This page is an overview of the work that I have done. Each example will include a brief description and a link to a page with additional photos and my blog posts concerning its construction, where they are available, for those who are interested.
I cannot claim to be a particularly scientific pattern drafter, but am an adept draper, and a majority of the costumes here were a combination of drafting/draping. A lot of what I like to make is unconventional, so a central part of my work is figuring out solutions that will allow me to create what is needed. Each of the following examples includes a description of the techniques specific to it.
My theatrical work encompasses several years as a stitcher/wardrobe staff at the Theatre Institute at Sage, as well as 3.5 months as a stitcher/wardrobe staff at Creede Repertory Theatre. I came to New York City in 2015 to earn an M.A. in historical textile conservation from F.I.T., which I finished in 2017. Since 2015 I have worked sporadically in stitching overhire, as my schedule would allow while I worked on my thesis and took scientific courses at the College of Staten Island.
I list what I consider my more current and more impressive work first, that is, the work where I got to use more advanced techniques and materials. My theatrical work can be found near the end.
Additional photos of all my work, including work not displayed here, are available in my
Costume Gallery.
Amilyn Holdo - Star Wars: The Last Jedi
This costume was made based on the costume worn by the
Star Wars character Amilyn Holdo. What looks like a simple costume is in fact anything but. Getting this to drape right was quite an effort. In all this is nine full yards of bamboo rayon (the dress must be fully lined in order to drape properly), with a full 2.5 yards in the back drape alone. Twill tape is inserted into all the seams to prevent over-stretching and cape ties inside the shoulders bear the weight of the extremely heavy back drape and keep it in place. The wig, a lace front, was cut, styled, and dyed by me.
Additional Photos and information can be found
here.
Photos: Corey Olivier, Anime Boston 2018 Photobooth
World War 1 Female Contract Surgeon Uniform
This uniform was based on photos of several female contract surgeons; because there were no regulations on women's uniforms at the time, there was a great deal of leeway for me to decide what I wanted. It is made in a nice wool coating and is drafted/draped based on a pattern I drafted for another uniform and a men's uniform coat from the time. It has bellows pockets and hand-embroidered button holes and closes at the collar with a pair of thread-covered hooks and loops, just like the original uniforms did.
Photographer unknown
Photo: Kevin Fitzpatrick
Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones
This was made based on a dress worn by the character Daenerys Targaryen in the second season of
Game of Thrones. The textile is habbotai silk to which I added a gold texture to using a stippling sponge. The bottom of the skirt and "cloak" were ombré dyed and then the whole garment was twisted while wet to create a wrinkle texture that would assist with draping. The gold belt and shoulder pieces are leather. Wig ventilated and styled, also by me.
Photo Gallery:
Daenerys Targaryen
Photos: me
Photo: Anime Boston 2019 photobooth
Merida and Queen Elinor - Brave
I made this pair of cosplays for my mother and I and we won best in show when we entered them in competition. All props, garments, jewelry, wigs, and leatherworked pieces were made by me, with the exception of the bear paws, which were my mother's contribution. The sausage roll wig worn by my mother is built on tubes of batting to create volume without excessive weight. These were spray painted to match the hair color and then covered in wefts. The "pigtails" on the base wig and the ends of the tubes were sealed with silicone and stitched together. It is a lot of hair and a hefty wig, but we were happy with how well it moved considering it replicates an unrealistic fantasy hairsyle.
Photo: Douglas Pouliot of Light Painting Portraits
Photo: Cat Trzaskowski Photography
Doctor Poison
This is my screen-accurate costume of the villain Doctor Poison from the 2017
Wonder Woman film. The dress is drafted using a Bunka sloper and cut from a luxurious green cotton twill. The trousers were made using measurements taken from a pair of 1890s men's trousers in my personal collection, with a fully functional button fly front. Top stitching is applied on seams and hems where indicated by the original costume. My hood was also drafted from scratch and then draped for the proper fit, which was no small task. The prosthetic is built on a plaster bandage base, smoothed with paper clay, and then painted using a combination of acrylic paint and chalk pastel dust (a great way of "airbrushing" without the expensive equipment). The eyelets on the belt are hand-embroidered.
Photo: Arisia 2018 Photobooth
Rosethorn
For this costume I used Tudor-era design elements to create an original design to recycle fabric from an old project. Stitching was done mostly by hand to preserve authenticity, including embroidery along the hems, thread-covered buttons, and hand-worked buttonholes. The doublet has hidden lacing down the center front with hand-worked eyelets. The pattern for the doublet was sourced from The Tudor Tailor by Ninya Mikhaila and Jane Malcolm-Davies; all garments drafted by me.
The top three photos show details of the doublet before its completion.
Photos: me
19th Century American Reform Dress
I made this American Reform dress based on a photograph of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker taken in the 1860s. While dress reformers often had their own personal style preferences, and indeed the shape of the trousers was a subject for debate, I appreciate the preference in Dr. Walker's community for a straight-legged trouser. Mine are drafted based on measurements I took of a pair of late 19th century men's trousers and the bodice is drafted in much the same way with measurements from an 1860s afternoon bodice.
The dress reform style endured until the last of the lifelong adherents passed away in the early twentieth century. I have styled my accessories for an event focused on the later 1800s.
Please excuse the wrinkles, which are the result of an extremely hot New York City subway ride!
Photos: Elisa Libratty
Amira - Bride Stories
This costume was made based on a 19th century Turkic character from the manga Bride Stories. Though the character hails from an unspecified region, I was able to glean information from garments in museum collections as well as historic pattern layouts so that I could draft the garments as they would have been during that period of history. Embroideries were all performed by hand using cotton and metal embroidery threads, as well as glass seed beads, metal mirrors, and steel paillets. I also patterned, molded, tooled, and tinted, the leather boots. This costume won the first place master division craftsmanship award at Anime Boston, one of the toughest cosplay competitions on the east coast.
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| Click to enlarge |
Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream)
An original design based on the character from the play by Shakespeare. It includes a wrap dress of Japanese rayon brocade, accented with smocking I made from the same fabric, and embroidered using thread and beadwork. Gussets were added under the arms to improve range of motion. The skirt and cloak are made of organza in different colours and "tattered" using a soldering iron to melt the edges and prevent fraying. The cloak is attached to the dress using leaf-shaped bracelet clasps and handmade bead tassels. My wig is a lace front that I partially French braided into an updo. Sixty or so additional small braids were added individually, as well as two larger ones. The horns were made of paper clay, painted, then sewn into the wig along with flowers and other small decorations.
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| Progress shot that shows smocking and some beadwork |
Photo on right: NerdCaliber
Photo on left: Steven Rosen Photography
Leo Irving - In the Next Room (The Vibrator Play)
This vest was built as part of the Theatre Institute at Sage's February 2014 production of
In the Next Room. The garment includes four welt pockets, the lower of which are functional with pocket bags, and upper ones that are just for decoration.
Photo on left: me
Photo on right: Theatre Institute at Sage staff photographer
Fanny - On the Verge
Victorian-style trek/safari coat built from the ground up for Theatre Institute at Sage's March 2014 production. The front pockets are provide plenty of storage space for various small props used during the production.
Photo on left: me
Photo on right: Theatre Institute at Sage Staff Photographer
Sally and other characters - Cat in the Hat
Sally's costume was built from scratch, except for the blouse, for Theatre Institute at Sage's June 2014 production of the play. The jumper is blue corduroy and zips up the back. I also styled the wig into the cute classic curl style that Sally wears. The bow is sewn into the wig to keep it secure during Cat in the Hat antics. Though I cannot take full credit, I also partially designed and stitched the costumes for the Cat and Kittens, as well as Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Photos: Theatre Institute at Sage staff photographer
Two 1940s-inspired dresses
Designed, draped, and made to be worn by my roommate and I at the Creede Repertory Theatre Cabaret fundraiser 2015. Base fabrics are both silk. The red dress is overlaid with red chiffon.
Photo on left: me
Photo on right: unknown photographer
Elsa - Frozen
This was an independent project, a costume that I made for my own wear based on Elsa from Disney's popular movie
Frozen. It is one of my favourite costumes so far. The corset, a Victorian style, is fully boned, laces up the back
, and is covered with embroidery and beadwork. The hem is "trimmed" with scale mail (incomplete in one of the detail photographs below). My cloak is made of a sheer, nonwoven glitter netting, with the snowflake patterns fused to the underside using Steam a Seam. It laces to my corset.
Photo on left: me
Photo on right: passerby
Elsa embroidery details: I designed this embroidery based on Elsa's character. The wing motif and swirlies, as well as the star on the shirt, are all applied directly to the fabric. The snowflake pattern down the center was completed on an embroidery frame, before I covered its backing with fabric glue and appliqued it onto the corset. Materials involved include embroidery thread, metal thread for the goldwork, beads, check purl, jump rings, small metal leaves, and various larger beads and pins.
The Schoolboys - Spring Awakening
These six sack coats were made to serve as the uniform coats for the Theatre Institute at Sage Spring 2015 production of Spring Awakening. They are wool and semi-tailored as time allowed. The collar and lapels are pad-stitched.
Photos: Theatre Institute at Sage staff photographer
Guys and Dolls - Creede Repertory Theatre 2015 Season
Various 1950s dresses, chorus ensembles, and six male Missionary Band uniforms.
All photos by John Gary Brown
Photos: Creede Repertory Theatre staff photographer
Creede Repertory Theatre Street Party - 50th anniversary, August 2015
I designed the costumes used during the party--about sixteen total, including twelve sixties costumes used to reenact the photo of the original twelve members of the company taken for the first season program.
Photo: Creede Repertory Theatre staff photographer
