photo: Rob Carr/Getty ImagesReactions to "Idol" rocker Steven Tyler's rendition of the national anthem at last Sunday's Patriots/Ravens AFC Championship game were mixed at best, but there was something everyone could agree on: that his glittery Patriots scarf was awesome. And it turns out there's a very cute story behind it--one that has, totally overnight, turned a local Patriots fan and artist into a much-in-demand scarf designer.
According to an article in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Steven's sensational scarf was a last-minute wardrobe addition courtesy of Kerry McCormack, a 43-year-old local artist and elementary school art teacher who works part-time in the reception area at Massachusetts' Gillette Stadium, where the big game took place. When Steven arrived at the stadium for a private pregame event and spotted Kerry wearing a sequin-spangled scarf of her own creation, he asked if he could borrow it for his "Star-Spangled Banner" performance, and she naturally agreed. And the rest was history. "It was absolutely crazy," Kerry tells the Telegram & Gazette. "I'm overwhelmed...it was insane."
The one-of-a-kind scarf took hours for Kerry to create, involving the hand-gluing of hundreds of individual sequins. But since millions of viewers saw Kerry's sparkly handiwork on TV, the Facebook page for her crafts company, Kerry's Kreations, has been inundated with requests for similar scarves. "Waking up to more emails than I could ever imagine! My Patriots scarf has become an overnight sensation! Since I am one person, and can only glue so fast, it will be impossible for me to fill all these orders, but will try to respond to everyone. I will do my best, to get as many done as I can! :)," Kerry posted on the Kerry's Kreations Facebook wall this week.
Since the Patriots own the logos Kerry used on the scarf, she says she would have to get permission in order to make more scarves, and she cannot earn a profit from them. But she has already been granted permission to make one scarf for a charity auction for one of the foundations of Myra Kraft, the late wife of Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
As for the original scarf, Steven returned it, as promised, with an autograph that read: "Kerry, I owe you. Steven Tyler." Kerry tells the Telegram & Gazette that she plans to have the scarf framed--although if I were her, I'd probably wear it every day, even in summer.
Now all I want to know is: Can I get Kerry to make me a sequined "American Idol" scarf to wear to this season's finale...or does she have too many backorders?
Related links:
Steven Tyler's anthem draws criticism
Tyler becomes a Cabbage Patch Doll
Tyler jams with Weird Al, Alice Cooper