Plaid Ruffles and Polka Dots

I realize I've taken quite a break from blogging recently (considering I was able to crank out a post almost everyday in may), but it is because I've been busy with lots of fun crafty things which you'll read about in the next few posts.

My biggest news is that we have finished a couple really important pieces for Oklahoma!. There are 6 dresses we had to make for female leads and we have about two thirds of them in working (ok, fittable) condition. One difficult thing about Oklahoma! is that there are several costume changes for the leads, all of which are very distinct and absolutely crucial for the story. Thus lots of work for the sewers.

First, we have Ado Annie's Act 2, Scene 1 dress which she wears for the song "Farmer and the Cowman." Like all the dresses you will see (or at least constructed by me and my supervisor), it is two pieces, making it much easier to fit. The bodice is made of a blue quilter's 100% cotton and trimmed with the matching plaid sewn on the bias at the waist and scoop neckline. The sleeves are three quarter length and will be trimmed with lace. The skirt is 4 tiers of matched plaid ruffles (all machine hemmed and hand cut and matched - lots of labor) and is wonderfully swishy. It is also really heavy, but the dress almost perfectly matches the dress from UNCSA. Yay!

Next is Aunt Eller's Act 1, Scene 1 outfit - the very first thing the audience sees. It consists of a yellow floral textured bodice with elastic at the neckline and sleeves. It's a sort of peasant blouse and I found it slightly unusual to have short sleeves, but we ran out of fabric. Oops. The skirt is a brown polka dot with elastic waist. It looks so comfortable, especially when paired with the iconic apron.

The finished skirts

Still to finish are Annie's green Finale and red Opening/"I Cain't Say No" dresses (the latter of which we need to find fabric) as well as Aunt Eller's green "Farmer and the Cowman" Dress (which another woman has offered to add panels and expand the current dress, instead of building a brand new one) and her Burgundy or Violet Finale dress.

It feels good to get the more difficult outfits out of the way before the rental shipment arrives on Tuesday. Once those arrive, we'll have to kick into high gear to get those alterations done!