Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! This is my 300th tip!
Plan to decorate your costumes in stages.
We often don’t have the time or the money to realize our costume dream all at once. If you plan out how you are going to decorate in phases, you end up with a coherent design that looks good at any time. Create an over-all plan, which you can break down into stages.
For example, you’ll start with a spattering of rhinestones on the cups of a bra, but you’ll place them so you can add additional stones in other colors and sizes later. Next time, you’ll add some fringe, which is easy because you made sure to keep the fringe area clear of rhinestones in your first phase. Then, some more rhinestones, which integrate into the ultimate rhinestone pattern. Later, some swags of beads. More rhinestones. &c ad infinitum.
The bra to the right, isn’t the best example of this, but it’s the one I had to hand. And I know how much you love pictures. I think it took 3 decorating sessions, with performing in between, to get to this point. Betty is really terrific at this form of incremental decorating.
Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.
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If your zipper is not gliding smoothly, rub the teeth with a lubricant (but not that kind…). There are various kinds of commercial zipper lubricants for sale, but there’s really no need to spend the money. You can use a candle, a bar of soap, a crayon, even lip balm, as long as it’s waxy. If the zipper is metal, you can also rub it with the lead of a pencil. This trick also works for a key if a lock is hard to open.
Having a broken machine needle fly in your face is an experience most sewers don’t soon forget! When sewing particularly tough materials (canvas, leather) or ones with hard little bits (sequined or beaded fabrics) or sewing through lots of layers or near metal bits — any time you’re likely to break a needle — wear safety goggles. They may not be chic, but they are sexier than an eyepatch!
The picture to the right shows Brigitte and me in our “Factory Girls” overalls. Because I’m leaning over and putting some tension on the fabric, you can see the line of snap tape at the overlap. It would have been better if those overalls were maybe one size bigger, but they were originally made for someone other than me.
I did a little costume work. Finally got the right color elastic for an old-school g-string I made for another performer. Added some rhinestones to the ties of my bathtub costume panties, so I can tell which ribbons are the front one by touch.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 