Hmm...interesting topic! My mom used to say that I was trying to make things when I was a toddler. I know that by the time I was 5 or so, I was only really happy if I was "making," as we called it, or reading. But it wasn't sewing or embroidery until I was 9 or so. Started embroidery in Girl Scouts, and a couple of years later, learned to sew in 4-H (which is a club for farm kids, or was, when I was growing up). I got very ambitious right away with what I thought I could do, and normally did do--green velvet miniskirt that first year, and not a bad job. <g> Did ordinary clothes sewing for myself throughout high school, and played with embroidery (mostly needlepoint and crewel work) and quilting. I don't know that I made many clothes for dolls for my own purposes, but for a few years, I did churn out a LOT of clothes for my little sister's Cabbage Patch dolls. I was pretty much all self-taught, as my mom was *not* a sewer, and the nearest relative who had done things like that lived 2000 miles away and had died in 1971 (my grandfather). It wasn't until I was looking for a job during college that I ever made a "costume," let alone, a historical one. Got a job in the costume shop of the drama/dance department. Graduated. Ended up with a job as an alterations and repair person at a dry-cleaners. Went back to school after a couple of years of that. Worked in the costume shop, and while there, got introduced to the SCA, finished school and then spent 7 years wrecking my hands as a professional tent/tipi/awning/outfitters' products sewer. The rest is history....;o) I think that last job did a fair bit towards eventually ruining my fondness for working with a sewing machine. As it is now, the actual sewing bit is my least favorite part of making garb. I'd much rather do the research and planning.... Of course, I still gotta read and still gotta keep my hands busy to be happy, but these days, it's fine sewing/embroidery (I have a passion for various kinds of monochrome embroidery), or other textile arts (spinning, knitting, weaving). --Sue in Montana, who does have 4 cats
----- Original Message ----- From: "Suzi Clarke" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Historical Costume" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 3:12 AM Subject: [h-cost] When and how did you start making costume? > > In discussion with a couple of friends at the weekend, we fell to > talking about when we started sewing. One friend is a re-enactor, > the other a former wardrobe mistress for the National Theatre among > other things. Both of them had started very early, making clothes for > themselves and for dolls. And they did it for pleasure! (And I am a > professional costume maker.) > > Now I never made clothes for dolls that I remember. As a teenager I > occasionally, and very badly, made the odd skirt or blouse for > myself. I started work in the maintenance wardrobe of the RSC at 24, > and the first serious making I did was in a rep company a couple of > years later when I found it was part of my job as a wardrobe mistress > to make the pantomime costumes. (I hate pantomime!) I got out of that > very quickly, and went back to maintenance, eventually got married, > had a son, and went to college as a mature student of 40 to learn to > cut and make costumes. I discovered I was good enough never to have > been out of work since I left college 20 mumble years ago. > > But I still hate sewing up the costumes! I love the working out of > what the customer wants, the choosing of the fabrics, the making of > the patterns and cutting them out, (skip the next bit - the sewing > up) love hand finishing, trimming, and fitting. But please could > someone tell me where to get a magic wand to sew everything together? > > Oh, and coincidentally to the sewing conversation, we wondered if it > was a given that costume makers, whether professional, gifted > amateur, or occasional maker, have cats? All the ones I know do. > > Suzi (about to sew the 5th Mary Queen of Scots costume, and putting it off!) _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
