Where to begin?

I usually find summer to be my most productive time when it comes to sewing and reading.  When the kids were young we were free from all the school schedules and often spent weekends camping.  That combined with hours sitting by the pool meant I could read and stitch for hours.

Now that the kids are grown and almost never home, I can sew and stitch and read the day away. Well, you know.  Between laundry, errands, and whatever else fills a day.  Even my regular charity commitment takes the summer off.  

This year, however, I got in deep with the community theater group and costume making.  My only experience with costume making was when the kids were young or a handful of times when I helped the school drama kids with costumes.  In those cases I'd show up with my machine and someone would hand me the already cut out pieces and I'd sew them together.  

This time around, along with a more experienced co-costume designer from our high school drama booster days, we had to come up with costumes from scratch for Beauty and the Beast.  Oh boy! Neither of us had a clue!  

For 2 solid months we planned, designed, and invented costumes.  

I made the Silly Girls costumes...

My co-designer and I made costumes for Belle, Mrs. Potts, Madam De La Grande Bouche (the wardrobe),

Cogsworth, and Lumiere.

All from scratch...out of our brains.  And, besides their fantasy costumes, everyone needed an everyday costume for when they became human again.

I also spent an entire week, like it was my full time job, altering and adjusting the costumes for the town's people.

A quick shot of the set that my husband and my co-designer's husband made.  Each house spun around so the inside was exposed and rolled on and off stage as needed.

I know my pictures are not a great representation of the set and costumes but I am limited to what I was given by the theater guild's PR person.

Along with being thrilled the whole thing is over I am happy to say that the state's theater association judge awarded my co-designer and myself a meritorious award for the costumes.  The production only won meritorious awards...one to an actor and to the 3 leads for singing.  When I asked the other actors the significance of the judging and awards they explained that they would add credentials for future jobs.  Well, that's nice and all and I'm honored, but I'm ONE AND DONE!

My husband will continue helping the high school with building sets but I am just not interested in that sort of sewing.  It is a good way for him to put his skills to work for the community but I'll stick with the groups I am already involved with.

While I neglected my sewing machine I did manage some cross stitch so I will gather my completed pieces and put together a post as soon as I can.

In the mean time...I must go re-introduce myself to my sewing room.

Pam