Welcome . . . if you are here it is probably because you need to make some sort of costume . . . I have spent plenty of time on the internet myself trying to figure out how to make a certain costume or prop (non-scary Beast mask for “Beauty & the Beast”?????)
I don’t claim to be an expert. I don’t claim to have the best ideas, I don’t even claim to be all that creative sometimes. I decided to start this blog after experiencing difficulties finding tutorials or ideas for some of the costumes & props I have needed to create. I love looking at other peoples ideas, techniques and solutions . . .because even if I don’t use them directly, sometimes they can lead me to new avenues of inspiration.
I will say at the start that 1) the costumes I make are not historically accurate in technique, fabrics or design 2) you will not be able to “recreate” them exactly because most of what I do is upcycling garments I find at local Thrift Stores 3) I would love feedback and a conversation on ideas and techniques.
A bit about me . . . in my “real life” job I am a Neonatal ICU nurse. I am a mom . . . not quite an empty-nester . . . but getting close. I have always loved Thrift & Consignment store shopping and costuming takes that to a whole new level of adventure.
While I have always liked doing creative things . . my costuming took new directions when our high school director asked me to help (!!!) costume “Beauty and the Beast” a couple years ago. This March we did “Grease” . . with a cast of over 70. My daughter participates in dance and Dance Team, so I also do some costuming for them, and they do Princess-themed appearances as part of their Community Service and/or fundraising activity. So, you will see “trends” in my posts in these directions . . . I do have other ideas I hope to be able to explore in the future.
I live in South Central Iowa . . . if anyone is doing a production and interested in borrowing/renting or purchasing costumes–please contact me. We recently shared our “Beauty & the Beast” costumes with a smaller school, and that was great fun.
I hope you find something useful and I’d love to hear your ideas, successes and problems!
costumecrazed 
Hello! My name is Cindy & I am interested in renting or buying the Babbette costume if possible. I live in Philadelphia and our Catholic HS (St Huberts) is putting on Beauty and the Beast. If you can do either (rent/sell) please get back to me, asap. Thank you!!! Cindy Castle
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Hi Cindy. We have sold that dress…however, I happen to have another one of the black dresses…and it is a simple matter to order boas and pin them on the bottom. Do you have measurements? You can email me at lizkjcv@gmail.com and I can see if the dress would be close to working for you.
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Hi Cindy . . . the sale of my Babette dress actually just fell through, so this one will be available. I will have it back next Wednesday.
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Do you still
own any of the costumes from Fiddler on the roof?
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I do not. They were made for a neighboring high school, and the costumer that I worked with there is no longer associated with the school. Good luck with your production.
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Hi! I am in the throws of Cinderella. I deeply appreciated your tutorial videos. Do you have the Marie and Cinderella dresses available for rent starting next week through the end of the month, by chance? Thanks and have a lovely day!
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Left the wrong email before. ☺️
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I’m not sure which of my comments have gone through so I’ll start fresh. ☺️ I am interested in your Cinderella transformation dresses along with Marie, as well. I would need them as early as next week and rent until the beginning of March. Is this a possibility? Thanks and have a lovely day!
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Hi… unfortunately we sold the costumes to an area high school and I have no idea where they are now. Good luck getting yours done!
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Do you have Mrs Potts/Chip?
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I do not. The costumes belonged to the high school and they were sold years ago.
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Thanks
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I was thinking of using your fairy godmother approach for the enchantress transformation in Beauty and the Beast. Am i right in these components?
dark skirt with flap to cover sparkly bodice
hoop
Sparkly dress. rolled up in the front and packed up in the back.
What is the cape connected to? I was going to make a cloak instead of something with sleeves.
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The cape had twill tape stitched into the seams (sides and I think the center back) that tied around the waist. You just have to experiment where to place it. That supports the cape and holds it under the dress once its thrown off.
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One more thought…. the sleeves helped hold the packed dress/hoop in place on her back. If you are using a loose cloak, you might need to add some sort of straps to do the “holding” under the looser cloak, but I’d imagine they could criss-cross over the back and attach to the shoulders, or ?? Be attached to the “flap” with snaps or something. I’m envisioning some sort of belt, with some straps that hold the dress in place, and some shorter straps that loosely attach the cloak to the belt (similar to concept of the thread chains that loosely tack layers together in formal dresses)…. just enough length so the cloak moves freely, but short enough so the cloak folds in half and is hidden under the dress.
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Glad I found this link! I was a NICU nurse for years along with other positions in the Division of Neonatology. I’m now retired and finished a lot of work in “Once Upon a Mattress”. Cinderella is under consideration for next year, and my wheels are already spinning!
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Nice! The mental part of costuming is one of my favorite parts!
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