[h-cost] Clothing Superstitions
***my comments It makes me wonder if a straightening iron for hair would work for last minute hem pressing? Maybe I will try it in a rush one day. ***I'm used that too..collar, twisty button placket, hem. Not very effective, but better than nothing. Better is noticing the problem the night before and spraying it with a mister bottle and letting it dry G. During West Side Story last year, I rigged two full sized flags into two actresses' underskirts with safety pins. The actresses lifted their skirts to reveal the flags at the end of the song America. We had three minutes to do the pinning between scenes. It worked. You can see a photo at: http://www.costumegallery.com/Manchester/WWS/flags3.jpg I had the safety pins already in their place in the skirts and petticoats, when it came time to put the flags in them, my teams of dressers knew exactly where to place them. The actors knew exactly how to hold the skirts during the quick pinning to make the process quicker. I had my dressers practice the pinning during dress rehearsals several times to get the timing down to three minutes. ***very impressive - and a great bit of theatrics G Julie ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing Superstitions
Penny Did you try whopper popper snaps on the flags for West Side Story? I can't imagine a good number of those not holding anything. They are the giant snaps used by most costumers in theater these days for all sorts of quick change/take it apart /add something on needs. Anyway, if you didn't, and you need to add a special effect like the flags again in the future, you might try them. They are better than velcro because they don't make any sound, but they do have to be worked in a bit, as they really really hold at first (making it difficult to take things off and put them back initially). angela + Angela F. Lazear Cabbage Rose Costumes www.cabbagerosecostumes.com Theatrical Costume Design Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none: be able for thine enemy rather in power than use, and keep thy friend under thy own life's key: be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech... W. Shakespeare - Original Message - From: Penny Ladnier [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: Historical Costume [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, September 14, 2005 5:34 PM Subject: Re: [h-cost] Clothing Superstitions Julie, It makes me wonder if a straightening iron for hair would work for last minute hem pressing? Maybe I will try it in a rush one day. I have ironed some full-skirt hems while a few actresses and models were wearing them. If you have confidence in what you are doing and the actor/model has confidence in your abilities, they won't be scared. After one night of rehearsals, the actor/model can pick up on your abilities really quick. During West Side Story last year, I rigged two full sized flags into two actresses' underskirts with safety pins. The actresses lifted their skirts to reveal the flags at the end of the song America. We had three minutes to do the pinning between scenes. It worked. You can see a photo at: http://www.costumegallery.com/Manchester/WWS/flags3.jpg I had the safety pins already in their place in the skirts and petticoats, when it came time to put the flags in them, my teams of dressers knew exactly where to place them. The actors knew exactly how to hold the skirts during the quick pinning to make the process quicker. I had my dressers practice the pinning during dress rehearsals several times to get the timing down to three minutes. You can't tell from the photo but the middle of the flags are also pinned to the waistband of the petticoats to hold the flags in place while the actresses danced vigorously to America. You could not tell the flags were in the skirts until the actresses lifted their skirts. We tried Velcro and snaps to hold the flags in the skirts but they were not strong enough to hold up the flags through the America scene. These girls really shook their skirts during the number. They looked great when they shook the skirts in the dance! Especially the girl with the gold petticoat! Thankfully the pins never opened and the flags stayed in the skirts. Penny E. Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery, www.costumegallery.com Costume Classroom, www.costumeclassroom.com Costume Research Library, www.costumelibrary.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
At 04:03 14/09/2005, you wrote: I wonder if the green thread is related to the old use of green as the color of mourning (long before black)... because green grass grows on the grave. Gytha Chris Laning [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: When I worked for the local Shakespeare festival, we had an excellent British actress in the company who was serious about a number of silly , yet traditional theatre superstitions. I used to torment her, putting shoes on the counter instead of the floor... A couple more: (1) It's unlucky to baste anything with green thread. (Green is supposed to be a generally unlucky color anyway.) IIRC (and it was a LONG time ago) I think my grandmother actually told me this one. (2) It's unlucky for anyone to sew or mend clothing while someone is actually wearing it. But the person wearing the clothing can avert evil consequences by holding a piece of thread between their teeth while the sewing is going on. (Can't remember where I saw this, but it was relatively recent.) A couple of times when I worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company I had to sew someone into a costume which had split, and each time the actor was very, very unhappy about it. There was simply no time to take the garment off, mend it and replace. Some actors have to put the left shoe (for example) on before the right, others won't wear green, (it's the colour of the fairies - same for bridesmaids and brides - don't upset the fairies/little people) and in many theatres, real flowers are not allowed on stage (except at curtain calls.) This one makes some sense, as if flowers of leaves drop on to the stage and get trodden on they can be slippery and therefore a hazard. There do seem to be many superstitions about the colour green and clothing. Suzi ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
A couple more: (1) It's unlucky to baste anything with green thread. (Green is supposed to be a generally unlucky color anyway.) IIRC (and it was a LONG time ago) I think my grandmother actually told me this one. (2) It's unlucky for anyone to sew or mend clothing while someone is actually wearing it. But the person wearing the clothing can avert evil consequences by holding a piece of thread between their teeth while the sewing is going on. (Can't remember where I saw this, but it was relatively recent.) A couple of times when I worked for the Royal Shakespeare Company I had to sew someone into a costume which had split, and each time the actor was very, very unhappy about it. There was simply no time to take the garment off, mend it and replace. Some actors have to put the left shoe (for example) on before the right, others won't wear green, (it's the colour of the fairies - same for bridesmaids and brides - don't upset the fairies/little people) and in many theatres, real flowers are not allowed on stage (except at curtain calls.) This one makes some sense, as if flowers of leaves drop on to the stage and get trodden on they can be slippery and therefore a hazard. There do seem to be many superstitions about the colour green and clothing. Suzi Just a silly thing - my e-mail provider has queried the use of the phrase the fairies as being a rude word - who programmes these things - have they never heard of fairies with wings and wands? Suzi ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Even worse luck to iron something on a live body, and the thread between the teeth doesn't help there. ahhh...so *that* is why the instructions that come with an iron actually specify Do Not Attempt to Iron Garments While Being Worn! Silly me, I thought it was common sense safety... Denise B ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
but, if you wear a garment inside out, it protects you from the faeries! Arlys And another one . If you put on a garment inside out (usually a vest/t-shirt, or knickers/underpants) you shouldn't change it, as that too would be bad luck. Too bad if it was trousers or pants!! Suzi ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
I too have stitched several actors into their costumes before going on stage. You do want you can in a hurry. Penny E. Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery, www.costumegallery.com Costume Classroom, www.costumeclassroom.com Costume Research Library, www.costumelibrary.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Penny Ladnier wrote: I too have stitched several actors into their costumes before going on stage. You do want you can in a hurry. ... and it's a lot better than superglue and staples. -- Cynthia Virtue and/or Cynthia du Pre Argent Such virtue hath my pen -Shakespeare, Sonnet 81 I knew this wasn't _my_ pen! --Cynthia Virtue ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
On 9/14/05, Land of Oz [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: ahhh...so *that* is why the instructions that come with an iron actually specify Do Not Attempt to Iron Garments While Being Worn! Silly me, I thought it was common sense safety... at my old job, one of my coworkers confessed that the mark on his neck, which he had tried to pass off as a hickey, was in fact a burn from his attempt to iron the collar of his shirt while he was wearing it. (even worse, a jokespam email listing silly warning instructions had _just_ done the rounds of the office...) -jordana ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Suzi Clarke [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote At 16:23 14/09/2005, you wrote: Even worse luck to iron something on a live body, and the thread between the teeth doesn't help there. ahhh...so *that* is why the instructions that come with an iron actually specify Do Not Attempt to Iron Garments While Being Worn! Silly me, I thought it was common sense safety... And another one . If you put on a garment inside out (usually a vest/t-shirt, or knickers/underpants) you shouldn't change it, as that too would be bad luck. Too bad if it was trousers or pants!! Suzi I'd forgotten that one, but yes, I grew up with that. Have to hope you notice before you get it completely on, it's OK if you're only half-way into the garment. Jean -- Jean Waddie ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
jordana robinson wrote: from his attempt to iron the collar of his shirt while he was wearing it. I actually watched a person try to drive with one of those cardboard windshield sun things still on the car. He/She had bent down a corner to peer out. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Cynthia, I am guilty of stapling a hem when an actor needs to get on stage real quick. I have taped a bodice of a gown to a model. It helps with very low cut dress. Penny E. Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery, www.costumegallery.com Costume Classroom, www.costumeclassroom.com Costume Research Library, www.costumelibrary.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Penny Ladnier wrote: I am guilty of stapling a hem when an actor needs to get on stage real quick. I was trying to be amusing -- sorry it wasn't clear. But don't staples really mess up the fabric? Pulls and such? cv ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
RE: [h-cost] Clothing superstitions (and theatre)
Actually, the original lore to wearing clothing inside out and fairies has to do with weird sod. If you step on weird sod you will walk forever, the way to break the spell once you figured out you stepped on weird sod is to turn your clothing inside out (usually it is just the jacket). One lore in Cardaff(?) says switch shoes from one foot to the other. This info is from a friend working on her doctorial thesis on Irish and African folklore. De -Original Message- but, if you wear a garment inside out, it protects you from the faeries! Arlys And another one . If you put on a garment inside out (usually a vest/t-shirt, or knickers/underpants) you shouldn't change it, as that too would be bad luck. Too bad if it was trousers or pants!! Suzi ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Clothing Superstitions
Hmmm.. I've touched up a hem while I was wearing it. Maybe I should have spat on it instead G Julie Even worse luck to iron something on a live body, and the thread between the teeth doesn't help there. Not that I tried it myself. ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
Re: [h-cost] Clothing Superstitions
Julie, It makes me wonder if a straightening iron for hair would work for last minute hem pressing? Maybe I will try it in a rush one day. I have ironed some full-skirt hems while a few actresses and models were wearing them. If you have confidence in what you are doing and the actor/model has confidence in your abilities, they won't be scared. After one night of rehearsals, the actor/model can pick up on your abilities really quick. During West Side Story last year, I rigged two full sized flags into two actresses' underskirts with safety pins. The actresses lifted their skirts to reveal the flags at the end of the song America. We had three minutes to do the pinning between scenes. It worked. You can see a photo at: http://www.costumegallery.com/Manchester/WWS/flags3.jpg I had the safety pins already in their place in the skirts and petticoats, when it came time to put the flags in them, my teams of dressers knew exactly where to place them. The actors knew exactly how to hold the skirts during the quick pinning to make the process quicker. I had my dressers practice the pinning during dress rehearsals several times to get the timing down to three minutes. You can't tell from the photo but the middle of the flags are also pinned to the waistband of the petticoats to hold the flags in place while the actresses danced vigorously to America. You could not tell the flags were in the skirts until the actresses lifted their skirts. We tried Velcro and snaps to hold the flags in the skirts but they were not strong enough to hold up the flags through the America scene. These girls really shook their skirts during the number. They looked great when they shook the skirts in the dance! Especially the girl with the gold petticoat! Thankfully the pins never opened and the flags stayed in the skirts. Penny E. Ladnier Owner, The Costume Gallery, www.costumegallery.com Costume Classroom, www.costumeclassroom.com Costume Research Library, www.costumelibrary.com ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
[h-cost] Clothing superstitions
While working on Georgian period houses (here in Australia), renovators and restorers have found shoes and boots tucked up into chimneys. The explanation is that witches could detect shapes of people in houses, particularly children (maybe witches have starship sensors on their brooms!), and would come for them. Footwear is the only item of clothing that retains the shape of a body part when not being worn so placing one above the fireplace would draw the witch to a place where they would be uncomfortable and, perhaps, even trapped, -C. This email was sent from Netspace Webmail: http://www.netspace.net.au ___ h-costume mailing list h-costume@mail.indra.com http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
