Or not.
Yeah, what does all that have to do with the title of this post? Well. Sometimes I come across patterns for my shop that trigger memories. Sometimes they're patterns I've actually made before, and sometimes they are just patterns for types of clothing that I actually might have worn.
So, back when I was in junior high school (yes, this was what it was called before it was called middle school) in Dallas, Texas, in 9th grade (you didn't go to high school until 10th grade), I was on the drill team. Not the kind of drill team that flipped rifles around, but the kind that danced on the football field during halftime. The drill teams in Texas (maybe other states) in the 60s, 70s and maybe the 80s and 90s were patterned after the Kilgore Rangerettes (clicking on "source" will give you some more info about them).
I was in 9th grade in 1974 and there was a drill team for both the junior highs and high schools. My junior high was T.C. Marsh and we were the Matadors. And the drill team was the Cuadrilla. I just did a Spanish-English translation and it means group or gang. Hmmm, what a clever name. For the record, I was on drill team in high school too, but I'll save that story because this is getting kind of wordy, and you are probably wondering about what the heck pattern I could possibly be talking about.
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| You can buy it here! |
Have you ever heard of a hop-in? Views 3 and 4 are sized for wovens, so our moms might have used this pattern, but without the collar, sleeves and pockets, and maybe a modest scoop neck. We voluntarily wore these outfits (without a skirt or shorts) to practice in during our early morning practices. Our colors were gold and white, so we made one side gold and the other white in an awesomely comfortable broadcloth type fabric, a la:
CUTE! Right? So we wore these to practice in before school, and if you were super cool and had long enough hair, you pulled your hair into a ponytail on TOP of your head, and then divided it into 2 or 3 sections and wound those sections around orange juice cans. Anybody? Did anybody else do this? My hair was too short, and I was never one of the super cool, so I had to settle for just wearing my hop-in. (I don't need to explain why we called them hop-ins, do I?)
Since I have already stunned you with the awesomeness, how about a picture of me in my performance uniform? A stunningly hot satin type outfit. Remember, this was in Texas. In September and October.
Oh, and do you see those little pom-poms on the hats? They would get tangled with the hat of the girl sitting next to you, or even worse, when we were marching in a line and got too close. Not pretty.
Doesn't that picture look instagram-y? Nope. Authentic 1970s!
Have a great weekend!
Wow!! That does bring back some memories! I was in the 9th grade at Port Neches Junior High School in Port Neches, Texas in 1972/1973. We didn't have a drill team - at least I can't remember one. I was only at that school for that one year. In 7th and 8th grade I went to Baytown Junior High School in Baytown, Texas and I do remember a drill team there, but I wasn't on it. But I did roll my long hair up in orange juice cans! We moved a lot in those years! I was in the Pep Squad when I moved to Louisiana and into High School. We wore something similar to your pattern for PE classes. Our Pep- Squad uniform was an a-line dress style with a yoke that had the school's initials embroidered on it in royal blue on yellow and the dress part was royal blue and we had royal blue bloomers under the dress which I usually forgot when I had to change into the uniform after school for a football game!!! So my Mother was thrilled!!! I would love to find that pattern because I made it. My Mother hated to sew.
ReplyDeleteFabulous photos! The pom pom hats certainly sound like a hazard!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip down memory lane. We must be the same age, I was in the 9th grade in 1974, although my drill team days had ended by then. My drill team outfit was a neon green satin, my Mother made it. No pom-pom hazards but those boots killed my feet after marching in a parade. Great memories.
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