So I’ve been working a lot lately, which is great because paychecks basically rock. I’m really lucky to have several of the best jobs ever right now – the costume shop, which is the coolest place on earth, and I started doing some backstage stuff for shows that come through the college.
There are show load-ins and outs (basically, I get paid to work out for a few hours and be the ADD Wonder-Bunny), and I’m learning all sorts of things about lights and cables, and I got to play up in a catwalk the other day, and it’s generally quite neat. :) If you like that sort of thing… Which I do. I got to work a load-in for a Queen tribute band on sunday. you know what’s really cool? Watching a concert and knowing that you hung some of the lights. That rocks! Quite literally, in this case.
I’ve been working in the costume shop too. Yesterday I ran an eviscerated plushy lion through an industrial machine – I’m pretty sure that makes little children cry. I’ve also made a couple sets of the most fabulously organic, tatty gauntlets…
I’m stupid proud of them…. The things you can do serger, I tell you… :)
They go with this dress:
Apologies for the background – the idea of a “visually neutral” background doesn’t really exist in a costume shop. The rack of crins was at least chaos of a contrasting color. ;)
My boss, who is one of the most brilliantly creative people I know (and I’m not even linking that so she gets a ping-back or anything – look at me, not being a suck-up) told me that the inspiration for the costume was “Tia Dalma meets Helena Bonham Carter“, so I was hoping to get that mix of the swampy/organic/decaying with the gothic/decadent/weird. But, you know, I watch way too much Project Runway and Tim Gunn is my hero so I wanted to do all that without over-thinking it. That’s ok, though – there wasn’t really any time for thinking it through, much less over-thinking. That’s theater for you….
I had a grand time with some dolly clothes too. I’m so trying to get caught up on my blogging….
You know Erin is going to want a pair of those, right? Very cool. Also? “Eviscerated Plushy Lion” sounds like an alt-rock band. Hee.
*laugh* I put up pics of the dress they were made for, just in case she wants the whole ensemble….. ;)
The good news is that they take minutes on the serger….
Yup! Totally want a pair now!!! They are so rocker/gothy/pirate/brothel cool. Which is how I roll… ;)
And the dress? Totally HBC. She should have worn THAT to the Oscars is all I’m saying.
I think I have a bunch of serger threads like that sitting around. Erin – we can make the magic happen.
LOVE that dress.
Oh, hon, it’s easier than that! Make a long tail, serge a little bite out of the edge of the gauntlet, finish with a long tail. Repeat to edge of cuff. Sometimes the serger won’t fully catch, and you end up making crazy-holey-serger-lace. That’s fab too. Want more hangsy action? Make a tail, use the serger to tag it to random spots on the arm of the gauntlet – you just need to use the needles to pick up a few stitches to secure the chain on to the fabric.
Seriously. Let the serger do all the work. If you want, you can stick extra random scraps and serge tails into the seam, or just makie the seam in a lot of little go-s with long tails at the start and end. Either works. :)