More Pictures...

Here is the villager costume I made and one of the rat costumes -

 These are all the chorus costumes in the dressing room -

Friday November 25

Last day on panto today making a floppy bow for the cat for walkdown, quite good cos I had to fathom out how to make it as well as actually making it.
Watched dress rehearsal this afternoon, good to see all the costumes in action...

Here are some pictures of things I worked on -

This is the dream sequence tunic I did all the hand finishing on.

Buttons I sewed on the fairy's cuff.

More soon...

Thursday November 24

Been a busy few days, with a couple of late nights.
Tuesday I finished off the dream sequence tunic - stitched the lining in round the armholes and hem, stab stitched the lining in the bottom of the sleeves and under the collar to stop it dropping, stitched on 10 poppas and 5 hooks and bars and 10 buttons - only took ten hours!
Wednesday was back to bits and pieces - decorated a couple of hats for walkdown amongst other things that gradually come up as tech rehearsal goes  on.  Later on helped with dressing the chorus and quick changes as it was their first rehearsal in costume.
Today we worked through all the alterations and finishing off bits generated by the chorus wearing costume last night, so elastic on rat ears and masks, attaching neckerchiefs to villager dresses and sewing up overskirts.  Also found time this afternoon to have a go on an industrial sewing machine, need practice...

Monday November 21

Today was the first day of tech week... first night is on Saturday!
Another day of doing odd bits and pieces.
The rest of the rat neckerchiefs had to be altered so they are quick and easy to put on, made two sleeves and lining for a tunic for a dream sequence and fetched some hanging rails from the store.

Friday November 18

Lots more bits and pieces done today -

• two slop hats taken in and poppas stitched on the chin straps
• name labels stitched in the villagers hats
• final dress - binding on the neck and arm edges, zip in, neckerchief attached and overskirt tucked up

Thursday November 17

Last of the rat waistcoats finished this morning, although there will probably be something else to be done to them...  Adjusted the small rat neckerchiefs, as they were too small to go over anyones head!  This afternoon sewed flowers on the hula costume and holly on the yule log. 
Also the set arrived today, it looks great.

Friday November 11

Finished the rat neckerchiefs today, so back to rat waistcoats.  They all have a collar and belt loops attached, so the next stage is to put a tab on the left front for the poppa, put stayflex on the right side for the other half of the poppa, attach and bag out the lining and press and stitch down the pleats.  This sounds quick and easy but in reality takes quite a while...

Wednesday November 9

All the rat waistcoats are done, ready for collars, etc, so have been making rat neckerchiefs, pretty much the same as a villager's neckerchief but plain orange.
This afternoon I was helping on the visiting production, so lots of fetching and carrying costumes, ironing, drying, putting away, hanging up, mending and doing up the odd zip in passing, same again on Saturday AND I get paid!

Friday November 4

Two more rats today (don't think half of them are done yet...).  Also ironed a HUGE piece of black cotton drill and started sewing strips of orange fabric together to make belt loops for the rat waistcoats.

Thursday November 3

More little jobs today -

• sewed a poppa on the scarf and neck of the snow lady
• stitched eight buttons on the fairy's cuffs

Also made two and a bit rat waistcoats, I can make one waistcoat and lining in two hours now, so getting quicker.

Wednesday November 2

The Dame came in for fittings today, so once I had finished the dress (pleated the skirt, attached it and hemmed it) ready to be fitted, I finished off lots of little jobs, including -

• Stitching poppas on the 'I heart JB' costume
• Stitching poppas on the Belly Flop champion sash
• Stitchng arm bands on
• Taking in a swimming cap, binding off the edges and attaching the chin strap

Tuesday November 1

Finished off the coconut bra and then made a dress, from scratch.
We thought we had finished the dresses for the chorus but then the director wanted one more, so once it was cut out I got to make it up.  The bodice had to be flat tacked and then stitched up, and then the pieces for the skirt and overskirt put together. Someone else made and gathered the overskirt while I made the neckerchief and then I attached the overskirt to the bodice.  More tomorrow...