My career in costuming started innocently enough. When my daughter was 10 or so, she started classes at a new ballet school. This school had annual Christmas productions, and they had just purchased new costumes for the show. I was asked if I could help sew the sequin straps on the costumes. I said yes, knowing that it would be an easy job. Little did I know what I was getting into.My next assignment was to make the lead costumes for The Wizard of Oz. I was chosen to make the Wicked Witch and Dorothy. The costumes turned out very nice, but I noticed when the girls were on stage, the skirts didn't flow just right. They made the girls look like they were wearing umbrellas when they twirled. I thought to myself, I can do better than that!
I started researching making costumes for dance, and found several resources. One book in particular, How to Dress Dancers by Mary Kent Harrison has become one of my favorites. It is an older book, and one well worth the price. The author focuses on every aspect of dance costumes, from women's leotards, to men's tunics.
Armed with my new found knowledge, my next assignment was decorating tutus for the fairy roles in Cinderella. Although I had seen tutus on stage, I had never really worked with them, and quite frankly they scared me. I knew tutus were expensive, and I was terrified of "messing the whole thing up".
The first ones I worked on, were catalog costume tutus, pre-made ones, that just needed embellishment. While researching decorations for the specific roles, I ran across beautifully decorated professional tutus and noticed the difference in the ones I was working with right away.
I also made the Ugly Stepsister and Evil Stepmother costumes for that production. Those were really fun. My daughter danced the role of the Stepmother, and, of course, was fabulous.
I kept the pictures of the gorgeous tutus I had seen in my mind, and was determined that I was going to learn how to make one. That is when I found Tutu.com, and Claudia Folts. In 2001, I attended the Basic Tutu Seminar and it changed my thinking on costuming and I fell in love with making tutus.
Over the next few years, I continued to make costumes for Courtney's studio and picked up a few other customers along the way. In 2005 I decided I was going to take a leap of faith, and quit my job to pursue a career as a costume designer and maker. I really didn't know how it was going to happen, I just knew that it would. I landed jobs with several pre-professional ballet companies, and a few ballet schools and individual customers.
In July 2007 then I came across a job ad for a costume shop manager at a professional ballet company three states away. I submitted my resume thinking, "what the heck". A few days later, I received a call and the next thing I knew, I was on my way to interview for the job.
The job interview coincidentally, was during my next Tutu School seminar. With the encouragement from the girls at the seminar, especially Claudia, I kept the interview, and was offered the position to begin the end of August.
It has been a whirlwind of a year, and this Friday marks a year since I packed up the car and moved to Virginia. Working with professional dancers, in a professional shop has been exciting, scary, exhilerating and wonderfully exhausting!
I learned a since I started my costume making journey, and have had many great teachers along the way. I look forward to passing along the knowledge I have obtained to other ballet moms and those interested in dressing dancers for the stage.
I plan on posting progress on projects I am working on, how-to's and anything else I find interesting.
Until next time...
Over the next few years, I continued to make costumes for Courtney's studio and picked up a few other customers along the way. In 2005 I decided I was going to take a leap of faith, and quit my job to pursue a career as a costume designer and maker. I really didn't know how it was going to happen, I just knew that it would. I landed jobs with several pre-professional ballet companies, and a few ballet schools and individual customers.
In July 2007 then I came across a job ad for a costume shop manager at a professional ballet company three states away. I submitted my resume thinking, "what the heck". A few days later, I received a call and the next thing I knew, I was on my way to interview for the job.
The job interview coincidentally, was during my next Tutu School seminar. With the encouragement from the girls at the seminar, especially Claudia, I kept the interview, and was offered the position to begin the end of August.
It has been a whirlwind of a year, and this Friday marks a year since I packed up the car and moved to Virginia. Working with professional dancers, in a professional shop has been exciting, scary, exhilerating and wonderfully exhausting!
I learned a since I started my costume making journey, and have had many great teachers along the way. I look forward to passing along the knowledge I have obtained to other ballet moms and those interested in dressing dancers for the stage.
I plan on posting progress on projects I am working on, how-to's and anything else I find interesting.
Until next time...
