Hello, it's been awhile!

Well 2011 has flown and we're making some major renovations online here at the Sewing Design Studio.  My name is Brittany and I'm Marilyn's apprentice/#1 fan.  I'll be talking a lot more on the blog, while Marilyn does her awesome thing in real life.  She will still post every once in awhile, though, so look forward to that!

We've been pretty busy this fall, finishing up costumes for Chesapeake Shakespeare Comapany's production of Our Town (running through Oct. 30.)  I loved working on the bright colors of the dresses for the ladies; I think they will look beautiful against the gorgeous Maryland fall foliage in The Ruins at PFI Historic Park.  If you get a chance to see it, tell us all about it in the comments!

Costume Commission for Beauty and the Beast

I just met with the costume designer for Mt. Hebron High School. They are doing Beauty and The Beast for their Spring musical. I’m making 2 costumes for Belle: the pink dress she wears at the castle and the show-stopper yellow gown for the final scene. I’m also creating 8 sets of silverware and a pie server. Maybe some more, it’s still early in the production and I usually get asked to fill in missing pieces here and there.

More Intern Adventures at the Sewing Design Studio

My interns are hard at work on their pillows and are beginning to really understand the importance of a good pattern. I'm hosting a holiday par-tay for them tomorrow afternoon. I’ll bring in some home-made cookies and other goodies along with holiday cheer. We should have a good time before I send them off for holiday break.

Training Interns in Fashion Design

My interns are learning the importance of accuracy and patience as they work on the design project I gave them. They are to design a 12 x 12 inch pillow but it has to have at least 4 pieces on the face side. From there they have to develop the pattern pieces adding seam allowances, matching notations, grainlines...all the minute but important parts of bringing a design from the page to 3-D reality. Once they've perfected their patterns, they're going to actually make the pillows...and they get to keep them!

Party Trunks!

One of the great things about running a costume studio along side the bridal and fashion studio is that I have a huge closet to pull from. For your next kid's party, try renting a trunk full of costumes for the kids to play in. Give me a theme and I'll deliver a trunk full of fun costumes that will let imaginations take over!

For example, I recently got a call from a mom whose daughter is having a Royal Princesses themed party. I'll be filling the trunk with princess dresses, crinolines, and tiaras.

So much fun!

The Indian costume for Peter Pan is finished and has been picked up! Julie, who will wear it in the show said she was going to be the best dressed Indian on stage! Just what I like to hear!

Show opens next weekend at Laurel Mill Playhouse, Main Street, Laurel and runs until December 19th.

Laurel Arts Extravaganza

I am so excited! I'll be one of the artists participating in the Laurel Arts Extravaganza - just in time for holiday shopping!

This is a juried event so everything is hand-crafted and the artists' products pre-approved. Best of all, the proceeds will benefit the Laurel Rescue Squad.

Come see me in the old PG Office Supply building at:
342 Main St, Laurel MD 20723 (next to Laurel Board of Trade)
on
December 10, 2010 (5:00 pm – 9:00 pm)
December 11, 2010 (10:00 am – 5:00 pm)

For more info contact Gail Reinhardt at the Laurel Board of Trade at 301-483-0838. Or RSVP at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/event.php?eid=165758556788297

Fashion ER

Just got 2 calls for sewing ER services.

The first is a bride getting married on Friday. Her corset needs a last-minute alteration by Wednesday! My friends at Bra-La-La sent her here since I’ve done this type of alteration before. So glad to be able to relieve some stress for a bride.

The other call is for an Indian costume for Peter Pan. I'm letting my imagination go wild on this one! The Laurel Mill Playhouse is mounting this show and it opens next week!

Even under pressure, I love creating things and making other people's lives easier.

Halloween Babies and the Sound of Music

I just got back from North Carolina where I spent the weekend being a grandma to my adorable new grandson, the Halloween baby! Of course he's the most adorable baby ever!!

I left my studio in the biggest mess ever as I literally finished the costumes at 7:30am last Friday after 2 all-nighters so I could deliver the Sound of Music costumes before leaving to visit my son's family for the weekend. The costumes weren't actually due for a few more days, but I so wanted to see the new baby I moved the deadline up and made it happen. Once finished, I ran home, packed, and hit the road.

What I'm not looking forward to is all the clean-up--piles of scrap fabric everywhere, patterns to sort out and file away, floors to vacuum.... Oh, well. Part of the job and it was totally worth it!

It's Not all Glamour in the Costume Business

I had fun helping old and new clients pick out Halloween costumes. They're all back in the studio now and being laundered before being put away.

People always think of the glamorous parts of costuming—silks, sequins, sparkles, and sheens—and don't realize there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff. TONS of laundry and HOURS of stain removal, folding, ironing, and repairing. Proper cleaning and maintenance greatly extends the life and look of costumes and clothes alike.

Costumes come back to me with tares and even blood stains—both real and fake. Believe me, I've seen it all. So, if you have a stain removal issue, call me!