Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday the 13th! And it’s a full moon! I feel like a should give you an appropriate tip, like something about mirrors or cats or just luck. Maybe ladders… I got it!

Use a spotter.

When you’re trying out some new chair tricks or climbing a ladder to hang lights or anything else where there’s a chance of falling, have a partner available to spot you. Just in case.

May your luck be good today and everyday!

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

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

Published in: on 13 September 2019 at 4:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Ghosting is unprofessional.

For those of you unfamiliar, that’s Dita Von Teese* as Vivienne, the spirit that haunts Christine McConnell’s mirror on The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.

But I’m not talking about that kind of ghost! I mean the kind where you ignore communication from someone and hope they’ll get the hint and quit bugging you. Whether you are a producer or a performer, it’s just rude to leave someone hanging, even if you’re not interested in what they’re offering.

A simple and polite “No, thank you.” should suffice. You can politely explain why you’re saying no, like the show is fully cast already or the price offered isn’t your usual rate. Just be polite and professional. If you want to work with this person in the future, you should say so. If you don’t, just sign off.

*I wouldn’t want to imply that Dita Von Teese would ever be so unprofessional, but I couldn’t resist the combination of burlesque and ghost.

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

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

Published in: on 6 September 2019 at 11:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip! Traditionally Monday is wash day, but this week we’re talking about laundry on Friday…

Color remover will save your ass.

Or at least your white wash. So, let’s say you’re doing laundry and a stray red sock gets in with your whites… Let’s be real, we’re burlesque performers — it’s a stray red feather. Now there are pink streaks all over your pristine white lovelies. Don’t panic! It’s time for a color remover.

It’s a powder that you add to water, either in a basin or a washing machine, and let your stained items soak. Then rinse well or run them through the wash cycle. When the stains are gone, wash as normal. It’s like magic! It’s also much less damaging than chlorine bleach.

The stuff is rather caustic, so wear gloves and a dust mask when adding the powder to the water. My favorite version, Dylon Run-Away, is apparently no longer available in the US (I’m glad I stocked up), but Rit makes a color remover with a similar formula.

This stuff is only for white fabric — do not use it on colors! There are also color removers that work with colored clothing, but I haven’t tried them yet. Also, I’ve never tested it on rhinestones. My instinct is don’t. (But you wouldn’t be tossing your rhinestone-crusted costumes in the washing machine, right?)

Remember, heat sets stains, so don’t throw your dye-stained garments in the dryer. If you can’t get to to it right away when the clothes are still wet, let them air-dry, but it’s best to tackle the problem while things are still damp.

Another favorite laundry aid is color catchers. It looks like a dryer sheet, but you throw it in the wash and it’ll soak up loose dye in the water before it transfers to your other garments. I always use them when washing something I suspect might run.

But my best advice (which I don’t always follow) is to carefully check your laundry basket for stray items that could mess up your wash.

Want to learn more about garment care? I’ll be teaching at BurlyCon in November!

M2Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.

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

Published in: on 30 August 2019 at 2:09 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! Here’s your tip!

No wire hangers!

Well, you can use them to remove static, but not for hanging up your costumes. Your costumes cost a lot in time and money and should be treated with respect. Wire hangers are too flimsy and can distort the shape of the garment. Also it’s easy for your clothing for fall right off them.

Padded hangers are great for delicate garments (I use them for my Catherine D’Lish robes) and also for heavier garments because the hangers are broad and supportive

But really, almost any hanger is better than a wire one.

I’ve been thinking about a tutorial on creating your own padded hangers. You can coordinate them with your costumes! If you’re interested, please leave a comment here.

M2Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.

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

Published in: on 23 August 2019 at 3:15 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! A couple of announcements before we get to your tip.

Tonight we’ll be performing at Deacon Giles in Salem, MA. We’re only doing one show, so tickets are extremely limited. Don’t take your chances at the door — get them now! I’ve heard a rumor there will be a very special cocktail on the menu tonight…

Tomorrow we’ll be in Worcester at the Beer Garden Pavilion! We’re so thrilled to be performing burlesque as it should be… with live music! You might recognize some of the musicians from Unlucky in Love and The Wrathskellar.

Also, I’ve got a little poll going on my Patreon. You do not have to be a subscriber to participate.

And now on with your tip!

For a clean fabric edge, pull a thread.

You want a nice straight edge on fabric before you begin cutting, so you’ll know everything is on grain. My favorite way to do this is to pull out a thread, as shown, then trim the fabric along that line. The point of a pin works really well to tease out the thread. This method works for all woven fabrics and especially good to use on delicate material.

M2Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.

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

Published in: on 16 August 2019 at 3:01 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Use stage directions.

It’s so much easier to give instructions to a performer or tech person, if we all speak the same language; in this case, a location on stage. Not all of us come from a theater background, so here’s a quick primer.

Imagine you’re standing in the middle of a stage. Look to your left, that’s stage left. To your right is stage right. Easy, no? The tricky part is if you’re standing in the audience; now if you look to your left, that’s stage right and also house left.

Now look out at the audience, you’re facing downstage. Turn around and now you’re looking upstage. I’m sure you’ve heard of “upstaging” someone. That happens when someone further back on the stage is drawing attention from the performer downstage and/or forcing them to turn their back on the audience to look upstage.

Why “up” and “down” instead of, say, “front” and “back”? Other than we already have a “backstage”? Until the 20th century stages were to be raked, that is, they sloped up away from the audience to improve the audience’s ability to see and hear the action. The performers were literally going up and down the stage as they moved closer and further from the audience.

Of course the very middle of the stage is center stage. You can also be center left, center right, down center, and up center. I usually specify “center center” for dead middle, but I’m not sure how common that is.

If everybody on the team uses these terms, you can be confident that everything and everyone ends up on the stage exactly where they’re supposed to be,

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

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

Published in: on 9 August 2019 at 2:52 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! And happy August! Here’s your tip!

Make your own bias tape.

Bias tape is great for finishing work on costumes, especially where you don’t want much bulk, like the edges of corsets. Its ability to smoothly curve makes it perfect for binding necklines, armholes, and hems.

Sure, you can buy it, but there’s a limited range of colors and most are a polyester-cotton blend. I think having a perfect match to your fabric makes for a more polished look.

It’s not as hard as it might seem with a couple of simple tools.

  • A rotary cutter, mat, and ruler. Use these to cut the bias strips. Make sure you’re cutting on the true bias, diagonally across the grain. Sometimes very slippery fabric shifts around making this s difficult process. You can read about a solution for that problem here.

  • A bias tape maker, as seen in the photo above. This simple little tool is the key to easy bias tape. The most tedious part of making your own tape is pressing the tiny little seam allowance under. This tool folds the long raw edges under for you! Feed the bias strip through the wide end and then pull with the little handle along the strip. Neatly folded tape comes out the narrow end!

    Tape makers come in multiple sizes for most standard widths of tape. Pictured is a 1/2″ tape maker. I also have a 1″, and you can get 1/4″, 3/4″ and 2″ as well. These tools make single-fold bias tape. If you want double-fold, you’ll need to make a tape twice the size of the desired result and then press it in half length-wise.

  • An iron. As you move the tape maker along the strip, press the tape as it comes out the narrow end to set the fold.

    • That’s it! You’re all set to make yards and yards of tape in no time.

    M2Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.

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

    Published in: on 2 August 2019 at 3:19 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! I can’t believe I’ve never shared this tip with you before. It’s some of my standard advice to my students.

    Discard your costume pieces to the sides or back of the stage.

    You want to keep your performance area clear. You don’t want to be stepping over your costume bits while you move about the stage — or worse, treading on them. It’s potentially bad for you as a tripping or slipping hazard and definitely bad for the costumes. Also, it’s less distracting. The audience will be looking at you and not that abandoned crinoline in the middle of the stage.

    You may have noticed I didn’t tell you to discard toward the front of the stage. Part of that is visual aesthetics. As above, you don’t want the audience being distracted by clutter in front of your performance.

    Sadly, the other reason is that costume pieces so close to the audience can become a tempting target for souvenir hunters. I know it sounds nuts, but I have heard too many stories from performers about audience members grabbing pieces of their costumes from the stage and spiriting them away. It’s so heartbreaking to realize an expensive, one-of-a kind item is just gone. The audience member may think they’re being a fan, but they’re just a thief. Keep the temptation away!

    You could also take a page from our Legends and use a catcher to take your costumes after you remove them or perhaps have a decorative container in which to place your discards. These options also make life easier for the stage kittens.

    Photo of my discarded gloves at ABurlyQ by Eric Peters Photography

    M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

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

    Published in: on 26 July 2019 at 2:46 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! I hope you’re staying cool. Here’s your tip!

    Finish the ends of ribbons.

    Ribbons are so useful in costuming, but the cut ends fray easily and can dissolve into a mass of threads from one wrong pull. You could just tie a knot in the end, but it’s not that nice looking. Here are some attractive and easy finishes.

    Sewn: Fold the end of the ribbon twice, so the raw edge is neatly hidden and then stitch. No machine necessary — I prefer to sew these small hems by hand.

    Cut: Cut the ribbon on a diagonal (along the bias). I like the swallowtail shown in the picture, but a simple diagonal or an arrow shape work too.

    Sealed: Dab a little FrayCheck or fabric glue along the cut edge. I used glitter paint in the above example for a little contrast and sparkle.

    Melted: This is only for ribbons made from artificial fibers (most ribbons qualify). Hold the end of the ribbon near a flame. It will melt from the heat and neatly seal the edge. Don’t put the ribbon in the flame — we’re looking for melted, not burnt. I like to use one of those barbecue lighters for this method.

    Enjoy the clean finish on your ribbons!

    M2Like this costuming tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Burlesque Costuming.

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

    Published in: on 19 July 2019 at 2:27 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Friday Tip

    Dear Constant Reader,

    Happy Friday! Today’s tip comes from Scratch and it’s about intellectual property (IP), those intangible creations of one’s mind.

    When collaborating on a creation with someone, you can save a lot of heartache if everyone agrees in advance who can do what with the creation.

    If it’s an act, who gets to perform it and under what circumstances? If it’s a class, who gets to teach it? If it’s a recurring show at a venue or a troupe, who gets to use the name?

    It’s easier to decide about who owns something when there’s only one of it. A physical costume can only be in one place at one time, but what about the design of the costume? Does the designer retain the IP and can create another costume with the same design? Did the wearer purchase the rights to the design and can reproduce it? Was the design exclusive to this one costume and neither person can reproduce it?

    Here’s another example with something even more intangible, a dance: If you choreograph a duet with another performer and then perform it together, then what? Who owns the act? How can it be used in the future?

    Maybe the two of you agree that you will only perform the act together. Maybe you agree that each of you can teach the choreography to another dancer and perform it with them. Maybe you agree that the choreography can be taught to other dancers and does not need any members of the original partnership on stage. There are lots of options, but you both should decide on one and abide by it.

    I’m not saying you need have lawyers and contracts involved, but a solid understanding about who owns what before you start collaborating will save everyone hassle and heartbreak later.

    M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

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

    Published in: on 12 July 2019 at 3:23 pm  Leave a Comment  
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