Costumes of My Heart

When I was eight years old, I got my first sewing machine. Within a few weeks, every doll in my room had a new costume. My fashion dolls became representatives of many countries around the world. My baby dolls were ballerinas. The ragdolls were no longer dressed in rags. When I ran out of dolls to dress, our cats became the next, albeit unwilling recipients of my newfound love of costuming. I of course sewed other things as well, but my heart always returned to making costumes.

While in high school I offered my time helping with school plays and making garments for the show choirs. I had a part time job doing alterations and then worked at a boat cover shop. I knew I had to think about my future and find a respectable profession so I decided costuming would be my hobby, thus putting it on the back shelf.

Soooo...enter prosthetics - a way for me to use my artistic abilities and make a good living. I worked hard, did well in school and graduated with honors. Then I found out I received not one but two scholarships to a university in San Diego, CA. They, however, did not offer studies in the prosthetics field. I looked through the course catalogue and came to costume design. I thought, “Ok, it’s something I am familiar with, and it involves the human body. This will help me on the journey to being a prosthetist”.

Right...I bet you can guess what happened next. I became hooked on costuming once again. Now, though, I was making real costumes, for real people! They were seen by hundreds of people every night on stage. What a thrill! How could I have ever believed this could be just a hobby? My parents were not thrilled that I left the medical profession to “play” in theatre. It was where I belonged.

For the next several years. This was what I did. I made costumes for plays in San Diego, spent some time outside of London, in New York, NY, and then in my home state of Michigan. There I found happy employment at a regional theatre, gainfully working full time. My parents enjoyed the benefits of having a daughter in costuming, making sure they attended every press night. I was happy, they were happy, it was heaven! After a few seasons, the announcement came: the theatre would be closing! Dun dun dunnnn…It was the only place in town someone with my skill set could work and get paid.

At this point, my (now) husband and I had to decide; where should we go?

(I should mention here that we met at the aforementioned theatre - he was in the lighting department.)

So, we decided to go to Orlando, FL. The home of theme parks. Surely, we could find work there! We left Michigan on his birthday, and 2 days later we were in Orlando. His aunt was kind enough to let us stay with her until we found work. It was harder than it sounds. Theme park work for costume folks in this town was handing out costumes to cast members for daily ops. No. Thank. You.

I ended up volunteering for the local civic theatre. After one production, they hired me full time as a costumer for the children’s theatre department. It was a very fun, creative place to work. I was at home once again. While there I got to work with an incredible puppet maker from Germany. Yay I learned another cool skill! I was in love yet again! Still costumes, but OMG for puppets!

This led to my next series of jobs (as an Independent contractor). First at Nickelodeon, then on to Disney’s (now) Hollywood Studios on Soundstage One, as a puppet wrangler. The job description included, you guessed it, making costumes for puppets! My heart was happy, I loved my job. I wish it could have gone on forever. But TV shows end and so did the work. I had some awesome new skills under my belt though. I knew I would be fine.

“What was next?”, you may ask? What could top that? Cirque Du Soleil was coming to town. I had to get in on that! And I did. I was part of the crew that built La Nouba, and I learned so much more than I could have imagined. What an experience! I was on the wardrobe crew for the next year and one half, then decided NOW was the time to become a Mom...the only job that could top Cirque.

After having my daughter, I went back to work, but wanted to be home with my baby girl. But I had an idea: the Cirque costumes were remade every couple of months. The old ones were destroyed, s0 I decided I should make character dolls out of the old costumes. Cirque was a very supportive company, so I took my idea, with samples to our general manager, and they loved it! I was able to leave my job, be home with my daughter and go back to making doll costumes, where it all began!

Now I cannot go into a fabric store without wandering by the remnants pile. Something always catches my eye. Then I see another that complements it, oh so well. (Sometimes it’s fur that jumps out asking to be a bear!) Before I realize what is happening, I have the makings of a beautiful doll costume in my bag. I am ready to go back to childhood and feel the magic of that first costume.