Name of Dance: Big Band Boogie (Boy s costumes) Costume Contact Information Name: RoAnn Rupp Home Phone: 770 753 2710 Cell Phone: 678 362 1991 Email: Ward and Stake: roannrupp@comcast.net Milton Ward, Roswell Stake General Instructions and Suggestions For Ward/Stake Costume Directors Congratulations and thank you for your willingness to participate in the Youth Cultural Celebration by helping to costume the youth of your stake/ward. This service will be very rewarding, however, it may seem overwhelming at times. Therefore, the following suggestions and instructions are intended to help ease those feelings. Some of the suggestions may seem like common knowledge. However, for those who have never produced costumes on such a large scale these suggestions can be useful. 1. Each costume has a contact person who is the designer of the costume. She can answer questions you may have about materials, supplies and the construction of the costume. Her name and contact information will be found with the costume information. 2. Please read all of the information about the costume you will be assembling before you begin. 3. You will not be making everything for each costume. The pieces of each costume fall into the categories of Items Provided by the Youth, Items to be Purchased (ready made), and Items to be Constructed. 4. Items to be provided by the Youth: The most common items to be provided by the youth include, but are not limited to, white dress shirts, black dress shoes, and black trousers for the boys and black ballet shoes and black bike shorts for the girls. a. Unless otherwise noted in the costume description, all girls will wear black ballet shoes. A black shoe with a strap (needed for safety reasons) may be substituted for black ballet shoes. Girls will also need to wear black bike shorts (or similar) under all costumes with a skirt/dress that is not floor or ankle length. b. It is suggested that before the items to be provided by the youth are purchased, youth should try to borrow from family, friends and ward members. If something needs to be purchased, items can be purchased from yard sales, thrift stores and discount stores. c. Some resources to purchase ballet shoes are www.dance4less.com and www.discountdance.com. At times they have also been available at Sam s Club and Costco. 1
d. Black bike shorts for girls are available at www.walmart.com for $7.00 each (they come in a $14.00 (2) pack) and at www.discountdancesupply.com for $7.50 each. Mid thigh length is preferred. 5. When purchasing materials and supplies for costume items in the Items to be Purchased and Items to be Constructed categories, consider combining orders within the stake if possible. Some vendors offer discounts on large quantities. Also, larger orders can usually qualify for reduced or free shipping. Limit the number of people placing orders. This can eliminate double ordering. 6. If you find a particular product or material is no longer available, contact the costume designer for substitutions or alternatives. 7. Reimbursement for items purchased will follow the current established church procedures. This can be reviewed with your ward or stake clerk. 8. Determine the number of costumes you will need to assemble for each design your ward will be using. 9. Items to be Purchased: Determine the number of ready made items that need to be purchased and place your orders NOW to be sure you have your materials in a timely manner and that adequate quantities will be available. Hopefully prices listed will still be current when an order is placed, however, prices may vary slightly. 10. Take measurements for each individual youth that will need a costume. See attached worksheet sample. This can be done during a youth activity. Accuracy can be maintained if two or three people only do the measuring and recording. 11. Determine sizes for each youth. To determine sewing pattern size, check size measurements on the pattern envelope. These sizes are different from commercial clothing sizes. A size 8 on a commercial piece of clothing may be a size 12 or 14 on a sewing pattern. (Remember the youth will need to move easily in the costume as well as maintain modesty. It is better to make the costume a bit bigger and adjust later rather than make it too small.) Also, some patterns offer finished garment measurements on the pattern envelope. These may be helpful in determining sizes. 12. Determine your fabric needs and purchase and/or place orders as soon as possible. Stock availability fluctuates. What may be in stock today may be gone tomorrow. 13. To determine fabric needs consider the following: a. Some costumes will be using a variation of a pattern. Not all the pieces may be needed for the costume. Sleeves may have been eliminated, hem lengths adjusted, 2 different fabrics may be used, etc. Buy the pattern first and cut out only needed pattern pieces. b. Make adjustments to the pieces, i.e. lengthen or shorten skirts, sleeves, etc. according to costume requirements. 2
c. Lay these pieces out and calculate yardage for one costume. (Note: Purchase only one copy of each pattern/size needed per ward. When many wards in a stake need the same pattern, supplies deplete quickly.) d. Calculate your total need for each fabric by the number of costumes you will be making before purchasing each fabric. Make sure your calculations take in account the width of the fabric you will be using. The fabric width is listed with each suggested fabric. 14. When purchasing fabrics use coupons and watch for sales. JoAnn s Fabrics, Hancock Fabrics and Hobby Lobby all have coupons available nearly every week. Check on line for store coupons. Have ward members collect coupons for you if necessary. Hancock Fabrics accepts competitor s coupons. Most patterns go on sale almost every week at Hancock and JoAnn s. (Note: WalMart on 41 in Marietta still carries fabric and patterns). Finally, Hancock Fabrics offers a senior discount (55 and older) of 15% on your total order the first Wednesday of each month. This is in addition to sale prices and coupons you may be using. 15. If possible, avoid cutting fabric yardage into smaller pieces. Although dividing the cutting among many different people can be efficient, fabric can be used most economically if it is kept as a whole and all pieces are cut at the same time and by just a few people. Remember, do not sew ALL the costumes yourself. Gather as much help as possible. Delegate everything possible. If youth have the needed skills, include them. Decide upon a system to get the work done. Some may prefer an assembly line production. Others may prefer to assign several sisters to specific pieces or tasks. Strive for the best possible look and quality. However, remember these are costumes. Using simplified and time saving sewing techniques is acceptable. Although the youth will be performing for President Monson and we want them to look their best, President Monson appreciates practicality. What is most important to highlight is the spirit and countenance of the youth. You are not alone. The Lord will help, inspire and direct you in this work. General Costume Instructions: 3
The look for the boys for this dance is 1940 s military dress. One half of the boys will be dressed as sailors and one half will be dress as army servicemen. The sailors will wear white middy blouse and white pants with a navy blue tie, white gob hat and black dress shoes. The army servicemen will wear Khaki colored shirt and trousers, garrison cap, and black or brown dress shoes. To accomplish the sailor look, a white oversized dress shirt (preferably old) will be made into the middy blouse by adding a sailor collar, navy blue tie, and navy insignia (anchor, strips, ship name, etc.) and cutting off or temporarily hemming up the shirt tails. The boys will wear white scrub pants that can either be purchased or made, whichever is most economical. A white sailor gob hat will be purchased and the boys will provide black dress shoes. To accomplish the army serviceman look, the boys will provide khaki colored dress pants, a khaki colored dress shirt (a scout shirt can be used with the scout emblems, flag, unit numbers etc. temporarily covered with khaki fabric). Military insignia, stripes, etc. will be added to the shirt. Khaki colored garrison caps will be made for the boys and they will wear black dress shoes. Sailors: Provided by Youth Purchased To be Constructed Oversized white dress shirt Gob Hat Navy Collar for shirt Black dress shoes White scrubs OR White scrub pants Navy Blue Tie Resources for purchased items: 4
Hat: www.anytimecostumes.com Sailor Gob Hat ITEM # 002010053 $2.59 each White Scrubs: www.allheart.com white scrubs, unisex and men s, $8.99 $15.99 available Materials Needed for Constructed Items: Sailor Collar: White broadcloth, available at JoAnn s and Hancock Fabrics. Navy blue or black sequins for decoration Black sequins are available at www.papermart.com, 80 yard roll, $5.97, Item # 584120 Tie: Navy Blue broadcloth, available at JoAnn s and Hancock Fabrics. Scrubs: Simplicity pattern #4378 Fabric: www.joanns.com, White Solid Twill, Item #7265374, 57 wide, $7.99 Insignia: Shoulder stripes, anchor, USS Atlanta, etc. will be provided by the designer. Special Construction Directions: Shirt: Cut off or temporarily hem up the shirt tails to make an even bottom edge. Cut off or tuck and secure shirt cuffs inside the sleeve. Sailor Shirt Collar: Pattern will be available from the designer. Sailor Tie: Cut strips of fabric 4 x 45. Finish edges by turning under or serging. Scrubs: If scrubs are being made rather than purchased, cut bottom of legs wider to give a bell bottom appearance. If purchasing scrubs, make sure underclothing is not visible through the fabric. Hat: If the hat does not stay secure while the boy is dancing, a strap can be made by attaching clear elastic to the hat sides. Military Servicemen: 5
Provided by Youth Purchased To be Constructed Khaki Shirt (scout shirt) none Garrison Cap Khaki colored dress pants Black dress shoes Belt for trousers Resources for purchased items: No Purchased items are listed. However, if boys need to purchase shirts or trousers the following are possible resources: Shirt: www.jcp.com, Big Mac Easy Care short sleeve twill shirt, color Khaki, $19.99 www.walmart.com, Dickies Men's Short Sleeve Twill Work Shirt, Khaki, $15.00 Pants: www.walmart.com, George Men's Flat Front Wrinkle Resistant Pants, Barley, $10.00 Materials Needed for Constructed Items: Shirt: Khaki colored broadcloth to match scout shirt, available at JoAnn s Fabrics and Hancock Fabrics. Cap: Sew Classic Bottomweight, Khaki Target, www.joanns.com, Item #456 996, 57 wide $6.99 per yard. (Also available in the store). Six caps can be made from one yard fabric. Pattern will be available from the designer. Gold sequins for cap trim www.papermart.com, Item #584159, 80 yards per spool, $5.97 Special Construction Directions: Shirt: If using scout shirts, temporarily cover patches with fabric the same color as the shirt. Military insignia will be placed on the shirt sleeves and above chest pocket. Insignia items will be provided by the designer. Cap: Star for cap decoration is available from the designer. If the cap does not stay secure while the boy is dancing, a strap can be made by attaching clear elastic to the hat sides. 6
Measurements Worksheet Not all measurements may be used, but it is easier to gather all measurements at once rather than measuring twice. Youth Name: Head circumference: (for hats) Neck: (measure at base) Shoulder: (from shoulder to should across back) Bicep: Bust/Chest Waist (measure at true waist) Hip (measure around the fullest part of the hip) Base of neck to waist: Base of neck to knee: Waist to floor: Side length or side seam measurement: (measure from side of waist to floor) 7