An Art Teacher Wants Your Scraps

 . .  and your stash of beads and your leftover ribbon and your extra pieces of paper and your spare sequins and . . . well, things you might throw away.

In honor of Earth Day, and because school budgets, particularly ARTS budgets are dwindling due to the recession, I have to write this post.

My daughter's art teacher knows me by name.  We email often.  Why?  Because she takes things that would be my "trash" and turns them into ingredients for treasures her students can make.  I like this arrangement because I hate throwing things away.  I would rather recycle them.  She likes this arrangement because she gets inspiring goodies that her students can use, whether it's the FOUR bags of scraps that came from cleaning my craft room, or the plastic containers that used to hold lunchmeat and can now hold craft supplies.

Costs me nothing but a few minutes.  And, when I see some pieces come home as part of art pieces, it is so worth it!

Don't have a child?  You still have an art teacher, or two.  Call your neighborhood school, daycare, or other institution of learning.

Your trash CAN become someone else's treasure.

All packed up, and ready for an art class!

Making Big Projects Seem Smaller

A while back, I wrote about some of the things my day job taught me that I wanted to apply to my costume making. At work, we use the "backlog" system to help take big projects and rationalize what needs to be done when. So, I started applying that to my projects. I made a table that looks something like this:

1. I list up to three projects that I really want to finish in the first column. More than that and anyone would go mad!

2. For each project, I list what I need to do in very simple terms. Example:

a. choose bra cups

b. build side panels

c. build straps

d. cut covering fabric

e. apply covering fabric

f. embellish cups

g. embellish side panels

f. embellish straps

g. cut lining fabric

h. line

3. Then, for each one, I GUESS how much time each task will take to actually finish each step and get to a stopping point. Note it by the item. Let's assume this is a SIMPLE, non-beaded bra, where I will sew on a few pieces to embellish, and I am sewing base pieces by machine. Times are GUESSES only.

a. choose bra cups - 10 minutes

b. build side panels - 20 minutes

c. build straps - 10 minutes

d. cut covering fabric - 5 minutes

e. apply covering fabric - 45 minutes

f. embellish cups - 20 minutes

g. embellish side panels - 20 minutes

f. embellish straps - 15 minutes

g. cut lining fabric - 5 minutes

h. line - 45 minutes

4. Now, to use this, you and I both know that there are some things that are dependent on other tasks -- you know I can't line the thing until I have finished everything else. But, I could build the side panels before I choose the cups. So, now I can say, "I have 30 minutes to sew, which task can I finish in this time?" and then I pick something that I can do in that period that is not dependent on another task. And, I can see where i can do some of these tasks in different environments, like embellishing or other hand sewing while waiting in a doctor's office (done it!), riding along on a car trip (done it!), or watching TV with your beloved (done it!).

I like this method because it makes me feel like I have accomplished something, and it really helps me to sort through which things I need to get done by X date, allowing me to re-prioritize things that are or are not important. (Do I really need to use THAT beading pattern that takes forever?)

(modified from comments on bellydanceforums.net)

Padding a belt

I know -- you ware wondering why on earth I have a picture of a stack of panty liners.

I am about to reveal one of the secrets of the belly dancing universe.  If you have had a child, like to eat, or are past “a certain age,” you have a “goddess belly.”  A belly that has  . . . shape.  Curve.  Dimension.  And, as a result, your belt sits under that cute little belly curve that you may not think is so cute, after all.  You have that thing that is jokingly diagnosed as “Dunlap’s disease” where the belly done lapped over the belt.

Hence, panty liners to the rescue!

A good friend taught me this method.  What you need to do is to thicken the belt where it falls under the belly.  This brings the visible edge of the belt forward so that the belly sticks out less, making the belly appear a bit nicer.  To do it, take out a handful of panty liners near a surface like a table or counter.  Start with two as your base layer, but do not peel the backing off, yet.  Arrange them so that the narrow ends are touching, as if you needed a double-long liner.  Now, take one pad, peel the backing off, and lay it on top so that it covers the area where the bottom two meet.  Keep building up in a 2-1-2 pattern, until the entirety is the thickness you need.  I need about 5/8 inch, or 9 pads total.  To check thickness, put on the belt that you are working with and slide in the liner stack (centered under the belly button), look in the mirror, and see if it is enough.  When you are happy, open up the lining of your belt where you want to place the pads and THEN you can peel the backing off of the base liners to expose the sticky part.  Use that sticky part to help position the liners, then sew the belt lining fabric back into place.  Replace pads when your body shape changes or you replace the lining.  And hey, they do help absorb sweat, protecting your hard sewing work!

AND, this method can be used for belts you purchase, too!

(PS: I have also cut them up to use as bra padding, too!)

Here is a view of the finished belt, showing you the thickness added by padding.

Using Draping Fluid to stiffen a Dance Bra

The (is it infamous yet?) “300 Eyed Chemical Monster Bedlah” needed some stiffness to work.  Let’s see if this makes sense:  I was going to cover the entire thing in wiggly eyes.  If the fabric flexed too much, they would pop off (having this issue with the belt after 1 wearing, folks!) and the more rigid the surface, the more my movement would transfer to the eyes.  Draping fluid was in order.

I can’t remember if I first heard about draping fluid from Ozma or from bellydanceforums.net; but, it is basically a very thick glue used to stiffen fabric, as when making bows, little lace hats for dolls, or those lovely little snowflake Christmas ornaments my Mom made when I was a kid.  The directions say to wear gloves, and you should.  I have a box of the simple (almost plastic wrap like) food service gloves I keep on hand for messy projects, and I highly recommend having a box on hand.  The instructions also say to put the fluid in a bowl to work it into the item; but, I have watched enough Good Eats episodes to know that a zip bag will come in handy.  The directions go in to say to cover your mold in plastic wrap, which you REALLY should do, and I also completely lined the baking pan that housed this mess in plastic wrap as well.

The directions do advise that you can thin up to (25, 50%?) – which I may well do next time; and, they say to work it in thoroughly into the fabric.  Bag and gloves did this nicely.  Put garment and fluid in a zip bag.  Prep molding surface with plastic wrap.  While wearing gloves, massage fluid in.  Massage some more.  And more.  Carefully open bag (with gloves on), remove item, and shape onto mold.  Pull gloves off by turning them inside out, toss in messy plastic bag, dispose of mess, and thank yourself for wearing gloves.  Resist temptation to rearrange mold.  Wait until dry, about 24 hours.

The bra came out so hard, you can literally knock on it with your knuckles.  For the first time in my life, I have KNOCKERS!  Literally!

Granted, I could also see where the fluid didn’t work all the way in, giving the fabric an odd translucency.  IF you go full strength when you use this stuff, do consider leaving an edge without the stuff where you will sew.  Because sewing on dried draping fluid is about like sewing DRYWALL.  I had to use a rubber quilter’s grip to get the needle through, and had to push the needle against the table, kitchen counter, or any other hard surface (except my head) to sew it. 

Seemed like a good idea at the time!

The Fringe Fence!

Problem: You need to sew fringe onto something; or, worse yet, you need to sew something onto fringe.  You know the thread is going to tangle into the fringe, making knots Houdini couldn't escape from and you are going to wind up hurling the costume across the room in disgust.

Fret no more:  raid your recycling bin, cut two rectangles of cardboard slightly larger than the clump of fringe you are working with, and grab two binder clips from your office.  Trap the fringe in between the cardboard and hold in place with the binder clips.  Cuss less, sew more!

"The Practical Manifesto"

In my "day job," I work in software delivery -- which you would think has very little to do with costume design. Except, the wonderful place where I work has allowed me to learn about the Agile method of delivering work -- a methodology that can help one take any major project and deliver it in value - oriented chunks.

What on earth does this have to do with Costume Stuff?

Everything!

Many of us have a love / hate relationship with trying to make our own costumes. We struggle to take big, daunting projects and finish them. Piles of fabric linger as "future costumes" that never get worn and loved. And, attempting projects beyond our skill causes frustration and failure.

Agile shows us that the key to success is to focus on what is really valuable to the customer (in this case, you). By recognizing that, you can make the call on where to invest your time when costuming, and how to break the work down into small, independently useable pieces that you, as the customer of your own work, deem to be the most valuable.

Thus, with apologies to those who crafted the Agile Manifesto, I would like to share my own "Practical Manifesto":

My highest priority is to create beautiful, functional costuming where each piece delivers value to my wardrobe. 


It is perfectly acceptable to shift design in during construction in order to make the costume more useful. 


Costume creations should be constructed in components that can be scaled to the skills and time that I have to work on them and so that I can use them quickly. 


I am both costume designer and costume wearer; I shall never forget that both my creative and practical needs must both be met. 


I need to be motivated to finish a costume; my costume must have a purpose -- an occasion to use it -- in order to make me finish it. 


The most effective way to make the costume beautiful is to try it on frequently in the process of making it. 


Wearable costumes are how I measure my success. 


I need to enjoy the process of creating costumes. In order to enjoy it, I must set reasonable projects that I am confident I can deliver without growing bored or frustrated. 


As I create, I will grow my skills in creation, getting better at costume creation as I practice. (Just as with my dance!) 


The simplest costume pieces are the most versatile and long-lived in my wardrobe. 


My projects should be based on my skills and strengths: I invest time into what I can create and money (for others to make) that which I cannot on my own. It is OK to “outsource” some costume pieces. 


I shall regularly revisit my old creations and see what I would do differently in the future as I create new ones (or, recreate old ones).

I'll discuss some of these concepts in future posts, giving you some ideas on how to make the call on getting the most value out of the time and money you invest in your wardrobe.

Tip for the passenger seat #1

Tip for the passenger seat (or, what to do when riding along on a road trip): If you want to work on a beading project in the car, put double stick tape along the inside of a small container to hold beads. Put a small amount of beads in there at a time. Beads won't slop around and get all over the car, and you can pick up exactly what you need without risk. You will refill more often, but you will cuss less!