Tamboured sleeping Beauty headpieces

I realize that I have not added anything to this blog in months, which is of course not good.
What have I been up to lately: a lot.
In April the local ballet company  revisited Giselle. (see blog post).
Sometime at the beginning of May, I received an order for several headpiece for Sleeping Beauty: all six of the prologue fairies, Aurora and the King and Queen.
Since I had the "luxury" problem of needing to get regular practice with my tambour work and needed to make the headpieces I decided to combine the two.
The client sent me samples of the laces, trims and fabrics for all of the prologue fairies and I then looked through my vast stash to find the right types of laces, beads and crystals to use on the headpieces.

Sleeping beauty: song bird, Beauty and Generosity fairies

Various gold laces for Sleeping beauty fairies

I then framed up fabric and lace and set to work, tambour embroidering thousands of beads, sequins and crystals onto the lace "shapes.

Tambour frame set up with three of the nine headpiece bases

 

 

 

 

 

Since I had less than 5 weeks to make and ship the headpieces out to California, so I tamboured as if my life depended on it. For the song bird I choose gold, yellows and smokey Topaz colored beads, sequins and crystals. I had trouble finding suitable lace for the Generosity fairy (it was shades of gren with silver lace) so I drew a stylized frieze of honeysuckle and worked it it green bugle beads and silver and yellow seed beads.

The bases for the Song bird, Beauty and Generosity headpieces

Slowly adding beads and sequins; the birds "wings" are to the left

As the days went on the weather became wonderfully sunny and I discovered that it is possible to take tambour work outside. The combination of the gentle breeze, sunlight and lovely view was inspiring. Slowly but surely the headpieces grew. 

My work space

The only headpiece that would be a more traditional wire frame, Aurora, did have several tamboured lace jewels. These were gold lace Asters, worked in red, gold, and pink crystals, gold bugle beads, gold sequins and fuschia seed beads.

Left to right: Violente, Aurora, Lilac, jewels, Beauty and Generosity

The Lilac Fairy was a large, pale gold lace collar worked in purples, gold leaf shaped sequins and Toho beed "flowers".

Lilac fairy headpiece

For the King and Queen, I decided to use a thermo plastic (Wonderflex tm) for the crown shape. I found two stunning gold laces which I used to cover the "frames" with and again using tambour and standard bead embroidery I created large gems.

Queen and Kings lace coverings

Jewels for the king and Queens crowns.

Since using all crystals would make the headpieces too heavy, I created the jewels out of large cut glass gems, surrounded by sequins and crystals.

Thermoplastic crown base, covered with gold lace.

Add caption

Fairy of Beauty

Violente Fairy

  Finally all the headpieces were assembled and off they went to their dancers. My photography skills are still very poor, so these photos do not do them justice. Thank fully the company shared a few photos with me which  I re-post here.

Generosity Fairy (or Woodland Glade)

Song bird fairy

 The dancers with their headpieces:

Generosity, Beauty and Charm

Aurora

Sleeping Beauty headpieces: Blue bird

In my last post I talked a little about a new technique I had learned called tambour embroidery and how I applied it while making a series of nine headpiece for a production of Sleeping Beauty.
I will be posting more about those headpieces and their creation soon but am waiting for permission from the customer to share photographs and details of these headpieces.

About the same time, I was contacted by another customer who needed a headpiece for Princess Florine (the female role in the Blue Bird Pas de Deux). The dancer sent me a photo of her tutu so that I could get a feel for the style and colors she was looking for.
I love making all types of millinery so I decided that a little feathered hat would be just the thing.
I found a beautiful lace at Lace-Mart; the lace is a silver leaf shape but it could also pass for a "feather" shape, especially with a little embellishment.

silver lace from Lace-mart

The colors on the tutu were silver, royal blue and black. I chose a mixture of royal blue and a more turquoise blue of feathers for the headpiece, some blue chinese "bamboo" brocade and royal and pale blue maribo daubs.  If I had had more time, I would have order either a sample or a color card but as happens too often I only had a very short time. When the feathers arrived I did have a brief "oh-no" moment because the second blue was much greener than the image had led me to believe but it all worked out well in the end with lighting and other feathers.

blue and turquise feathers

Shiny fabrics like satin brocades often do not look good on stage; they reflect too much light or reflect it in an unflattering way and in some case have a "plastic" look to them under the stage lights. I turned the brocade using the reverse side, as this had less sheen but did have the lovely blue and silver threads that I wanted for the headpiece. For the base I use 100% wool felt, because it can be shaped and blocked with steam and also can be stiffened with special millinery resin (Hydrolac-B purchased from Hatsupply.com). Some of the feathers were wired onto millinery wire and part of the shape was wired as well so that it could be adjusted and tilt up a little, giving the hat more height and interest. It also meant that it didn't look as if a bird had sat down and died on the dancer's head!
Using the silver lace, crystals (both sew on and hot fix Precosia and Swarovski and one large cut glass center jewel) and wire a lovely focal jewel and plume were made.
After steaming and blocking the little "hat" looked very chique on my poupee Ruby.

Front view of Blue-bird headpiece

side view of Blue bird headpiece

 The little hat was quickly packaged up and off it went to Atlanta. the dancer and her mother were delighted with it.  She looked very elegant in her costume and the little hat was perfect. I hat also sent extra feathers and tips on how to add them to the tutu so that the dancer and her mother could complete the tutu's decorations.

"Princess Florine and her Bluebird on stage"

Princess Florine and her Bluebird on stage

Something old becomes something new

It has been a while since I last posted.  Life has been very busy and sparkly.
For several years now I have been interested in different embroidery techniques and once I started working on costuming, I became very interested in bead embroidery.
At one point I discovered the book, Bead & Sequin embroidery stitches, by Stanley Levy. The book has clear tutorials on various stitches and suggests that you make a sampler. Being who I am I thought this was not much fun so instead I created a Russian style kokosnik for my then 8 year old daughter, but practiced all the different stitches.

 Beading this way is fairly slow because you have to pick up individual beads and sequins but you can make some beautiful and intricate designs.
While researching bead embroidery on the internet I came across some references to tambour beading and also to the Indian technique of bead embroidery with an ari needle. Tambour embroidery gets it name from the French word for drum (tambour) because the fabric is stretched tightly across a frame. The stitches, which resemble a chain stitch, are made with a modified crochet hook. Two types of lace, Ayershire and Coggeshall lace are also made using tambour needle.
Tambour embroidery is a very fast technique of applying beads and sequins. The technique is "old" dating back to the middle 1700's but it is still used today in the French haute couture. 
As a technique, tambour embroidery is a dying art. The only official school where the technique is still taught is L'ecole Lesage in Paris and few attend or graduate from this school. Thankfully a professor of theater costumes at the University of Kentucky also became interested in this technique, found someone to teach him the basics and eventually attended and graduated from Lesage in 2007. Robert Haven founded The Bead, Embroidery and Design studio, in Lexington Kentucky and for the last several years has been teaching classes in his home, in San Francisco, Toronto and at LACIS in Berkely.
I discovered Robert's website several years ago and was determined to enroll and learn tambour embroidery. It took me 2 years of planning but finally in March of 2014, I was able to go to Lexington and take the 4 day beginner class.
Not only is Robert a wonderful teacher, he is also a gracious host. Every day, class started with good coffee and freshly baked goods. His studio is built in his converted garage and has a screen door so that on fine days, you can bead while enjoying the "outdoors".
On the first day of class we learned how to frame up the fabric, put out hooks into the handles, transfer the design to the fabric, make chain stitches, shade with embroidery floss and then apply seed beads and bugle beads.  Something which people do not understand or know about tambour beading is that the beads and sequins are applied from underneath the frame. In the Indian bead embroidery technique the beads and sequins are picked up on the needle but not with tambour work. All the beads and sequins are strung onto thread and then attached to the fabric using a chain stitch. The French technique allows one to use much smaller beads because the needles do not go through the  beads.
By day two we were  on to outlining our designs in seed beads and bugle beads and on the third day we were up to applying sequins. At the end of class on the fourth day, we all had learned so much. I was the oldest and slowest in our class and so did not finish my project but sometimes age and determination can over come a lot. Robert had told us that we needed to practice daily to become proficient and I was determined to get better.
Once back at home, I continued to work at my project

"work-side" of the class project

first finishing the outlining with bugle beads,

finished side

then applying both cup and flat sequins and finally adding ropes of silver seed beads to my outlines.

completed class project.

I then wanted to start practicing on my own little projects.
At first I had though of simply repeating the class project at home going through all the steps but I wanted to challenge myself and so instead decided to draw some small designs: 2 matching butterflies, two dragon flies and then a small freeze of grape vines for a headpiece.

small dragon flies in seed beads

I first made the dragon flies. One technique that Robert had demonstrated in class was "vermicelli" (a random pattern of applying beads, each bead stitched in a different direction) both open and closed. After outlining the dragon flies in gold embroidery thread, I applied green seed beads with a closed vermicelli technique.
Next I started on two butterflies.

I outlined the designs in silver metallic thread and silver seed beads. Then I filled in the butterflies with translucent sequins, sewn with purple rayon thread. This gives the butterflies a purple tone.
These little designs would make pretty hairpins or appliques.
I was then going to start on the design for a headpiece but I received two orders for headpieces for the ballet Sleeping Beauty. One was for a Blue Bird, the second was at first for six and then nine headpieces for Sleeping beauty. I was very excited about this but at first I was worried that I would not have time to practice my beading for several weeks, until I came up with the brilliant idea to "practice" on the headpieces. Beads and especially sequins are very light weight but they give a huge amount of sparkle-price-weight performance.
I began by using the already framed fabric to start the first three headpieces: Charm, Generosity and Song Bird and later went on to frame up a new piece of fabric for the remaining six headpieces.

tambour embroidery frame with the beginnings of Sleeping Beauty headpieces

We had some beautiful weather and although I do not have a screened porch or garage, I decided to take my frame outside to work there. The headpieces are done and on their way to their new home. Once they have made their performance debut I will write another post documenting their creation. The "old" technique of tambour embroidery has become a new way for me to create beautiful things. I have truly falling in love with this method and hope to continue to become more proficient at it. I'll keep you posted.

working on Sleeping Beauty headpieces in my garden.

50 shades of purple: a tutorial on how (not) to dye fabric

49 shades of purple

Hi everyone. It is cold outside but thanks to some projects it is pretty warm at my house.
Years ago when I started learning about making ballet costumes, I also began learning about dying fabric.  I blame my friend Scott for convincing me that it really was not that hard, he would say: "I can make spaghetti and dip dye fabric side by side", and of course, really, I should just own my own sins since I always think and say: "how hard can it be"?
If you read an earlier post you already know that this thinking has gotten me into trouble before. Still, I am clearly an optimist and having successfully dyed a lot of fabric, maybe I had just become complacent.
Well in the last few weeks I found out that dyeing fabric can be hard, very hard.
I had a project that required some custom dyed purple lycra, mesh, lace and silk. I knew that these fabrics can be dyed with acid dyes such as Jaquard, RIT, IDye natural and Procion dyes. I also knew that I needed to weigh the fabric (so as to use enough dye), wash it with a mild soap, heat the dye, add some soap to the dye bath and test samples of the fabric before dyeing the actual items. Simple right? Wrong

The first things I found out was: just because a supplier says that a particular fabric has a certain fabric content doesn't mean it does. "Everyone lies" to quote House! Check and double check fabric content. Lycra/Spandex, nylon, and silk will all dye with acid dyes such as Jaquard, RIT, IDye natural and a few others. Polyester will not dye; if a fabric has more than 50% polyester it will dramatically change how the fabric dyes. Although the mesh I used was supposed to be nylon/lycra it was not.
I ended up with a strange, grey plum color.

White "nylon" mesh dyed with Rit (bottom left) then overdyed with IDye polyester

You can now get IDye polyester, a special dye for home dying polyester, but it is a special dye, that can only be special ordered as most stores do not carry it.
The second thing I learned is that every batch of dye is unique; it always requires multiple tests and it is best to let the fabric dry completely to check the color.

Left to right (top): Nylon Spandex leotard with nylon lace, stretch satin,  polyester mesh

; bottom: nylon mesh

The third thing is that when you dye different fabrics in the same dye bath, they take the dye in their own unique way. The silk I used had a pattern in it, and it caused the lilac-purple dye to "split".

Example of a "split" dye

The background fabric took the blue tones and the stripe took the reds, so that I ended up with a strange blue and pink striped piece of fabric. Split dye can be very interesting and beautiful but for my purposes it was not what I wanted. I needed my leotard to be an even, ombre dye. Eventually I did manage to get this.

Nylon spandex and nylon mesh dyed with Lilac Jaquard dye

White satin spandex and white stretch lace (both nylon)

I am very fortunate to have a father who is a dye chemist and a mother-in-law who is an expert spinner, weaver and fabric dyer, so I called in their help. My mom and dad arrived just before Christmas to find my kitchen taped up with drop clothes, pots of smelly dye bubbeling on the stove and me in old clothes, face mask, rubber gloves and goggles.

Part of my kitchen counter + samples.

It is a very, very good idea to wear old clothing and to use multiple drop cloths because you can bet serious money that you will have drips, splashes and splotches, and that they will always find that little gap in your drop cloth!! The polyester dyes, dye everything: linoleum, melamie counters, they even seem to be able to penetrate varnished on wood. I still am trying to remove some little droplets in the kitchen but I think that sanding down the cupboards and revarnishing and repainting are my only option.
Another thing is to use glass if possible or stainless steel, not aluminium or plastic. The dye will react with all of the containers but especially aluminium and plastic. Also, never use bowls, measuring cups, spoons etc. that you use for dyeing for food. No matter how well you wash and scrub, trace amounts remain and the dyes are toxic and carcinogens.
Together with my dad I determined that it was best to use distilled water, measure the pH (I ended up adding a little white vinegar to get that around 6.5-5 so slightly acidic), get the temperature no higher than 80 C and carefully time the time in the dye bath. For polyester dyes, you need to actually boil up the dye, with the fabric and then simmer for 30 to 60 minutes. Not all fabrics can handle that, nylon for instance can melt!.
After testing the dye mixture, again, and again, and 25 more times,  I was finally satisfied and dyed my fabrics. Here is the end result:

end result of fabric dyeing

Yes, you are correct, I still ended up with a spectrum of shades of purple. At least when I was done I had the same "tone" of purple, if not the same shade, and it looked good for my application.
I think the "moral" of this tale is that you need to take the time to test, try not to mix too many fabrics with different fiber contents as they take the dye in different ways, resulting in dye splitting and to try to keep time, heat, water quality and pH stable.

Nutcracker Headpieces

At this time of year, Nutcracker is just the thing. There are lots of post and ideas out there for tutus and costumes but maybe not so much for headpieces and certainly not for certain roles. If you were to search for it you can find endless Sugar Plum's, Snow queens and probably Arabian but how often have you seen a headpiece for the Dew Drop fairy, Chinese, the Merlitons or the party guests?
Several years ago I made a series of little hats for the party guests in the Nutcracker, including a rather fancy ruffled lace bonnet for the grandmother. In the version of the Nutcracker our local ballet company performed, the party guest come through the theater, and then walk onto stage, acting out that they are arriving at the house.
Nutcracker is often set in some middle to late Victorian style so I made the hats like late Victorian "bonnets", usually a small hat, festooned with ribbons and lace that sits towards the back of the head.

Late Victorian style hats

 Lynn McMaster has some wonderful tutorials and patterns for hats and period costumes. I do not own any of her patterns (yet) but did use her information as inspiration to make the hats I did.

Grandma's "bonnet"

 Milliners used to use something called a poupee or stylized head to drape and display their hats.
If you try searching for this, you will often see images of this:

A wig stand used as a poupee

but this is actually a wig stand. A real Poupee has a stylized face and they are very difficult to find.

If you do find one, they are often very expensive. You can have one custom made in Spain but again it is expensive. While looking for one I found an Etsy store: handworkstudio that sells instructions and kits to make a felt poupee. My daughter loves to do needle felting so I asked her to make me one.

I love my felt poupee by Handworkstudio

 This lead to the "birth" of Ruby. She has soft, pale pink skin, lovely dark brown hair, done up in a classical ballet bun and bow lips. She still needs to be felted (more) but she is lovely.

I was so thrilled with her that I put her to work right away to create a Chinese themed Nutcracker headpiece.
I had become interested in soutache tape bead embroidery

example of soutache tape bead embroidery

and after looking at several Chinese bridal headpieces

Chinese wedding headpiece

decide that it would be a perfect technique to use on my "creation". The traditional bridal headpiece is too big and has too many things sticking up and dangling to make it a practical or safe proposition for a ballet headpiece. I took some of the elements, mostly the gold, red (a color symbolizing good fortune) and turquoise colors, a few smaller side dangles, made with wire so that they would move but not bounce about, bend and become entangled in hair, or worse put the dancer off balance, or poke someone in the eye (if partnered). I sat and sewed layers of red, gold and sparkly turquoise soutache tapes around red crystal bicones, and blue/green round mock jade beads to create snakes or dragon shapes and added eyes, scales and other details with hot fix crystals and sequins. The little dangles were made of gold colored, lazer cut butterflies, Swarovski bicones and little gold colored leaves. I wanted to have something that would move and catch the light without being too heavy or a distraction to the dancer. I had found a very interesting gold mesh which I used and shaped along the front and back of the headpiece and to support the gold ruffled lace at the back. The whole headpiece was built on a sturdy wire frame.

Close-up of the soutache tape "dragons" and front jewels of the Chinese headpiece.

Completed Chinese headpiece on Ruby, my felt poupee

When Tutu.com announced a Nutcracker headpiece competition, I decided to enter this just to get some sort of feed back on the ideas. To my utter (happy) surprise, I was chosen as a semi-finalist. Since this sort of thing usually seems to be dependent on how many Facebook friends and relatives you can get to vote for you, and I only had three votes (two from my brother and his wife, thanks!) I did not expect to make it through the first round. You can still vote for my headpiece at Tutu.com Facebook Nutcracker Headpiece competition till the 30th of November 2013.
Earlier in the summer I had made a Sugar Plum

Sugar Plum headpiece made with Swarovski and RG premium crystals in crystal AB, Fuscia, Tanzinite and Light Colorado Topaz

and a Snow Queen headpiece

Snow Queen made with Swarovski, Czech and Vintage Crystal AB and sapphire

, both modeled by the lovely Bridget, and I still want to make a Dew Drop fairy but time is a strange thing in my house. I truly believe that the fabric of time is somehow broken as some things seem to take forever (laundry, house cleaning, anything tedious) but creating costumes seems to make time disappear. What seems like 5 minutes actually turns out to be hours.
I am now deep into making leotards and my first YAGP costume (very exciting) so  it will be a while before I can get back to these headpiece. It does look as if  after Christmas, I will be working on a comission for some very exciting headpieces but that will have to stay under wraps for now.
Have a happy, not too nutty, Nutcracker season.