Sticking, Poking and More....

Tomorrow is the big day. Thornton Cleveleys Gala and L will be crowned Gala Queen 2015. It's going to be a fantastic day (please, please don't rain).  We have spent weeks and weeks in preparation for this day with lots of help from the retinues parents.

I striped the old float sides of the old decorations saving some of the coloured strips to reuse and to save on expenses and we have used some but the rest we will pass onto the next years queen and retinue after the choosing.

Whilst doing the stripping we found that some of the wooden/MDF panels were very rotten so M bought new MDF and remade the sides. Next we glued on the polystyrene sheets using PVA. Weighting the middle and clamping the edges. In this picture we are having to make an extension to what we had already done. (More about that later)

I spent many an evening cutting up colourful plastic table cloths into strips

After transferring the design from paper onto the polystyrene, which was not an easy task when you can't draw, we then coloured in the design using wooden kebab sticks to poke in the plastic strips.

Many an evening M spent making small pink flowers (and larger flowers) again from plastic table cloths

Some finished sides

A sneaky peak

L finishing off her bit whilst we tided up at the end of a long day and another sneaky peak

We were now over halfway through the decorating the sides when were informed by the gala committee chairman that we would not be using the wagon we thought we would be using because the council, who very kindly lend us the wagons, are replacing some of the old ones and that we will be having a new one. That's nice, but we have seen the new ones and they've a huge wardrobe type fixed tool box on the back unlike to old ones which had a trunk style box. The reason for extending the polystyrene and altering the design on this piece. M had to get some measurements so that the side pieces could also be altered fortunately the completed sides were ok. The side are now completed and us parents will build the wagon up tonight ready for morning.

We have to say a huge thank you to Cleveleys community Centre and Church for allowing us to use the stage to store and decorate the sides and when the hall was not in use letting us spread out. Also the Wyre Council who lend us the wagons each week to attend other galas. A further 5 for this year.

Whilst all this was going on I was working and making L's dress and coat (needs pressing in a minute). Sorry no pictures of them in progress. And decorating shoes

Next week I will post some picture from the gala

Must get a wriggle on and get the ironing done.

Note to self - Must start and get some housework done next week.

See you soon

Carolx