Just a few costumes...

For the last fourteen years I have worked off and on as a costume designer for our local children's theater. I thought I would post a few of the shows that I have worked on. I wish I could say that I made all these costumes by myself but I have had a whole lot of help through the years. I have one very special lady ( Vanessa)  who does a good bit of the sewing now. It has been a blessing because we make a great team. I am responsible for putting the whole show on the stage and it is very stressful. It is also fun, rewarding, and creative.  Most of the shows have at least seventy five kids in them and it is not unusual to have over a hundred. Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre is an organization that has children performing for children. It is unique and special and I love working with them. I've dressed many children through the years and they are all so special to me. Now, I am actually costuming a show for a "child" that I dressed fourteen years ago in the first show...we have come full circle! Mary Kathryn is directing our next show and I will post pictures on here soon of her in my first show with TCT.

Here are a few highlights:

Bees, mushrooms, and flowers from Alice

Cards and Queen  from Alice (One swapped and it was too short that day)

Flamingos, Card, and Teacup  from Alice

Wardrobe

Enchanted Objects 

Horton and Gertrude

Charlie Brown and the Gang

This is just a start. I am by no means a professional costumer. I don't claim to be one. I am just a mother who stumbled upon this job. I enjoy a challenge and this is certainly a challenge! I hope to post many more photos and hopefully some tutorials soon.

Pattern Sorting Day

After spending a huge amount of time hunting a pattern, I decided to sort all my patterns this week. I can't believe how poorly I have taken care of them....my mother would be ashamed if she knew (don't tell her).  I was very excited to find some really cool vintage patterns..which led me to another idea. I am going to make notebooks of the different eras out of the patterns. Maybe if I put them in clear sleeves and put them in a notebook I can take better care of them and it would help with research when I am doing a show. Here are some of the pictures of the vintage patterns....

             

These are patterns from the 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's.  These are just a small few of what I have and now I want to find them all and organize them. I think this is interesting to not only see what the style was but how much they cost. A pattern today cost at the minimum $12.00 if you pay full price. It's really such a scam to me because the pattern companies have raised the prices so high because chain stores sell them for half off. It is a sore spot with me because we are a small fabric store and the chain store sells the patterns for what we pay for them. I truly believe that is what will eventually put all pattern companies out of business. Chain fabric stores and discount stores have changed the sewing industry and not in a good way.

I have used so many of the vintage patterns that mother has in her collection. It's cool to me that I am using patterns that my mother used for my clothes in the 1960s. You can't tell a lot about it but this is a picture of my daughter in a dress made from a vintage pattern. It is made out of vinyl and that was hard to sew but she was cute in it.  I must get back to my pattern sorting..goodnight.

I'm having a hard time posting!!

I can't seem to get started with blogging! I wonder if I am the only one who has had such a problem. I am in the middle of dressing seventy eight children in a play but that is nothing new in my life! I want to begin posting some of my costumes and showing how I've made costumes out of the most random things. I work with a community theater and we are always on a tight budget. I have always had a hard time throwing away things I think I might use (which my daughter says is the reason I should be on the show about hoarders) but I can't tell you how many times I have used "trash" to make a costume. I hope to post pictures of not only my costumes but the organization of my costume shop. We are in the process of arranging my costume shop. I finally have a place to work after all these years. I have a 2200 sq foot wareshouse and it is a disaster right now. I will post the before pictures and you can all start praying for me. It is going to take a miracle to get it straightened out. Tomorrow is another day of working in the shop so maybe by tomorrow night I will have pictures to post. Goodnight...