Ramblings and News

One of the bad things about moving is leaving all your good friends behind.

I left my friends a year ago. Then I spent several months in transition and most recently have been trying to get my own home decorated and in order. Basically, I haven't had much time for socializing. I've met many wonderful women, but I haven't made that "great" friend yet. Hold on. Let me rephrase that. I probably have met the great friend, I just haven't had time to develop a "great" friendship yet.

Alright, so what does this have to do with my blog? Well, since I don't yet have that great friend to share all my good news, funny stories, weird experiences, etc. with, I've decided to share them here. I've been brimming over with a few good news items and if I don't let them out soon, I am likely to explode and spill my guts to some random stranger in the grocery store who casually asks How I Am. So, to avoid the embarrassment and awkwardness that would surely follow such an explosion, I will instead spill my guts here, where I know a few of the friends I left behind still visit me.

Good News!

1. I earned my Teaching Certificate this summer! Yahoo! I am now certified to teach K - 12 Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). For those who don't know, FACS covers eight areas:

a. Human Development

b. Family and Human Relations

c. Clothing, Textiles, and Fashion Merchandising

d. Nutrition and Food Preparation

e. Facility Management, Housing, and Interior Design

f. Consumer Economics, Family Resources, Personal Finance, and Family Financial Management

g. Food Production and Culinary Arts

h. Child Development

I could teach any of these subjects. It's very exciting. I was sorely tempted to apply for two open positions in our High School District. One was Culinary Arts and the other was Fashion Design. Fortunately, my good sense (Hubby) kicked in and reminded me that I had already committed to other projects that would interfere with a full-time teaching position. Whatever. I'm just super-excited that I finally have the certificate in my hands!

2. What commitments do I have? Children? A house to run? Psh. Those are easy! No, my commitment is to JoAnn's. I was hired on as an Independent Contractor to teach Sewing and Quilting Classes. Aaaaah!!! Can you believe it?!?! I'm going to be teaching sewing and quilting. And I'll get paid for it! I'm on their calendar starting November 1. In the meantime, I am working on sewing up samples for display in the store. I'm also trying to time myself-how long each step takes to complete, figure out the order I'll teach the sewing steps in, what items should be sent home as homework, and all that fun stuff.

Sewing Classes I will be teaching in November & December:

a. Kid's Sewing 101 - Pillow Case

b. Teen Sewing 101 - Wristlet (a little handbag)

c. Sewing 101 - Pillow Case

d. Sewing 102 - Reusable Gifts Bags

e. Sewing 201- Fleece Vest

f. Sewing 201 - Fleece Robe



Quilting Classes I will be teaching in November & December:

a. Quilting 101 - Hole in the Barn Door Block

b. Quilting 201 - Mini-Quilt Coaster Set

c. Quilting 202 - Steps Through My Garden Quilt

The January/February Calendar will include different items, sent down by the JoAnn bigwigs. In addition to whatever classes they want taught, I will be adding a Trend class of my own...A Stack-and-Slash Baby Quilt. Again, it's very exciting because I LOVE sewing and quilting.

If you live in my town and want to sign up for one of the classes I'll be teaching, call me up and I'll let you know which classes on the schedule are mine. :) OH! And once a month, at JoAnn's Open House, classes are Half-Price! Next open house is September 12.

3. Hubby and I are officially Licensed as Foster Parents. We finished all the paperwork and home inspections in June, by late July we were Licensed, and on Saturday, August 8 we welcomed a 16-year old girl into our home. That's Right! I am now the Mother of a Teenage Girl! Hahaha! Can you believe it?

Last week I went to her High School to meet with a few of her teachers. Funniest thing happened. As Miss Q (our new girl's pseudonym) introduced me as her Mom, one of the female teacher's eyes opened big as saucers and her jaw fell open. Awkward! Female teacher, trying to cover for herself, then said "It's just that you look so young to have a teenage daughter." Haha! I didn't tell her that Miss Q was our Foster Daughter because 1. It's none of her business (I'm not being rude, it's a matter of confidentiality) and 2. If Miss Q wants to introduce me as Mom, then that's who I am. I told Hubby about it later and we figured for us to biological parents to a 16-year old, he would have been 18 and I would have been 15 when that child was born. Yowser!

4. All the rooms in my home are painted, except the Master Bedroom, Master Bath, Hallway, and Laundry Room. The good news is that Hubby, now free from "Into the Woods", has agreed to paint them himself.

5. After much searching and long debates with myself, I have finally decided which quilt pattern to use for my Sister-In-Law's quilt. It's called "Making History". I found it in the Fall/Winter 2008 Quilt Sampler magazine. It uses a Martha Washington star block and a sawtooth star block. Of course, I have to finish my JoAnn samples before I can start on SIL's quilt. Oh, and I need to make Miss Q a quilt and finish BabyCakes quilt. But at least I have the pattern for SIL's quilt figured out. ;)

6. My Sister V came to visit me and she brought her fancy hair cutting scissors. V was nice enough to give myself and all five kids a nice haircut. Hooray!

Bad News

1. The summer heat has killed my apricot tree and white hibiscus plant. I tried to save them, but they just couldn't stand the heat. :( The other fruit trees, hibiscus, and citrus seem to be coping alright. They just have to last another month then the weather will start to cool off.

2. I have been fighting a seriously debilitating ear infection. It has made my whole face, head, and neck ache and pound. It has made me dizzy and nauseous. And it has thrown off my already-shaky balance. As a result, I have many bumps and bruises all over my body from running into walls, posts, doors, or just plain falling down. I see my ENT for an eval tomorrow. Hopefully, he can get everything figured out. :(

3. Can tops hate me. I have a heavy-duty can opener for my year supply. It is fantastic opening #10 cans. It is stinky at opening regular grocery sized cans. It always skips and leaves two spots unopened. In my attempt to open one such can, I sliced my right thumb top clean open. It was awful. It sliced down into my nail. The length of the cut was about 1 1/2 inches, the depth about 1/4 inch...thankfully. Any deeper and I would have needed some heavy stitching. Yuck! As it was, I just lost a lot of blood as the wound spurted all over my kitchen. Later I had a lovely gaping hole on the top of my thumb that stung like the dickens whenever air touched it. I procured this wound just in time to fill out all the registration papers for my kids to attend school. Yay!

The next can-hating incident occurred only a few days later. I was being extra careful, trying to avoid injuring myself again. Psh. Totally didn't work! This time I sliced my right palm directly under my index finger. The can lid sliced clear through the skin...in part. It was nasty and did cause me great pain. Hubby has volunteered to open all my cans from now on. That would be a nice offer, if he wasn't gone so much working. I can't wait for him to open cans for me. Joe said he would open them, but there is no way! I'm too paranoid now to let my sweet innocent five-year old son battle cans for me. I need to buy a different can opener, but that would involve driving and what with my dizziness from the ear infection, I am avoiding driving at all costs. :(

4. I did injure my tailbone...AGAIN!!! It's not the same bone I broke in December 2007. That bone was at the very end of the spine. No, this one is a few bones higher. I injured it while trying to distract BabyCakes during his haircut. Cakes was swinging his arms about and accidentally got my chin. Well, that was pretty funny, so he swung for me again. Ouch. My face must have been hilarious, because he decided to use both fists to get my chin again. I was sitting on a little stool at the time. I shoved the stool back and planned on plopping my buns onto it, out of Cakes' reach, but I slid the stool too far back. Instead of sitting, I slammed the top part of my bum down HARD onto the tile bathroom floor. It was awful!! The pain shot all the way down to my ankles and up to my neck. And not just pain. There were also weird tinglings and then a kind of numbness settled over my body, so that I was still in a ton of pain but completely unable to move any part of my body. That lasted for several minutes. Finally I was able to move, so I crawled out of the bathroom and tried to lay down. That hurt even worse.

I thought it would quit hurting after a day, but no. So I went to the ER to have it checked out. The ER wasn't super busy, but was still a long wait. I had to be at the bus stop by Noon to meet Joe and the treatment for a broken tailbone is the same for a bruised one...ice it and take some Tylenol. (There's really not much they can do when you're stupid enough to hurt your bum. :-( ) Anyhoo, since the treatment would be the same and I needed to get out of the ER pronto, I opted not to have the x-rays done. So I don't know the exact extent of the damage I caused nor the exact bone I injured. But after living with the pain and discomfort for the last week and a half, I'm pretty sure I broke it. Hmm. Maybe I can go to the local imaging place and have them take an x-ray. They're pretty quick...

Funny thing about the injured bum: We have a young gal called in our ward to play piano each Sunday. A couple hours before Church started the Sunday after my accident, she called to say she was sick and could I please fill in. I explained my predicament, she said "Ah" in understanding, then asked if I could still play. I guess I didn't explain well enough. Haha! I did play for her, but it was a killer getting up and down off that hard wooden bench.

Luckily for me, it was healed enough by this past Sunday that I could still do nursery all right. Although, there were a few times I thought about walking out and begging someone to take over for me. But I stuck to it and we all had fun.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And that is the end of my news. Well, at least what I can remember. I was going to write about something weird that happened to me, but cannot remember what it was. Probably because I've been sitting down to long and can't concentrate when my bum is aching.

FYI I'm going to start posting my Good and Bad News occasionally. I need to get this stuff out so I don't explode to some random stranger and bore them with my life story. ;)

I AM VICTORIOUS!!!

I valiantly fought for many long months. Day in and day out I struggled, seeking any means whereby I might overcome my opponent. I studied battle tactics, invested in a variety of battle gear, and formulated many grand schemes. In the end it all boiled down to perseverance and determination, of which I have plenty.

During the final weeks of battle, I blasted nests numbers eight, nine, ten, and eleven. Casualties include one egg from nest and two eggs from nest eleven; their shells still litter my front planter. After eleven nests built and eleven nests destroyed, with nary a live chick to their names, the pigeon couple finally surrendered! They came back only once, to survey the damage and view their shattered eggs. Being the heartless shrew that I am, I quickly turned the firehouse on and chased them away from my house. They haven't returned.

At first, I feared they had found some loophole. Some trick in which they could sneak back into my eaves under detection. But no! (Unless they have magically turned invisible and turned their nest-building materials invisible. And if they have, that's okay because their poop turned invisible too!) They are GONE! And after waiting for four solid weeks, I think it is safe to declare myself Victorious! Shout the good news from the rooftops. My House is Pigeon Free!!! Join with me in celebration, for Today is a Glorious Day! Hoorah! Hoorah! Hoorah!!


Now if only I could get rid of the fire ants...

Simplicity Pattern # 5840

.

Pattern # 5840 is described as "Unisex Hooded Capes and Men's Fantasy Costumes". I used View B to make one of the Witch's costumes for the Desert Pointe Production of Into the Woods. This costume is the Witch's Cloak. It is worn during the first act. The material was a black stretchy velvet. Beautiful, but a bit hard to work with. The first problem was that the right side of the fabric was so slippery that when I put the right sides together to cut out the pieces, the material kept shifting. The material also had a good bit of stretch to it, but didn't lay quite evenly. So each piece, although cut at the same time using the same pattern piece, was a slightly different size.

.

The cutting problem was remedied by using silverware. Yep. You read that correctly. I dumped all of my knives and spoons onto the pattern top to keep the pattern piece in place while I was cutting. This technique worked marvelously!!! (thanks for the tip Mom!) The knives worked the best because they are flat and so hold things down evenly and firmly. But I didn't have enough knives to cover the entire pattern. Spoons were the next best thing. :)

.

.

Once the pieces were cut I ran into the another problem with the material. It shed!! Fortunately, it only shed from the cut edges. I had little black fuzz all over my clothes and the stuff kept going up my nose and into my mouth when I breathed. Yuck! Fuzz in the airways is not a good thing for my allergy and asthmatic self.

.

This costume was super-easy to make. The pattern was clear and easy to follow. There were only about eight pieces to work with. First, I attached the cloak front and back to a yoke at the shoulder seams. Second, I added the one-piece sleeves to either side. Third, I sewed the one side up from the cloak hem to the sleeve cuff. Fourth, I sewed up the other side. Fifth, I added the hood. At that point I could have hemmed the thing and been done. But since this is a fancy costume, I had a few more things to do...

.

My sewing buddy. He sat in my lap during the entire process. It takes great skill to sew with a two-year-old on your lap. And I have great skill! Hahahaha! ;)

.

.

Before I get into the extras, I need to clarify one of my sewing deviations. Head Honcho again brought me the pattern and material for this costume. I had a limited amount of fabric to work with. In order to get all the pieces cut from the black velvet, it was necessary to scale down the hood. I don't know if you can tell from the pattern picture, but their hood is quite pointy in the back. My hood has a smaller point and thus used less fabric. The hood is still large enough to cover the entire head and face when pulled down. Which is all I need the hood to do!

.

.

First extra, embroidered ribbon. I lucked out when I found this ribbon. Silver and blue on a black background. Perfect for my witch's cloak. Subtle, yet beautiful. I used the ribbon to line the lower edges of the yoke in the front and back, the sleeve cuffs, and the hood's front edge. I used a small zigzag on top and bottom to attach the ribbon.

.

.
After the ribbon was added, I hemmed all the raw edges. This material did not want to fold. Not at all! So I tossed the cloak into my sewing machine and rolled the raw edges to the inside as I went along, using a straight stitch. This technique worked fine.
.

.

Second extra, snaps. Toward the end of Act One, the Witch changes from an ugly, old hag into a beautiful young woman. She will come onto stage wearing her beautiful red gown (under the cloak) and her ugly mask. The robe needed to completely conceal the gown until the change. Then it needed to come apart quickly for the big reveal. Snaps were the perfect solution. They are sturdy when snapped together, a small tug will pull them apart completely, and there are no loud sounds when they come apart.

.

I used twelve black snaps, hand sewn in, down the entire length of the cloak's front. The first two are only an inch apart. The remaining ten are at five inch intervals. They are sewn in using a quadruple thickness of heavy duty polyester thread. Those babies aren't going anywhere!

.

Close-up of the top snaps.

.

.
A wider view of the snaps.
.

.

The third, and final, extra was pockets. GIANT pockets. The Witch had pyrotechnics she had to carry. Plus an apple and a few other miscellaneous items. She needed wide, deep pockets. The funky texture of the black velvet came in very handy at this point. I stitched the pockets, made of a black cotton broadcloth, into the inside of the cloak. One of each side. The stitching did not show at all in the front! It just blended right in. Hooray!

.

I used two straight lines to join the pockets to the cloak. To figure out the placement of each pocket, I put the cloak on myself and reached my arms into the opposite sides, gauging where it would be most comfortable and most easily accessible.

.
Front View of the finished cloak.
.
.
Back View of the finished cloak.
..

Close-Up of hood and shoulders.
.

.

I never got a picture of the Witch wearing this cloak. :( If you have one, please send it to me.

.

I did get a picture of the costume waiting it's turn backstage. Can you see it peaking out?

.

.

I needed a picture of someone wearing the costume, to show how it hangs. Rose volunteered to help. The sleeves and overall length of the cloak are intentionally too long. The length gives the garment a more mysterious feel and helps to hide more of the Witch's body.

.

.

This costumes turned out so, SO well!!! It was a super-easy pattern and the result is perfect. I would definitely use this pattern again.

.

When I saw the play and saw the Witch first come out wearing this cloak, the effect was magnificent. The Witch walked hunched over and this costume hung on her wonderfully! The black velvet gave a haggard appearance and the hang of the garment over her hunched form made her appear quite overweight. And then when she dropped the cloak and stood in her beautiful red gown, the difference was significant and breathtaking! It was complete WOW moment for the audience. I love WOW moments in plays. They make me happy! :)

Do's & Don'ts

DO get excited when Joe shows you the stuffed Kung Fu Pand he just won from the crane vending game at Peter Piper Pizza, where his T-ball team is celebrating the end of the Little League season. Afterall, it is an amazing feat to win a toy from those crane machines! Especially on the first try.

DO smile and wave as he runs off to play another game.

DON'T freak out when a little girl comes running to you, yelling that your son is stuck inside one of the games.

DON'T knock over any little kids as you race to save your son.

DON'T stop to wonder why Joe's teammates are yelling at him to hurry and warning him that his Mom is coming.

DO stop to wonder when (as you round the corner) Joe's teammates yell "Hide!", drop several stuffed animals to the floor, run off without a backward glance, and hide behind other games.

DO ask your son why he is lying in front of the crane vending machine.

DO NOT freak out as your son explains that he just climbed out of the machine because the crane wasn't working for his teammates and how that wasn't fair, so he climbed inside the machine to get toys for them.

DO NOT , I repeat, DO NOT, no matter how tempting it may be, ask your son to climb back into the machine again just so you can see it yourself and maybe snap a picture or two. Seriously! Don't do it!

DON'T laugh or crack a smile while trying to expain to the boy why it's wrong to climb into the machine and take toys, even though you agree with him that it isn't fair that the machine doesn't work everytime and that it wasn't fair that he got a toy but not his friends.

DO feel free to laugh about it later while explaining to Hubby.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 6/12/2009 AT 10:00 AM

Silly Things Said...

Joe has been saying the funniest things lately. I've been keeping track for the last month, trying my best to remember the exact words he used.


1. In the paint store, two men were standing next to us in line and started speaking Spanish. My son pipes up, "Hola! Uno, Dos. That's all the Spanish I know, but my mom, she is learning Spanish at her class and she knows what you are saying."


The men just stared at him. Dumbfounded. And a little worried. Hmm. I wonder exactly what they were saying. ;)



2. At home, I tell him he can have X snack or Y snack. He says, "Oh, you can decide. I'll take whichever one you want me to have."


To which I reply, "You're the one who'll eat it, so you pick."


Him, slightly disgusted and trying to be patient, "Mom, I am letting you pick....I am being nice and a gentleman. (insert slight growl) You. Pick."

3. He's been learning to read in preschool. I was having him read a book to me. After one page he groans in frustration then declares: "My brain is just damned."


Me: What?!?


Joe: You know Mom. Damned.


Me: Do you mean dam, like a beaver builds a dam? Or damn, like you will be damned to hell if you don't follow the commandments?


Joe: Umm. (looking rather taken aback) Well. I didn't know it meant that.


4. While having a serious discussion with me regarding how long it will take Heavenly Father to answer his prayer and send him a baby, I pointed out that he already has a baby brother.


Joe: Yeah. But he's not fun. He always gets in my stuff and breaks it and he cries and has poopy diapers that stink and he can't play ball with me.


Me: That's what all babies do.


Joe: (dumbfounded)


Me: And a new baby can't do anything but eat and sleep for a long time. You're very lucky to have BabyCakes because he's already two and can play with you.


Joe: Well... I still want another baby to play with. Anne can play with BabyCakes.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 3/4/09 AT 10:51 AM

Simplicity Pattern # 3782, View B

.

Pattern #3782 is described as an "Elizabethan Costume". I used View B of this pattern to make the "Snow White" costume for the Desert Pointe Production of Into the Woods. The envelope I used had sizes 14, 16, 18 & 20. I used a combination of sizes 16, 18 and 20 for the bodice, size 18 for the sleeve, and 18 & 20 for the skirt. Most patterns will have all sizes on one pattern piece and you just fold to the line you want. For the bodice, this pattern had separate pieces for each size. I cut out size 20 because you can always remove fabric later, but it is tricky to add fabric back in. ;)

.

The Head Honcho of Desert Pointe brought me the material and pattern for this dress. I this gold fabric as my main piece because it was the most abundant fabric. A red velvet was used for accents.

.

.

The bodice was made of three fabric layers: 1) The gold outer fabric; 2) A light brown broadcloth lining, and 3) A medium-weight canvas.

.

The corresponding lining and canvas bodice pieces were basted together along all sides except the bottom edge. Then I sewed several long tubes onto the canvas/lining piece. Into these tubes I inserted 1/2 inch featherweight boning. The pattern instructions suggested doing one piece of boning at a time so you don't mix up sizes. It was good advice! The way I "measured" the boning was to shove the entire length into the tube, mark the bottom with my thumb, pull the piece back out, and cut where my thumb was. Before I put the piece back into the fabric I rounded the edges on the top and bottom of the boning piece. I certainly don't want Snow White to get any sharp pokes!

.

.

The pattern called for five pieces of boning in the back of the bodice, two on each side, and five in the front. It is a very sculptured bodice. Haha! Luckily, the boning had some flexibility to it, so Snow White could still breathe. ;)

.

.

Once the boning was inserted into each tube, I basted along the bottom of each piece to enclose the boning. Then I placed each canvas/lining-bodice-piece canvas side down on the wrong side of each gold-material-bodice-piece. I basted around all edges of these sandwiched pieces. The result was wonderful! The canvas added a stiffness to the bodice that greatly complimented the boning. With the lining turned outward, the garment will be comfortable to wear. And since the boning is enclosed in the canvas & lining it does not show at all in the finished product.

.

At this point I hand-basted each bodice piece to the other. After the sizing mishap making the Steward's costume, I wasn't leaving anything to chance. I had Snow White come in-person to try on my basted bodice. I'm so glad that I did! The tummy fit just fine, but the bust and shoulders were a tad too large. Since I had only hand-basted, I just had to pull a few threads and Voila! Ready to trim and sew. I really do not like ripping seams sewn in with machines. It takes forever!

.

I didn't remove the hand-basting from the seams that fit perfectly. I just machine-sewed right over them. :) I should have taken a picture of Snow White in just the bodice. It looked like a sparkly, gold vest. She looked so cute in it!

.

Oh well. I did take a picture when she came back a few days later. By that point I had the bodice completely machine sewed and the sleeves attached. I had also added the accent fabric to the collar of the bodice and the enclosures.

.

.
A close-up picture of the collar accent. Pop A Collar Y'all!!!
.

.

To close the bodice in the front, the pattern called for hook-and-eye tape. My local JoAnn's didn't carry any. So I made my own. I searched online for some examples and found a good tip when making heavy costumes. They suggested, instead of hooks on one side and eyes on the other, alternating hook and eye on each side. The result, they claimed, was a stronger enclosure with less chance of popping open. And let's face it, girls' tops do pop open every so often when wearing fitted clothing. (One of the joys of having feminine parts.)

.

The pattern required 1/2 inch heavy duty tape with one inch spacing. I purchased 1/2 inch twill tape. Doubled it up to make it more durable and marked one inch intervals. I figured that it's facing inside so the markings were okay to make. Plus, they helped immensely with the sewing. After marking the intervals I got out my trusty needle & thread and got to work. That's right! I hand-sewed each hook and eye into place. Eleven sets bound tightly in.

.

.

Once the tape was made, the next step was to sew it into the bodice. I was able to machine stitch one side in. The other side required hand-sewing. My mom told me later that she knows how to make hook-and-eye tape on her sewing machine and can do it in mere minutes. I did my best not to give her any dirty looks. ;)

.

.

The sleeves were fun to make. First I basted the wrong sides of the lining pieces to the wrong side of the gold pieces. Then sewed those together with a beautiful piping in the seam. The piping was a lot easier to sew in than I thought it would be...thank goodness!

.

.

At the end of the sleeve was a ruffle in the accent fabric. The velvet did not fold. It rolled. So I rolled up the ends to hem it in place. I then gathered the top using a hand-stitch and machine stitched the ruffle to the sleeve.

.

.

The sleeve was open three inches at the bottom, plus the ruffle. This will enable Snow White to fit her hand into the sleeve. Just like any long-sleeved shirt. To close this, I sewed matching ribbon lengths that had been hemmed at the ends to avoid fraying on either side of the opening. I then tied the ribbons into bows. I am so proud of the finished sleeves! I've never made sleeves like this before and I love how they turned out. :)

.

.

Next up was to the skirt. I was so nervous about attaching the skirt. I just could not figure out how everything was supposed to fit together and still allow Snow White to be able to put on the costume. There was no way that the bodice allowed enough room for her hips or shoulders to fit through. And the pattern made no mention of zippers. I read through the pattern multiple times tyring to figure it out. I then searched online for any tips that other sewers could offer me. However, everyone else who's made this pattern made View A and that was no help to me at all. Grr.

.

I kept plugging away making the dress and it wasn't until near the end that it dawned on me how the dress was to be worn. View B isn't so much a dress as it is a Trench Coat! It doesn't close at all!! Except at the bodice. Hence the need for the underskirt. Duh!!! I tell you, I felt so dumb after figuring that out. I had to go buy myself a fish taco and some ice cream to feel better. No joke. :(

.

The skirt has giant pleats and lots of gathering in it. There are at least three yards of fabric in the skirt alone; all gathered in to a 35 inch waist. I followed the pattern guidelines to get the pleats in the right spots. The pleats took up most of the front.

.

.
And then the gathers began...
.

.

I hand-sewed the material to gather it up. I tried to use my machine, but this fabric did not want to co-operate. I did use the machine to attach the gathered skirt to the bodice. Because the skirt is so heavy, I used two rows of lines and a zigzag to bind it to the bodice.

.

I hemmed the bodice by turning it under a quarter inch twice-to bind the raw edges in. Then I used a blind hem stitch to bring the hem up to Snow White's height.

.

At this point the dress was complete except for embellishments. The pattern called for buttons down the bodice front, but I couldn't find any I liked. And truthfully, the garment looks better without them. I did find beautiful a 1/2 inch cranberry colored Gimp trim. The Gimp had to be hand-sewn in. But, whatever. I'm a master at hand-sewing!! ;)

.

.

I played around with the Gimp to see how I liked it best. I ended up lining the bottom of the bodice all around the waist and both sides of the front opening. The result was gorgeous! The cranberry color looks simply divine next to the gold. That's probably just the Sun Devil in me talking. ;)

.

Front View of the completed dress...

.

.
Back View of the completed dress...
.
.

With the dress/coat completed, it was time to make the underskirt. In accordance with the pattern instructions, I used the red velvet accent color for the "front" of the skirt. And then the deviations started...

.

The pattern wanted me to use felt for the "lining" portions of the skirt. I opted to use the light brown broadcloth. This is Arizona. Cotton rules here.

.

.

Next deviation, the pattern wanted the skirt top finished with 7/8 inch wide ribbon cut to the exact size of the waist. The waist would then be closed using a skirt hook and eye. Well, I'm making a costume that will hopefully be used again. So I wanted some flexibility available on the size of the skirt. My solution...

.

Quilt Binding!!!

.

.

The binding worked great! The ribbon would have only enclosed the outside of the skirt. The quilt binding enclosed both sides, which is good for the comfort factor. I cut the binding long enough to loop around the waist twice. It makes for a cute bow and give flexibility to how tight or loose you want to wear the skirt.

.

.

I wanted the binding to be durable and look nice. I used three straight lines. It turned out to be a cute embellishment.

.

.

Before showing the finished product, I have to include a picture of my sewing buddies. Both of my boys have shown a keen interest in sewing. Both insisted on helping me anytime they caught me sewing. Joe helped by pining, ironing, and giving opinions on how things were progressing. BabyCakes "helped" by sticking pins into every piece of fabric he could find. No worries though. I double and triple checked each garment for pins before I handed them over to the Head Honcho.

.

.

And now for the completed project. This picture is Snow White backstage on their second night. (She wore a black wig for the play.) She looks great!

.

.

But it could have been better...

.

I say that because I now think I should have made a bum roll to accompany this dress. The pattern called for one and I had the materials to make it, but the Head Honcho had a fluffy slip for Snow White to wear. Never having made this type of dress before, I didn't realize the difference the bum roll would have made versus a fluffy slip. I thought the slip would be fine. Mmmm. Not so much.

.

Fluffy slips make dresses poofy at the bottom of the skirt. This dress needed to pop and fluff at the top of the skirt. It would have framed Snow White's waist so much better!! As it is, she doesn't look like she has too many curves, and Elizabethan dresses are ALL about the curves. *sigh*

.

Oh well. The important thing is that Snow White liked it and looked nice for the show. And she really did look nice!!! But next time I make this type of dress, I am definitely making a bum roll! That's Right! I want to make those hips POP OUT!! Because we all know, super-wide hips are all the rage. ;)

Simplicity Pattern # 4059

.

Pattern # 4059 is described as a "Men's Renaissance Costume". I used it to make "The Steward" costume for the Desert Pointe Production of Into the Woods. This one pattern envelope included the patterns for sizes XS, S, M, L, & XL. I was planning on making the XL, but upon receiving the measurements for the Steward I had to revise my plan. He was a bit rounder than the XL called for. So I modified the pattern accordingly and extended many of the pieces by several inches. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

.

After getting the pattern, the first thing you need is material!!! Lucky for me when Desert Pointe's Head Honcho brought me the pattern, she also brought material. The pattern calls Home Decor or Upholstery fabric. This fabric was a type of upholstery fabric, but it was chintzy! We didn't realize it at the time or we wouldn't have used it. It looks nice, but does not hold up to the wear incurred when performing onstage doing mundane things like running from giants, serving the royal family, and killing loud-mouthed Mamas.

.
.

Also needed are a sewing machine in good working condition...

.

.

...and a comfy, adjustable chair. I got this one several years ago at the ASU Surplus Store. Due to the stain on the seat and a tear in the upholstery, it only cost $5 (or $15, I can't remember, it was a long time ago!) .

.

.

On the back of every pattern are list of other items you'll need: material, lining, interfacing, threads, and notions. The Head Honcho had provided me with buttons and thread. A quick run to JoAnn's got everything else listed. And then the fun began!

.

I feel the need to note that I have been sewing quilts for a long time. Sewing costumes, and clothes in general, is a very different type of sewing. It took me a while to get back into the groove of being a seamstress/tailor and putting the quilting-me on the back-burner. Every so often I would slip and start making 1/4 inch seams again. Fortunately, I usually realized within a few inches, so I didn't have too much to unpick. I ended up making a note with "5/8" written on it, to help me remember better. ;)

.
.
.

Doublet

.

The doublet pattern was a little tricky for me at first, mostly due to my quilter's brain confusing my seamstress brain. The first problem occurred with cutting. The pattern called for cutting on the wrong side of the fabric, with right side folded together inwards. Such a simple thing, but I had to call my Mom to make sure the pattern was correct. Haha! Quilter's always cut with right sides up. Isn't that a funny thing to get stuck on!!!

.

Cutting was also difficult because I was trying to figure out exactly where I should extend the pattern to accommodate for my Steward's size. His middle was 56 inches. I opted to add a few inches to the back center seam, a few inches to the side front seam, and a few inches to the front center on both sides. The result was a Doublet that was 60 inches around the mid-section and shoulders. I wanted him to be able to breathe! I wasn't as concerned with the shoulders since the sleeves are only attached to the doublet by ties and you can always adjust ties without major restitching. :)

.

This is the finished doublet. I used black broadcloth for the lining. I had a good reason for picking black at the time, but can't remember that reason now. I chose the broadcloth because it's just plain 'ole good fabric!

.
.

Here's the back. I'm not sure if you can tell in this picture that I messed up the nap with I was cutting out my pieces. I'm still not sure where I went wrong. Fortunately, the pieces went together in a rotating way, so the color difference looked like I had done it on purpose and actually added a nice touch to the doublet (not that I would ever repeat that mistake on purpose!!!).

.
.

Sewing this costume was a real learning experience for me. My skills and vocabulary grew tremendously! One of the things I learned to use were eyelets. I purchased a kit that included eyelet tools. The eyelets are what the ties that bind the sleeves to the doublet go through. One set of eyelets were to be placed in the sleeves, the other set onto little material things made from the black lining. I had a bear of a time turning the little black pieces right-side out after sewing them together. The black pieces are to be sewn into the doublet and after sewing they are only 3/4 inches wide x 1 1/2 inches long. My fingers just didn't fit into those tiny pieces! Oh well. I got them all turned eventually.

.

Before I put the eyelets in I tested them on scrap fabric, to make sure they would work properly and so I wouldn't ruin the little black pieces.

.
.
.
.

The eyelet went into the broadcloth just fine. The trick is to gently tap them in. Unfortunately, I forgot this trick when applying the eyelets to the actual sleeve. First, I didn't test the eyelet on scrap material first. Then I failed to remove all children from my working vicinity before attempting to put in the eyelets. And boy did I pay for those rookie mistakes!!! I tapped a little too firmly with my hammer and the eyelet went straight through the fabric...leaving a gaping hole in it's place. YIKES!!! I tried to tap more lightly on the other five, but that didn't work either. Funny thing, the eyelet stayed in the black broadcloth lining just fine (except for that first hole). It was the paisley material that I had problems with. Even tapping gently, the eyelet cut through the material. Ugh. I had six holes in the sleeves and was a bit beside myself trying to figure out how to fix my mess. I ordered my children to their bedrooms, laid down on the floor, took a several deep breaths, and came up with a few ideas. I then called Stacy, another gal making costumes, to get her opinion. She very sweetly told me I could come to her house right that minute and she would help me fix it. We ended up just removing all the eyelets and Stacy sewed button-style around the holes to reinforce them. It turned out alright. While Stacy was fixing my mess, she told me about grommets. They sound wonderful. I will definitely use those next time instead of eyelets.

.
This is the shoulder bill, shown as it will lay with the sleeve attached underneath. (The shoulder bill is actually called something else on this pattern, but I can't remember currently.)
.
.

This is the shoulder bill turned back, to show how the sleeve is attached. I tried using soutache braid to attach the sleeve, but it was too flimsy to hold the sleeve in place and the ends frayed all the way to the knot. Instead, I hemmed some ribbon to use instead. The ribbon worked great and held up with all the onstage activities.

.
.

This is a close-up of the tie. Notice how beautiful and lovely and perfect the eyelet turned out on the black broadcloth. And notice the button-hole in the sleeve. It turned out good, but I would have preferred to have matching eyelets. Oh well. The ribbon looks cute! :)

.
.

The sleeve itself was not sewn together all the way. It was supposed to connect with buttons and loops of soutache braid. Fortunately, I had the Steward try it on before I took the time to attach the buttons and loops. I had used safety pins to keep the sleeves together while he tried it on. Turns out the sleeves were a bit tight. If he were just going to be standing around, they would have been fine. But as I mentioned before, he has a pretty active role, what with the running away and killing. Instead of buttons I hemmed up some more ribbon, attached strips on either side, and tied them in bows. The ribbon made it look even better than the buttons would have.
.

During the try-on, we also noticed that the sleeve cuffs kept falling down. So I tacked those in four places to ensure they would stay up. The tacks also added a nice flare on either side of the wrist. Very cute!

.
.

I had another problem with the placard. I made the doublet so that it was 60 inches around, technically allowing 4 extra inches to breathe. The problem was that the Steward was 56 inches around his chest. His tummy was 65 inches around! That is a nine inch difference!!! I had fortunately not sewn the buttons onto the bodice of the doublet yet. But I had already sewn in eleven soutache braid loops. The plan to fix this was simple, since I had also not finished closing in the lining. I just flipped the garment and lining wrong side out, unpicked the the placard, and put a wider placard in it's place. I also attached eleven loops of soutache braid on the placard side.

.
.

I purchased a pair of brown 60 inch shoe laces to lace through the loops. I clipped the ends off one side of each lace then sewed the laces together to make one long lace. It looked really sharp all laced up!

.
.

And then we ran into another problem during dress rehearsals. The Steward was lacing himself in tight! So tight that when he later sat down, he popped a few of the soutache loops. Ugh! I didn't have time to fix it, so we just trimmed those loops off. The result was not great. Well, at least not to my eye. He, and the audience, didn't seem to mind. In this picture you can see the stubs of one loop.

.
.

I have the costume at my house to fix this problem (and one other). My solution? I bought more brown shoelaces. I am going to replace all the soutache loops with sturdy shoelace. And instead of cutting the lace into eleven two inch pieces (like I did with the soutache), I am just going to loop it in and out. Easy breezy!

.
.

Pants

.

I did not follow the instructions for the Simplicity pants, although they are beautiful. They just didn't fit the body style of my Steward. Instead of the fitted waistband, I went with an elastic waistband. I still used the pattern pieces, I just altered it quite a bit. :) After the debacle with the doublet measurements, I was careful to measure the Steward myself before cutting the pants out. In order to make the pants high enough on his waist to reach the placard (and thus not show his mid-section, because that is TACKY!), I had to extend the crotch to waistband area by several inches.

.

I followed my measurements exactly. But I forgot to account for the give and take of a round person. The pants reached the placard with an inch to spare, but I didn't have any room to add the elastic. Easy solution: I cut a few inches off the legs, stitched them together into one long piece, and attached it to the waist. I then folded that piece over and sewed it into place...minus a few inches that I used to shove the elastic in through. Oh yeah! Before I flipped it over, I turned the fabric under a 1/4 inch to avoid unraveling fabric.

.

.

Then, because I didn't want the elastic coming loose or any stitching to come undone, I sewed along the elastic seam one more time.

.

.

Reinforcing seams is always a good idea!!! Plus two lines looks very professionally finished. :)

.

.

This is how the seam looks from the outside. The above picture is the inside of the garment.

.

.

When I cut the material from the legs, I measured to make sure the Steward's pants would reach his socks. Again, I didn't properly account for roundness. The pants were a couple inches to short! Just two measly inches! Argh! And I had a limited amount of fabric, which I had already used up on the pants and hat. There wasn't enough material left. And then my clever brain kicked in. I had plenty of material leftover from the doublet! I extended the pant leg by six inches with the paisley print. And it looked fabulous! Especially when paired with the doublet! :)

.

.

I finished the leg with a thin band of elastic. Again, turning the fabric under a 1/4 inch before sewing, to avoid fraying.

.
.
I used a double line on the hem to mirror the waistband.
.
.
The completed pants. :)
.
.

Then I was tired. So I took a break and ate Cheetos. I had to eat Cheetos because they are orange, so if I spilled any on the fabric it would blend right in. ;)

.
.

And now to explain the other reason I have the costume back in my possession. The pants ripped in the back when the Steward sat down during one of the shows. They had actually ripped once before when I had him try on his costume. It was a tiny tear that I quickly patched. The patch didn't show because the doublet covered the Steward's entire rump. You can see my patch at the bottom of this giant tear, which also was covered by the long doublet. My job now is to patch this hole the best I can. Wish me luck! I will need it working with this chintzy material. :(

.
.

A little perspective on how big the tear actually is...
.

.

.

Hat

.
The hat was the funnest part to make! First I cut two big half circles (it was supposed to be one complete circle, but I didn't have enough fabric together, so I improvised.) and sewed them together with the lining. Then I hand stitched around the edge (hand stitching is much easier for gathering than machine stitching) and gathered the fabric a bit. The brim is made stiff with a layer of interfacing fused to the top and bottom pieces of the main material. It was pretty simple to attach the two pieces together. I sewed a straight stitch first--double lines to hold the gather in. I had the Steward try it on and wouldn't you know...it was too tight! I trimmed off a 1/4 inch all the way around and Voila! The hat fit perfectly.

.

.

I added single fold bias tape for comfort (and because the pattern said to!). I zigzagged a pretty little double line to keep the bias tape in place and to reinforce the hat-to-brim seams.

.

.

Then I added a feather. I trimmed off the first two inches. There was no fluff on that part!

.

.

The pattern said to cut a hole into the hat to feed the feather through! Are you kidding me!! I just spent a bunch of time making sure that this thing holds together and you want me to cut a hole in it! Instead, I whip-stitched the feather into place with four strands of black thread. It looks great and is sturdily in place!

.

.
Here's Joe modeling the hat for me.
.

.

This is the underside of the hat.

.

.

I didn't even think about it at the time, but when I trimmed the feather the white insides were left showing. I rectified that today using a black sharpy marker.

.

.

It looks much better now! Wish I would have though of it before the play ended.

.

.

.
.

Finished Product

.

This is the finished product...The first time I thought I was done! Hahaha! Please note that all soutache loops are in place and the pants are just a tad too short. When the Head Honcho first envisioned this costume, she wanted the Steward to wear green socks. It sounds good in theory, especially since there are some pretty greens in the paisley print. But in application, the green socks were too much. Your eye was immediately drawn down to his socks, instead of his cute smiling face!

.

.
This is the Steward backstage on Opening Night!! In addition to the hat, doublet, and pants I made he is wearing a white long-sleeved shirt, a ruffly collar piece, white sock, schnazzy shoes, and a staff. Even with the missing soutache loops, HE LOOKS GREAT!!!

.

.
I really am pleased with the overall look of this piece. It came together beautifully! The best part: the Steward was so excited to have a custom-made costume. He had cheesy grins even as I was tugging and pulling at his costume to make sure everything fit alright. His enthusiasm for the costume was really uplifting to see. It also encouraged me to keep plugging away. ;)