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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Meet your deadlines.
Respect other’s backstage rituals.
If you’re going to use hairspray, loose glitter, spray-on stockings, &c, ask permission of the other inhabitants of the dressing room.
If you need a lot of strips of fabric, like for can-can ruffles, corset binding, or quilts, a rotary cutter is the way to go. It’s fast, easy, and accurate. you will also need a special cutting mat and acrylic ruler, but the investment pays off in saved time. Use the lines on the mat to line up your fabric. Set the ruler as a straight edge and run the cutter along side it. Before you know it, you’ll have heaps of fabric strips (or squares or triangles). Just be careful — those cutters are sharp — and close the safety cover when you’re not actively cutting. And replace the blade (it’s easy) when it starts getting dull.
It will make your life so much easier when submitting to festivals or working with a producer. I keep these files handy on my computer and then cut & paste the necessary information as needed. For each act I have the name, a link to the video, the song title, artist and length, a basic introduction, a short description, set up and clean up, lighting and sound notes, and anything else important. 
To keep your lip makeup intact, drink with a straw.
Tip your bartender.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 