Today i've got a great new interview to share, with milliner Maria Curcic of Le Chapeau Rouge.


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Moving ever closer to the end of the 18th century, period pattern class presented their post-cavalier yet pre-revolution era projects recently. There will only be one more of these this semester!


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My dye class presented some of their projects today for the most recent unit, repetition techniques. This segment of the class covers a wide range of methods for creating surface designs on textiles involving repeat images, from screenprinting to blockprinting, stenciling to digital fabric printing. Check these out!


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Period pattern class projects were presented this past Friday, and i've snapped some photos of them on display in the hall outside the costume shop:


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My graduate students presented the next round of projects in dye class today, the focus of which is use of resist to create surface design on fabric. They decide upon a method, a fabric, and a dye to use, and must create a substantial length of fabric (the minimum requirement is 4 square feet, but most choose to do more surface area than that ( Read more... )

One of the advantages of blogging about such a narrow focus as costume from a professional and academic perspective? The very, very rare occasion when something happens like this: Bloomsbury sent me a review copy of the new book Shoes: An Illustrated History, by Rebecca ShawcrossAnd it's exciting, yes, to get such a fantastic free book in the mail ( Read more... )

Hooray, another alumni interview! Recently I e-spoke with Adrienne Corral, MFA '14, about her gig working as a crafts artisan for Feld Entertainment. Feld produces costumes, props, and scenic elements for a whole range of different touring shows, from Disney on Ice and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Q. First up, what is your ( Read more... )

So, totally off-topic for this blog, but my main hobby is improvisational baking, and very rarely i share a recipe of mine on here, if it turns out so good that everybody at work asks for it. This one is so easy, it feels kinda dorky to even act like it was some feat of creativity to come up with it, but so many people wanted to know how to make it ( Read more... )

Coming up this June is the Ten Year Anniversary of La Bricoleuse! I almost can't believe it myself, that i've been writing this blog through a whole decade of costume production, sharing projects and processes and the fruits of my and my students' labor, millinery and dyeing and masks and parasols and so much more ( Read more... )

I have to admit, i got a bit jealous with all the great results my students got out of their shibori project and it made me itchy to do some of my own experiments. Spring Break provided a great opportunity to step into the dyeshop while everyone was gone and explore ( Read more... )