WIP Wednesday

I've been a bit frantic the past week. My church's annual Christmas Cantata starts this weekend. Three performances beginning Friday, and an additional performance next week. I've lost track as to whether it's in its eighth or ninth year. I accompanied the choir on piano all but two of those years. This year I'm an alto in the choir and I needed something 'jewel toned' to wear with a dark skirt. Seeing as this is the holiday season (meaning Christmas and New Year's Eve are both right around the corner), I didn't think I'd have much of a problem finding something to wear. I couldn't have been more wrong.

After searching everywhere, and I mean everywhere (even stores I never shop in) it became clear I had to make something. I had to go to 4 fabric stores before I finally found something that would work for me. Being a redhead is sometimes difficult. I don't wear red. It has to be the 'right' purple. Green would be great, but apparently it's not 'in' this year because it was really scarce. I'm pretty sure Peacock Blue doesn't technically qualify as a 'jewel tone', but that's the color I'm going with.

No silk shantung in stock, so I had to go with the poly version. Fortunately, I have a favorite blouse pattern, so I at least I knew the pattern would work and the fit wouldn't be a problem. Burda pattern #8497 to the rescue.

So, the blouse is almost done. Just need to hem the sleeves, but that'll have to wait until after I help set-up for our Nativity display that coincides with the Cantata. We're planning on 600 nativities and while I don't have to set them all up personally, it'll still be an all day process setting up rooms and decorations.

P.S. This was blouse number two. I had found a deep purple sweater and made a purple satiny blouse to go under it, you know, to give me a little shine. It was the ugliest thing I've ever made and both blouse and pattern were quickly disposed of. Had there been any photo documentation of the disaster, they would have been destroyed too.

Sometimes, things just don't work out like you planned.