Volunteer Sewing Information

Thank you for your interest in volunteering for the Blue Stars Drum and Bugle Corps' Sewing Staff! This season is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in our history and we could use your help!

Why Volunteer for the Blue Stars?
The experience that we as a team (management, instructional staff, volunteers and alumni) offer the marching members of the Blue Stars is incredibly unique. A full summer to travel, perform, build lifelong friendships, interdependence and leadership training are all parts of the experience that have helped build the Blue Stars as a world-leader in the Drum and Bugle Corps activity. None of these experiences would be possible without a hard working and dedicated volunteer staff.

Volunteering to sew brings with it the opportunity to serve the corps in an integral role. Ensuring that our members look great each and every time they step on the performance field is essential to the competitive success of our organization. Sewing and altering uniforms and flags will always have a HUGE impact on our appearance.

What Needs Sewing?
Uniform Parts: (Jackets, pants, gauntlets, and cross-straps). Our uniforms are born in a factory. The altering and adjusting of each uniform part is what makes the Blue Stars look as professional as possible each time they enter the field.
Flags: Each year we use a completely new set of performance and rehearsal flags that require sewing. Often times this means putting together a combination of silk pieces shipped from a factory.
Uniform Bags: To ensure that our uniforms maintain their best possible appearance our members always place them in a uniform bag following each use. These fabric bags need to be sewed together, labeled and repaired throughout the season.

When does this process begin?
The Blue Stars typically hold their annual auditions at the end of November and begin to set membership in December and January. This is when contracted members begin to get fitted for their uniforms. All members will leave a rehearsal at one point during a camp weekend to be fitted by a member of the sewing staff. We need several hands during these weekends, because the measuring, notating, and altering each require a separate volunteer.

What would I do while on tour?
While you are on tour you will be asked to help out with the re-fitting process. As members go out on tour and perform the rigorous daily schedule that we have set up for them they tend to lose weight in certain places and gain muscle in other places. This requires up to "go with the flow" with the fitting of each members' uniform. During certain days of tour we will set up a sewing staff member or members in a room in the housing site we are at to work on this project.

In addition to re-fitting uniforms throughout the season we will need basic repair sewing projects done. This can be anything from re-attaching a button to re-sewing a seam in a pair of pants. You will ride in a corps vehicle and to the show and housing sites and be instructed on where your sleep and sewing areas will be by a member of the corps' management. The daily corps schedules are posted on a white board on the corps cook truck. Please feel free to ask any question at any time to the Corps Director or member of the corps' management staff.

Corps Performances:
The Blue Stars will perform over 50 times this season. As a touring volunteer you will be given a Blue Stars' staff pass, which will permit you to attend all Drum Corps International and Drum Corps Midwest shows free of charge. Please feel free to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

How do I sign up?
We have an online volunteer application that you can fill out to let us know that you are interested. Here's the link: http://www.bluestars.org/support/volunteer_form.php Filling out this form does not officially commit you. Upon reading these applications the corps director will contact you regarding your availability. If you have any questions please feel free to email director@bluestars.org

Thank you again for your interest. We look forward to meeting you!