So it’s not couture sewing but I actually sat down at my sewing machine yesterday and in about two hours put together two costumes for our first (annual — I hope) Living Nativity Walk. We’re setting scenes for people to walk through that tell the Christmas story. They’ll be bordered by luminaria, or as we say in New Mexico, farolitos, and surrounded by music that was recorded at our Christmas Cantata.
Each scene will have live “characters” as our Living Nativity creator and director, George, calls them and we’re expecting some live animals as well. Our only hope is that the rescue squad siren (the rescue squad is across the street from the church) doesn’t go off in the middle of everything and frighten the animals who are used to being out in the country. I’ve checked my Bible and I don’t see animal stampede anywhere in the Christmas story.
We’re also hoping that it doesn’t rain–at least not too hard.
George brought me some fabulous material he got at a mill end shop and I quickly stitched up this Wise Man’s/King’s costume, tunic and robe. I made a bit of a mistake on the cutting of the tunic, which is ridiculous because it’s ridiculously simple, but I fixed it with a little fancy zig-zagging. Pretty opulent, I’d say.
I’m going to be an angel–no comments! So I pulled out my old white robe (alb) that I no longer use for preaching and worship and embellished the arms with stylized “wings.” Considering the fact that my sermon tomorrow is titled, “The Truth About Angels,” and I’ve learned in my preparation for it that nowhere in the Bible do angels have wings, it seemed odd to me to equip myself with the typical stiff, stuck out from the back wings.
Here’s how I made my “wings.”
I tore two yards of shimmery, filmy fabric across the grain into approximately two-inch wide strips so they would be frayed and would not just lie flat as they would if simply cut.
Then I pinned them onto a 30-inch length of 1/2-inch wide ribbon. I started with one piece at the half way point and then made each one longer with a shorter “fold-over” as I headed from wrist to shoulder. The fold-over acts as a second layer for the wing. Then I stitched down the middle to attach to the ribbon.
Finally, I tacked the “wings” on by hand to sleeves using a long running back stitch down the middle of the ribbon. It will be easy to go in from the back side and snip them off when I’m finished with them.
The strips of fabric fold over to make a layered “wing”. One problem is all the strays threads that keep coming off the fabric strips, but it’s not a big problem. I’m hoping there will be a slight breeze that will make the wings “fly about” a little while I’m standing there being a “character.”
Now I just have to finish folding down the tops of 50 more brown paper lunch sacks for the luminaria. We’re making over 200! (I love this picture from newmexicophotos.com. Check out the site for more farolito pics and other great New Mexico pictures. I’m dreaming of a New Mexico Christmas!)
THEN I have to get on with some of the other things I have to do today: finish preparing for worship and teaching tomorrow, make cookies for Larissa and Josh’s arrival on Wednesday, fix a pot of vegetable soup, and of course, get ready to be an angel.
