Rising New Moon Studios

A Man For All Seasons Norfolk Created March 2005 Items Made: Doublet, Pantaloons, Cloak. This was made for a college theatre production set in Europe during the reign of Henry VIII. So I got to make a doublet and some pumpkin pants.  It's all made from great upholstery fabrics and the cloak is lined in gold faux silk.  I wish I remembered all the pattern numbers that I used but I think they're out of print.   Actually, this costume is was never finished. The costume crew that semester was very small (3-4 people) so we ran out of time and the show opened before any of the costumes could be finished out with trims and such.   It's still a lovely costume... just kind of plain.

Alright, so now that I’ve successfully finished 2 of these lovelies, I can share the step by step process with you.  I made sure to take lots of pictures and write down everything I did as I made the first brooch, so that when I started making the second, it would look exactly the same.  So here we go. First the supplies... In no particular order... (by the way, this is the stuff I used, feel free to modify it as needed) A. Acrylic crystal teardrop beads (you can use real crystal also, I just couldn’t find them) B. Round glass seed beads in Gold C. Scissors or Wire Cutters. D. 2 3/4” Diamond -- This is a glass paperweight, but there are also acrylic versions used for wedding tablescapes. E. 28 Gauge jewelry wire in gold -- This isn’t real gold wire because that’d kind of be a waste of money as the wire isn’t seen. F. Pliers -- I just used needle nose pliers because I don’t have the kind for making jewelry. First measure out a length of wire just a little sm...

Well, I've never made any kind of jewelry before... unless you count the friendship bracelets I made back in the 80's when I was a kid.  But, this is my first attempt at Prince Diamonds' brooches.  He wears four of them and 3 appear to hold his cape in place.   You can see the brooch detail in the upper right corner.  I'll probably find a better way to attach the cape and the brooches will be purely decorative.  But I'm super stoked how this first one came out.  Now I just need to make 3 more, but I wrote down everything I did so I can make the rest exactly the same (Hmm.... I smell a tutorial.) Just a quick run down of what I used.  The diamonds are glass paperweights I found at Hobby Lobby.  They were on sale for 50% off so they were only $2.00 each.  The acrylic jewels that Hobby Lobby had looked cheap... however I know that there are other brands of acrylics that look really nice.   I used gold glass...

Well for starters, I've made a decision for Prince Diamond... As much as I love the idea of the Indian Silk brocade for the Jacket, I can't seem to find anywhere online that sells the fabric I want for not a lot of money... I've only been able to find it for $20 a yard... which is a bit much... that's already $60 just for the jacket fabric... that doesn't cover fabric for the trousers, the cape or any of the linings.   So on to plan B. This... only in white on white.... This is a flocked taffeta.  The taffeta has a lovely iridescent sheen to it and the flocking feels like velvet.  We just used this fabric in Three Musketeers on one of the gowns and it just looked lovely... Also, I found this on eBay for $6.50 a yard. I WAS worried that the pattern of the taffeta would compete with the scroll work embroidery, but since it's white on white, it'll be all... er... it'll work out.   Here's a little collage I did in Photoshop. The pattern...

  Magna Carta: Tears of Blood Reith/Risuu Created December 2006 Items Made: Top, Skirt. This costume was challenge and a prime example of how animators defy the laws of physics and how costumers have to work around that. I also made this while on the road and without access to my shop and and any of my tools except a basic sewing machine... it turned out okay, considering. I like the flannel back jacquard I used for the yellow and the printed cotton I used for the skirt.   

Macbeth Chainmaille Created April 2004 Items Made: Chainmaille Sleeves This was built for a college production of Macbeth . The sleeves are hand-linked chainmaille sleeves attached to undershirts to give the illusion of full chainmaille shirts.  Originally it was planned to have more characters wearing maille, however making each set was EXTREMELY labor intensive.  It took a group of 4-5 people working 30-40 hours each to finish the 3 sets of sleeves.

Here's Part 1 of my new tutorial series!!!  This lesson covers all of the information found on the envelope of commercial patterns and explains, in detail, what it all means.  Enjoy!!!!