Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Hey, it’s Friday!

For a fun surprise, wear gauntlets under your gloves.

The audience thinks they’re about to see your bare arm, but there’s another layer of decoration instead! And since gauntlets don’t cover your fingers or palms, you’ll have dexterity for your following removes. You can leave the gauntlets on for the entire act or take them off later.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I think spring may actually be trying to break through. I saw the first crocus popping up in my back yard! Are you seeing signs of spring where you are?

Since the weather is improving, here’s your tip:

Hang your costumes outside to freshen them.

If you’ve taken my class on caring for your costumes, you know it can be tricky to wash burlesque costumes, so often we just don’t unless it’s a serious situation. After a winter of being stuck inside, garments can be a bit fusty. An hour or so outside in a gentle breeze and sunlight can help improve the way your costumes smell and sometimes even look (that may be a future tip).

Turn them inside out so the parts closest to your body are most exposed to the fresh air. This also protects the exterior from the sun. Extended sun exposure can fade colors. This is why we’re only hanging things out for a little while.

I know I said “hang”, but I know a lot of us don’t have clotheslines, so use a drying rack or a chair to support the costumes. Drape a towel over your support to protect your costume, just in case.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

When drafting or redrawing patterns, date the final pattern and add any notes necessary, as clearly as possible.

You don’t want to assume that future you is going to remember whether to cut something on the straight-grain or bias or that you want two layers of interfacing.

This tip comes to you from the sleeve pattern on which I helpfully wrote  “+1/2″ sa”. Did I mean the pattern includes half an inch of seam allowance or that I need to add half an inch for seam allowance?

I make these mistakes so you don’t have to!

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 20 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again and in Boston it’s snowing again. I hope you have a cozy place to watch the snow or weather the chill. Here’s your tip!

Sharpen your scissors.

You already know to have fabric scissors that only cut cloth, but eventually they will get dull. You want them nice and sharp to slice right through your fabric instead of chewing it up.

Having them professionally sharpened is the best method and will guarantee good sharp blades. However, you can also buy a sharpener. You can get one just for scissors or one that also sharpens knives. They’re easy to use and inexpensive.

If you’ve just noticed your blades are getting a little dull, you can cut fine sandpaper into strips and it will sharpen the blades. Really. It’s not going to fix really dull scissors or nicked blades — those need a real sharpening — but it will keep you going for a bit longer.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 18 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.