Sing Joyfully

Here's what I wrote in preparation for a post about mending the choir robes, a job that I have taken on for the school where I work:

This weekend is being devoted to repairing choir robes. The whole weekend is needed because there are 78 robes that need some form of repair. This is too big a task for just me so I have recruited a co-worker, Erica, to come help. Erica has her own Etsy shop, making a variety of items like wool mittens from re-purposed sweaters, candles in teacups, and her own jewelry. Trust me, she has the skills to hand sew a few hundred snaps. All of the satin "collars" are at home now, waiting for their frayed edged to be hand sewn back together and Velcro repaired or replaced with a sewing machine. My original Kenmore 158-1780 never liked Velcro but I have found most other sewing machines are just fine with this fuzzy little wonder. I will put a movie or two into the DVD player or find a TV series on Amazon Prime to keep me company as I do all that hand stitching at home. One afternoon Erica and I will find ourselves in the windowless band room sewing on snaps and mending rips: I hope to be almost done when the weekend is done so I can get back to my own craft business and fixing those sewing machines I love.

Erica and I did work one afternoon and the grand total of finished robes: ten. TEN  That is not enough! I took three home for extensive rips around the zipper, replaced a zipper in one robe, still have over 30 satin collars to hand sew and then there is the Velcro...and this is just what is home, for now. I will have to spend all of Saturday and Sunday afternoon just to make a dent in the 78 robes. Now we are starting to prioritize the work by saying some items on the list aren't going to be done, such as torn stitching on the lining inside of a yoke. It doesn't show and doesn't effect the wear much either, so it's not going to be done.Here's a stack of the collars waiting for hand stitching:

Satin collars

Note they are on the arm of a recliner where I had just finished watching a movie but this is still what's left to do! Here are seven robes I took home (and finished) because they needed more extensive repair, such as hems and rips:

Choir robes hanging up in my basement

They are so large I need to put them up high to keep them out of the way. They go back as soon as possible, too.  I was productive enough today that I know I can  finish this job but next time I will either 1. start jobs like this earlier or 2. ask for more details to see how much time it might take. But, then again, I'm a sucker for saying yes to help someone out, too. Tonight I am weary of these robes but I hope to see them in use at the Christmas concert where they will stand too far away for me to see any of the details!