Once upon a mattress - more costumes

Once upon a mattress...

Almost done!  These are the renderings I'm working from for the last few:

And finally, the nightingale and all the head wear!

Princess cones by the dozen, to go with the dresses:

And the queen's ridiculous hat:

Once. Upon A mattress costumes! continued

Once Upon A Mattress, fuchsia, lavendar, aqua, and melon

  

Here are few more of the costumes I've constructed out of discarded prom dresses.  The lavendar and pink is actually very pretty, but the camera on my phone doesn't do it justice.  A few of these are sized very small, and I couldn't get them onto my dressmaker dummy, so they're just on hangers, which doesn't look so great.  

The dress rehearsal is on the first of march, so I'm starting to feel a little pressure!

Once upon a mattress- purple

This one was fun.  It was a prom dress restructured.  I added the sleeves, the bling, sash, and the laces up the back so that it will adjust to fit most girls.  I like the way it turned out.  I also added loop tape to the sides of the skirt, so the hem cam be lifted.  Apparently, the director wants the dresses shorter, so that the actors' high top tennis shoes (yes!  Even the princesses!) can be seen.  I suppose he knows what he's after, but I can't quite envision it.

  

Once Upon A Mattress - black

I am still busy crafting costumes for the upcoming play in Spokane.  This is actually avoidance behavior for me, as there are about 10 things that I really NEED to get done, but it's way more fun to sew.  I spent a whole $7 on this one, buying ribbon and the chain at the bodice front.  So far, I've made 4 gowns, all with cast-off prom dresses and bits and pieces I had stashed away.  I love making something from nothing. It appeals to my tight- wad nature.  I'm a little worried that black may be to somber for a musical comedy, but I didn't want to waste the dress.  Now, I only have one prom dress left to remodel.  It' s purple... Stay tuned!

March Hare

March Hare

Here is my friend Richard, graciously modeling another costume for Alice In Wonderland. I wanted him to look like he has been rolling around in someone's garden, so I distressed the jacket with a little spray paint, and gave him a carrot boutonnière, as well as one tied to his ear with a little raffia. His tail and cheek puffs are made from fuzzy "homespun" yarn.  I dyed the fur unevenly, to give him a somewhat scorched and frazzled look.

 

 

mad hatter

 My darling neighbor boy agreed to model all my costumes so I could get a few photos prior to shipping them all off.  I told him I would make him some cookies in exchange.  The Mad Hatter turned out pretty well, althought I should have thought to have him put on some mismatched socks and some funky shoes.  I bought the wig commercially, and it was a disappointment.  I should have had the confidence to make my own.

 

frog footman

Here is my fabulous froggy footman for Alice in Wonderland.   I like him quite a lot, but if I were to start over again, I would have given him an articulated jaw.  Perhaps he doesn't have any lines in the play, I don't know for sure.  The photo at the lower right is my inspiration.

Cheshire Cat

This is my slightly scary Cheshire Cat.  She has light up eyes and teeth!  I had to dye the fur gray, and it turned out more blue than I had intended.  Then I added turquoise and black stripes, as well as bleaching some areas for contrast.  The jaw is fully articulated, so the mouth moves when the actor speaks.  The claws are actually fake fingernails from the beauty supply shop... Flexible, shiny, study and cheap!

Hooka-smoking Caterpillar

I'm working on a few costumes for Alice In Wonderland.  This is my rather large caterpillar suit.  He will be sitting on a toadstool, so the actors' legs won't show.  The arms move in unison, thanks to the fishing line.  I sort of wanted to put shoes on all his feet, bit I didn't want to spend the money.  Wouldn't he look great in hightop sneakers, though?  I have sent him off to spokane, so now it's too late!

Nutcracker Soldiers

The local ballet commissioned a new set of soldier costumes for the annual nutcracker production.  I had to devise my own patterns, for the most part.  The pants are heavy duty knit, and I made them from a pattern for a sleeveless leotard, combined with a pattern for stirrup cycling pants.  I loved putting all the trim and buttons on the jackets.  I got a great deal on the helmets from a uniform shop that went out of business, but I had to add the gold hat chain and sunburst emblems.  The first photo shows the mock-up that I made in miniature to show the board.  The next photo is from the local newspaper article- they took the picture before the pants and boots were finished, so the girls are in their tights!

  

My Mother Ginger in the news!

The Mayor played the part of Mother Ginger in this year's production. He was perfectly delightful to work with, although I did end up having to make him his own blouse, bodice, and pantaloons, as the existing costume didn't fit him properly. He has measurements to match his personality.

I pasted some links to a few news spots about his role and the costume. I blatantly stole the pictures above from the news, but since I made the costume, I figure I have the right to use the photos, don't you agree?

I made the hoopskirt and costume about 7 years ago. It's not beautiful, but it does the job. The skirt was a major feat of PVC architecture, let me tell you. I even had to do MATH for this construction. The skirt has a circumference of around 28 feet.

http://missoularedtape.com/?p=2112

http://www.missoulian.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/article_e86b3e1a-eb91-11de-a1c3-001cc4c03286.html

Nutcracker Mice are Nice!

I managed to live through another Nutcracker season. I was preparing my costumer's report, and realized that I sewed at least 22 new garments for the show, not including props, such as sashes, pillows, and draperies. Additionally, I altered, repaired, or rebuilt about 100 costumes, with changes ranging from simple hemlines and moving closure hardware to the complete dismantling and refurbishing of tutus. No wonder I caught a cold.



I didn't take any photos myself (I was too busy!) I will, however, try to salvage a few pictures for my blog as I find them on other people's photostreams, or wepages or wherever.

For example, these little mice are very cute! They were used in a season-long advertising campaign. Their photos were taken all over town, and people had to guess the location to win tickets. I actually made these little mousy costumes last season (a baker's dozen).

The mouse costumes all have stuffed furry breeches with suspenders under those fancy tunics, which are worn with gray leotards that the studio already owned. The main fabric is a jacobean floral, with sleeveheads and front decorative panels of a luminous gold. The trim on the collars and faux pocket flaps are purple velvet. I used purple satin ribbon and gold star-shaped buttons for embellishment. These mouse costumes also feature long tails with wire inside, so the tails can be used as weapons to fight their arch-enemy, the Nutcracker Prince!

I find the tunic approach, over suspendered breeches to be very forgiving for costume fitting. I only had to make signifigant alterations to one mouse costume, for a particularly stout little mouse.