Rodeo Clown Barbie

Rodeo Clown Barbie

A rodeo is a competition  rooted in  the profession of cattle herding.  Rounding up the cattle to brand the calves, check the herd,  and move them to other pastures or market are all important aspects of a herder's work.  At a rodeo, the competitors rope and tie the cattle,  demonstrate lariat skills and for fun, I guess, ride the bulls.

I'm sure you have seen the machines that simulate the bucking of an enraged bull.  They were a big fad in the late 70's and a feature of the movie Urban Cowboy.   A real bull is a terrifying and angry beast weighing up to a ton.  The people who ride them get thrown off and then the rodeo clowns move in to distract the bull from the fallen rider.   

Rodeo clowns wear loose clothing designed to be torn off.  Underneath they wear protective gear.  There may be a barrelman who has a large, strong, padded barrel to jump in to escape from the bull.  The clowns might heckle the emcee, the competitors or people in the audience.

Usually there is a team of clowns working together.  Barbie relies on agility and speed to distract the animal and to escape safely.   As you know, she doesn't have to be the fastest clown, she just has to be faster than any one of the other clowns on her team.

Barbie's Muslin

 Barbie's Muslin

At St. Andrew's Junior High School, the two grade 8 home economics teachers specialized.  One taught cooking, the other sewing.  At the beginning of the session, the students were sent to buy a pattern, fabric, zipper and thread.  The first class, we pinned the paper pattern together.   Our teacher expected us to take off our dresses, don the pinned pattern over our slips and take turns going into the class powder room.  There she'd adjust the fit of the pattern including the depth and angle of the bust darts.

I am a prude and this was far beyond my comfort zone so I eluded her and made my jumper without adjustments.  Shame, I might have learned something.  For years now I have made clothes and often been disappointed when they don't look right on me despite my best efforts.

But last month I took a course in pattern drafting and made a muslin that fits perfectly.  You know the rule about new skills; watch it, do it,  teach it. I put my skills to good use and taught Barbie.  This is what she made.