Here I am in one of the little elevator pods with Sheila's son Brendan ready to go up the famous arch.
So, what did we talk about? Sheila Lenkman is a very experienced, expert theatrical costumer. Now, I built costumes in several of New York professional shops years ago. But, it's been a long time and talking to her and seeing her work reminded me of how incredibly strong and nearly indestructible theater costumes are made/built. Theater costumes are almost always referred to as being "built" instead of "made." If you have ever examined a well made professional costume up close, inside and out, you would totally understand.
Time for a coffee break and we went to Panera.
I have been submerged in the world of home sewing for a couple decades now. I often think about how home sewing methods are different than sewing in a factory. And average home sewing is different than fine couture techniques. When amateur seamstresses become more skilled the next step is usually to learn couture sewing. But, sewing theatrical costumes is a whole other animal. And one I will be talking about in future blogs.
For hobby costumers, we probably don't need to make things as indestructible as a professional theater costumes, but it's good to know how they do it.