I've been so focused on my master's degree that I have had little time for projects and sewing. However, I am in a bit of a holding pattern right now waiting for my student teaching placement in the Fall. So when an opportunity arose to give back to the theater program my daughter is a part of I was excited to help.
I made 27 costume peices for my daughter's school musical.
I sewed "seaweed' onto a skirt for Ariel to wear when her fins turn to legs.
Made 4 seaweed costumes (this is the concept drawing) each with a headpiece, top and skirt. It took a very long time to detangle the strips of fabric that were being repurposed from some old costumes. I got help from some of the drama girls to make the work go more quickly. Luckily, I did not need to iron them because the wrinkles added to the seaweed effect.
The headpieces for the girls' seaweed costumes
My son Tobi 3-D printed the eyes for me to create 2 Sebastian hats. He is so clever, I just cut a basic shape out of paper and said "print something like this" and he delivered. Thanks Tobias.
I also made 4 reed/grass costumes.
It was tricky to find a solution to secure the silk flower grasses to the actors without attaching them to the base layer that needed to be used for multiple costume changes. Ultimately, I ordered some wide elastic the same color as the base layer, attached the grass to elastic bands at the ankle, waist, and a fabric yolk around the neck. The elastics required plastic clasps to enable the quick changes that were required.
The whole thing was fun, rewarding and took up a lot of time. It was very informative for me to be reminded of my capacity, and I was glad I did not take on any more costumes. All in all, I'm happy to be seen as a resource to the director and the head costume lady and I'm looking forward to helping with costumes again next year. I think it could be fun to help from the beginning and make more concept drawings as I brainstorm with the costume designer.
