards hats to match their tunics, sewing felt lettering to Rincewind's hat and adding patches to Albert's trousers.

I added gold braiding to MC's black coat and did some running repairs on costumes then after lunch, set up the laptop in the loft and made a start on putting all the remaining Mort costumes onto hangers and labelling them all for each member of the cast.

This evening I have made Albert's trousers dirty. He didn't think they looked grubby enough for Albert. Doorknocker commented that it was ironic that the scruffiest person in the show was wearing Harrods trousers, something neither Setman or I realised when we bought them in the charity shop last weekend. We just bought them because they looked right!!!

I'm absolutely shattered. The day went quickly enough and I got heaps done but I've hit the wall and it's a good job there's not much left to do now. Just ribbon trims to do on dresses for Goodie and Ysabell, a pair of cords to try on Saturday Landlord when he's next at rehearsals and the four wizard tunics to iron now that they are finally finished.

Lyric of the Blog: "Sleep tight, baby. Sleep tight, let's call it a day. Listen to the lullaby of old Broadway" 42nd Street

Never before has a girl asked for more!

2007-03-02T20:06:00.000Z

My first letter went out to the parents last night, advising them of the basic kit that each child will need for the show; black trousers, white shirt/blouse, black socks, flesh coloured tights etc etc etc and included in the letter was a request....

One of my better ideas for Movies! was to hit the charity shops and ask them what they did with any clothes that were not good enough to sell on the shop floor. The answer is that they are sold by weight as 'rags' and go for recycling. The charity shops get a small donation from the rags removal companies.

I now have three charity shops who are saving me both children's and adults trousers, skirts, tops, shirts etc in muted colours such as browns, beige's, creams and greys. I've also asked the parents to save anything that the kids have grown out of as well.

The idea is that on one rehearsal night when the soloists are rehearsing, everyone will have a costume making night for the Oliver and Annie segues. The kids will all be allowed to chose their own clothes and then under supervision will be allowed to shred the hems of the trousers and tops with scissors and make holes in things.

I'm also going to take my sewing machine down and we can cut up spare garments to make patches which can be sewn to knees and elbows etc to create that 'scruffy' look. I've told a few of the kids already as the ones playing Oliver and Dodger wanted to know what they are wearing and they are very excited about the idea.

Lyric of the Blog: " Consider yourself at home. Consider yourself one of the family. We've taken to you so strong. It's clear we're going to get along. Consider yourself well in. Consider yourself part of the furniture. There isn't a lot to spare. Who cares? Whatever we've got we share " Oliver

One Jump

2007-03-01T23:31:00.000Z

Not a lot to report costume wise at the moment!

At the movies! rehearsal this evening I got 12 Aladdin ensemble dresses and 3 tops tried on and Wardrobe assistant then checked seams for fraying edges and poppers which were coming adrift. They all lok great, considering they were all made for adults and the only way to size them was to put a tape measure across each chest and give the smallest to the smallest child in the line and so on.

I also tried the 'Tommy' cat costume from Dick Whittington on the lad who is singing 'Everybody wants to be a Cat' and a roman tunic on the guy singing 'Go the Distance'. A good night's work all in all.

Wardrobe Assistant also came to rehearsals tonight armed with yet another carrier bag full of toilet roll insides. Just how many toilet rolls does Wardrobe Assistant get through in a week, and more importantly, HOW?!!

Lyric of the Blog: " One trick ahead of disaster. They're quick, but I'm much faster. Here goes, better throw my hand in. Wish me happy landin'. All I gotta do is jump" Aladdin

Budgets

2007-02-28T21:38:00.000Z

Not long after I had started costuming the kids show, Movies! I had a chat with the Director and we discussed ideas for each soloist and each song/segue of the show and any particular 'look' he wanted. I also got my budget. This bit wasn't 'up for discussion'. I have £500 with which to clothe 32 children for 27 songs.

I definitely need to spend more time with the wand practising my spells.

Anyway. It soon became apparent that I would have to be VERY creative to get everything within budget. Luckily the adult group has over 1200 pieces of costume already stored and catalogued in the loft and although the majority of this is adult sized with children ranging in age from 8 to 16 and every shape and size, much of the adults stuff does fit them.

Also; we have a large range of stuff, especially great ballgowns and special stuff which is far, far too small for the majority of adults who perform with us. BUT it fits the kids, ok some of it needs shortening but in the grand scheme of things this isn't an issue.

There are still a number of one off costumes we need to make or acquire, like a mermaid but using some of our existing stuff means that there is more cash available for the particular bits we need.

Lyric of the Blog: " I want to make magic, make every moment a surprise. I'll capture your senses in a spell, right before your eyes. I want to make magic " Fame

Exiled!

2007-02-26T23:11:00.000Z

I got told off tonight.... because the sewing machine was too loud during rehearsals. Oops !!!!

So; I banished myself to R2, closed the doors, stuck the ipod in my ear and worked in my own little room for much of the evening.

Royal Blue wizard's tunic is now half made. Just the seams to finish and neckline to do, then it along with Green wizard and Burgundy wizard can be fitted for length and hemmed. Nearly there!

Lyric of the Blog: " Close every door to me, Hide all the world from me. Bar all the windows and shut out the light" Joseph

For good!

2007-02-25T23:55:00.000Z

This evening, some of us got together at the village hall to view the Songbook gala concert which over 70 members, past and present took part in to honour one of our founder members who was suffering from terminal cancer. Ironically, instead of being guest of honour at the concert, Ken spent the 19th February 2006 fighting for his life and died just a couple of hours before curtain up.

It was an incredible few weeks of work to stage the concert including some 40 hours of rehearsals in under 5 weeks and one amazing night.

Lyric of the Blog:

I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led to those who help us most to grow If we let them
And we help them in return

Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you I have been changed for good

It well may be that we will never meet again In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me is made of what I learned from you.
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart

And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine by being my friend

Like a ship blown from its mooring by a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird in a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you I have been changed for good.

Set Build 1.

2007-02-25T23:36:00.000Z

Today was the first of the set builds for Mort. Cast pride themselves on their team spirit and the fact that we can (and do) turn our hands to anything and everything required to put on a show.

By 10am there was already a nucleus of people covering the floor with tarpaulins, dragging wood from under the stage and unloading the vans from the shed.

With a number of people available to paint and indeed at some points of the day, literally watching paint dry so that they could do the next job, I spent the whole day machining parts of the final blue wizard tunic, having shown the directors the bounty from the charity shop raid yesterday.

Much sawing of wood. Much tea drinking, much ironing of costumes done by Footnote and Woman in Street, much painting of posters and node charts and a bit of line learning fitted in between.

Lyric of the Blog: " I'm alive and I will survive, Show the world that I can take it, When I hit the heights, Put my name in lights. Show the world that I can make it by doin' doin', doin' doin' By doin' hard work " fame

Sweet Charity

2007-02-24T21:31:00.000Z

Anyone reading this, who also read www.allaboutdick.blogspot.com, will know that I have a very serious aversion to shopping. I write a list of what I need, go when absolutely necessary, buy what I need and go home. I'm not a window shopper or a browser at all and often make do with what I have rather thanspend the time going shopping for new stuff to make life easier.

Unfortunately browsing to get ideas and more particularly find bargains is necessary when you are costuming a show. I do manage to find a lot of bits on EBay but then postage has to be paid so with the first set build looming and opportunities to shop slipping away (shame. NOT) Setman and I decided to spend our day looking for some of the remaining items of costumes and props that we needed for Mort.

3 towns, 11 charity shops plus Primark and 8 carrier bags later we now have a costume for Albert, 3 possible costumes for Footnote as the hire we had hoped for didn't come off, a shirt for Landlord, and a big fluffy pink bunny for Ysabell.

I also managed to find some costume bits for the kids review Movies! at the same time and convinced another charity shop to save us their rags to cloth the kids for Oliver. More about this idea some other time.

Now all that remains to do is to pack up the sewing machine, costumes and 'stuff' that I will need to be able to work at the hall tomorrow.

Lyric of the Blog: "There's gotta be something better than this, There's gotta be something better to do. And when I find me something better to do, I'm gonna get up, I'm gonna get out, I'm gonna get up, get out and do it! Sweet Charity

Long week

2007-02-23T17:47:00.000Z

It's been a very long week of very, very long days. I've seen the wrong side of midnight on every one of them and had to be up at 5:20am each morning to get to work. According to Mort Producer, he's deduced that I am, in fact, a witch. Read his blog entry and make up your own mind.

In favour of his argument; I can knit, I like wearing black, I really like like playing evil characters and some of the kids think I'm quite scary. I have also always wanted the opportunity to play the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz and with Wicked now on the stage and the amazing songs in it, Elphaba would be an amazing part to play as well. I could 'do' green and I hate water.

To argue his point and disagree - errrr. Bugger.... I'm obviously not very good at being a witch otherwise certain people would definitely be under my spell and I'd have done all the costume sewing with a wave of the wand. Maybe I haven't got the spells quite right yet.

Still: We had a very productive committee meeting on Wednesday evening where amongst other things we discussed the remaining costumes for Mort, potential costumes for the Easter Bunny Hop (disco) and the kids review, Movies!

Last night at the kids rehearsal I was able to assign costumes to all of the soloists for both the Aladdin and Jungle Book segues and just have the ensemble to do for each. My very willing assistant has taken away a dress to tack/shorten and a tunic to finish for me and helped get the kids changed last night as well, altering each of the costumes, moving press studs and ribbons as we went. Fab!

Tonight I am going to cut the remaining fabric for the last wizard tunic for Mort so that it's ready for sewing. Tomorrow during the day, I will be hitting the charity shops on the lookout for items we need for both shows. On Sunday we have our first set build for Mort and I'm hoping to get a few more of the 'bits' out of the way.

A lot to do but I suspect that the weekend will fly by!!!

Lyric of the Blog: "Time, time, finally we find as the evening sun descends. ABBAcadabra

MORE Wizards!

2007-02-20T22:30:00.000Z

Not of the costume variety and definitely NOT magical. Computer wizards....

Brand new laptop. One week old. 48 hours of set up and transferring files including all the costume databases and what happens. I get a F***ing virus/worm thing which I can't get rid of and have to restore the operating system, applications and data AND then I loose my last Norton licence in the process because it doesn't recognise that I've done a restore.

And I bitter.... YES! I should be sewing.

To add to that, I get into work this am having had no email, Internet etc etc whilst I do the system restore. I log in, get my breckie and settle down for the daily blog/waffle/rant only to find that my employers have decided over the weekend that Blogger is not a suitable site for their workforce and they've blocked the site. No more blogging from work during the day.

Am I bitter. VERY!!!!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " I must think calm comforting things, Butterfly wings, Emerald rings, Or a murmuring brook, Murmuring, murmuring, murmuring...look. I'm calm, I'm calm, I haven't a qualm, I'm utterly under control. Let nothing confuse me Or faze me-- [yawn] --Excuse me. I'm calm. Oh so calm." A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Sew far, sew good!

2007-02-17T23:27:00.000Z

Gold Wizard - Finally the torture is nearly at an end. All that's left to do now is the hem once it's been tired on the character. Yet again the process was stalled by running out of cotton. This sewing lark uses a lot of 'stuff'. Yet another trip to Creative World later ......

I've also had to 'make friends' with my iron. Apparently it's a seamstress's best friend. The books all say that seams should be pressed as you finish sewing each one to cement the stitches. I guess I have to agree and say that yes, the gold wizard tunic looks better for having it's seams pressed but I loathe ironing. Maybe if I call it pressing it'll be more fun. NOT.

Burgundy Wizard - This evening's project was to have the fabric cut for the next tunic, ready to start sewing on Sunday morning. I think I'm on target. Just. It's still Saturday. Just!

I can't do any more tonight. I have skinned knuckles from the scissors digging into my hand from cutting out the latest pattern and my wrist is now aching a lot. Despite physio following my panto 'incident', I'm still having great difficultly with some tasks including using pinking shears which I currently have to do with two hands to actually cut the material cleanly instead of just chewing it to pieces. Doing any one thing for any length of time causes problems and I just don't have any strength in my hand at all. Very frustrating.

Still; Trying on another 90% finished garment, even if it has caused more grief that the last two I've made put together is worth the effort.

Lyric of the Blog: "Joseph's coat was elegant,The cut was fine. The tasteful style was the ultimate in good design. And this is why it caught the eye. A king would stop and stare " Joseph

Be our Guest

2007-02-16T09:58:00.000Z

Although I was working on a wizard tunic for Mort rather than anything for the Movies! review, I decamped the contents of the dining room table including the sewing machine to the village hall last night so that I could set up everything once and work rather than do so at home and then move everything in time for the adults rehearsal.

Managed to get a few seams sown to the strains of Disney whilst the youngsters did choreography for their opening number which looks fab already whilst discussing options for costuming the number at the same time.

Meanwhile my staff!! (ok, ok very willing assistant) elasticated 6 pairs of velour pantaloons for me. God bless her!

Good news: Two of the singers for two of the songs have done a direct swap. Why is this good news? Because instead of having to find/make costumes for both to fit what they were originally doing, I already have costumes that will fit them for what they are singing now. Result!!!!!!

I continued sewing during the majority of the play rehearsals, other than when I was needed on stage and I guess will be doing so for the majority of the weekend to get as much done on the tunics as possible.

Lyric of the Blog: "Be our guest! Be our guest! Our command is your request. It's been years since we've had anybody here And we're obsessed. With your meal, with your ease, Yes, indeed, we aim to please. While the candlelight's still glowing. Let us help you, We'll keep going" Beauty & the Beast

All that glitters ...

2007-02-15T11:47:00.000Z

Is, in this case, gold satin frayed fibres from two sleeves of Gold Wizard's tunic on black work suit trousers. Oh dear.

Not a very productive evening. I still had to cut out the sleeve linings before I could start sewing and as the fabric is shiny and slips I did a test piece on the machine to see what would happen. At this point I suddenly realised just how much this material was going to fray as I was trying to sew it. Out came "Sewing for Dummies" and the sewing machine handbook to work out how to overcast the seam edges to avoid too much damage.

A change of machine 'foot' and stitch and a test piece of fabric later, I was sewing BUT I was having to sew every seam 3 times. Once to join the fabric and twice more to overcast each edge so that it will lay flat when pressed. By 11.30pm I'd only just finished machining and overcasting the 8 seams of the two sleeves and sleeve linings which now need the ends sewing in before I can continue.

This robe is going to take some time to do. I think I'll be relievd whren it's finished to be honest. The handbook suggests that "excessive trauma" should not be exerted on the fabric to avoid further fraying. Is this why I feel frayed at the edges after a trip to work on the train and tube every day ?

Lyric of the Blog: "And I'll stand there with the Wizard, Feeling things I've never felt, And though I'd never show it, I'll be so happy, I could melt! Wicked

Really Really Really want to see this show. MUST do something about it!

Beg, Borrow and Steal

2007-02-14T09:20:00.000Z

My first experience of costuming a show came exactly a year ago. The group organised and performed a very special gala concert in aid of Thames Hospicecare. Over 70 members of the group took part and over 40 hours of rehearsals went into the music rehearsals and choreography over a 5 week period to put the show on.

I was helping one of the other girls put together accessories that could be worn with a plain white t-shirt and black trousers to depict each song as there wasn't time to costume every number completely. Costuming shows usually involves being resourceful and this was no exception, especially with the short notice.

So; On Valentine's day evening last year I drove to Oxfordshire to meet a good friend from a theatre group there and borrowed some cowboy hats, top hats, feather boas and bowlers. The only problem was - the group I borrowed them from didn't know I had them !!!! (I didn't find this out until later although I did think it a bit weird that I didn't collect them from their costume store!) This involved the swapping of black bin bags between the boots of cars and ensuring that they were returned asap before anyone noticed they were missing.

Today is looking far less eventful.

Lyric of the Blog: " You've got to pick a pocket or two, boys. You've got to pick a pocket or two" Oliver

Good Night's Work

2007-02-13T09:31:00.000Z

All this talk about wizard tunics ...

Last night Setman and I decided that with everything else to be done this week, there was no point whatsoever trying to catalogue any more costumes and photograph anything as I wouldn't then have time to update the database and file everything. We decided instead to erect the show rail for Mort in the hall loft and hang the costumes for the show which have been prepared to loose a few creases without the aid of an iron. I was also able to swap the ribbons on the villager bodices from coloured ones to white ready for the show.

This means that I can start to see what's still left to buy/make AND also gives us an empty box to put all the props acquired/made for the show in one place. I also took a couple of things hope to wash/smarten up.

For a play, there's a hell of a lot of costumes, almost as many as a pantomime. A few people only have one outfit but a lot of the rest have 4/5 changes and there's 22 people in the show plus an understudy for the Saturday matinee who isn't the same size as the person he's covering for!!!

Still a long way to go but we'll get there. There's a deadline approaching!

Lyric of the Blog: " For all together, a team can weather, any storm they may go through. Yes, teamwork, can make a dream work, can make the greatest dreams come true " Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

A Wizard Tunic. Part 5. Fitting

2007-02-12T23:34:00.000Z

Was it finished. Well, nearly.... I finished the neck after help from my wonderful mentor and it got tried on three out of the four people to check the sleeve lengths and tunic widths.

Emerald Wizard - It fits. But then it was made to fit her. Just the hem to do but I will do all those together when we've agreed the final length for the three wizards standing together.

Blue Wizard - Needs a smaller size tunic but the sleeve length will be fine. This will have to be made last so the pattern can be reduced in size.

Burgundy Wizard - Wasn't there tonight but needs a slightly shorter tunic anyway and will probably need shorter sleeves as her arms are 2 inches shorter than mine.

Gold Wizard - Due to time restraints on stage, this needs to be made as a robe which he can slip on, rather than an overhead tunic. It also needs shorter sleeves as he will be using a hand flash AND it needs to be shorter so that he can walk comfortably in it without tripping over.

Tomorrow evening I will attempt to get the fabric cut out for Gold Wizard. I should be able to get this done in an evening with any luck.

Part 6. Don't expect this any time soon !!!!!!!!!!!!

A Wizard Tunic. Part 4. Observations

2007-02-12T12:15:00.000Z

Observation 1. I'm having to concentrate very hard and am getting completely engrossed in what I'm doing (and enjoying it). However, this means that hours fly by and I forget to stop to eat or make drinks. This might be good for the waistline BUT as I'm sat down most of the time, highly unlikely!

Observation 2. Sewing pattern instructions are not easy to follow. Probably why my Mother was so intend on telling me to read one and follow it. ... but how can you follow it if you don't understand what you are doing?

S0; I am now stuck and am not waiting for 2nd level remote support and back up (called Teresa!), a good mate who is a VERY good seamstress and mentor who will be able to tell me if my assumptions of what the pattern is telling me to do are correct or show me what to do!!!

Then, fingers crossed, I can have the tunic in a state where it can be tried on by four people tonight to check hem and sleeve lengths....

The supervisor, meanwhile, with nothing to supervise has decided that the aquarium screen saver on my new laptop is far more interesting than a dormant sewing machine.

A Wizard Tunic. Part 3. Emerald City

2007-02-12T12:04:00.000Z

Sunday am and I set up the sewing machine to actually make the tunic. I was going to cut the fabric for all four tunics first but decided I'd better make one and see how it looked and so I knew what I was doing.

The seams for the front and sides of the tunic were fine. I've not quite finished the back seam however as the pattern was supposed to be for a robe/cloak and as I'm making a complete tunic instead and I didnt know if it would go over someone's head without a fastening and slit on the back. Forward thinking. It's the only bit I did!!

Sleeves. I sewed the seams, I sewed the lining seams. The satin was surprisingly easier to sew than imagined as i'd been told horror stories about it 'slipping' on a machine. Turned the sleeve the right way to finish it and ....... Only then did I realise that I'd matched the wrong seams together and the sleeve aand sleeve lining didn't match. BUGGER. I had to unpick the whole of one seam and re sew it. One hour later ......

If learning from your mistakes gave you a univeristy degreee, I would have a first class honours degree. I guess I won't do that again.

Next: I ran out of cotton. And I didn't have any more the same colour. So I had to go out and find some. Which took more time.

Then when I got home, I finished the seams, got the pinking shears out and trimmed the seams to stop them fraying and made some tea. Only then, when I'd left the room and come back into it, did I realise that dressmaking makes dust. A fine dust of the fabric which you are working with. A fine - green dust. Everywhere.

A Wizard Tunic. Part 2. Cutting Out

2007-02-12T11:56:00.000Z

Being inexperienced, I still hadn't quite grasped the difference between the grain on fabric and the nap and how to lay the pattern pieces out to cut them, wasting as little fabric as possible, but making sure that each piece is the right way up so it catches the light correctly and doesn't look 'wrong' on the wearer. Not that I have an issue with running out of fabric!

I lay the fabric out, matched the selvage, lay the pattern on the fabric and went in search of my dressmaking pins. Not that I needed them, in the time it took me to go upstairs, I had an alternative object to hold down the pattern!!!!!!!!!

Instant removal of said object was impossible. Sewing pattrns are made of fine tissue paper and four sets of cat claws installed in one when you have to use the same pattern four times for four costumes is not advisable.

Having cut out the cotton for the main tunic (avoiding the paperweight's tail at all costs) I started work on the lining for the sleeves. It's satin and frays like mad. Very hard work. Especially if it's had a cat sitting on it and has gone 'static' and is sticking to you as you cut it!!!!!!!

Luckily, the supervisor (see also http://allaboutdick.blogspot.com/2006/11/supervisation.html) gets tired easily so decided to just go to sleep on the chair in the middle of the floor which I'd moved away from the table and
then had to walk around and step over to work

A Wizard Tunic. Part 1. The Fabric

2007-02-12T11:35:00.000Z

I've had "issues" making of the first of the four ... the rest should be a doddle after this.

It became obvious as I got to the till at the fabric shop that maybe all wasn't quite right. It did seem rather a lot of money for four costumes, but I wasn't arguing with the sales assistant who had read the back of the pattern packet, told me what I needed, found the colours I wanted and cut the lengths.

Only.... I have this suspicion that maybe she looked at the yards measurements for the fabric and then gave me the appropriate number .... in metres. I think some creative accounting and an agreement with the treasurer/show director will be in order as I am just planning to wear this tunic, not live in it!!!!

I decided to start with the emerald green tunic as I had cotton for this one so on Friday night, I started work..........

Some Mothers do have 'em

2007-02-10T22:14:00.000Z

When I last spoke to my Mother on the phone and told her I'd finished the cloak, the first question she asked me was whether I was following the instructions and using the pattern properly. Hmmmm. I bit my tongue. I had been offered a 30+ year old sewing machine by them from a neighbour and had turning it down in favour of a new one.

Not only am I gadget woman, be it in the kitchen or elsewhere, I am completely anal about having an instruction manual for 'toys' and will devour it from cover to cover so that I know what everything button and knob does before I start using whatever it is. None of my friends reading this would have ever guessed that about me, would you. Not!!

The sewing machine was no exception and being the first project I had ever made I was reading each bit of the instructions several times!!!! Understatement. I've subsequently bought a copy of Sewing for Dummies from Amazon as well as I'd had to google a couple of sewing terms I wasn't sure about.

Oh yeah, my mother. She just sighed VERY loudly down the phone at the time and said" I suppose you're going to do the same as you did with the knitting when you were a kid and go from knitting a garter stitch scarf as a first project straight to knitting yourself the most complicated picture jumper pattern they had in the shop followed by a 2 ply lacy christening shawl without a worry in the world. :-)

Lyric of the Blog: " Tie your Mother down, Tie your Mother down" We Will Rock You

Possibly actually not IN the show - but it should be!

Grecians and Wizards

2007-02-09T10:46:00.000Z

Movies! - Having removed countless, well 8 actually!, darts and shoulder tucks from a "Geese" dress it now fits the wearer. YES! One less dress to make. Well actually three, as I wanted all three of them to be identically dressed for their number. So two done which can have ribbon put on them and be finished and one that needs to be pined on the wearer so that it can be altered and finished.

I suppose I should explain what they are for really. Three of the girls are performing "Zero to Hero" from Hercules so I wanted them to look roman/greek ish. The geese dresses are long v neck white satin dresses which did have silver ribbon on them around the bust and will have turquoise for this show. The only 'issue' now is the fourth girl who is also doing a solo of "Go the Distance". She is SO tiny and there's no way any of the dresses which were originally made for adults will fit her. However, I've found the pattern which was used to make them so will have to try and find a remnant of some suitable fabric.

I also managed to do the alterations on a ballgown to fit the wearer whilst the kids were dancing.

Mort! - Worked from home yesterday, due to the snow so after I'd finished for the day, I braved the snow, which by this time was still thick but not yet refrozen and headed for the fabric store. Now I (hopefully) have all the fabric I need for the 4 wizards tunics. They will be Royal Blue, Emerald Green, Burgundy and Gold with satin insides of sleeves for a bit of interest.

Guess what I'll be doing this weekend !!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz " The Wizard of Oz

Fashion Design

2007-02-08T08:41:00.000Z

I went to the village hall last night as the cast of the play were making a recording of the play we are rehearsing for, to help everyone learn their lines.

We were chatting in the bar about costumes for the show and I don't know how the subject came up but I was reminded of my very first attempts at clothing design and making 'clothes'.

It was the summer of 1981 (I think!) and on Blue Peter they did a report on some students from a fashion college who had made their 'wardrobe' from both black and white plastic refuse sacks. The day wear was in black and the dresses in white. The end of the report centred around their stunning replication of Princess Di's wedding dress in white plastic refuse bags which someone was modelling.

That was it. My mate Sue and I were at the shops the next day with our pocket money and much to the amusement of both sets of parents, spent the remainder of the holiday making clothes out of plastic bags, staples and sellotape.

Yet again I'm left wondering if this will worry the cast of the current show I'm costuming!

Lyric of the Blog: " Put on your Sunday clothes, there's lots of world out there. Get out the brillantine and dime cigars. We're gonna find adventure in the evening air. Girls in white, In a perfumed night. Where the lights are bright as the stars! " Hello Dolly

Wizard Tunics

2007-02-07T08:18:00.000Z

Amidst the mayhem of the loft clear weekend, the pattern I'd bought on EBay arrived in the post for the 4 wizard tunics that I'm going to make. Hurrah!

Thank goodness for EBay and the Internet, I was able to research costume sewing patterns on the net and establish which one to get before I even left home. John Lewis didn't stock the pattern manufacturer that I needed but several online companies did and EBay have a good selection of both brand new patterns being sold through companies as well as individuals having a clear out.
Now all I need is the fabric. I have itchy fingers to start another project but the laptop is also on it's last legs so I may have to abandon the sewing to get a new one and transfer all my data before it dies completely as I'll be completely lost without all the stuff I've got stored on it relating to the shows.

Lyric of the Blog: " and everything we want to get, we download from the Internet" We Will Rock You

Cloak and Dagger

2007-02-06T23:02:00.000Z

On the costume list for Mort was a "Scottish Widows" style cloak with a big hood which Goodie Hamstring, the witch, wears. I couldn't find one to hire easily, there were none under £70 on EBay to buy and I had a sewing machine sitting on the table.......

So: On Wednesday 24th Jan I went to John Lewis and bought a sewing pattern for a cloak with a hood. Nothing particularly special about that, apart from the fact that I'd never bought a pattern before and never worked from a sewing pattern before. All I kept thinking was "lots of long straight seams, can't be too difficult can it".

On Saturday 27th I went to a fabric shop and bought black cloak fabric and lining. On Saturday evening I cleared the dining room table, lay out the fabric and pinned the pattern to it, having rung a friend and asked why I needed four of everything and not two. I was a bit confused.

On Sunday, I MADE the cloak. From scratch. ME! I MADE a cloak!!!!! I'm still chuffed about it over a week later. So chuffed in fact that I actively went to looking for something else on the costume list to make. So now I have a pattern in my bag and am waiting to buy fabrics to make four wizards tunics with big long pointy sleeves. I can't wait!!!!!

Oh Yeah. Here's my cloak !!!!!!

Lyric of the Blog: " Softly, deftly, music shall surround you. Feel it, hear it, closing in around you. Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind, in this darkness which you know you cannot fight. The darkness of the music of the night" Phantom of the Opera

A waste of two days

2007-02-05T18:18:00.000Z

Sunday am: Woke up, got up, threw up (several times) and then went back to bed feeling like I've got flu on the way but not quite. Shivery, headachy and no energy.

Monday am: Woke up. Didnt get out of bed on the basis that I felt like threwing up and if I did it might happen. Slept most of the day and still feel sick.

Chairman reckons it was the village hall dust. Setman reckons it was the doughnuts. It deffinitely wasn't the Cadbury's Fruit and Nut, that's for sure.

I didn't go to B&Q at Farnborough with Setman to get more boxes for the costumes.
I didn't do any of the alterations on the kids costumes.
I didn't get the fabric to make the wizards tunics
I can't go to rehearsals cos I feel too shite.

What a waste.

Lyric of the Blog: " To be updated when I don't feel shite" Me.

The Loft

2007-02-03T21:49:00.000Z

Some time ago 'we' volunteered to help clear out the village hall loft where our costumes are stored as over time the boxes and bags of both costumes, props and materials have increased somewhat. On a set strike Sunday, everyone who's been in the show at the time is usually too shattered (or hung over!) to think straight and stuff can get put away very haphazardly.

Last night five of us set too and emptied the loft onto the village hall floor into piles of costumes, props, lighting, village hall and residents association stuff.

After a fish & chip supper and a Krispy Kreme break everyone else started sifting though the boxes and assigning stuff to go back, go to the charity shop or indeed the dump. I spent my time moving costumes between boxes as having them all out on the floor at the same time and being able to access them easily is a rare occurrence. That done photo's were taken of further items and spaces in the boxes filled.

Today continued in much the same fashion with 8 of us sorting and clearing. Two of the guys cleaning the loft itself and rearranging it slightly to accommodate every one's stuff better before it all went back. Others did trips to the dump and charity shop.

The difference is amazing. The loft HAS a floor. It's far wider than I ever remember and you can walk down the length of it without stepping over boxes or down a gap barely a foot wide. How everything went up there before we did the clear out I will never know. A very good but hard two days work with everyone 'mucking in' (literally - the place was absolutely filthy) but with lots of laughs along the way.
.
Lyric of the Blog: " There's a light at the end of the tunnel" Starlight Express

What HAVE I started?!

2007-02-02T15:02:00.000Z

I've just had an email from Movies! Director or Producer Geezer as he is also known to say that he has decided to start an Academy blog to chart the progress of the junior section and their first show. Fantastic!!!

First there was http://allaboutdick.blogspot.com Noone knew about this until long after I started writing it. I wondered whether telling people who then read it, would change my style of writing as time went on. I don't THINK it did.

Then there was http://allaboutdeath.blogspot.com and http://allaboutcostumes.blogspot.com and now there's http://allabouttheacademy.blogspot.com.

As you may realise as you read on, there is a common link running though these blogs and threads. The fez's may not be familiar to you but the names will become so over time.

What will be very interesting is where the writers of these blogs attend the same "events" and how they write about them. Take this evening and tomorrow, for instance.....

Lyric of the Blog: "Tragedy tomorrow, Comedy tonight!" - Forum

Geese

2007-02-02T08:55:00.000Z

Actually 7 long white v neck dresses with a high bust and silver ribbon trim which were made for our 2003 production of Honk!

Take 3 girls aged 12 to 16 (four if you count the one that was way too small for any of them) and give them seven dresses from which to find ONE each that will fit them around the middle and lengthwise without being taken up. Easy.

Nah. No such luck. One girl found them all too big. ok. Darts it is. One refused point blank to remove her tshirt to try them on properly and only removed her jumper reluctantly after two attempts and a third who has an exceptionally broad back and didn't fit any of them as they were.

Three hours of removing darts and shoulder tucks and I MIGHT have 3 dresses that will fit.

Lyric of the Blog: "It's a poultry tale of folks down on the farm" - Honk!

Movies!

2007-02-01T13:06:00.000Z

Let's go to the Movies! is the review and very first show which our new junior section, CAST Academy, are going to be performing.

3 weeks ago, after loads of advertising on the part of the leaders, 48 kids turned up to fill 30 places. After auditions the 30 now know what they are singing for the show and I'm going to costume them! I have no desire whatsoever to get involved completely as a leader on a weekly basis but wanted to do 'something' so this works well for me as I don't have to go down to their rehearsals every week but can work in the background.

I would also struggle to commit to doing anything more formally on a regular basis as I'm not always home from work before 6pm and their rehearsal starts at 6:30pm. As the adults rehearsal for the play follow immediately afterwards, I'm buying sandwiches at lunchtime to take with me in the evening and eating lunch in the work canteen.

Tonight I shall be measuring the remaining kids who I didn't see last week and making a start on fitting some existing costumes.

Lyric of the Blog: " A whole new world, a new fantastic point of view" - Aladdin

Apron Strings revisited

2007-01-31T08:12:00.000Z

For the background to this story, you may as well just read the following.....

http://allaboutdick.blogspot.com/2006/11/apron-strings.html

Well; Father Christmas bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. Not an expensive one but a good, basic model that will do anything a beginner would want to try.

It sat, in it's box for three weeks after Christmas whilst I looked at it, read the instruction manual (twice), looked at it some more and eventually got it out of the box, put it on the dining room table and ran some scraps of fabric through it. Badly.

However; I'm costuming two shows at the moment. Terry Pratchett's Mort in March and a Movies review show for our junior section in May so there were things that needed sewing.

First project. Turning velour trousers into knee length pantaloons. I hand sewed the hems on these for panto but needed some more. So I took a deep breathe and did them on the machine!

Lyric of the Blog: " the bare necessities in life will come to you" - Jungle Book

In the beginning ....

2007-01-30T08:12:00.000Z

... it was a great (or stupid) idea, depending on how you look at it, at a committee meeting approx. 2 1/2 years ago. We'd moved the costume store from the spare room at a local association to a group members garage for a few weeks and a year later had to move it 'somewhere' to make way for a baby. It all ended up, some of it in a sorry state, it has to be said, in the village hall loft and I suggested that maybe it would be a good idea to catalogue what we had to save money hiring costumes when we didn't need to because at that state we didn't know what we had or where it was.

Approx. 10 people spent a day at the village hall with the contents of the wardrobe spread across the hall floor, sorting it into tops, trousers, dresses, hats, coats, dame and panto stuff then labelling up the boxes. I then took the 18 lists home and keyed them into an Excel spreadsheet.

Then some bright spark suggested that we size everything and take photographs of it all to that we could "see" what we had without getting it out of the boxes. A year later, we are still taking photographs. It isn't possible to take more than 50/60 at any one time and then once taken they have to be given references, names and cross referenced to the main spreadsheet. This can take 3 to 4 hours each time it's done. Last Thursday Setman took another 60/70 photographs and we found four items in two bags that we didn't know we even had!. What's more we can use them all for the current show.

Setman took another 60 photographs for me last night. We're a bit stuck at the moment as we haven't got room to move in the loft and need to start moving things between boxes where the same items occur in several different places. Maybe after this coming weekend that will be possible, but that's another story.

Lyric of the Blog: "Sew, a needle pulling thread!" - Sound of Music

Why?

2007-01-29T19:02:00.000Z

I should have thought of this ages ago. Dunno why I didn't really, but there we go. I've missed Dick lots.

As well as being Producer for Dick, our 2006 pantomime, I also 'did' the costumes.

When I say 'did' It was originally supposed to be more like "I'll co-ordinate everything and other people can make stuff for me" but it didn't quite work out like that..........

Lyric of the Blog: "A tale as old as time" - Beauty and the Beast