|
|
 |
Friday
March 19, 2010 Since 1922 |
Fit for a queen
By Cierra Putman
The Baytown Sun Published September 19, 2009 There are only a few more weeks until historical fashionistas trade in the latest fad for a frock that would turn heads at King Henry the Eighth’s court at this year’s Texas Renaissance Festival. One Baytown business owner and her sister are putting in the hours to make sure members of the renaissance court are dressed to impress.
“We just have a ball,” Sherry Owings, seamstress for the Texas Renaissance Festival, said. “We have a blast doing this. It’s great fun and it gives me a chance to be a part of the faire.”
Ribbons, dress patterns, needles and thread were spread across a table at Sherry’s Upholstery Wednesday evening, but instead of completing an order for a local customer, the store’s owner was hard at work preparing costumes for this year’s festival.
The tradition started a few of years ago when her son asked for her help.
“My son Shane hired me about five years ago to make guard uniforms at the last minute,” Owings said.
Over the years, the Baytownian’s status rose, and now instead of guardsmen attire, she’s in charge of a costumes for ladies of the court and even King Henry the Eighth himself. This year, Owings and her sister Cathy Newbaker are working on three ladies dresses, a costume for the King, two tabards for the joust captain and an elf costume.
The dressmakers, tailors and seamstresses in charge of outfitting the more than 200 festival actors began working on the costumes in mid-August. They, just like the performers, have about six weeks to get everything done before the festival opens on Oct. 11, northwest of Houston in Plantersville.
Right now, Owings is working on a dress for Mary Boleyn, sister of the famous beheaded Anne Boleyn. Even though the gown is not as fine as a garment made for the king or queen, the seamstress said approximately 50 hours of work will go into that gown alone.
“It gets elaborate,” Owings said.
The men and women who prepare the costumes for the festival are very meticulous and spend a great deal of time on the details. Beading for one of the queen’s gowns took almost three weeks according to Owings.
With the hundreds of costumed actors working at the festival, Owings said most of her time is spent working on alterations and not making a costume from scratch. She said only 10 to 12 new costumes are made each year, so Owings and the other needle-workers make sure they make each costume to last, and with enough material so it can fit anyone with a few alterations.
“We’re not allowed to cut anything out of them,” Owings said. “These things go up and down, up and down year after year. So it’s a mad house doing alterations.”
One of the gowns she is working on was a size 10 last year and now fits a woman who now wears a size zero.
All the time she spends researching the clothing of the era and on alterations leaves little time for the Baytonian to make a new outfit and life story for herself. She currently attends the faire as the mother of the captain of the king’s guard, Lady Hannah Fletcher, but secretly wants to become Lady Chatelaine.
“People who have been there year after year will come up to you and you better have a character name and a story,” she said. “It’s so much fun. It’s like one big Halloween party that goes on for eight weekends.”
The festival is open every Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 11 to Nov. 30 as well as for Thanksgiving Friday. Each weekend has a theme from Pirate Adventure to Highland Fling.
“I think the fairy fantasy weekend (1001 Dreams) is the most fun,” Owings said. “or Halloween weekend, then you can get away with wearing anything.”
As well as historical fun the festival offers food, children’s days, music and many other activities for the entire family to enjoy. For more information about the festival, visit its Web site www.texrenfest.com.
The Baytown Sun Published September 19, 2009 There are only a few more weeks until historical fashionistas trade in the latest fad for a frock that would turn heads at King Henry the Eighth’s court at this year’s Texas Renaissance Festival. One Baytown business owner and her sister are putting in the hours to make sure members of the renaissance court are dressed to impress.
“We just have a ball,” Sherry Owings, seamstress for the Texas Renaissance Festival, said. “We have a blast doing this. It’s great fun and it gives me a chance to be a part of the faire.”
Ribbons, dress patterns, needles and thread were spread across a table at Sherry’s Upholstery Wednesday evening, but instead of completing an order for a local customer, the store’s owner was hard at work preparing costumes for this year’s festival.
The tradition started a few of years ago when her son asked for her help.
“My son Shane hired me about five years ago to make guard uniforms at the last minute,” Owings said.
Over the years, the Baytownian’s status rose, and now instead of guardsmen attire, she’s in charge of a costumes for ladies of the court and even King Henry the Eighth himself. This year, Owings and her sister Cathy Newbaker are working on three ladies dresses, a costume for the King, two tabards for the joust captain and an elf costume.
The dressmakers, tailors and seamstresses in charge of outfitting the more than 200 festival actors began working on the costumes in mid-August. They, just like the performers, have about six weeks to get everything done before the festival opens on Oct. 11, northwest of Houston in Plantersville.
Right now, Owings is working on a dress for Mary Boleyn, sister of the famous beheaded Anne Boleyn. Even though the gown is not as fine as a garment made for the king or queen, the seamstress said approximately 50 hours of work will go into that gown alone.
“It gets elaborate,” Owings said.
The men and women who prepare the costumes for the festival are very meticulous and spend a great deal of time on the details. Beading for one of the queen’s gowns took almost three weeks according to Owings.
With the hundreds of costumed actors working at the festival, Owings said most of her time is spent working on alterations and not making a costume from scratch. She said only 10 to 12 new costumes are made each year, so Owings and the other needle-workers make sure they make each costume to last, and with enough material so it can fit anyone with a few alterations.
“We’re not allowed to cut anything out of them,” Owings said. “These things go up and down, up and down year after year. So it’s a mad house doing alterations.”
One of the gowns she is working on was a size 10 last year and now fits a woman who now wears a size zero.
All the time she spends researching the clothing of the era and on alterations leaves little time for the Baytonian to make a new outfit and life story for herself. She currently attends the faire as the mother of the captain of the king’s guard, Lady Hannah Fletcher, but secretly wants to become Lady Chatelaine.
“People who have been there year after year will come up to you and you better have a character name and a story,” she said. “It’s so much fun. It’s like one big Halloween party that goes on for eight weekends.”
The festival is open every Saturday and Sunday from Oct. 11 to Nov. 30 as well as for Thanksgiving Friday. Each weekend has a theme from Pirate Adventure to Highland Fling.
“I think the fairy fantasy weekend (1001 Dreams) is the most fun,” Owings said. “or Halloween weekend, then you can get away with wearing anything.”
As well as historical fun the festival offers food, children’s days, music and many other activities for the entire family to enjoy. For more information about the festival, visit its Web site www.texrenfest.com.