The Singing Costumer

  How do I even begin this blog? Little baby Sarah’s dreams are coming true! Beauty and the Beast has been my favorite Disney movie since the first time I saw it as a little girl. I am still obsessed with the gorgeous stained glass imagery, the catchy Alan Menken music matched perfectly with the clever Howard Ashman lyrics, the flawlessly flawed villain in Gaston, the timeless story… I could go on and on. I was honored to be cast in a production as a Silly Girl in summer 2021.       This dress has been in the works for at least 5 years. I found an Instagram post from 2016, announcing Belle as my Halloween costume that year. That didn’t happen. A few years later, it was almost finished, then I decided I didn’t like the design. I added another layer to the skirts.  And finally here in 2021, I am finishing it up. It consists of a separate bodice and skirt with multiple layers.       For the bodice, I added boning and slightly adjusted the s...

     One day in late October 2017, I found an audition on Facebook for performers for a NYE event. It was a dinner and show party. The event was described as very elegant, so I was intrigued. Long story short, I emailed for an appointment, auditioned, and got the gig.      The party was Mid-Century themed,  I was delighted to discover. I love that period in fashion, and the songs fit my voice very well. I auditioned and they surprised me when they said that I sounded like young Judy Garland!  What a compliment! Anyway, they asked me to make a list of songs that I could do, so they could make the final song list. Taking their comments under consideration, I did put some Garland songs on the list. I had to add something Disney too, because I'm me. I ended up with "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", "Some Day My Prince Will Come", and "The Trolley Song".           Of course, I HAD to sew my own costume for the evening. I could...

YouTube video associated with this blog The base pieces for this costume are not complicated. I used Simplicity 3677 for the blouse and the pants. The fabric I bought at Joann Fabrics and was exactly what I was hoping to find. It's a light and airy cotton gauze-type fabric. Also, I am in love with the delicate lace I found at Hobby Lobby that I used to trim the wrists. The blouse has elastic bands at the cuffs and a drawstring neckline. It is incredibly over sized, but the fabric gathers under corsets and pants nicely because it was so soft and light. The pants are a tan corduroy and also have elastic in the cuffs. (Did I mention Historical Accuracy TM was not a priority for this costume?) I still think it's beautiful. And now, for a few accessories. These make or break a costume, especially for a pirate. So many little things must be present for the costume to really say “Pirate”. This little hat was such a blast to create. I used a Yaya Han pattern, McCall's 7643. It ha...

YouTube video associated with this blog We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. But I had an idea for an interesting twist on that story. Imagine that instead of staying with the Beast in his castle, she decides to leave. She “wants adventures in the great wide somewhere”, after all. She runs away and makes her fortune on the open sea and ends up as a Pirate Queen. Because, let's face it. If Belle can deal with an enchanted castle and a Beast, she can handle almost anything. In April of 2019, I attended the Medieval Fair of Norman, Oklahoma. This is my home fair and I have been attending and performing for many years. Unfortunately, the weather that year was not ideal. In fact, it was terrible. It rained quite a bit on Saturday and there was mud everywhere. But I had shopping to do! So I braved the mud. I wanted a corset for this costume and also a pink fairy costume. I never quite found the perfect corset for either one, but I found something else. Maybe even better? Somet...

YouTube video associated with this blog post This dress has been long in the making. Originally, I bought it from Hot Topic, I think, years ago. We all know my obsession with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. So it was just perfect for me. A few years later, I found another of the same dress on eBay. And a few years after that, I found (what I thought was) a matching fabric on Aliexpress. (Which I don't really recommend). So using all of these items, I was able to make an adorable ensemble of a dress and a shrug. I was never completely pleased with the fit of the original dress. There were 3 issues. Number 1: My waist is longer then the average, I guess. Many times, the waist seam of dresses are 1 or 2 inches higher then my natural waist. It isn't flattering for me. This dress is no exception. Number 2: The skirt is slightly too short for my taste. And Number 3: I always hate sleeveless dresses on myself. It isn't flattering to my body. And I'm always cold, so...

I am trying to only post projects that I have completed, but I will be making an exception today. I am SO excited for this costume, I couldn't wait. Let's begin with my initial idea. We all know the story of Beauty and the Beast. But I had an idea for an interesting twist on that story. Imagine that instead of staying with the Beast in his castle, she decides to leave. She “wants adventures in the great wide somewhere”, after all. She runs away and makes her fortune on the open sea and ends up as a Pirate Queen. This past weekend was the Medieval Fair of Norman, Oklahoma. This is my home fair and I have been attending and performing for many years. Unfortunately, the weather this year was not ideal. It rained quite a bit on Saturday and there was mud everywhere. But I had shopping to do! So I braved the mud. I wanted a corset for this costume and also a pink fairy costume. I never quite found the perfect corset for either one, but I found something else. S...

My last post, I wrote that I bought a yard of each of two diferent Beauty and the Beast stained glass fabric. You've seen what I made with first one, (see the previous blog here https://thesingingcostumer.blogspot.com/2018/08/beauty-and-beast-set.html . ) And this is what I made with the second. I loved both prints equally, so I had to buy both. The two were similar, but were different enough that I could find a use for them both. Joann Fabrics has really stepped up their game in the licensed character prints. They are all so beautiful. They've also added some ch aracter knit fabrics, so check it out if you would like. There's some fun Harry Potter prints, which are very popular, I'm sure. Star Wars is well represented also, as well as Star Trek. Basically any fandom or theme you could want. Please observe the beauty of this fabric. I bought purple 1/4" cord from "Paracord Planet" on Amazon. This shade wasn't an exact match to the fabric w...

It is no secret that I am in love with Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Always has been, probably always will be. The aesthetic of the stained glass windows and the jewel tones of deep blues, purples, and greens are just beautiful.   The purse is the FREE(!!!) Ramona mini hipster from https://swoonpatterns.com/ If I ever make it again, I'll enlarge it just a little bit. But it is a good size for travel. Small, light, compact and hands-free because of the cross-body strap. Perfect for going to Walt Disney World. And that's exactly what I did. I took this set on a quick 4-day trip and it worked out very well.  I just discovered the Swoon Patterns site recently and I love it. There are tons of free purse patterns and even more that are pretty cheap. I already have plans for a couple more. The makeup bag is from the book Making Vintage Bags by Emma Brennan, which I've mentioned before. And the small coin purse is the same, just with smaller rectangles. I am obs...