Getting Costumes Ready for Westfest

Westfest weekend is Labor Day Weekend in West, Texas. This Czech festival is in my hometown of West, Texas. (See Westfest link along the right side of the blog.) At Westfest you will see one of the largest selection of authentic Czech costumes anywhere. I am busy getting my daughters' costumes ready to wear at the Parade of Costumes on Saturday, September 5 at 2:00 and throughout the weekend. Authentic Czech costumes take a great deal of specialized care. For more tips, see my earlier post dated July 19, 2009.
The first thing I do is to wash, starch and hang to dry the petticoats because the petticoats provide the proper structure for the costume. If your petticoat does not stand on it's on, add more starch. I washed our petticoats in the washing machine but you may need to hand wash. I stopped the wash cycle and let them soak for thirty minutes in Clorox 2. After the rinse cycle I soaked the petticoats in full strength liquid starch and then let the spin cycle spin out the excess. Then, I hung the petticoats outside spreading them out as much as possible. I spread them out as much as possible to prevent them from sticking together and making ironing easier. After drying completely, I ironed them. I ironed them several times. 1) Just iron without using spray starch, both front and back. 2) Iron them with heavy starch, both front and back.
Check back later or follow this blog for more tips. If you have tips or just information on Czech costumes, email it to me. I welcome comments. This site is free and is a great way for us to help each other. Sharon.
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Congratulations to Brianna Tichy, 2009-10 Miss Czech Slovak US!

Each year the Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant is held in Wilber, NE during the Wilber Czech Festival.

In it's 23 years the pageant has hosted over 225 contestants viaing for the position as Miss Czech Slovak US Queen. The Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant has crowned 23 queens and has a strong history of producing proud Czech and Slovak Americans that continue to preserve the Czech and Slovak heritage around the United States. Currently 9 states have Miss Czech Slovak Pageants and we are always interested in starting more.

I am interested in any contact you may have of a female aged 16-26, single, of Czech or Slovak decent who would be interested in competing for the national title and over $10,000 in cash and prizes.

I understand your time is very valuable but the value that these young woman bring not only to the pageant but to all youth around the United States. Our 2008 queen traveled to over 20,000 miles promoting the Czech and Slovak heritage, preservation and continueing relationships.

For pictures or more information please see our website
www.missczechslovakus.com

Brianna can be reached via the national pageant website.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Thank you,
MaryElizabeth Lackey
Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant Director
785-317-5010

Results of the 2009 Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant

Dear Friends of the Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant,
 
The 23rd annual MISS CZECH-SLOVAK US PAGEANT is now history. As with each pageant there are many highlights stemming from all the contestants. Speech eloquence, poise and appearance and personality were outstanding among all 14 contestants. 

The pageant was held at the Wilber Outdoor Theater in the heart of beautiful Wilber, NE. 14 contestants competed for the title of 2009-10 Miss Czech Slovak US. The contestants were evaluated on four categories: Private interview, Onstage Interview, Kroj (costume) modeling and Talent Presentation. The competition was exceptional!
 
Brianna Tichy, New Jersey, of Wodwich, New Jersey was crowned 2009-10 Miss Czech Slovak United States, along with winning Talent Runner Up. Brianna attends the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. She is working on her Bachelor's degree in International Studies, with a focus on Eastern Europe and Post-communist countries. She is the daughter of Fred Tichy and Bridget DeFiccio. With the title Brianna will recieve $1500 cash, $2500 towards a trip to the Czech or Slovak Republic and a special $250 special scholarship in memory of John Rokusek and much more. Teresa Mahoney, Oregon, of Portland, Oregon was 1st Runner Up, Authentic Kroj Winner and the Alicia "Fiala" Rokusek Oratory Award. Carrie Brown, Nebraska, of Omaha, Nebraska won 2nd Runner Up. Christine Dowling, Kansas, of Hays, Kansas won Americanized Kroj and Grand Talent Winner. Leilani Kurtak, Arizona of Tucson, Arizona received the Lois Fiala Spirit of Czech/Slovak Heritage award. Tanya Jech, Illinois of Westchester, Illinois won the Heritage Involvement Award. Olivia Cada, Minnesota, of Shorewood, Minnesota received the Sokol talent routine award and Miss Congeniality.

Other than our above 7 winners, we had 7 other outstanding contestants, Michelle Barak, Texas; Olivia Buydos, Ohio; Amanda DeHoedt, Iowa; Samantha Hlinicky, Oklahoma; Kristy Kleinhans, Wisconsin; Valerie Smith, Missouri; and Cindy Syrovatka, South Dakota.

For pictures of our wonderful contestants, award winners and 2009 Queen and Court, please see our website www.missczechslovakus.com. Please feel free to utilize these pictures with your organization.

I would like to thank my pageant committee, Board of Directors, and all that helped to make this pageant a success.

If you are interested in competing in the 2010 Miss Czech Slovak US pageant, please contact myself or see our website for complete rules and regulations. .

I am excited to look forward to the Miss Czech Slovak US 2010 pageant August 6, 7, and 8 held during the National Czech Festival of Wilber, Nebraska.  

Sincerely,
 
MaryElizabeth Lackey
Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant Director
mary_eliza@yahoo.com

Proper Care & Cleaning of Czech Costumes

The McLennan-Hill Chapter of the Czech Heritage Society (http://www.czechheritage.org/) met on July 19, 2009 at the Community Center in West. The program was presented by Maggie Grmela of Czech Costume Creations (http://www.maggiesfabricpatch.com). She presented a program on the proper care and cleaning of Czech costumes. A few of her tips for Americanized costumes include:
1. She recommends cleaning the whites (blouses and aprons) at home; professional cleaners tend to yellow the fabrics. She suggests that all whites be cleaned after each wear, body oils will stain and yellow and will make it harder to clean.
2. Soak the whites in sink of cold water with small amount of regular detergent or use a gentle detergent along with Clorox-2 (all fabric bleach) or Biz all fabric bleach. Let stand for at least 30 minutes. Finish by hand washing then rinse and spin out in the washer (delicate cycle). Hang to dry or put in dryer on delicate for a short time to fluff. A helpful hint for ladies blouses is to fill the sleeves with netting and spray with spray starch. Let dry and leave netting in sleeve until the time time to wear. Items can be steam pressed or ironed if necessary. If item has beading, put a towel on the ironing board and press from the wrong side.
3. Items that can be machine washed need to be washed on the delicate cycle. Hang to dry or dry on the delicate setting. A safety measure for machine washing is to use a laundry bag or a pillowcase to protect any laces, trim or beading. Maggie suggests use Clorox 2 or Biz for machine washables. Let stand and soak for a while before completing washing.
4. All blouses and skirts that are poly cotton can be hand washed or gently machine washed in cold water. Hang to dry or put in the dryer on the delicate setting.
5. Vests and skirts that are velvet or brocades should be dry cleaned.
Maggie had a few tips for authentic costumes. They include:
1. Authentic costumes can be very delicate. She recommends treating them with extreme care. Before cleaning, make any repairs that are necessary. Some lace and trims may need to be removed before cleaning. Maggie recommends Clorox 2 or Biz for those fabrics that are washable. Test for color safety on a small piece of the fabric.
2. She recommends keeping costumes in cardboard boxes with acid-free tissue paper. Authentic costumes should not be kept on coat hangers. This tends to pull on the fabrics, embroidery and trims. Costumes should be stored flat in boxes with tissue between each piece.

2009 Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant

Don't miss the 2009 Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant at Czech Days in Wilber, NE on August 1 & 2. Very accomplished Czech Queens will come from all over the country to compete for to be the next Miss Czech Slovak US. This is a must see for anyone who loves Czech/Slovak heritage. This competition showcases the best of authentic and Americanized costumes and some very talented ladies. These lovely young ladies will compete in several categories including: onstage and personal interview; talent and kroj (Czech costume) modeling. Contestants are: Michelle Barak, Texas; Carrie Brown, Nebraska; Olivia Buydos, Ohio; Olivia Cada, Minnesota; Amanda DeHoedt-Iowa; Christine Dowling, Kansas; Samantha Hlinicky, Oklahoma; Tanya Jech, Illinois; Kristy Kleinhans, Wisconsin; Leilani Kurtak, Arizona; Teresa Mahoney, Oregon; Valerie Smith, Missouri; Cindy Syrovatka, South Dakota and Brianna Tichy, New Jersey.
The pageant is held in conjunction with Czech Days, a Czech festival in Wilber, NE. Events include parades on both Saturday and Sunday. This small town opens up and welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from all over the United States. Don't miss it. For more information, log on to http://www.ci.wilber.ne.us/festival_events.asp. For more information on the Miss Czech Slovak US Pageant, log on to http://missczechslovakqueen.tripod.com/.

Czech Youth Day

The 2009 Czech Youth Day at the Texas Czech Heritage and Cultural Center was a big success. Activities included: hay ride tour of the center, Czech lesson, beading lesson, meteorite presentation, Czech egg presentation, rock painting, dance lesson and much more. Several of the Czech Heritage Society of Texas Czech Queens and Little Sisters were present and helped as needed throughout the day. I did a presentation on sewing beads and sequins but I was so busy I did not get any pictures. Many thanks to the volunteers of the Texas Czech Heritage & Cultural Center and the Czech Heritage Society of Texas. The day was great fun and wonderful way for generations to come together to share the Czech heritage with the children.

More Progress on the Hanacky Apron

You will notice in the last few posts that I am working on another apron for Sarah's Hanacky kroj (Czech costume). The first one was nice but just needed more embroidery. SO, the one I am making now is taking much longer...I am taking my time. I found a great embroidery hot iron transfer that looks Czech. The design is from Aunt Martha's Hot Iron Transfers, #3759 Blue Onion Motifs. Our local fabric store, JoAnn's fabrics carry an assortment of these brand of transfers. So far I have completed the larger design (see photo) along the bottom of the apron. I then did a very simple three line scallop that will create a border for a smaller design that matches the first. After completing this row, I will top with another three line scallop, then invert the original bottom design. I will continue to post photos. You will notice small dots around the center of the bottom design. (Click on photo to enlarge.) I am not sure how I want to do those so I am waiting until I near completion. I use use french knots, beads, sequins or crystals. I will decide later.

Answers to Embroidery Questions

I get two questions all the time: 1) how do you get your embroidery designs to look like machine-made and 2) how do you get the back the back of the design to look so neat.
Question #1: I have a few tips that may help. I use DMC 6-strand floss and most of my pieces are made with 2 strands. I cut the floss about 1 yard long. Don't get your thread any longer or you are sure to get knots. I take the 6-strand floss and hold it between my thumb and forefinger. While holding the end, gently pull one strand straight up (see photo #2 & #3). This is key, do not pull out left and right or your floss will knot. Just pull the single thread straight up. The key to making your embroidery stitches smooth, is to ALWAYS separate your thread this way, even if you are using all 6 strands. If you find that even after doing this your stitch is not laying smooth, try pulling the stitch slowly over your finger (see photo #4) and when the stitch lays flat, then complete the stitch. That seems very time consuming but believe me your efforts will be rewarded with a beautiful finished piece and with time, you will get faster. I never tie knots in my thread. Since I use 2 strands for my designs, I do this by using 1 piece of floss and doubling it. This gives me a loop on one end (see photo #5). As I pull my thread up from the back, I let the loop remain on the back and I go back through the material and I run the needle back through the loop (see photo #6 & #7). By doing this, knots are not needed and the back of the design stays neat and smooth. When I get to the end of the thread I simply weave the ends through the back of the design back and forth (see photo #8). When I first heard of this method I was skeptical because I thought it would be easy to pull out and ruin the design. But you would be surprised, using this method is actually stronger than tying knots. I have been embroidering for many years and never had a problem.












































Question #2: My grandmother told me that I should take as much pride in the back of my design as I do the front. It has taken me many years but I now know why she told me this...BECAUSE EVERYBODY LOOKS AT THE BACK OF THE DESIGN. And also, if the back is messy and threads strung from one element to another it is more likely to be seen from the front and there is more chance of the thread getting caught on a button or something and pulling out. This does not mean that you have to start a new thread for each element. For example, if you are working on leaves on a stem of a flower, as you finish a leaf, weave your thread in the stem until you reach the next leaf in the design. Also, when working on items such as leaves, start in the middle of the leaf. I start in the middle and work to one end. When I reach the end of the leaf, I run the thread under the design in the back and go back to the middle and work the other direction (see photo #8). This will help you to keep the design even. If you start at one end you may tend to go crooked. I hope these tips help and if you have any other tips or questions, send them to me. This site is free and is a great place for all of us to share our ideas.

Hanacky Kroj Apron #2

I am currently working on a kroj (Czech costume) representing the Hana region of the Czech Republic. The costume is for my daughter Sarah. Sarah is the 2006-2007 Miss Czech-Slovak USA Queen and she is still very active in the Czech community. She is designing this costume to look as authentic as possible.
We thought we were finished with the costume but after wearing it a few times we realized that the apron really does need more embroidery. (See photos from previous post entitled "Slavnost"). I could add more embroidery to the apron I finished a few months ago but just could not find a design that we thought would go with the current design.
SO, I am working on a new apron. This may be better because I really do not want to rush it and this way Sarah can wear the costume while I am working on the new apron. When making authentic-looking costumes, speed can not be part of the equation. So far, I have been working on this apron a couple of months and probably finished 20% of the embroidery. I am using a hot iron transfer (Aunt Martha's #3759) combined with designs from Czecho-Slovakian Embroideries. The hot iron transfers are so much easier than tracing designs scanned from a book and I was thrilled to find a design that I thought would work on this costume.
A few things to keep in mind when working on a piece like this that is sure to be a family heirloom. They are 1) don't rush it; 2) make the back of the design look as nice (or almost as nice) as the front of the design (see photos comparing back to front of the apron) and above all 3) don't be afraid to remove stitches if the piece does not look like you expect. Remember, it is just thread.