 ithout
the costuming director no production would find success.
The Three Lakes Theater Company relies
newly appointed costume director Anita Phelps and several members of the
surrounding area to assist with this crucial portion of the show.
Volunteers are truly the backbone of this area, and Phelps is constantly
searching for people interested in sewing.
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Allowing no detail to go unnoticed, Dianna Blicharz puts the finishing touches Beth
Jacobson's costume for Brigadoon. (Photo by Linda Goldsworthy)
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Advice
Below are some hints to costumers working on a limited budget.
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Look to family members for assistance with sewing
or crafting accessories.
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Local clubs might volunteer to sew
costumes. Tap this valuable resource.
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Performers, parents of performers or grandparents
of performers may like to help with costumes. Be sure to ask cast
members about this possibility during the initial cast meeting.
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Reuse old costumes to make new costumes.
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Make contact with local bridal shops. Some of
them will give you old formal wear.
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Create a relationship with neighboring theater
groups that you can borrow from or lend costumes to--this is very
important.
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Remember that some fabrics are seasonal, and you
may need to look way ahead to buy some of the specialty fabrics
and trims.
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When costume patterns are on sale dirt cheap,
pick them up. You never know what you might need in the future.
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Purchase the book: Whole Costumer's Catalog. It's
available at P.O. Box 207, Beallsville, PA 15313. ($17.95) You may
want to call 1-412-632-3242 to check on current price.
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Consider renting your costumes
to other theater groups. The TLTC recently rented its costumes
from Annie Get Your Gun for $2,000.
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Useful
Websites for Patterns and Costumes
The Internet is a very useful
tool. Below are a number of links to Websites that she has used for
the theater company's seven productions. Links will be checked every
three months or so to make sure they still work. Please contact Linda
Goldsworthy (her email address is at the bottom of this page) if a
link is not functioning or needs to be updated.
PATTERNS
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Patterns
from the Past - selling original, vintage and some
recently out-of-print sewing patterns of all kinds, this site also
offers older knitting, crochet and tatting patterns.
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Vintage Pattern
Lending Library - this site provides redrawn copies of
patterns so they no longer languish forgotten in closets and on
shelves.
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Rubie's Costume
Co., Inc. - Rubie's is the world's largest manufacturer and
distributor of Halloween and Carnival products. They specialize in
the design and production of costumes, masks, boxed costume sets,
make-up, wigs, hats, prosthetics, theatrical costumes and
accessory items.
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Lily Abello's
Vintage Pattern Shop - this site offers a collection of
vintage patterns for purchase. Their inventory is grouped by
decade, and when possible they also provide a copyright year.
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Antique and
Collectible Mall - featuring several links to online shops,
this site is like having a catalog at your fingertips.
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RustyZipper.Com
- launched in 1996, this site was the Web's first vintage clothing
store. Many one-of-a-kind vintage clothing items from the 1940s
through the 1970s are available to view and order online.
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Milieux - at
first glance this site looks to just be a Web design and
consulting page, but it offers a unique selection of Gothic
fashion.
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Amazon
Dry Goods - offering a number of vintage catalogs, this site
focuses on general vintage items, shoes, patterns and window
treatments.
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COSTUMES
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Harlequin
Costume - the Three Lakes Theater Company found this business
to be especially helpful in providing kilts and other Scottish
attire for its production of Brigadoon, but this site is not just
limited to that time period. Harlequin uses professional designers
who work to create beautiful individual costumes and entire shows.
They use only the finest fabrics and trims to make their costumes,
ensuring that they look great for years to come.
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Costume
World - in addition to providing masquerade costume rentals,
this company also provides made-to-order costumes, full theatrical
services, custom designed mascot costumes and holiday/special
occasion costumes.
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Costumes
Unlimited - stocking over 70,000 costumes, wigs and
accessories, this Florida-based company can provide clothing for
individuals or an entire convention (production). From Adam and
Eve, to alligators and Henry the VIII, they take pride in offering
a wide variety of costumes.
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Magic Makers
Costume Inc. - this site also provides a wide variety of
costume rentals.
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Page last updated on 06/03/2008
For more information, contact our marketing
director. |
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