Humpty Dumpty

Some time ago I said that my daughter would be making costumes for this years pantomime.  As they are doing a nursery rhyme theme panto, they are mostly using from the stash of costumes from previous years.
The one she has had to make from scratch is Humpty Dumpty.
Now this did include my help to some degree, but a very small degree consisting of 1 phone call and a number of texts.  So here I go with the details.
Phone call #1
DD "Hi mum, I have to make some shorts for Humpty Dumpty, I have a hula hoop, how do I go about it?"
Me "You need to measure the circumference of the hula hoop, divide by four and draw the waistline of your pattern to that measurement."
DD "What about the rest of it?"
Me "I'll draw a pic and send it to you...."
Still on the phone to her, drawing, taking pic and sending.

DD "So if I draw this pattern and send it to you, where do I sew?"

Me "I'll need a different colour pen, hang on, got the pen!  Ok sending to you."

Me "You sew down the purple bit, then have to sew together the 'J' bit for the crotch."

DD "Ok, will text when I have done the pattern."

The rest is by text.

Pic sent by DD.

Me "Make the legs longer, the 'J' rounder, remember it has to go round the crotch too."

DD "Ran out of paper when realised how long the 'J' would be lol what do you mean by rounder? Also remember the top will be stuck to the hula hoop."

I send back this pic.

Me "Remember I did that with my finger on my  mobile so it's not very accurate!"

DD "Ha ha, ok."

DD "...ish, will cut it rounder!  So is that ok?"

Me "Yeah, looks good, cut legs longer just in case you  need longer crotch than pattern, better to cut some leg off after than have to start from scratch."

DD "Yup was gonna, that way I can cut the length to fit as well.  Will probably cut tonight and make 2 separate legs as well but wait to sew them together tomorrow."

Me "Ok, good luck."

DD "Ok, ended up just keeping on going til I finished lol"

Me "Well done, looks like shorts :)"

The following day this pic arrived. Modelled on 4 year old, being made for older person so obviously too big for the model!

DD "Will have some padding on the shoulders as well."

Me "Excellent job Grasshopper!"

So concludes my tale of how to make a Humpty Dumpty costume.  All I can say is that if she did it from those instructions and sew it all by hand, so can you!

Mind the gap.....

Between posts!

It's been a bit of a stressful couple of months so please be patient with my lack of writing!

Due to circumstances beyond everyone's control the pantomime was cancelled.  I wont go into details here but it boiled down to many minor, and one major, problems with the cast and illness and it was decided that it was better to cancel than pour money into lighting and staging and have to cancel anyway.  The mantra for the group was that there are many more things important than pantomime performances and on this occasion they had to be put first.

It was a very sad day when me and Auntie Em trundled all the completed costumes out to the caravan.  But then we sat and had a good ol' giggle on how many hours we had sat pondering which way to do things when we may as well have just stuck bin bags together with cellotape!  

On the plus side, if they decide to put it on again next year there is no work for the costume department!

Just as this news had sunk in, my youngest daughter suddenly lost the sight in one of her eyes.  Panicky visits to hospital revealed nothing.  They have no idea what has caused it and, apart from regular visits to hospital for them to check on it, she has been told to just get on with it as it should go eventually.  The good news is that all the horrible reasons for this has been eliminated so we are no longer worrying about all the worse things and waiting for it to go away (apparently she has a swollen optic nerve which is probably caused by a virus of some description).  

Just as we get this news (and I have spent many days at the hospital with her), I get a phone call at half three in the morning.  Yes, eldest daughter went into labour three weeks early!  So back up the hospital I trot and am lucky enough to see my grandson born just four hours later.

Because he was early they kept them in for a week (yet more hospital visits) but they were both home just in time for Christmas, when I decided I wasnt getting any attention and got ill.

I finally went back to work last week although I still appear to be deaf in one ear due to my glands swelling up!

So, that's my excuses and I am more than happy to settle down to normal and be able to post again.

On a positive note, the cancellation of the panto meant I was able to start on my sewing room earlier than anticipated.  Until now I had no dedicated space, but with only one daughter still at home there is now a room available for me.

The move was going to take place after the panto so that all the costumes were put away, hence why it was put forward.  This is due to the wedding in August and a desire not to have bridesmaids and wedding dresses hanging on dummies in the living room for all and sundry to see.

So now things are returning to normality we are on the road to the worlds cheapest wedding.

First step is next week when we are having a wedding invitation bee.  Me and daughters and mother are all gathering at my house to make invitations with an assortment of ribbons and bows and lace etc.  The invitations are a basic bit of card which will be printed on and individually decorated with bits gathered from my stash and liberal use of a glue gun.  That's the general idea anyway, and if it all goes horribly wrong we will be rushing out to buy some made properly!

With everything that was going on I have done hardly any sewing, but things are back on track now so watch this space for a new project I have in hand as well as the beginnings of the wedding plans.

Pantomime costume update

As promised here is the update!

Belle’s gold dress is now as finished as it will be until nearer the performance (the actress is on a diet so I don’t want to burn my bridges with that) and here is the photo…

 We also made up the costume to the Beast’s man servant, Pierre, using the same tail coat pattern but in a stunning shade of pink with gold flowers.  The actor for this role is known for his Dame performances so we felt the need to camp him up a bit.  He will also be getting a nifty pair of cream crushed velvet breeches to complete the ensemble.  Yet again this is not quite finished as we won’t be adding most of the fastenings on any costumes until near the date of performance.

We completed a number of skirts following the easy skirt tutorial which I won’t bore you with pictures of and some more tunics/waistcoats.  As I said earlier, we will be having the first rehearsal on Wednesday which means we will be getting measurements for those we have missed.  The big jobs left are dresses for Belles two sisters and the fairy dresses.  We are ahead of schedule on all costumes so I am feeling particularly relaxed about it all.

On the other hand, today I learned that eldest stepdaughter is planning to get married in September next year…………don’t panic!!!!!

A bit of motherly advice

Before I allowed mother in the room, I told her she had to walk in and tell me her first impressions.

She stood in the doorway, did a quick intake of breath and said 'that's beautiful'!

Then I made her tell me what it needed.  Very quickly she that it needed lightening (not the weather type I hasten to add).

The result was a peplum with a row of gold ribbon and braid to match the bertha and bows to give that well known 'Belle' look without the ruffles all the way up the skirt.

She also decided I needed the beads on the bodice front.  So being the dutiful daughter that I am, I added the peplum and have started on more beads which are, so far, at the top of the bodice front if you look carefully.

The peplum was made using the fabric cut from the edge of the fabric to make the underskirt the right length and pleated to the match the size of the waistband.  I haven't yet sewed it to the waistband and if you look carefully you can see where it is pinned on at the side.  The braid and ribbon was put round and I beaded the braid to match the top.  As the skirt is still on a still too small dummy, I havent attached the bows yet, I need to measure it all out properly so they are in the right place when the dress is worn, but you get the idea!

Step two was to send a pic of this to younger daughter who is the Belle obsessive.  Her reaction?  

"Is this for the panto :( "

Note the unhappy not smiley face!  This means she likes it and is disappointed it is not for her.

I put her mind at rest by telling her I had left out many of the 'real' Belle features and of course the fabric is horrible and her wedding dress would be pure silk.  This placated her and left me happy that the biggest critic of a Belle dress had approved it!

I now have many more hours of beading before the dress is finished but I am on the home straight.  

This has truly been a labour of love and has taken far longer than any other costume I have made...but it had to be done!

The little girl in my mind

The gold dress has caused me problems!  I always have an issue with the ‘ooh ahh’ dress anyway but this time round it has become the most important thing in the world (I should probably not take these things so seriously!).

In my mind I picture the scene, families sitting in the village hall watching a pantomime that they do not expect to meet the grandeur of the Palladium, but a bit of gentle entertainment they can all enjoy.  Then amongst those in the audience is a little girl (I think it’s because I had four of those little girls that it seems so important).  This little girl loves dressing up in her princess clothes and watching her princess DVD’s and has been excitedly looking forward to this panto.  It’s Beauty and the Beast…it’s got Belle in it, and Belle does wear that lovely gold dress doesn’t she (Belle was the favourite Princess of two of my little girls, I can’t let them down)?

So it’s the ball scene and Belle comes on stage to one of two reactions;

Oh it’s a fairly pretty dress, or;

Oooooh ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

Then, when they go home that little girl is either thinking of that beautiful Belle dress, or just enjoyed the evening.

This is MY moment, the moment that the costume department rises to the fore (can you see me on my soapbox), the moment when we can make a little girl ecstatic or just let her carry on watching the local village panto.

I want to make that little girl ecstatic!

So I made up the bodice as the pattern instructed and put a panel of gold in the front.

Then I looked at it.

This dress is NOT a copy of the Disney one but does need to be an interpretation of it to keep that little girl happy (wherever she is I hope she appreciates the effort I put into this).  I have shown you the design I am basing it on and I merrily cut out the bertha and pinned it on.  I then attached some gold ribbon and lace and took a step back (15 foot rule, remember).

Very pretty for normal wear, but not enough for stage, the creamy colours would disappear in the spotlights.

Attempt number two involved adding some black and gold sparkly braid;

As bit better but it now makes the whole thing look brown, not gold.

 I pulled off the bertha and remade it with the gold fabric I had put on the front panel, put the ribbon back on and added some cream, lacy braid.  And stood back…still not enough!

Then I virtuously sat there for a whole day hand sewing gold beads and pearls onto the bodice.  Here it is with the top row of beads sewn on;

A couple of hundred beads to the top of the bodice have given it some glitter but I still need to add more to the front panel.  But one day of bead sewing was enough so I ventured forth and finished the basic sewing.

Here is the dress as it is today;

The dummy has padding added to the correct measurements for the bodice but the skirt is pinned back smaller, hence the gap between the two.

The skirt was cartridge pleated onto a waistband  (I will do a tutorial for the cartridge pleating in the future as it does add fullness to the skirt without the need of a petticoat).

And I step back…it needs more.  Something on the skirt?  Or does it need more sparkle in the shape of some descrete sequins?  I dont want it looking tacky but it does need to stand out from the crowd.  I just don’t know what it needs and Auntie Em wont be round for a few days to help out. 

I do have my mother round today, she is always good as a practise audience member and I do have my daughter round later, but she is  coming after a scan so will be, no doubt, talking babies.

So if anyone reads this today and has any thoughts…do let me know…it’s for that little girl!

Belle's second dress

When I started on the second Belle costume I realised I had an immediate problem.  The fabric to be used for the skirt is actually upholstery fabric and very thick (but when you only pay £1 a metre you can’t refuse) which gives limitations on how to do the waistband.  As you know, I like to make things adjustable and, with a skirt, that inevitably means  using elastic as the waistband.  This fabric is far too thick for that and would result in a lot of bunching around the waist.

After much contemplation, and a cup or two of coffee with my mum, the best solution appeared to be making a waistband that could be adjusted with buttons in two or three places that would be able to take it in (or our) by up to 6”.

The skirt needed to be worn on a 34” waist so I have tried to work it that this is the middle ‘setting’.

I cut the fabric into gores, three measure 10” at the waist and 3 measure 5”, the small gores were the ones I intended to use for the adjustment.

I sewed one of the large gores to one of the small gores along the same side so I ended up with 3 pieces that look like this;

 I then sewed those three pieces together leaving an 8” gap at the top where the adjustment will take place.

 Each of these pieces now measured 12”, so I cut three pieces 15” by 3”  and applied them as waistband facing by sewing onto the upper edge of the waistband, press and then overstitching.

 I then put buttonholes on the larger gored piece at one end and the button on the smaller piece.  The button can be moved to adjust the size of the skirt.

All it will take now is to move the buttons to change the size of the skirt.

 The bodice was made using the tried and trusted pattern and I made some binding in the co-ordinating fabric for the sleeve edges and eyelets in two other pieces at the front to add a design feature.   I then added broderie anglaise lace to the neck and bottom edges.

This doesn’t sit very well on a dummy that is three sizes too small, but I am sure you get the idea! 

Belle's first dress

A couple of weeks ago, Auntie Em brought round this bit of fabric from her mum’s stash. 

I immediately paired it up with the fabric I had used for my younger daughters Victorian dress (that would be the lilac one) and it was a perfect combination.  So out came the Victorian skirt...already made so a bit of a time saver, and off we went to Belle’s house to get her measured. 

The first thing to do was shorten the skirt as the actress is a good 5” shorter than my daughter in the leg department (we have incredibly long legs in my family and my 5’6” daughter has an inside leg measurement of 34”).

I didn't want to do a permanent shortening as there is bound to be a time when daughter wants to wear the skirt again, so I thought of various ways I could take the length off yet make the process reversible.

The plan I came up with is similar to honeycomb smocking (there are many tutorials out there if you want to see how it’s done) but on a larger scale.

The fabric where the red pin is, is pinned to where the black pin is.  The green pin to the yellow pin and I did two lots of this for each section. 

I am lucky in the lilac skirt already had a square pattern in it so I didn't have to measure anything!  I then did a simple stitch to hold each fold in place.

The skirt is now 6” shorter but can be easily returned to its original length.

The bodice was the tried and tested one that I know I can put together in a couple of hours, but the whole effect was a bit bland for stage so out came the purple lace to form the detail at the front, neck edge and bottom of the bodice.

The next project is Belle’s second dress made with this combination of fabrics.

Playing with the good fairy dress

Me and Auntie Em had a play day! I had made a skirt (rectangle and elastic waist) from part of the coffee coloured sari for the good fairy dress which I showed in a previous post.  I then sat there with bits of lace and fabric, pinning them on and trying them out to see what looked good.  I really wasn’t satisfied and then had a moment of inspiration and sewed a layer of tulle over the top of the sari.

It was one of those grrrr moments when I realised the tulle was just a couple of inches short of going round the skirt waist.  I then set to pinning all those bits of lace and fabric on again and it still wasn’t working as I was now trying to cover up the gap.  Then Auntie Em turned up complete with two bags of lace and she did the same as me.  This went on for nearly two hours, pinning, tutting, unpinning.  Then Auntie Em had her own moment of inspiration and suggested turning the skirt and making a feature of the gap instead of trying to hide it.

A lovely bit of lace was soon sewn to the edges and we put some gold leaves and butterflies on.  We left it there as we were going to measure up our ‘Belle’ and didn’t sew any of the bits on, I don’t know if this is how the end product will be or not but it was a fun afternoon!  The top is just the sari end draped over the dummy to give the finished effect as we don’t have the measurements to make the top yet!

The Beast's costume

Apart from some buttons on the sleeves and front the jacket is now complete.  I tend to leave the hand sewing and do one big session of buttons and fastenings.

There are some minor faults in there and I didn't painstakingly sew on the braid by hand but whizzed through on the machine.  The 15 foot rule came into play there and I have too much to do to worry about minor details! I also made up a quick cravat for the ballroom scene so The Beast's costumes are pretty much finished. We just need to do the accessories for him now.

Unfortunately, I am not the world's best photographer and you can bet any decent pictures on this blog are not taken by me!

I have cut out the Prince's jacket and had a bit of a struggle getting all the bits out of the fabric but did manage in the end.  I have the feeling however, that I will move onto some other costume and make the other jacket at a later date as I do like a bit of variety!

The Beast continues

The pattern pieces for the tail coat all went together well but I needed to take off 2” at the side front to make it sit properly at the front.  I was admiring my sleeveless jacket when the obvious suddenly hit me...I hadn’t cut out the sleeves!

I measured the armscye...26”, and then the longest bit of fabric left...23”!  It took me a moment (luckily not long enough for me to have a complete breakdown) to realise that the jacket was being made from a PAIR of curtains.  So the sleeves for the Beast’s jacket will need to be cut from the other curtain and the fabric left from the first jacket is enough for the Prince’s jacket....phew, panic over!

As it was getting late I left the sleeves and instead sewed on the stand collar.  Then merrily sat and pinned the lace to the sleeveless jacket so I could spend the rest of the evening looking at it and seeing if there was anything I noticed that I didn't like.

I did spend the evening wisely and ordered a lovely curly wig and a cat mask.  The wig will have the horns sewn onto it and me and Auntie Em are hoping to have wire in them so we can put them in different positions.  The cat mask was ordered after a long debate on how to go about the Beast’s face.  I was adamant that we would not be doing face paint for the performance.  Not only is it likely to run, the same actress has to be the prince at the end so we don't want to be hurrying to wash off face paint when she has to do a quick change.

We contemplated making a mask ourselves, either with foam or paper mache, but in the end went for a pressed cardboard cat mask that we can add our own paper mache to and make it more beastly than kitty.  It will then be painted and hopefully this will work but for the grand sum of £3.99 I won’t be terribly upset if this plan doesn't work.

I’m hoping we will end up with something like this...or something approximately near to maybe like this will do!

Adjusting a bodice pattern to a tail coat

 After contemplation I decided that I would use a pattern for the Beast’s jacket rather than a cut and shut job.  I have two blue velvet curtains for this costume that do not allow for mistakes and I am sure it will look better fitted rather than not.

Although I have a drawer full of patterns I rarely use them as I have discovered over the years...if it ain’t broke don't fix it (I said that before recently didn't I?)

My go-to pattern for the jacket is the bodice pattern I used for the chorus costumes.  I used this same pattern for the Victorian dresses too!  With a bit of manipulation you can get the pattern you want from this, with the first step being a quick sketch to show the original and where it needs changing.

The first, and most obvious, change is the sizing.  The bodice pattern will have to be made larger to get it up to the required 52” chest necessary to cover the bulky muscles and shirt.  As I have this pattern up to a 48” chest I just need to add on 4” which I will put on around the edges of the pattern pieces.  Eight pieces, with two sides each, mean I only need to put on about ¼” to each side and wont affect the shaping too much.

The second point is that the bodice is made for a womanly figure (if you get my drift) and there isn't much call for that.  So I will ‘flatten’ out the front side piece to take away any boob allowance.  If I was to do this at the chest area by taking it away, this would change the sizing.  But by adding to the waist area I will be keeping the measurement I require!

The neckline needs to be raised to make it sit closer to the collar line and this is to be done both front and back.  Then the centre front needs to have the bottom changed so that it forms a ‘V’ upwards and not down as the original pattern is (ignore where I drew the line wrong on the right hand side lol).

The front facing can be incorporated into the front pattern piece just to make life easier and quicker when constructing the jacket.

Finally, the ‘tails’ need to be added to the back pattern pieces.

The final pattern pieces should end up looking something like this...

I made up the pattern pieces to plan, cut them out and pinned them to the Beast muscle and shirt to check for fitting.

I just needed to make some adjustment to the side front pieces by cutting some off the width and the bottom needed a trim to get the downward 'V' right. Here the front view also has some of the trim I intend to use pinned to it and a stand collar also pinned on.

Here is the back view, I am still undecided on whether the tails need thinning out a bit.

Next step is to sew it all together!

Building the Beast

Yesterday I finally got around to trundling off and getting the measurements for our Beast.  She is a lovely lady, but I get the feeling she is going to spend the rest of the year putting up with little gags about her being a bit of an animal!

This year I have a little partner in crime on the costuming front (otherwise known as Auntie Em), this has been a godsend to me as I finally have somebody to talk to about which way to go.  The other bonus is that her mum is another keen sewer who is moving house...guess who is getting all her unwanted bits :D

After a bit of discussion we decided to make an undertunic to provide the beastly muscles.  I used my tried and trusted method of making  the tunic and cut it off just under the bust with a front fastening of velcro for quick removal, I also kept it sleeveless.  This was then used as a pattern for some 2" thick wadding which was placed over the fabric.  The arm muscles were attached with paper fasteners to give our Beast arm movement. Then the wadding was stitched to the fabric by hand.

Here is the muscle undervest:

We may cut the wadding into a more muscular shape, but at the moment we are leaving it until we can test this all out on our Beastly Lady.  Next step is a shirt to go over this.

I'm still here.....

I have been quiet for a few weeks as the maternity wear was the last thing I made!  It is the last few weeks of term and I am tired, tired, tired.  I don't want to start on panto costumes as I don't want to get them wrong.  I also have a number of Egyptian accessories to make for the school end of year production, which is today’s job.  I also, via friends at panto, have somehow managed to volunteer my services for 30 drawstring bags for the local scout group. That will be next weekend’s job!

Last weekend there was a garage sale in our village, so me and daughters spent three hours trudging around the streets along with hundreds of other people.  Best buy was a beautiful wooden high chair for £5.  Daughter’s boyfriend kept complaining that he didn't feel right buying things for something that wasn’t there yet...although the retort was, it has a face so it needs something to keep it happy!  He is, of course, secretly very excited but also scared of his approaching parenthood!  Daughter was over the moon to get a copy of ‘The hungry caterpillar’ for 50p.  Apparently, every child needs a copy of ‘The hungry caterpillar’ and ‘We’re going on a bear hunt’, so we are still looking out for the other one.

I also had mother’s birthday weekend and I took her to the theatre to see ‘Dance ‘til Dawn’ which starred Flavia and Vincent from Strictly.  It was a wonderful show full of dancing and singing and a very funny narrative that I would recommend to anyone looking for a good night out!  Mother was over the moon before we even got there, by the end she was like a little girl she had such a good time.  I felt great too, she is not the easiest person to get presents for but we really hit the jackpot with this one!

I also got the list of ‘who is what’ and had some thinking to do!

First up is the fact that my (at the moment small bump) daughter is to play the bad fairy.  She is due to give birth about a month before the performances and will be sharing the role with somebody a couple of sizes smaller.  So this will mean judicious use of the how to make something adjustable in the bad fairy department AND there is only enough of the fabric for one go at this!

I have to find out how to reduce the size of the two tutu’s (try saying that after a few glasses of red medicine) as the baby fairies are teeny tiny.  I also have to go and see various people about their costumes to find out if they are happy with what I have planned and come up with a plan B if they aren't.  At the moment I have £50 of budget left but don't have a wig or mask for Beast or any trimmings, so that will be interesting if I need to replace anything!

So think of this post as the calm before the storm.  The post leading up to the summer holidays when I will spend many days sewing and there will be an influx of things done.  The post that is saying; ‘wait for it’ and ‘bear with’.  Just one and a half weeks left of school and then sit back and watch the costuming begin!

The Victorian ball gowns get worn at last

So it’s half term and just to ensure I stick to my usual holiday routine I have completely annihilated my back.  I first had an issue last week and spent Tuesday and Wednesday unable to go to work. It improved enough to return for the day, then off to the event on Friday.  With judicial use of a corset I got through the weekend with little problems until Sunday morning the back re-emerged to triumphantly reduce me to a snivelling wreck and I spent the next three days unable to move.

This morning I have movement again so I can at least get the laptop in motion to show the finished Victorian dresses.

This is eldest daughter in her dress that she proudly told everybody she had made herself.  It is the first thing of any substance she has made and is quite within her rights to be proud of it!  If you are thinking it looks a little tight you would be correct.  In the intervening period between measuring, cutting and sewing daughter has found out she is pregnant and that little extra growth has made things not as well fitted as planned.  The dress will now have to go away for quite a few months as it is unlikely it will fit for the foreseeable future!

The unexpected dress went well considering the lack of fitting!  I did have to put some tacks in the shoulder as it was too loose, but the rest fitted perfectly and there was no issues of popping out bits of body. 

I did manage to make two petticoats which helped poof out those skirts a little.  I would love to see them with proper crinolines so you may see me making them some time, just to have a look you understand!

Sadly, due to the weather, we raised little money for the charities, it would appear people don't want to dress up in the rain but I suppose it is the thought that counts and we did try!

Now we are just waiting to see who is playing what role in the pantomime and we can get started on the costumes.  This may prove interesting as eldest daughter still wants to be in it even though she will be extremely pregnant for most rehearsals and a new mum for the actual shows!  I suppose it helps to have a mother willing to make you a last minute costume once the bump has gone.

The fabric

So, you have the ideas in your head, you have your designs all drawn out, which leaves one thing; buying the fabric!

This can either be exasperating or the greatest fun ever.  It gets exasperating when you can’t find what you want, the best fun is when it all comes together with hardly any effort.

I have just returned from my great fabric hunt of 2014.

I have learned to combine the fabric hunt with visiting my husbands’ relatives in the northern lands where the choice of fabric in one town far exceeds anything available in the whole of Norfolk!  This does mean I get two shots a year at this and the first buy up usually involves getting over 50 metres of fabric in one day!

This year I managed to get pretty much everything I wanted and came away on a high (this was rapidly depleted as we hit traffic jam after traffic jam and it took us over 6 hours to get home instead of the normal 4).

Here is the haul piled up on my table;

Now in the sensible world of the seamstress this lot would be washed before sewing but I have a life to lead and I never wash the costume fabrics before a performance!  This way I make the costume to fit and then if it shrinks, or some of the pattern or bling comes off in the wash, it is revamped for the following year without me having a hissy fit!

The one exception I will make to that this year is the Beast’s costume as I may need to use the padded shirt for another panto and I don't want a shrunken lining ruining it all.

I didn’t get an elaborate gold for Belle, but I did get some old gold taffeta and a piece of patterned gold that I will use for the bodice and decoration, I expect some bling will appear on that before it is finished. 

I could have bought a yellow colour but if the person I think will play Belle gets the role, she really doesn't suit yellow and it makes her look jaundice.  There is always the possibility she won’t be Belle but it really won’t make a difference in that case.

The big job is to now fold all this fabric up and put it away.  It will probably take all day lol

I am itching to get sewing and trying to work out which costumes I can make that are adjustable so they fit whoever gets the role.

Victorian pantomime designs

As I blogged about designs I thought you might like to see some Victorian panto designs by Wilhelm that are part of the V&A collection.

Beautiful stuff and maybe I will make one of these some day!