Sew, Sew-

I used to sew. When the boys were little, I’d make their Halloween costumes. Mum sewed EVERYTHING. Quilts, blankets, clothes, and more. I wasn’t going to compete or even try to do what she did, so I didn’t. She’d send patterns for costumes and sometimes fabric and I’d make them. The pumpkin one Little Bear has on (he’s 4, maybe) was supposed to have stuffing, but he objected. Strider got so mad when people asked him if he was Batman. He was a BAT! (then there was the year he was about 12. He wore a black cloak and carried a staff. Few people realised he was Allanon from Terry Brooks’s stories.)

As Strider grew up, he was in theatre. From the age of 13 to 18 he was in 13 different productions. Many were plays needing costumes not found in closets or thrift stores. So, I sewed and created.

I didn’t know when he was in ‘HONK!‘ that I’d learn to love making hats.

Music Man was a great deal of fun! We adapted modern dresses to fit the period and sewed a few and I made some amazing Titanic hats. The blue one at the bottom and the pink one are the only two I have left. The flamboyant blue feathered one was for Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn (the Mayor’s wife). It was given to the girl who played that wonderful character after the play was over. (she said it fell apart..my two are still in VERY good shape!) I wear mine every now and again. Getting into a modern car with one  is not very easy. And if you happen to have one of those automatic seat belts you can almost decapitate yourself quite easily!

I made tails for a comic murder mystery.  Little Bear later wore it to recite The Gettysburg Address. (I also made the vest for this one…that was more work than I thought!)

Then, Strider was in a number of plays that really needed something outside the norm.

He was younger in the first photo, but I enjoyed that one! His cape is attached at the shoulders and he wore underarmor-like tights and shoes from a Shakespearean play. The other photo shows Strider as a Sultan. His headdress has a mirror in the center. When kids in the audience were not paying attention, Strider would bend his head so the mirror flashed on them. He also had a GIANT wooden sword in this play. (The Craftsman created all the weaponry for the High School plays. Swords, daggers, tommy guns, and a rather clever blunderbuss, using a funnel) The Sultan’s cloak was used in a couple plays. So flamboyant and grand. Except for the glitter. It was a huge piece of black fabric reaching the floor, with gold swirls all over it. Strider could make it flow when he walked or pull it close, it was as magnificent a prop as his beard for this play (frisked up, it was an angry beard. Smooth, it was a calmer Sultan). 

Then, he was in two classics. First is a very low budget version of Lumiere and a super fun version of the Lion from Oz. (The Craftsman did arrange it so the hat’s candle would light up. There was a battery switch in Strider’s vest pocket) The gold leggings Strider has on were a huge hit. The gold sequin tails were a pain in the butt to sew, but I also made him a nicer silver version for his Senior prom because he asked(See below). I was pleased when the director wanted the Lion’s outfit to be more like something from CATS!. Strider was worried til I made the pajama pants similar to the Sultan ones. Being a bean pole, he didn’t want to prance around in skin tight stuff..although, he did when he was in ‘The Clumsy Custard‘ (the turquoise outfit with the cape).

this was VERY bright and shiny!

One of the things I have learned is that I can sew simple costumes. Real things are much harder. Costumes don’t need more than dark sturdy threaded seams and small discrepancies can be overlooked. I have made quite a few pillow cases for graduations and weddings, a couple of skirts for myself, but for the most part, my machine sits idle now. I don’t mind. Maybe I can get the glitter out of it!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLASHBACK!

Emma shared this and gosh… I do love Meatloaf!!!!!!!!

 

Nostalgic Cat Nips

When they were both pretty small! (2004 Christmas card)

Our Kitten (written in 5th grade by Little Bear)

Our Kitten is annoying,

He wakes me up in bed,

He begs for food in the kitchen,

And falls asleep on my head.

 

Our kitten’s name is Moses,

It’s from “Singing in the Rain”,

He attacks the other cats,

He really is a pain.

 

Our kitten is a monster 

With 24 sharp claws,

He likes to massage the family

With his extra large, big paws.

 

Our kitten’s quite a problem,

When writing this here poem,

He walks along the paper,

He’s the pester of our home.

 

Our kitten’s very playful,

He makes toys of everything,

Like stuffed mice and paper balls,

But his favorite toy is string.

 

You really might be thinking

That our kitten’s not much fun,

Yet deep down in his heart,

He’s sweet and rather handsome. 

When I was a younger girl….

Kris about age 17.

Trip has posted many a post on skinny dipping and it reminded me of a time in my life when bathing outside was the norm. Often we’d wear swimsuits, other times we’d be bare. In the early 80’s on the Kenai, the YCC (Youth Conservation Corps) was not the program it is today. As a YiCC, we spent the summer in absolute fun and hard work. Our fun was coed and not what would be proper in this generation! Many times after a long day of carrying canoes and making trails, we’d gather in the girl’s tent (the flap would be open) and massages on bare skin would commence. Other times males and females would steam separately in a sauna we had made and jump into the nearby river or lake (generally, we’d have on swimsuits for the water part). Twice, however, I remember experiences which were a bit more. Or less……

The first was so funny. There were 3 girls on the YCC team and one female adult leader. We had gone to a lake to bathe. We were all bare. The boys decided to play a joke on us and take our clothing. They were so sure no one was going to notice them. Well, we did and as one, three of us dropped to our shoulders in the water, screeching! Our leader did not. She stood up as tall as she could and ordered them to drop those clothes right now or else. The three of us watched the boys, I don’t recall how many there were, drop both jaws and clothing before they ran back into the woods. I don’t recall what happened after that, but the three of us were pretty sure our leader was the most amazing woman in the world!

The second experience I remember was also funny. We were at a favorite lake making trails and we were filthy. Not only did we make trails, we picked up trash. Gods, people are slobs when they are out in nature! My intense dislike for litter stems from the summer I worked as a YiCC. Anyway, the guys had hiked off to swim and a couple of us girls were going to follow them. We were often allowed to wander off with buddies and one of my friends and I were sure we knew where the boys were. We got to the rocks and climbed up to discover naked boys jumping into the glacier fed lake! Suddenly, they noticed we were there and freaked out. One of them asked if we had ‘seen’ anything and the two of us denied noticing any slender teen boy bodies with pubic hair and interesting bits. Thankfully, we were believed and after turning our heads while the boys ‘dressed’, we all splashed ourselves clean.

Memories like this are what make a summer job well, memorable!  It was truly a summer I’ll never forget. The fake ‘black bear’, fishing with a 2×4 and a nail, my first Christmas in July party, and so much more.

Advertising

I love old advertising. So politically incorrect and hilarious! ‘Barefooted virgins…’

Worked again!

When I was a kid I watched the most awesome TV show in the world. It was about something new and unheard of in most parts of the United States. Almost everyone on the show was from CA, few were actually actors. Most of the people on the set were for real fire fighters. It was called ‘Emergency!’

 I had many favorite episodes, but one has always come through when I needed it. Johnny Gage had the hiccups and NO ONE could cure them. EMTs, Roy and Johnny, had just brought in a kid and Drs Early and Brackett had taken care of the grade schooler and were now discussing what to do with Johnny. The boy gets up off the table behind them, leaves the room, and returns with a soda can. He hands it to Johnny and, after a shrug, Johnny drinks it. His hiccups vanish. This works EVERY time for me. And every time I am amazed that a single scene in a TV show from the 70’s taught me how to cure hiccups!