Projects

Late: A Cowboy Song

When designing Late: A Cowboy Song, I focused on communicating the idea that each of the characters were from a different world. While Crick is much more modern, in a T-shirt and jeans, Red is a much more fictitious person, almost a figure from stories past, while Mary is a bridge between the two looks and worlds, a modern interpretation of a cowboy's housewife. I also wanted Crick and Red's color palettes to clash with each other, to further communicate this idea of difference, while Mary, as the bridge, neither disagrees with nor complements Crick's color palette. 

Fairy Grove

Fairy Wing Sculpture

I used dense velvets, shiny satins, upcycled denim and additional fabrics to create a collage of colors, textures and reflectivity, and spent countless hours hand-beading each shape to create a one-of-a-kind photo backdrop.

Giant Puppet Lantern Workshop

Major Monster costume

When designing the Major Monster costume for Random Acts of Silliness's entry in the annual Sweet Pea Parade, I wanted something that could both disguise the human form, but also remained cool enough for the mascot to wear in the hot August summers. I drew inspiration from existing Random Acts puppets, as well as the Sesame Street puppets, and used oversized hands to play with scale.

Silly Monster hats

I was commissioned to create 40 silly monster hats for the nonprofit, Random Acts of Silliness, for supporters to wear as they march in the Sweet Pea Festival parade. 

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks: The Three Musketeers

My second apprenticeship with Montana Shakespeare in the Park was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the entire costume design process: from initial sketches, character backstories, budgets, color choices, decision-making regarding whether to buy or build costumes, ways to make costumes actor-proof and more.

Montana Shakespeare in the Schools: Macbeth

Assassins

The Assassins production required a lot of research because I was creating costumes for an actor who was representing a real person.

The costumes had to reflect the real people the characters were based on as well as making the costumes as historically accurate as possible. The costumes provided the audience with an intuitive way to keep the characters' place in history clear in the face of the interwoven timeline of the play.

In collaboration with the set and lighting designers, I came up with an overall color story of "muted Americana."  It helped express the underlying melancholy of the characters' whose American Dream has gone wrong.

The 39 Steps

For 39 Steps, I created tea-stained, cigar-smoked-hazed costumes for this delightful murder-mystery caper set in the 1930s.

I wanted the costumes to look reasonable and appropriate while including subtle details that takes them to the edge of over-the-top without going too far. For example, on the train scene I put the salesman in oversized coats with huge sleeves. 

It was vital that the costumes help the audience suspend their disbelief while simultaneously feeling as if they were in on the joke.

The palette of the costumes added to the feeling that the audience was watching a black-and-white film. 

Montana Shakespeare in the Parks: King Lear

My apprenticeship with Montana Shakespeare in the Park was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the entire costume design process: from initial sketches, character backstories, budgets, color choices, decision-making regarding whether to buy or build costumes, ways to make costumes actor-proof and more. 

The Sound of Music

Black Jumpsuit

Corsets

I enjoy making custom corsets.

Dresses

In 2018, I found a dress pattern book brimming with great ideas. By the time I had the skills to make the dresses, I had outgrown the patterns! As a result, I decided to draft the patterns in my new size and make garments exactly the way I wanted them.

These dresses are a unique variation on the original, basic pattern I first fell in love with. I ended up exploring this pattern widely: I changed the sleeve styles, hem lengths, collars, gathers, pleats, trims. I dyed some of the fabric to make them the precise hue I had in mind.

Weaving

Hats