Behind the Scenes - COVID Costuming

At the top of America's lockdown, I ordered some chiffon online to try a new way of making panel skirts. I may have mentioned in videos that the fabric (mint green) I received didn't quite match up with the color I ordered (aqua). I knew I was gambling by ordering fabric from an untested seller on Amazon. Fine.

I had hopes of getting fabric from the store to make the belt/yoke for the panel skirt. I don' really want to go to stores and face disappointment, especially when my attempts to order online for curbside pickup at JoAnn Fabrics went so poorly. (Fabric listed as being in stock apparently wasn't, or they just didn't want to cut it.) The big fabric store that appealed to me during a scouting trip before moving to Dallas has closed indefinitely and their website is gone, and my favorite Los Angeles store that once had mail order has been permanently closed because of the pandemic.

So, I pulled the skirt off a dress I made back in 2013 that I haven't been able to resell. I wore the dress once or twice. The fabric isn't the best quality, but it'll work for this project. I have to finish the hooks on the belt and put snaps on the skirt panels before I begin embellishing.

I'm also relearning how to make awesome triangle bras, often called tribute bras because you can find them in so many photos of burlesque dancers from back in the day. I want to get the bra well under way before I embellish the skirt, in hopes I can make a complete set.

This is the project that has my attention at the moment. I want to create a new act during this pandemic to entertain you, and I think it will be fun to do it with a completely new costume.

Obtaining fabric is a challenge, so fingers crossed that the scraps of what I have will work.

This was a great way to spend my anniversary weekend after I managed to develop runner's knee (IT band variety) and had to bag on all of my dance classes. Did I mention I just got a ballet barre to make training at home easier?

I'll be okay, but I'm trying to let my knee heal and the best way to do it is rest-ice-compression-elevation. Ugh. Great time to work on a new costume though.