Commissions:
Opportunities for Construction, Shopping in Charlotte
The Costume Design & Technology Commission is offering two Professional Development Workshops in Charlotte, North Carolina: Leather Sword Belts and Baldrics and a shopping trip to Mary Jo’s Cloth Store in Gastonia.
Leather Sword Belts and Baldrics sponsored by Tandy Leather is a one day session jam packed with information on leather tools, supplies, and techniques, and will be presented by Colleen Muscha, professor of costume design at Florida State University; Andrea Varga, assistant professor of costume design at SUNY-New Paltz; and Dorothy Barnes and Julia Kasanovich, third year costume graduate students at Florida State University. The workshop will cover the proper fit of the sword belt and baldric and movement problems an actor faces when wearing them on stage. There will be discussion of the various types of swords and the proper stage holders/scabbards for each. The morning will be devoted to lecture and demonstrations followed by a leather technique practice session. In the afternoon, the participants will devote their time to creating their own sword belt and baldric. All participants will leave with these items plus a rivet set tool and one tooling stamp tool.
The trip to Mary Jo’s Cloth Store will be 8:30 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, March 8 and will be hosted by Martha Cooper, professor of costume design at Florida State University. Mary’s Jo’s started out 59 years ago as a small mill-outlet and has grown to become what is thought by many to be the best fabric and trim store on the east coast. Visit the store’s website at maryjos.com.
Either one of these sessions will make arriving a day early well worth it and will add immeasurably to your experience at the 51st USITT National Conference in Charlotte, NC, so start planning now!
