Helpers from the first year!

This afternoon after meeting Grace I was met with an unexpected windfall in the form of two of our costume first years looking to work on a live project for their CDP hours! Every first year on costume is  required to do 10 hours minimum work experience for a live project - either an university production or a job that they have found for themselves doing something costume or set related. With this in mind - and Mad Hatters on the lookout for helpers - I instantly sent them to Tanya to hear more about the project from the person who, if they took on the project, would be overseeing their work on an immediate basis. 

So, after they chatted to Tanya about the project, we now have two helpers for two weeks starting on Monday. With this in mind and organisation one of the skills that I can't seem to switch off nowadays, I immediately sat down with the designs and started making a list with Tanya of all the smaller, and larger, jobs that they would be able to do in two weeks that would give them a good amount and variety of experience while still being things that would not be overloading them. I have organised this into three sections - makes, small detail work, and costume props/accessories. From this we now have at least five things in each category so plenty of things for two costume students to do. 

With one specialising in making and the other design, we have a range that should appeal with everything from sculptural and costume props work in the form of the ears and the costume prop grin for the Cheshire Cat, to larger makes like the fur shorts for the Doormouse, White Rabbit and Cheshire Cat, to small refined detail work like appliquéing the letters on the Tweedles hats, hand sewing ribbon detailing onto waistcoats and button decoration onto smaller costume pieces - and this is only a small amount of the work we have to offer! Every little helps though so even if they are only able to do a couple of the items on the list it will still be a huge help.

Also - with the March Hare's hat nearly completed and the White Queens toile coming along nicely, Tanya set me to looking for a waistcoat for the White Rabbit. We have not been able to find a white and blue check waistcoat so it was all about finding one that would go with the feel of the costume - posh but quirky. With this in mind, I found a beautiful blue and silver patterned one on ebay that with a few buttons and alterations is going to be perfect.