Fall for Costume 2022 - Reflection

There’s a quote from L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables that says “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” This October was a crazy month - I feel like I didn’t sit down the entire time. For today’s blog post, I just want to go over the month and update you, my dear readers, on what happened.

Admittedly, I didn’t do a good job of being a “content creator” during the month of October. I was slammed with my design work this month (more on that anon). I also got the opportunity to lead a Halloween-themed workshop at my local children’s museum. The couple of prompts I did respond to show off mostly my recent projects, like my Tolkien celebration projects that I completed last January and this past September. I gave a special shoutout to a couple older projects, like the Bee Tea Gown, and the difference between the projects feels stark to me. Sewing, even design by extension, is sort of like a muscle you need to train. You don’t start being able to execute flawless projects. Heck, you don’t end by being able to execute flawless projects. What I love about sewing and design is that it’s a skill that constantly evolves the more you work on it. I guess that’s the lesson here: developing a skill you enjoy is well worth the time investment.

This month was spent designing and building a production of Frankenstein with Prime Stage Theatre. My team was amazing - it was a real privilege to work with such a good design team, cast, and crew. This show was also my first professional design gig. There were five builds for this show - Mary Shelley’s green velvet gown, Claire Clairmont’s pink velvet gown, Elizabeth Lavenza’s white pelisse, a grey cloak for Felix Delacey, and a bandage “shirt” for the Creature. I also got to do a little bit of millinery with making some hair combs for Claire and embellishing a bonnet for Elizabeth’s wedding. Needless to say, this show kept me busy! I go into more detail about my design process in a Portfolio post, so go check that out if you’re interested!

That was October! I’m so excited for the rest of fall and the start of winter - I have some ideas planned and some sweet, sweet blog content for you, my dear readers. Until next time.

Sincerely,

Madeline