Malotke Sews

The Dire Circle - " The circle is dire, much like the outcomes of these stories. In this black zodiac themed anthology, you may come to dislike other people...maybe even yourself."   When I pitched an idea for "The Dire Circle" during 2021, I wasn't sure that it would even get picked. But, once it did and I was given a Black Zodiac to then develop my short story, I decided to do what I do for costuming a character - I made a mood board for my main character.  My Black Zodiac was the Serpent and my short story for the anthology is Twisted Tales, Dripping in Honey . My story centered around a very femme fatale main character with lots of buried secrets. I looked to old Hollywood glamour, dark reds, demon eyes, and other glints of seductress mixed with sweetness to create Melia . For me, coming up with a name was very difficult. After creating what should would look like, having an idea of her voice, her outfits, her drive, everything about her, I still needed the...

Here is a quick breakdown of how I made a padded armor piece for the character Tilly when she's her D&D character, Tillius the Paladin, in the play, "She Kills Monsters."  For reference, here are my Tillius the Paladin Mood Boards: First step was using the actor's measurements I created a very basic front and back bodice pattern. I wanted the armor piece to be comfortable, slightly bigger, and the padded would provide the texture look I was aiming for with the overall piece. It would be worn over a long sleeve t-shirt and the actor would be wearing a belt over it that held the sword. Also worn over top would be a one-armed shoulder armor piece that would be black leather with silver accents. So, while a majority of the outfit was black (base layer, boots, belt, gloves) I wanted this armor piece to be more grey and scream texture to the audience.  Above: I cut out the front and back pieces in the grey fabric for the outer layer as well as striped fabric for the li...

This week's book review is on a book that one of my good friend's just surprised me with recently! It's "The Complete Book of Sewing: Dressmaking and Sewing for the Home Made Easy" by Constance Talbot, edited by Isabelle Stevenson, and published in 1949. I have a small assortment of vintage sewing books that I started collecting in college. I knew that for our senior year we would have a table to display our portfolios, other work, and decorate however we pleased, in addition to our senior collections. Pretty much from my freshman year on I had a general idea of the theme and color scheme for my senior collection. One of my ideas for my table was to use vintage books as props to add varying heights to display photos and other apparel works (such as the corset I made while attending the London College of Fashion).  This lovely book has loads of chapters with everything from picking the right fabrics to how to baste to time-saving details and pockets. Each chapter h...

Today's book review is on Valerie Steele's " The Corset: A Cultural History ." When I studied abroad my Junior year of college I attended the London College of Fashion (LCF) for a semester. How they operate their study abroad semesters is that you take 3 required classes and then you get x amount of hours to choose other classes. For my three classes I elected to take Shoe Design, Millinery, and Corsetry. A big part of my corsetry class was keeping a sketch book / research book. Well, if there's one thing I love it's research. My corsetry book was full of notes and images (See image below)! My sketching isn't the best but man oh man can I research. I loved LCF's library, Purdue had basically no fashion books available and LCF was filled with any topic you could want to look into. I spent a lot of my free time in the library reading books, collecting images, typing notes, and making wish lists of books I would want to purchase for my own home library. I...

Today's review is the Design Museum's " Fifty Dresses that Changed the World ." First published in 2009 by Conran Octopus Ltd, the text is written by Michael Czerwinski and has been reprinted a couple of times. At a little over 100 pages, this little book is a great reference for iconic dresses that any costume designer or fashion designer should recognize. I really enjoy the variety and the feeling that it does capture the dresses that did in fact change the world . The layout of the book is consistent with information and descriptions on the left and a lovely photo on the right. The book description explains that each dress appraisal explores " what has made their iconic status and the designers that give them a special place in design history" ( Amazon ).  The book is in chronological order for the dresses they selected to feature. It opens with the Delphos pleated dress from 1915 and then carries on over the decades and it ends with an LED Dress by Husse...

Modern Art & Ideas held by The Museum of Modern Art A few weeks ago I finished this online course through Coursera. At the time it was a free course and I figured it would be a great way to spend my free time (since my fall/winter shows have been postponed). It was a nice way to learn more about modern art through small sections. It had a variety of content including videos, interviews, reading sections, and photos. There were quizzes at the end of each section to make sure you understood the material and writing prompts to have discussions with others in the class. Overall it was very enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning some basics on modern art.

For Goblins and the Gravedigger I have started diving into research for the 1840's and working on my Mood Boards to get in the zone for designing costumes. I enjoy using mood boards as a solid starting point for characters' looks. 

For my 100th blog post I wanted to just share some pictures from the past few years that are just fun snap shots of my life as a costume designer: Senior year of college, showcasing my senior collection featuring millinery and a whole lot of black/white/red patterns. My first paid show as Costume Designer: A Christmas Carol . For the ghost of Christmas past I used my corsetry skills to make a lovely white bodice with gold detailing. I also got to make her skirt light up! What a great experience. Working on A Servant of Two Masters. Collecting set colors so I could go fabric shopping. My sketching skills are always a work in progress. I love diving into historical research and so I usually work with a lot of mood boards and notes to get my thoughts across. One of my favorite progress pictures from working on Farinelli & the King . I made a lot of costume pieces for that show and loved working a variety of textiles and colors into the show. One of my f...

Two of the main characters in "Bus Stop" are Grace Hoylard, the owner of Grace's Diner, and her high school helper, Elma Duckworth. I had an idea in my mind that they would wear matching dresses and aprons, but their ages and personalities would be shown through their accessories and small touches, like makeup and hair. I found a great light blue and white checked, short sleeve dress that would work for both women. They did need altered to fit my exact idea - I ended up adding white to the sleeves and removing the waist ties that were attached - but they looked great! I paired the dresses with matching white aprons, white socks, and white knock off Keds.  For Grace, a business woman whose husband is always away, I added a white scarf to contrast with the actress's fiery red hair. As for Elma, an excellent student looking forward to falling in love, I took extra fabric from the dress so she could make a bow for her high ponytail hairstyle. Grace had a full face...

I love creating mood board during my design process. It's a great way for me to select my main inspiration and pair it with a color scheme. The mood boards help me communicate my ideas with the others members of the production staff, such as the director. My current show is "Music Man" and while the show isn't cast yet, the director is miles ahead with her scheduling and we've already had our initial design meeting. Pictured right is my initial mood board for the townspeople in "Music Man."  Of course the colors can be changed to accommodate the costume pieces available and the final set decisions, but for now it's a decent start to the general ideas for the background characters in the show. The director is hoping to hold auditions end of May, and then I'll be able to do measurements and start pulling costume pieces from the stock available. I am loving the 1912 time period silhouettes  and look forward to getting to piece together these l...

Some inspiration and a progress picture. As soon as I read the script I knew exactly what I wanted the King & Queen to wear in their scenes when they "live in a forest." I knew I was going to make the Queen's dress and some part of the King's ensemble to match. After some sketching and decision making, I decided the Queen would be in a more simple dress with elbow length sleeves and the King would be in tan breeches, a white long sleeve shirt with ruffles, and a long vest that matches the Queen's dress. And the whole time I was designing their looks I knew exactly what fabric I wanted to use and it was already a part of my fabric stash. Here is a little backstory on the fabric I chose: when my parents moved into their house their dining room had this wonderful floral wallpaper and curtains to match! Well my parents hated it and were going to redo the entire room. I asked for the curtains because I just adored the pattern on the fabric. I didn't have...

Here are some of my mood boards I created for the show! For inspiration I looked at the inside of palaces, artwork done during the time periods, as well as lots of research through my books for clothing silhouettes and textiles used. General mood board for the production. Inspiration for the King.

One of the best things to look into for doing historical shows is photographs from that time period. Above is a collage of photos I found for the time period that helped me design the looks for the characters for "Trestle at Pope Lick Creek."

Tonight is opening night! So to celebrate, below are my other mood boards for the show, "Trestle at Pope Lick Creek." Once I get pictures from the show I will post side by side images. Until then, I've included descriptions of the looks. For Gin Chance I wanted to give her a darker palette than Dalton, but still use similar coloring because of their close bond. Gin wears a long sleeve blue plaid dress. I paired this with neutral socks and a pair of character style two tone heels in cream and grey. She also has a short sleeve over jacket that is solid blue with red piping and a red straw hat. She may not wear the over jacket or hat, but they will be on stage with her.  Dray Chance isn't affectionate and singles himself out from his family, so I wanted to give him a separate color palette than them. For most of the show he is in a white sleeveless tank, dark brown corduroy trousers, and light brown and cream patterned suspenders. Chas Weaver is a very pass...

One of my favorite methods to work through designing looks for shows is using mood boards.  For the "Trestle at Pope Lick Creek" I sourced a lot of historical photographs, advertisements, and clothing patterns to build the silhouettes and clothing ideas for the characters. As for colors, I started out with simple color palettes for each character and how they worked together based on the characters' interactions.  While some things have changed color wise, my basic design ideas have stayed the same. For example, for Pace I wanted a simple short sleeve, collared dress in a green pattern. However, after searching for what I wanted there was the perfect dress, but in brown! While it's not green and doesn't a pattern, it's still a rich color and the pockets are weaved so it has a lovely texture to it. Below are my mood boards for Dalton Chance and Pace Craegan. The show opens Friday, July 5th, 2019. After I get some action shots from the play I will post side...

Since I do work full time it has been a very slow process, but I am slowly but surely getting everything done with starting my small business. I have received my FEIN, gotten tax registration approved, filled out my LLC paperwork, started an Instagram account, and finished my funding request for the incentives program.  My next steps include actually sending in my LLC paperwork (I need to get a money order to mail it all in) and finishing adjusting my business plan to the way that the incentives program wants. I have an upcoming meeting in February to go over everything and *fingers crossed* if it goes well my funding requests will be approved and I can get some new equipment that will increase my product output efficiency and potentially my incoming revenue as well.  With all of this in mind I am thinking my launch will be mid to late February. I could start selling now but I would love to actually have my physical business license before selling products. I'm hoping ...

View from the Bridge. For Christmas we went to see Falling Water in PA. It was amazing, even with it being freezing! When we got there we had time to check out the little pods at the beginning - a little museum area, a gift shop, and food area. Because we had driven so much that morning we elected to get coffee and hang out before the tour. Then it was our turn for the tour. We walked down to the starting point, a bridge, and met with our guide. Because it was winter a lot of the statues and artwork outside were covered. The picture to the right was taken while standing on the bridge. In the picture you can see the floating stairs and some of the terraces. I would love to come back in the spring or summer time and see the house in a completely  different weather setting. You're not allowed to take pictures inside or from after the bridge, but they offer a lot on their website. I loved the tour, it was a great in depth look into the house and the history behind it. Vie...

Photo: Ben King/Broad Green Pictures/Amazon Studios I recently watched The Dressmaker and I am still thinking about the costumes. I don't want to give anything away, but if you love costuming, 1950s fashion, bold colors, and fabulous textures in textiles, you should watch this movie. One of my favorite aspects of the movie is the way the flashbacks are muted, not just the lighting but the costuming as well. This provides the viewer with a harsh contrast to the current timeline in the movie. Set in the 1950s in Australia, before Myrtle "Tilly" (Kate Winslet) comes to town the inhabitants are drab and pretty basic in textiles - think lots of cottons. After Tilly sets up shop and starts to transform the town's women's wardrobes, we start to see lot of colorful ensembles with silks, chiffons, wools, and patterns. I would love to just write a short analysis of each character's costumes, but maybe sometime in the future just for fun. Basically if you enjoy...

Tunnel under the Neuschwanstein Castle Happy Halloween Everyone! I am a huge fan of Halloween and the whole fall season. I love supernatural related stories, movies, the leaves changing colors, spooky decorations, black cats, giving out candy, costumes (of course), and more! Spooky inspiration is all around us. Every year I want to create my own costume but then it's October and I never have enough time to make one from scratch. Does this ever happen to anyone else? Hopefully next year I will get my act together for 2019 and actually make my own Halloween costume. I would love to do something that looks easy but has a ton of details like one of the Sanderson sisters looks .  I currently have a few projects I want to start working on, however I also want to snag some on sale Halloween printed fabric for some basic vintage inspired silhouette dresses. So not entirely sure what my next project will be!

Organizing my last swatches A while back I was lacking in feeling creative. I was in a rut. No ideas, no exciting projects. I decided I needed some new fabric to help spark ideas. I went online (there are very few fabric stores where I am) and discovered I could get free fabric swatches from several different websites. I may have gone a little overboard and I ordered a LOT of free swatches. I tried to get a variety of color, patterns, and fabric selections. I think I ended up with around 100 fabric swatches varying in size. It was a rush to get them all in the mail, sort through them, and see which ones could work well together. I decided to do a few small projects with the swatches. I made a few small makeup bags with the colors based on the zippers I already had in my stash. I also made 2 dog beds for my pets. I created my own fabric by piecing the swatches together for one main side and then sewing a pillow out of leftover fabric scraps. I then filled the beds with leftover t...