Quick Tip: Blood Removal

You all are going to think I am a morbid person. Really I am not, but blood has been a constant problem in my costuming life. Whenever I am working on a white dress/costume, I always poke my finger and bleed all over it. It inevitable. I don't mean to sound disgusting, but we deal with sharp objects and needles, and as careful as costumers try to be, accidents happen.

So, If you are working on something and this happens to you - spit on it. No, really. There are enzymes in your saliva that gets out your own blood. That's the key - your own saliva and your own blood. It does not work if it's someone else blood with your saliva.

Quick Tip: Stage/Fake Blood Removal

I learned this tip from a wonderful special effects artist on the set of Sea of Dust named Josh Turi. Fake Blood can be removed from Costumes/Clothing with shaving cream. Barbasol seems to work the best, in my opinion, and it's one of the least expensive shaving creams out there. I would apply the shaving cream to the spot and scrub it out with a gentle brush. Then Rinse.

Next time you have a horrible fake blood accident.... give it a shot.

From my experience, the shaving cream did not do any damage to the garment (even the dry clean only ones), and it didn't leave any pink spots from the dye in the blood. I even tried this on a costume that I created for The Second Tosca, that played for a month. In that case, the blood was on the garment for the entire month run of the show. It all came out of the period dress, easily.

iPod and my costuming life

I have never been a person to go out and buy the latest gadgets. I received the iPod Touch for a Christmas gift last year and it has completely changed my life as a costumer. I used to have to carry around folders of sketches, notes, and scripts and now I have it all handy on one device.

Currently, I am designing The Last Days of Judas Iscariot for John Jay College. I am also designing two productions at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. All three of these shows have over twenty cast members, and I need to keep organized in order for it all to get done in an efficient, timely manner.

I have discovered many applications and services (often free) through my iPod Touch that have made my life so much more efficient, and not to mention “greener”. (Something we are all trying to do nowadays).

Using my MobileMe account in conjunction with the free MobileFiles application I have uploaded the PDF version of my script for Last Days. I have all of my measurement charts and costume plots on my iPod using the MobileFiles App. You can also upload sketches and research .jpgs if needed. Because I have 35 cast members in Last Days, I have photographed them all to keep them straight. I uploaded those pictures onto the iPod via iPhoto and now have a visual reference of them at all times. I can sync up my iCal application with my iPod, so I can keep all of my appointments, meetings and technical rehearsals straight, and it will give me a notice of things coming up with an alarm function.

I ordered some shirts from Thailand yesterday for Last Days, and I will be able to track them through TrackerLite. If I am not sure what the address of a store might be or how to get there – there are applications for that. I use white pages, GoogleMaps and HopStop, but I know there are several free and paid applications to do this. I use ShopShop for simple shopping lists. I am playing with MobileFiles Pro to see if I can update my budgets and large shopping lists that way – stay tuned.

There are several applications I can use as a freelancer. I now carry my reel and portfolio with me at all times. I can give my business card to new contacts using BeamMe. I am pretty consistently able to keep up with my email, Facebook, and tweets.

As I find more applications and functions that will make our lives easier, I will tweet or write about them. I am in love with the idea of not carrying around all of these charts and scripts around on paper anymore. When you are a costumer in NYC, and need to carry your world around with you on your shoulder all day, anything to make that load lighter is amazing. I am looking forward to the day when I can have a completely electronic and very mobile Costuming Bible with me at all times.

NYMF

Last night, I attended a meet and greet for the New York Musical Theatre Festival. My first foray into the theatre world was through musical theatre, I always have had a special place in my heart for musicals. I love working on new plays and musicals, so it seems to be a natural fit to me.

The event seemed to be a huge hit! There were so many talented people in attendance at this event! It was exciting to hear about the projects the writers were developing and the shows that are already out there being pushed by producers. One thing is for certain to me; the recession will not hurt creativity!

There was one other thing that was obvious to me as I mingled about last night. The energy in the room was absolutely electric. When you have so many passionate people in a room together, you cannot help but feel that “vibe”. There was so much hope and excitement; you cannot help but to be caught in that energy. I am a person who is extremely passionate about what I do, and when I am among others who feel the same the effect is just intoxicating.

This energy is the thing I also love about New York City, and I feel very fortunate to be living here!

Pleasure to meet you!

Welcome to my Blog!

I am writing this as I watch the Academy Awards - A celebration of what is best in Hollywood. It's exciting to see all of the beautiful fashion that is walking the red carpet this year! (When I receive my Oscar, I hope to be wearing a gown as gorgeous as the one worn tonight by Penelope Cruz.)

I plan to write about what inspires me, about my business, and my career. I hope to talk about the best, and with luck, not so much of the worse, of what is going around me as I go on about my life as a designer. I hope you will enjoy this journey with me!