Tag-Archive for » costuming «

National Polka Festival 2009

Tuesday, June 09th, 2009 | Author: deborahfillmer

Things around here have been so crazy that I have been unable to post this years collection of images from the Polka Festival.  Now that the mid-terms are over and the grandson has returned home I can finally turn my attention to more entertaining subjects.  Ebby enjoyed the trip to Dallas.

Ebby and me at the Mississippi border.

Ebby and me at the Mississippi border.

Closeup of the Chihuahua with an attitude!

Closeup of the Chihuahua with an attitude!

Ebby and me at the Louisiana Border

Ebby and me at the Louisiana Border

Ebby and me at the Texas border.

Ebby and me at the Texas border.

The trip back was another story.  There were three of us, Me, Scott, and our three year old grandson William in the front cab of our little truck for the 14 hour trip back home.  Ebby lived in my lap the entire ride back.  All is well though.  We made it home without incident, unless you count the first hour in the truck when William turned to me and basically lost all his orange juice he had taken in before we left.  It was a mess, but we survived.

This year my dad and I competed in the King and Queen Dance again.  There were 21 couples competing this year and we didn’t even make it past the first cut.  We had fun though and the couple who won were far superior dancers and will represent the festival well in the year to come.

Nana and William

Pardon the No Smoking sign, the moment was right so the photo was taken.

Competition was stiff!

It is so wonderful for a daughter to be able to dance with her father!

Father/Daughter Dance

Are we having fun yet? or Will this song ever end?

Don't we look smashing?

My Daddy and Me!

All the contestants are positioned around the dance floor.

All the contestants are positioned around the dance floor.

Here is the video of our 2009, meager attempt at stardom…

On Saturday, we went to the parade as usual, but the parade was a huge disappointment this year.  Not only did it start about an hour late because of an inadvertently parked train across the intersection, but there were bands included in the floats that had absolutely NOTHING with Czech heritage, except perhaps that the members were residents of the greater Ennis area.  These bands were beyond metal in flavor and there was not a polka to be found.  Sad, really.  If Ennis wants to do something to promote the Polka Festival in the future they might want to try updating the website and begin thinking “nationally” again.  They are, after all, the National Polka Festival.  Ok, rant is over…  The best part of the parade for me was seeing Ebby all decked out in her costume.  She is truly a Czech/Mex dog!  Ha Ha

Trains

This is why the parade is late!!

William

Am I handsome or what?

Ebby in Costume

Nana, William, Bryan (my son), Sara (his wife), and Ebby waiting for the parade

We will not be attending this festival next year (or probably for a few years to come), mainly because we want to go visit some other festivals in other parts of the country.  Now that I have my supply of costumes, we can dance in style throughout Wisconsin, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Ohio, to name a few.  Stay tuned here for updates on our adventures to a polka festival near you.

Everybody Dance // This Year’s Costume Trial Run

Sunday, May 03rd, 2009 | Author: deborahfillmer

I finally reached a point in my semester work where I could take a short break and work on something fun. My wonderful and talented husband agreed to do a photo shoot of me in my costume for this year’s Polka Festival. Every year I get nervous when the festival draws near thinking that my costume will not fit. So far, it has all been for naught. Here are some photos from the fun we had out on the property yesterday. Enjoy.

Us

Front

Front Spin

Back

Swinging

Category: Featured, Journal  | Tags: , , ,  | 5 Comments

A Dog in a Czech Costume // Ebby Gets Fancy

Thursday, March 19th, 2009 | Author: deborahfillmer

Well, it is time for my Dogs on Thursday post again and I have been promising photos of Ebby’s kroj.  I made the pattern up from scratch and tried to make it match my costume as much as possible.  It was a lot of fun to put together and made me think of sewing doll clothes.  She is such a ham and she really doesn’t mind looking goofy for her mom.  She will be attending the National Polka Festival with me in May and we will have photos.  Until then here you go:

Look at me, I'm fancy!

Look at me, I'm fancy!

One photo is just not enough!

One photo is just not enough!

Everybody Polka!

Everybody Polka!

Czech Costume Creation 2009 // Womens Kroj

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | Author: deborahfillmer

The first costume for the 2009 National Polka Festival is essentially finished.  This is the costume that I will wear in this year’s King and Queen Dance Competition.  I am so excited!  There are still some tiny details (none noticeable to the camera) to be attended to, but I was dying to get this one up for you all to see.  The men’s costume photos will be posted soon, and then, of course, there is Ebby’s costume.  So, here are the photos.  Enjoy.

Making Adjustments

Making adjustments in the wind.

Detail of skirt and apron.

Detail of skirt and apron.

Detail of the bodice.

Detail of the bodice.

View of the back of the costume.

View of the back of the costume.

Doing My Part To Stimulate The Economy // Cheaper Than I Could Make It

Wednesday, February 18th, 2009 | Author: DK

Today I broke down and purchased a petticoat for my costume this year. I was browsing for a pattern for a petticoat (free, of course). You wouldn’t think they would be that hard to make, just a bunch of gathered tulle and some elastic…wrong. So, anyway, while I was browsing the internet for a pattern I found a site that had the exact petticoat I was looking for and it was less than half of what I would have had to pay for the materials alone! Here is what I purchased. Let’s hope it fits and doesn’t require any “modifications”.

Speaking of costumes, I am almost finished with my shirt for this year and finished my vest a week or so ago. Once the shirt is finished I will get a photo posted of both together. My father’s shirt I took to the local embroidery shop here and chose a simple design from one of their books. I will post a photo of that when I get it back as well.

Many of you have asked about the next Secret of the Stole KAL. I am currently working on two patterns right now. The first is a secret knit a long that will begin in June for the Atlanta Knitters Guild. I am speaking at their monthly meeting on the topic of secret knit a longs and have been designing a pattern just for them. If you are anywhere near Atlanta and would like to meet me or participate in the knit a long, please come to the meeting. It should be lots of fun. The pattern will be available for purchase when the knit a long is over.

The second pattern is for the Secret of the Stole IV.  The yahoo group for this stole exists, but is NOT open for membership yet.   I have the pattern pretty much completed, but not test knitted. Realistically, starting school and designing the other pattern is going to set back the timing a little. Hopefully, the Secret of the Stole IV can begin sometime in June or July. Keep your fingers crossed…

Fair Winds

Category: Fiber Arts, Patterns  | Tags:  | One Comment