Comments on: Green Theater: How-To: Costumes http://ecotheater.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/green-theater-how-to-costumes/ Creating art. Not waste. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:09:43 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Brittany http://ecotheater.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/green-theater-how-to-costumes/#comment-385 Brittany Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:16:58 +0000 http://ecotheater.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-385 Hello. This is a very interesting article. I am a Lighting Designer and a Make-up Artist, not costumes but still, I am curious, have you looked into informing those who make some of the actor-oriented rules? For instance, in many cases, costume shops MUST dry-clean actors' costume pieces a certain number of times during a run, to be in compliance with the actor's particular Union legislation. Hello. This is a very interesting article. I am a Lighting Designer and a Make-up Artist, not costumes but still, I am curious, have you looked into informing those who make some of the actor-oriented rules? For instance, in many cases, costume shops MUST dry-clean actors’ costume pieces a certain number of times during a run, to be in compliance with the actor’s particular Union legislation.

]]> By: Sharon Swingle http://ecotheater.wordpress.com/2008/04/26/green-theater-how-to-costumes/#comment-272 Sharon Swingle Mon, 30 Jun 2008 08:34:18 +0000 http://ecotheater.wordpress.com/?p=48#comment-272 Great article! Here is a few more suggestions from our costume shop. Instead of using bleach in the distressing process, we spray watered down white or off-white acrylic or tempera paint and if the fabric is rough or wooly—we use flour. Cornstarch works also. I also use coffee for the stains and dirt when I can. We wash all our wool sweaters in Woolite and silks in shampoo. We try not to construct costumes that will not require dry cleaning (unfortunately there are no dry cleaning alternatives nearby.) All mock-ups are made from thrift store sheets instead of new muslin and we are just starting to use alternative fabrics when we can. We also found quilters to take some of the fabric scraps. We use pump containers of hair spray and opt for spraying dilute makeup for odd hair coloring or wigs instead of the usual aerosol canned color. In general we now look at dying fabric or changing shoe color as a last measure instead of an easy fix. We use almost exclusively task lighting in the shop, instead of massive overhead lighting. There are more suggestions I found just recently in an article by Tara Maginnis who teaches at the University of Fairbanks Theater Department. Her shop has no ventilation and when it is 50 degrees below zero, you can’t open windows. She has a list of some great non-toxic alternatives to some commonly used shop chemicals albeit many are plastics and still not great for the environment. My favorite advice that I haven’t tried yet is using dilute flexible tulip fabric paint to paint shoes. Traditional shoe paint is some pretty nasty stuff. I have been using acrylics, but it cracks terribly and needs frequent touching up between performances. The article is called “Costume Crafts at 50 below” http://www.costumes.org/ADVICE/1pages/COOKBOOK.HTM Great article! Here is a few more suggestions from our costume shop.
Instead of using bleach in the distressing process, we spray watered down white or off-white acrylic or tempera paint and if the fabric is rough or wooly—we use flour. Cornstarch works also. I also use coffee for the stains and dirt when I can.
We wash all our wool sweaters in Woolite and silks in shampoo.
We try not to construct costumes that will not require dry cleaning (unfortunately there are no dry cleaning alternatives nearby.)
All mock-ups are made from thrift store sheets instead of new muslin and we are just starting to use alternative fabrics when we can. We also found quilters to take some of the fabric scraps.
We use pump containers of hair spray and opt for spraying dilute makeup for odd hair coloring or wigs instead of the usual aerosol canned color.
In general we now look at dying fabric or changing shoe color as a last measure instead of an easy fix.
We use almost exclusively task lighting in the shop, instead of massive overhead lighting.

There are more suggestions I found just recently in an article by Tara Maginnis who teaches at the University of Fairbanks Theater Department. Her shop has no ventilation and when it is 50 degrees below zero, you can’t open windows. She has a list of some great non-toxic alternatives to some commonly used shop chemicals albeit many are plastics and still not great for the environment. My favorite advice that I haven’t tried yet is using dilute flexible tulip fabric paint to paint shoes. Traditional shoe paint is some pretty nasty stuff. I have been using acrylics, but it cracks terribly and needs frequent touching up between performances. The article is called “Costume Crafts at 50 below” http://www.costumes.org/ADVICE/1pages/COOKBOOK.HTM

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