Grace Cochran Keenan: Tailor/Draper

I patterned and oversaw the construction of this 3 piece 18th century suit for the character James the Anabaptist, played by Jonathan Patton for Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Candide. This 2023 production was a remount of their 2015 production. Tony nominated costume designer, Jen Moeller, designed the costume’s for the 2015 production and returned for the remount, though much of the process was overseen by her assistant designer, Arthur Wilson.

The overall design concept was that the audience is watching an acting company in the 18th century putting on the show, so only a few characters, like James, had a complete look as opposed to pieces added to their base costume.

Photo: Evan Zimmerman/The Glimmerglass Festival.

This photograph is from the mock-up fitting. The was a fairly straightforward process for me. I have worked a lot in the 18th century and menswear is my specialty. The overall design theme of the show was the audience is watching a acting company put on the story of Candide with the ensemble taking on multiple roles. Many characters only had a single piece over their base costume. James was one of the few characters that had a complete ensemble that needed to look well made as opposed to more worn.

The mock-up fit well, we needed to slim out the sleeves and there was back and forth in deciding whether stylistically we wanted the waistcoat left open or closed. If was eventually decided that we would have the waistcoat closed since James is one of the characters that is intended to look more complete.

Photo: Max Cotman

This is a side view of the mock-up fitting. Here you can see the fullness we are removing from the sleeves. I would always rather put a little too much fullness in the mock-up and be able to play with it on the actor than give too little. It just is so much easier in the fitting room to be able to pin out fullness than try and add it.

Photo: Max Cotman

Here is a photo of the fabric fitting with just the fall front breeches visible.

Photo: Max Cotman

This is a photo from the fabric fitting of just the waistcoat and breeches without the frock coat.

Photo: Max Cotman

Finally, this is the whole ensemble in the fabric fitting. There were no major issues coming out of the fabric fitting except for getting the cap of the sleeve of the frock coat to lay correctly. The actor is quite muscular through the chest and shoulders and the silk/wool blend fabric showcases every pull line. There was some finessing needed to make sure we had the right amount of ease in the sleeve caps for the actor that also did not cause any collapsing or pull lines.

Photo: Max Cotman

Jonathan Patton as James the Anabaptist and Brian Vu as Candide in Eric Sean Fogel’s production of Candide. Costumes designed by Jen Moeller.

Photo: Evan Zimmerman/The Glimmerglass Festival

This is a matching jacket and jodhpurs I patterned and oversaw the construction of for Kent State’s production of Urinetown. This was a lovely opportunity as I had not patterned jodhpurs before.

Photo: Kent State University

Here is a photo from the mock-up fitting. The only major changes were with the length of the jacket and the fullness below the knee of the jodhpurs. The actress let us know that she was taking many dance classes this semester and often builds a lot of muscle in her legs when doing a lot of heavy dancing. Since this fitting was at the beginning of the semester, I made not to add extra fullness to the below the knee area of the jodhpurs that we could play with when it came time for the fabric fitting.

Photo: Grace Cochran Keenan

This photo is from the fabric fitting. Everything fit well and we just needed to take some fullness out of the bottom of the jodhpur to tailor it more to the actress’s leg and play with the rotation of the sleeve in the armscye as it was swinging too far forward. We also needed to raise the hem of the sleeve.

Photo: Grace Cochran Keenan

Back view in the fabric fitting.

Photo: Grace Cochran Keenan

Photo: Kent State University

Photo: Kent State University

This is a dress that I draped and over saw the construction of for Kent State's fall musical "Head Over Heels." Amy Ballew, my first hand and stitcher for this production, created a video of the construction process that you can find here on my Instagram page. Photograph by Rami Daud.

In looking at the rendering and research, the main idea behind this garment was early 1990s haute couture meets Elizabethan. Original rendering by costume designer Michelle Hunt Souza.

First mock-up fitting. There was very little changed from the mock up to the finished garment. The main note was to remove some fullness from the sleeves under the arms to get some good airspace between the arms and the torso. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Fabric Fitting. The only thing we needed was to add more structure to the front skirt so that the bubble would be more supported and sit away from the body more. Otherwise it was good to be finished. Photograph by Amy Ballew.

Photograph by Rami Daud.

Photograph by Rami Daud.

This is a dress that I draped and oversaw the construction of for Anita in Porthouse’s production of West Side Story. This was a great process that offered much in collaboration with the costume designer. I am very proud with how this garment came together. Photograph by Bob Christy.

In looking at the research and rendering for this piece, the designer was not quite sure of what she wanted the details to look like, but she had general shapes and lines she wanted to achieve with this garment. This is the dress that Anita wears from her first appearance on stage through the song “America.” The designer wanted a strong asymmetrical line, dropped waist and closely fit bodice with a full skirt. Rendering and research by Michelle Hunt Souza.

Based on the conversation that Michelle and I had, I draped and mocked up a few variations on the bodice based on my own research as well as those provided for me. When these were ready the designer and I discussed what worked and what she still needed. We decided on adding a seam at waist to help get that bodice as fitted as possible through the torso. I then could move fullness closer to the side seam as in her rendering without the bodice feeling too full. Photographs by Grace Keenan.

After making changes and redraping the bodice, I was able to complete a full mockup to fit to the actor. In the fitting we discovered that body of the actor was noticeably asymmetrical. I pinned the necessary adjustments and I was able to correct the pattern so that the garment did not show this. Besides the corrections due to the asymmetry of the body, there were no other corrections. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting photo in fabric. I had corrected my pattern to reflect the difference in measurements from side to side so that the body appeared even. I was very happy with the results. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

I just love how this skirt moves. The skirt is a full circle plus another half in fullness. It looked great in motion. Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

This is a jacket that I patterned and tailor for the character Seymore in Little Shop of Horrors. This was the first bit of menswear that I had been able to do since the COVID-19 shutdown. It was so nice to just get my hands back into tailoring. Photograph by Sarah Russell.

First fitting. I had very few measurements of the actor available to me when I started the patterning process. I was able to take the few I had and guesstimate the others in order to create a mockup jacket to fit. Overall, it worked very well. The biggest change I had was that the back was too long through the chest. The lapel took some discussion with the designer to get correct, but we were able to get the information we needed in order to continue the process. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

This and the next few photographs are just some process shots I took. Here we see the canvas front has been pad stitched into the front jacket. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Facing is stitched in and we are ready to more to the back jacket. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Close up of single welt breast pocket. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Close up of one of the double welt pockets. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Center back vent with plaid all pattern matched. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Main body of the jacket is finished. Ready for the sleeves and the top collar. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Fabric fitting. Due to the many changes we made in relation to the collar and lapel, I decided to mockup the top collar for the first fabric fitting to ensure that everything worked before creating the actual top collar. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

This show was my first after the shutdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I draped and oversaw the build for this show as I was the only draper this season. We built all of the bodices, aprons, and skirts for the entire cast, seen above. Photograph by Bob Christy.

This image is from the first fitting. For all of the characters, I decided to mockup the bodices, but go into fabric for the skirts. The skirts are all the same five gore walking skirt pattern, gathered onto a mockup waistband. Since the build for the show was only three weeks, and the first week is before the actors are on contract, I decided this was the most efficient way to ensure that everything was ready for first dress. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice.
Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the apron added. My first hand, Kelley Shephard, took on the bulk of figuring out the patterning for the aprons. They were a wonderful first hand and made this process so much easier. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice and apron. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. After this fitting, the designer decided to change the color scheme of this character. The second skirt is in the second fitting photo. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

First fitting photo with fabric skirt and bodice mockup. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Second fitting with the skirt finished and first fabric of the bodice. After this fitting we had a last minute change where this actor needed to be replaced. This required the designer and I to reconceive of the garment as the two actresses were notably different in shape. You can see the finished garments in the production photos. Photograph by Grace Keenan.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

Photograph by Bob Christy.

This is a coat that I patterned and tailor for the titular character in Dracula. Unfortunately like so many productions, the show was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. I was still asked to complete the coat for future use.

As you can see from this picture and the next one, this full length frock coat as a very full skirt. The designer wanted the fabric play of a cape without actually using a cape. She designed the idea of a frock coat with a full skirt. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

What I ended up doing was patterning a traditional frock coat top and creating a full circle walking skirt on the bottom. I also used pleats at the center back to add more fullness for the actor to swish around on stage. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Before the production was canceled, we were able to have a mock-up fitting with the actor. The fullness of the skirt worked great!. This is the front view of the mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of mock-up. Grace Cochran Keenan.

This coat was meant to be worn by two different actors in the play so I patterned the coat based on the larger actor. In the fitting, the designer decided that it was more important for this coat to fit the Dracula actor the best as the other actor could wear the coat open and was upstage most of the time. The majority of the notes from the fitting reflected the need for me to take in the coat. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

In this photograph you can see the flatlining fabric of a sleeve piece pinned to the fashion fabric. The fashion fabric itself was an embroidered polyester that was chosen as it looked similar to the black garbage bags that were twisted and draped all over the set. In order to make this fabric workable for a tailored garment, I flatlined the entire coat with a black cotton. The weight actually worked in our favor as it helped with giving the skirt of the coat that “heavy cape” feel. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Close of view of the lapels after pad stitching. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Finished garment. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Finished garment. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Finished garment. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

I served as draper and oversaw the construction of the look for the character Queen Isabella in Kent State’s production of The Hunchback of Seville. The look was such fun to do! I hadn’t had the opportunity to work in clothing for the early 16th century and this look needed to be as historically accurate as possible, something that I really enjoy doing. Photograph by Kent State University.

This look was challenging in that clothing from the 16th century has many layers and I needed to find ways to maintain the look while also making the clothing workable for the actress. As the play progresses, Queen Isabella is rolled out in a wheel chair and in a hospital bed so the clothing could not be too cumbersome.

I actually found the trickiest aspect of the garment to be the white puffing in the sleeves has the final shape was so different that what one would think. Photograph by Kent State University.

Pictured here is the pattern for the corset. I drafted a 1598 “Pair of Bodies” corset using Mandy Barrington’s Stays & Corsets Volume 2 book. I love her corsetry books as I am able to go right into fabric. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is a front view from the undergarment fitting. In addtion to drafting and making the corset, I also drafted the Spanish farthingale and oversaw the construction of it. This fitting went well and I just needed to add a tuck in the back of the farthingale so that it hung correctly. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

In this side view of the undergarment fitting, you can see the tuck in the back of the farthingale. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is a front view from the mock-up fitting. I used muslin for the majority of the mock-up except for the underskirt. For that I used quilted cotton as the fashion fabric was also quilted. There is quite a bit of fussing that needed to happen with the front of the bodice, ut otherwise this mock-up worked well. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of mock-up. Photography by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This photo is of the fitted sleeves in the fashion fabric. The designer was unable to find a fabric that had all of the elements that she wanted so I told her that we could create fabric with the texture she wanted. Here I have cut out and stitched the two piece sleeve on the front seam only and am top applying trim to create horizontal stripes on the sleeves. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Front view of the fabric fitting. There is still some fussing in the front of the bodice and looking at the garment on the actress in the fashion fabric, we decided to take some fullness out of the chemise layer at the neck. Here you can also see the channels in the underskirt. I patterned the underskirt to have channels of one inch cording as the actress will be removing the farthingale later in the show when she is in a wheelchair and the hospital bed. This will allow the skirt to still maintain some fullness without having the unwieldly farthingale on. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of the fabric fitting. The white puffing seen in the sleeves took a bit to get right as the shape of them flat is not an intuitive shape. The designer and I worked closely together while I tried various iterations of this puffing on the mannequin. I am please with how it worked out in the end. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of the fabric fitting. The one thing I would change on this garment is that the red fabric really did not do well with a blind hemmer and due to not having the time to hand stitch, I chose to machine stitch the edge of the facing at the top of the skirt that supports the cartridge pleating. I really wish that I had had the time to do that stitching by hand as I think if would make a huge difference in the look of the garment. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Kent State University.

Photograph by Kent State University.

This is a three piece suit that I patterned and tailored for the character the Chairman in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Photograph by Kent State University.

This particular suit was such a specific need and for an actor who was an atypical size that it was decided that we should build the garment.

This is a front view of the mock-up. The mock up overall, went well. The trousers, as you will see in subssequent photos are what needed the most adjustment which I was expecting. This pattern has corrpulence built into it and the trousers need the most adjustment to the corrpulence which caused some of the hang of the trousers to be affected. We ended up with a great pattern. I actually ended up using this trouser pattern again for the production of The Music Man in the summer of 2019 for the same actor.

Side view of mock-up

Back view of mock-up

Here you can see the reset front fly and the adjustments to the leg hang in addition to the need to length the vest significantly.

First fabric fitting. I was particularly please with the pattern matching I was able to achieve in the Newmarket coat. There are some adjustments that needed to be made to the lapel after this fitting due to some pulling/wrinkling in the silk velvet.

Side view of first fabric fitting.

Back view of first fabric fitting.

View of waistcoat and trousers in the first fabric fitting.

Photograph by Kent State University

Photograph by Kent State University

Photograph by Kent State University

For Kent State’s production of Parade, I draped and constructed this fun look for the character, Sally Slaton. It involved a button down shell top worn under a jacket with a vest front attached and wrap around bands that closed at the center back. This was a fun puzzle to figure out. Photograph by Kent State University.

Front view of the mock-up. The notes for the mock-up were fairly straight forward. I had had to drape and pattern the garment before we had a chance to fit the corset on the actress so much of the adjustment was due to getting the chance to see the jacket and shell with the skirt and corset. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of the mock-up. This top with the wrap around was based on a piece of research that the designer had found. I love the lines of this piece. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Front view of fabric fitting. It worked great, it just needed some adjustment as it ended up a little tight across the back as you can see in the back view. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of fabric fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of fabric fitting. Here you can see where the pull is occurring. I just let out the center back a little so that it hung better. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Kent State University.

Photograph by Kent State University.

This is an 18th century gown that I draped and oversaw the construction of for Player 1 in “Emilie.” This was a last minute build for the production as the designer was unable to find a garment in stock that was in the colors that she wanted that was the correct size for the actress. Since I have worked often in the 18th century, I agreed to quickly make this garment happen. Photograph by Kent State University.

Here is the mock-up of the gown.

Here is a back view of the mock-up with the MFA candidate costume designer.

Back View. Photograph by Kent State University.

Photograph by Kent State University.

Here is a tailcoat and vest that I patterned and tailored for the character Valentine in "Quality Street." Photograph by Baldwin Wallace University. 

Here is the mock-up of the vest.

Here is the mock-up of the tailcoat added.

First fabric fitting.

Here is the first fabric fitting with the coat.  The coat was particularly challenging in that the material for the coat was a thick felted wool.

Back view of the first fabric fitting.

Photograph by Baldwin Wallace University.

Photograph by Baldwin Wallace University.

Above is a jacket and a pair of trousers that I patterned and tailored for Porthouse Theatre’s production of Oklahoma! Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Mock-up fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

View of the left front with the pockets. The patch pockets are actually seamed on. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Close up of the seamed on patch pocket. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Close up of the twill tape along the front edge of the jacket and the pad stitching. I love pad stitching! Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

First fabric fitting. Photograph by Erin Jester.

Finished jacket before it gets distressed. Photograph by Erin Jester.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

For Porthouse Theatre’s production of The Music Man, I draped and oversaw the construction of the skirts for two of the Pick A Little Ladies, both pictured here. The one in the orange is my favorite. The designer wanted the look of some early hobble skirts where a standard walking skirt was tied around the ankle. As the actress still need to be able to dance and move about onstage and offstage easily, this was a fun challenge.

The other Pick A Little Lady skirt was a fairly straight forward build with a purple walking skirt with circular tiers. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Here is a photo from the mock-up fitting of the first Pick A Little Lady. I went straight into fabric for the walking skirt and used muslin to visualize the over skirt. I also decided to try a wide elastic band with hooks and snaps at the center back for the band around the ankle. This would allow for movement on stage with the stretch of the elastic, but also give the actress freedom to release the band when she was offstage. This solution worked well. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan

Back view of mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is the mock-up fitting for the second Pick A Little Lady. I also went straight into fabric for the walking skirt and then used muslin to visualize the ruffled tiers. This also went well. We did not have a fabric fitting with this actress due to time constraints, but fortunately we did not need to change anything from the mock-up so that worked out well. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Another view of the second Pick A Little Lady. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Front view of the fabric fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of fabric fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of fabric fitting. I just love the lines of the skirt, especially in the back view. It really turned out nicely. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

I served as the draper for the character of Susannah in Tintypes at Porthouse Theatre. Her character required me to drape and oversee the construction of her Act I top seen here as well as her Act II top seen below. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Here is view of the mock-up fitting. I used a striped fabric to do up the mock-up so that the designer and I could see how the pattern worked on the garment, specifically the peplum of the top. The designer wanted the fullness of circular ruffles but wanted to keep the stripe going up and down as much as possible. As you can see from this photo and the next one, I created gores that when stitched together met both criteria and led to a lovely chevron effect. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of the mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph of the first fabric fitting. The main things that needed changed from the mock-up fitting were dropping the waist and just adding a bit more ease in the garment. I think that I should have pushed to drop the waist a bit more looking back on the garment to help balance the silhouette a bit better, but overall I think that this was successful. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre

Act II top for Susannah. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

This is a photograph of the mock-up of the blouse. During the fitting the designer decided that she would prefer a smaller shawl collar like the one on the actress’ Act I blouse that we pulled from stock. Otherwise, everything fit well. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

In this photo from the fabric fitting, you can see the new collar shape. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is a bolero and skirt that I draped and supervised the construction of for the character of Emma Goldman in Tintypes. This skirt also had to bustle up in both the front and the back as the actress wore it while roller-skating onstage in Act II. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

This is a photograph of the mock-up fitting. The important notes from the mock-up were the need to change the position of the lapel and make our sleeve bigger. The blouse that ended up being pulled from stock to be worn with this outfit ended up with a much larger sleeve than I had anticipated so we needed the extra room in the bolero sleeve. The skirt was fine. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of the mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is a photograph from the first fabric fitting. I was pleased with how this look turned out. There were no changes to the bolero. The skirt had a hem marked. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view from the fabric fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Here in the fabric fitting I pinned up a general idea of what the bustling would look like now that we had a hem marked. I fussed with the height of the bustling later on the mannequin so as to not use up the actress’ or designer’s time. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

This is a fun photo of my first hand, Erin Jester, who constructed the bolero. She came to the theatre this particular season to learn more about tailoring with me. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

The bustling of the skirt in Act II. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

For The Music Man, I served as the draper for the character of Marian. The two builds for her was the dress she wore to the bridge in Act II, pictured above, and the tailored jacket and skirt seen below. I also constructed her gown and my first hand and stitcher built her jacket and skirt. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Marian’s top of Act I look. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

This is a photograph from the mock-up fitting. Overall, it went well. There were not any changes to the skirt. The jacket front needed to be opened a bit more towards the hem. The biggest change was the sleeves were not right at all. They were not full enough and I thought that they were kind of klunky. I decided to do a second mock-up of the sleeve when we had our fabric fitting. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of the jacket and skirt mock-up. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

For the mock-up of the dress, there were not any changes. The finished gown was going to have multiple layers of satin and a poly sheer so I used an peach lace we had in the shop with the muslin fabric to create the mock-up. This was a great time to try out putting this garment together as there were many individual pieces. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of mock-up of dress. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of mock-up of dress. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Front view of the fabric fitting of jacket and skirt. Here you can see the mock-up of the sleeve. You can see better in the side view how much better this one works. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Side view of fabric fitting of jacket and skirt. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of fabric fitting of jacket and skirt. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Front view of the fabric fitting for the dress. Since there were no changes to the muslin, this went smoothly. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Back view of the fabric fitting for the dress. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Above is a dress that I draped for Porthouse’s production of Anything Goes in 2018. As you will see in the following pictures, this dress will take quite a journey. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

The original design for this dress was much different than what ended up on stage. Here we have the first mock-up fitting. The dress originally cut under the bust and had a belt that crossed in the front. After this fitting I took some of the fullness out of the skirt and we decided to nix the belt. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

For the first mockup fitting, I needed to change the bodice quite a lot do to the fact that the top stretched far more than I had expected. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

After first dress, the director, Terri Kent, said that the dress just did not have the wow factor it needed. This dress was created for the “Anything Goes!” song that is the finale to Act I. After discussing with the designer, I offered to make an entirely new bodice and cut to the dress (dress in a day!). I took my original pattern plus a bodice pattern that the other draper in the shop had made for the same actress and sort of mashed them together. We found some red satin in stock as well as red sparkly fabric. In this photo you can see that I fused interfacing to the red satin and am pinning everything to the red sequined fabric to flatline everything together. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

Here is the bodice before I bagged out the lining to finish the edges of the bodice. In addition to creating a new bodice, I recut the skirt so that it stopped at the waist. This was made easier by the fact that I always mark the natural waist in my patterns when the actual style lines deviate from it. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

After final dress (as well as photos) we added a sparkly belt and applique with heat set rhinestones. We also shortened the skirt. Here I have set up the design on the skirt so that I could pass it off to one of the stitchers. Photograph by Grace Cochran Keenan.

These production photos were taken the same day that I completely remade the dress. Again the biggest changes to the final design were the addition of the belt, shortening the skirt, and adding the applique. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Above is a three piece suit that I patterned and tailored for the character, George, in "Intimate Apparel." I also constructed a second pair of pants that was needed on stage, unhemmed. Photograph by Baldwin Wallace University

Mockup fitting of the vest and pants.

Mock-up fitting with the jacket added.

First fabric fitting of the vest and pants.

First fabric fitting with the jacket added.  We added length after the first fabric fitting due to the length of the actor's arms.  We ended up splitting the difference between the mock-up and the first fabric fitting for the finished garment.

Photograph by Baldwin Wallace University

Above is a frock coat and vest that I tailored for Alonso and a three piece suit that I tailored for Ferninand. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.
 

A front view of both the frock coat and the three piece suit. Photograph by Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

A better view of the vest on Alonso (center) and another view of the three piece suit on Ferninand.

"Jim" in Ain't Misbehavin'. I patterned and tailored the vest for the character's look in the second act. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

First Fabric Fitting.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Here is a vest I patterned and oversaw the construction of for the characgter "Eugene" in Ain't Misbehavin'. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Mock-up Fitting.

First fabric fitting.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

This is a double-breasted shawl collared vest that I patterned and tailored for Pirelli. Photograph by Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

The coat was a bought item that then I added trimming to have it match the vest. Photograph by Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

For The Beedle, I patterned and tailored his greatcoat and fall front pants. Photograph by Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

The collar of the greatcoat was built with a buckhram and wiring inner structure so that it could stand up more.  Once the actor was onstage though the hat got in the way so I reshaped the collar so that it would lay a little flatter. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Photograph by Idaho Shakespeare Festival.

Aimwell's Courting Look. I patterned and tailored through completion the coat, vest, and shirt.

View of the inside of the coat.

View of the inside of the coat.

Back view of coat ready for first fabric fitting.

Production shot of the vest and the shirt.

I also refurbished a coat from stock for Aimwell. This is the finished coat in the production.

The original coat out of stock.

As a part of my thesis project at Pennsylvania State University, I built a middle class man and woman in 1935 daywear.  The man is in a two-piece pinstripe suit. The woman is in a silk dress.  I also styled the woman's wig for the final pictures.

1935 Middle Class Man.

Mock-up of 1935 jacket.

Front of coat with the canvas basted in.

Close-up of lapel with twill tape and pad stitching.

Fabric fitting.

1935 Middle Class Woman.

Mock-up fitting front view.

Mock-up fitting back view.

Fabric fitting front view.

Fabric fitting back view.

Finished back view.

As part of my thesis project at Pennsylvania State University, I built a middle class man and woman in daywear from 1895.  The man is in a three-piece sack suit and the woman is in a walking dress with a corset that I also built.  I also styled the wig that the woman is wearing.

Front view of the suit with the jacket.

View of the trousers and the vest.

Mock-up of jacket and vest with the trousers in the fashion fabric.

Back view of mock-up.

1895 Woman front view.

Mock-up of corset.  The petticoat was pulled from stock.

Mock-up of dress.  The first version of the sleeves I felt was not grand enough.

First fabric fitting with a second sleeve mock-up.  This one was much better!

Second fabric fitting with the sleeves in the fashion fabric.

Back view.

Franceschina. Photograph by Louis Stein.

The skirt for Franceschina is made up of 16 different petals made of foss shape and covered in fabric.  In order to shape the foss shape, I carved a mold from foam.

Stretching and setting the foss shape over the mold.

Mock up fitting with just the skirt.

Mock-up fitting of the entire costumes.  The foss shape skirt is paired with a fitted bodice and an apron that will eventually consist of seven different fabrics.

After the mock-up fitting, it was decided to add a divot to make the sections of the skirt more petal-like.  

A view of the inside of one of the petals.

Fabric Fitting.  Here you can see the multiple fabrics in the apron.

Photograph by Louis Stein.

Here is a dressing gown I draped for Elvira in Blithe Spirit.  This particular garment had to work easily with the many physical actions of the actress throughout the show.  This was achieved by flat lining power net to the crepe back satin.  The satin was cut on the bias as per the period and the power net added stability without hindering movement. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Front view. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Back view. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Above is the dress and bolero I draped and supervised the construction of for "Aveena" in Ain't Misbehavin'. Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Here is a view of the dress without the bolero.  Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

Mock-up Fitting with both the bolero and the dress.  We ended up rotating out some of the fullness in the skirt from the mock-up to the first fabric fitting.

Mock-up without the bolero. 

First fabric fitting of both the bolero and the dress.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre. 

This garment and the next two were all dresses I draped and patterned for Margot. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre

Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

During my time as a staff draper at Carnegie Mellon University, I audited the third year costume production graduate students' Advanced Dancewear class.  As the culminating project, we designed and constructed a classical tutu.  I chose the Lilac Fairy from Sleeping Beauty.

Here is a closeup of the mock-up of the the tutu.  The thread traced lines indicate the ombre dying that I will impliment in the final garment.

Here is the model in the mock-up.  My pleats were shoveled too deeply and gave the tutu more of a Degas ballerina look than the classical ballerina.

Here is a picture of the knickers with 3 of the layers attached to them.  The tutu was made of a mixture of mostly Balanchine net and a couple layers of tulle near the top.

The first fabric fitting.

Final fitting.

Close-up of the bodice with lace that I needle tatted.

Jacket and skirt that I patterned and tailored for the character Katharine in "Newsies." Photograph by Porthouse Theatre

First mock-up fitting

Side view of mock-up.

Process shot of the back of the jacket.  The trim effect was achieved by creating bias tape and then weaving and top stitching the trim to the garment.

First fabric fitting.  I decided to do a second mock-up of the sleeve as the designer wanted to go much bigger with the fullness.

Side view of first fabric fitting.

Photograph by Porthouse Theatre.

This dress I draped and supervised the construction of for the character Lucy.

A duplicate dress was made in the same pink cotton eyelet fabric and then distressed and dyed by the designer for the Beggar Woman.

Better shot of the bodice detail.
 

I patterened and made the trousers for Lucretia.  They consist of three layers: the fashion fabric, a nylon crinoline supported with rigilene, and a lining. Photograph by Louis Stein.

This is the mock-up of the trousers.  I first tried to use minimal structure in the trousers, opting for just some horse hair in the hem.  The designer, however, wanted to have the trouser legs look like a ringing bell when the actress moved so we came up with the nylon crinoline layer.

Here you can see the width of the legs.  The designer and I decided to leave the width in until we could see what the added structure would do to the trouser legs.

The structure layer now made the trouser legs too triagular.  I would end up removing 15 inches from each leg for the final piece, as seen in the show photos.

Photograph by Louis Stein.

This is one of three garments that I draped and oversaw construction on for Celestina. This is a loose fitting silk noil dress that is box pleated under the bust.  The dress was constructed first and then dyed by the designer. Photograph by Louis Stein.

Mock-up fitting of the pleated dress.

Fabric fitting before dying.

This is a nightgown that I draped and constructed for Celestina.  It is two layers, a silk chiffon over layer and a silk charmeuse under layer. The actress is also wearing a pregnancy pad underneath the nightgown.  The pregnancy pad was constructed by the designer under my supervision.

The navy colored robe is the final garment that I constructed for Celestina.  The garment need to float on stage but we did not want it to be over powering in its volume so I controlled the volume with a tie that was stitched in such a way to pull the fullness against her back.  The actress was in the pregnancy pad for this as well.

Mock-up of the nightgown.

Nightgown mock-up with robe mock-up.

First fabric of nightgown after dying.
 

First fabric of robe over nightgown.

This spandex dress was made for the character Vicki to wear during "The Goods" number.  It has a build in foundation garment that I draped and constructed as well.  Photograph by Louis Stein.

Mock-up of foundation garment.  The cups are quilted neoprene and the rest of the structure is a heavy satin.

Front view of the mock-up

Back view of mock-up.

Close-up of fabric fitting for foundation garment.

Front view of fabric fitting.  The designer originall wanted the dress to have fullness at the hips.  This was taken out after first dress.

Close-up of bodice.  Shortly before the first fabric fitting there was a redesign of the dress that involved adding a strap and some sort of bow to the left shoulder(as pictured) and a second peplum in the back.

Photograph by Louis Stein.

This is a 1970s shirtwaist dress I flat patterned and constructed for Myra. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

This is a bodice and skirt that I draped and supervised the construction of for Celia. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

Here is a full length view. Photograph by Great Lakes Theatre.

I draped, cut, and stitched this dress through to completion

Front bodice and panel for skirt with bias trim pinned on.

Bodice

Fabric fitting with mock-up of collar basted on.

I draped, cut, and supervised the stitching of this dress for Mary Sunshine. Photographed by Porthouse Theatre.

Mock-up front view.

Mock-up side view.

Mock-up fitting with the actor.

Cutting out the dress.

Photography by Porthouse Theatre.

This dress and apron I draped, cut, and stitched through completion.  I was also the assistant designer for this production.

Mock-up front view.

Mock-up side view

First fabric fitting front view.

First fabric fitting side view.

First fabric fitting back view.