Rachel E. Pollock's Blog: La Bricoleuse aggregate and more..., page 33

Period pattern class grows quite cavalier...

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:




Left: Yellow satin gown by second-year grad Erin Abbenante
Center: Eggshell gown by third-year grad Colleen Dobson
Right: Navy gown with venice lace applique by third-year grad Denise Chukhina



A better view of Denise Chukhina's project.

Bodice by third-year grad Colleen Dobson. Check out the wave-blade slashes in the fabric!



Detail shot of Deni...

Dye class: Resist projects!

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).

Take a look at what they created!



PRC Costume Technician Sam Kate Toney made this batik of a traditional tattoo design using soy and parrafin wax for he...

Book review: SHOES: AN ILLUSTRATED HISTORY by Rebecca Shawcross

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 Shawcross.

And it's exciting, yes, to get such a fantastic free book in the mail, but i'll tell you this: i'd have bought it anyway. If all you want is a soundbite of a review, there it is. The book's great, buy...

Alumni interview: Adrienne Corral, Crafts Specialist at Feld Entertainment

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 official title?

A. Costume Specialist : Crafts


Q. For a bit of background for the readers, would you describe the costume facilities at Feld--how...

Recipe (off-topic): Easy Icebox Pistachio Cream Pie

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, i'm writing it down. Or typing it out.

We celebrated Pi(e) Day and everyone had to bring a pie to share. Mine was a recipe i made up: Pistachi...

Ten Year Anniversary Contest/Giveaway

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.

In that time, i've worked on the production of costumes for Playmakers Repertory Company, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, the Carolina Ballet, the Public Theatre, Par...

Shibori experiments: folded pattern

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.

Folded and clamped processes are perhaps my favorite to experiment with--i enjoy the mental origami of pattern-dyeing in this way. And, we had a HUGE donation of rayon slubbed-back satin donated, bolts of vintage fabric with a lov...

Dye class: More shibori projects

We have had some blizzards and ice storms in the past couple weeks which did wind up causing production delays for both our mainstage show and my grad students' projects. (It's hard to work on something when you can't leave the house to get to the facility to use the equipment to do the project...) So, the two remaining students completed their shibori projects and wow, what fantastic results!



Second year grad Erin Abbenante used a folding technique to create this beautiful china s...

Armistice Blouse exhibit, Center for Dramatic Art, UNC-Chapel Hill

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is conducting a WWI Centenary Project, a "year-long conversation" about the legacy of that conflict, 100 years down the line. This has manifested in a huge range of participation across many departments and facets of the university, from exhibits in our museums, talks and workshops and presentations, theatrical and musical performances from the time period, and so forth.

The Costume Archive is participating, too, with a current display...

Period pattern moving forward in history: 1600s!

Costume Director Judy Adamson's period pattern class recently presented their half-drapes of the 1600s. Enjoy these shots i snapped of the forms displayed in the hallway outside our costume shop!




Left side: Second year graduate Katie Keener
Right side: Third year graduate Corinne Hodges



Left: Second year graduate Erin Abbenante
Center: Third year graduate Denise Chukina
Right: Third year graduate Colleen Dobson


Detail shot of the sleeve on Corinne Hodges' gown


Detail shot of the sleeve on Ka...