Teacher ListTeachers for Costume College 2023!
Yosa Addiss Yosa Addiss became a historic costumer after pursuing a degree in costume design. She created one of the first websites for custom-made costume gowns in the late 1990s (yosa.com). Yosa is a lifelong fan of historical costume. She finds something wonderful in every era, especially if the garments have pockets! Her preferred mediums are sewing, machine embroidery, and hand-crafted embellishments. Nancy Alonso Nancy Alonso is a mother, a nurse, stylist, Costume Designer, and a Fashion Designer since 2013, and was nominated as The Most Innovated Designer in 2012. Her specialty is in costumes with unconventional materials like Resins, Wonderflex, Fosshape, and PVA, but not stopping there, she presented her wedding collection in August 2016. Nancy has been working in theater and short films for the past 9 years. Grace Amundsen Barnkow Grace Amundsen Barnkow started her adventure in costuming with over-the-top Halloween costumes, leveled up by joining the SCA, and hasn’t slowed down since. Her costuming interests span Flavian era Rome to 1470s Burgundy to fantasy and sci-fi realms, with a specialty in accessories (particularly millinery). An engineer by education, Grace uses that experience in skill areas including 3D printing, laser cutting, metal casting, and architectural headwear. Her current adventures involve working on a replica chariot, ever more elaborate historical outfits, and going from fiber to fabric with her angora goats and dye garden. Jennifer Anderson Jennifer Anderson is a teacher and the owner of Sewing Machine Warehouse (kneedle.com). She teaches embroidery, quilting, and general machine use. Priscilla Atwell Priscilla Atwell has an AS in Fashion Design and has been involved in textiles for over 60 years. She costumed stage productions for 15 years and worked the Renaissance Pleasure Faire for over 40 years demonstrating fiber production, spinning, weaving, lace making, and knitting. She has expanded into Victorian Fashion—finishing over 12 ensembles and all the underpinnings from the Civil War thru the Bustle Era. She has taught Undersleeves, Frogs and Knots, Huck Lace, Smocking, Hardanger and Bobbin Lace at past Costume Colleges. She says that someday she will organize her textile items, but until then she’ll teach. Mary Ball Mary Ball is the Costume Shop Manager for the University of Mississippi Department of Theatre and Film. She received her MFA in Costume Design at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. She enjoys teaching sewing techniques and helping a student make their designs a reality on stage! She loves and is looking forward to learning as many new costuming techniques as she can to open up to a whole world of possibilities. Her interests include draping, flat patterning, tailoring, and so much more. You can never learn too much. Lilli Barrett Lilli Barrett's mom taught her to sew and knit at 5. She began designing and making doll clothes and proceeded to baby layettes. At 12, she began making clothes for her mom, sister, and herself. She costumed high school plays while a student and later for Community Theatre. She has a degree in History/Fine Arts-Theatre and did her graduate work in Women's Studies/History. She has worked professionally as a costumer for several of the smaller contemporary dance companies and experimental theaters. Elisa Bechtel Elisa Bechtel is a self-taught sewist, historical costumer, and a member of the SCA, where her main focus is costuming, period construction, and experimental archaeology. She holds a BA and Masters in history and has worked as an architectural historian/cultural resources manager and consultant. She has also worked in the costume shop of a living history program, learning to make 18th-19th century style clothing. You can follower her current projects on Instagram at @handmadehistory. Elisa is also co-owner of Thimble & Plume (thimbleandplume.com), a historical patterning, costube, and haberdashery company known for their love of Landsknecht and 16th century fashion. Bridget Bradley-Scaife Bridget Bradley-Scaife started costuming at age 12 when she got involved in Renaissance Faires. Since then, she has expanded her love of costuming to all time periods, but currently her focus is on the Victorian and Colonial eras. She is an active member of the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild, a fabric enthusiast and buyer for Renaissance Fabrics, and the owner of North & South Emporium (NorthSouthEmporium.com), which specializes in mid-Victorian jewelry and accessories. Amy Carpenter Amy Carpenter has been working in leather for 16 years. Her main focus has been high end leather costume accessories and pop culture fashion items. She is currently creating one of a kind pieces for the entertainment industry for HBO, Hulu, and Disney. Amy has also worked in the collectibles market for 13 years creating fine art prototypes and samples for domestic and overseas manufacturing. Check out her work at Legendary Costume Works. Brayton Carpenter Brayton Carpenter has been creating costumes for over 35 years. He has worked in a variety of textiles, leather, metal and synthetics. His portfolio showcases a range of genres and his work has been featured on stage, screen, film, in print media, and at museums. These days his main focus is on leathercraft; creating material culture for tv and film productions and designing and manufacturing leather project kits and tools. Check out his work at Legendary Costume Works. Sahrye Cohen Sahrye Cohen is a costumer, maker, and cosplayer who specializes in projects that combine traditional techniques, like sewing with electronics, microcontrollers, laser cutting, and 3D printing. She is a co-author of the book, Make It, Wear It: Wearable Electronics for Makers, Crafters and Cosplayers. Sahrye teaches workshops in cosplay and electronics at DragonCon, Maker Media, Maker Faires, Costume College, and at many other conventions and makerspaces. Her couture Fashion Tech with Amped Atelier (ampedatelier.com) can be seen on the runways in San Francisco, CA, Calgary, Canada, and Shenzhen, China. Margaret Collins Margaret Collins has been an avid costumer for most of her life. She was designing and wearing Halloween costumes well into high school, then she discovered renaissance faire. From there, it was all downhill. She has also been a thrifter for many years and loves repurposing things. Olivia Competente Olivia Competente is a jeweler, is a native of San Francisco, Jewels By Olivia C (jewelsbyoliviac.com). With a love of all things jewelry she is versed in metal smithing and her first love of dichroic glass (glitter glass). Olivia now teaches all things jewelry at her own studio in San Francisco. She loves all things sparkly and colorful. Alena Craig Alena Craig is from a small fishing town in Cordova, Alaska. Having a love for dressing up, she came to Costume College for the first time in 2022. Currently, she is a senior in Costume Design and History at Muhlenberg College, and having a lot of fun with historical dress. While in high-school and now during school breaks, she teachs classes at The Netloft (thenetloftak.com) , a fine handcraft store in Cordova, AK, which has fostered a love for crafting and sewing. Rory Cunningham A professional costumer working in Hollywood for more than 35 years, Rory Cunningham is the owner of Bill Hargate Costumes Inc., a Union Custome Made Costume House specializing in film and television costumes from corseted frocks to super heroes and space suits to red carpet gowns. Many costumes created by his company have also been featured in museum exhibits. Lauren Dedow Lauren Dedow is a scientist who needed a way to let out her creative inpulses. She's this year's Teacher Liaison, which means you'll see her running around all over at Costume College keeping track of all the classes and teachers. Flag her down if you have any questions or just to say hi! Heather Dill-Tullo Heather Dill-Tullo (@Dill_of_all_Trades) has been sewing and crafting since she was a kid, but her costuming journey started in college with her first Renaissance faire costume. What started as a necessity has grown into a branching, twenty year passion ranging from historical and screen recreations, to leather craft and prop fabrication, to cosplay and incorporating electronics into her creations. She loves sharing her skills and knowledge with others as much as learning something new. Cristina Donastorg Cristina Donastorg is a self-taught sewist with an engineering background. Linda Dunn Linda Dunn's mother is her inspiration for her interest in all things hand crafted. She drafted her first patterns when she was 7 and never stopped creating. The value of knowledge is in the sharing. She is 74 now and has been teaching fiber arts and costume history her entire life. She would love to share her joy in creating with you this year. Mark Edwards Mark Edwards is a photographer based in Los Angeles. Growing up in Virginia, he was captivated by films like Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Quick and the Dead, and Blade Runner. He moved to southern California in the late 90s and landed his first role working for James Cameron on Titanic, resulting in 20 wonderful years of working in post production/visual effects. Today he is a full-time photographer specializing in live events, portraits, and company branding with Pop Culture flair (markedwardsphotos.com). In his free time he enjoys working on personal projects including classic noir and western inspired photography. Julie Fox Julie Fox credits the beginning of her love/hate relationship with crafting and historical costumes to watching "The Six Wives of Henry VIII" on Masterpiece Theater in the 1960-1970s. She began sewing at the age of nine, made her first period costume in 1977, and has continued to study historical costuming ever since. Julie is a FIDM Alumni, the founder of Foxes Period Costumes, and has created commission work for historic and cosplay events and weddings since 1983. Her work has won accolades at the RWC. Emily Frank Emily Frank is a self-taught costumer and sewist working in the theatre industry whose love of pretty costumes started with the American Girl Dolls and their books, and has grown to encompass a variety of eras and genres. Find her on IG at SewingFrankly (SewingFrankly.com). Liz Gerds Liz Gerds is currently part of the Costume Shop team at Loyola Marymount University and worked previously at the School of Theater, Film, and Television at UCLA. She has been fascinated by costumes and dress-up since childhood and made her first costumes during high school. She has created costumes for stage, historical recreationists, equestrian competition, and weddings. Her professional career has included working for AlterYears, FarthingalesLA, Boss Wench, Real Pirates, and others. Liz is also a Past President of the CGW and she has been attending Costume College, Science Fiction Conventions, and the Renaissance Pleasure Faire for years. Marina Gery Marina Gery is an innovator at heart, with a passion for tech and all things creative. Her company PersonalFashion (personalfashion.us) takes a high-accuracy 3D-body scan, turns it into a physical dressform and digital avatar for virtual fittings to open up new designing possibilities and perfectly fitted clothes and costumes. Marina has been sewing since high school and has been making her own patterns since 2015, after attending LATTC fashion design program. Freedom to express herself through clothing and costumes is the best gift she found along the way and she is enthusiastic about sharing it with everyone. Steven Gillan An art historian, historical researcher, wood worker, and doodler of Irish interlace, Steven Gillan has been the Chief of Clan MacColin of Glenderry, the premier Irish/Highland reenactment group on the West Coast, since 1982. He has guided the research in to Early Modern Gaelic life and culture in Ireland and the Highlands of Scotland with thousands of members over the decades. Mary Gobet Restoration and collecting antique clothing and purses has been Mary Gobet's passion for over 5 decades. A lifetime of hand embroidery and beading skills lent itself perfectly for this passion. Costuming was a way to pay for the passion. Her full time day job as a Market Analyst helps with world travel, but she calls Oregon home. Zakiya Goggins Zakiya Goggins is an illustrator who designs costumes for both larp and cosplay. They're based in Los Angeles and have often bounce from genre to genre. Check them out at zakthedrak.carrd.co. Tracey Gorin Tracey Gorin has been beading and crafting since she was a young girl, but didn’t begin costuming until 2003. As a beginning seamstress, she found sewing a wonderful challenge, which allowed her to expand her creative repertoire and gave her so much inspiration! Tracey loves learning from others, finding new ways of doing things, and combining talents into new projects. In her non-costuming life, Tracey works as an Audio-Visual specialist, and loves using technology to support learning and education in a variety of fields! Beth Grover Beth Grover has worked in the fashion industry as a technical designer for major brands such as Lucky Brand Jeans and Quiksilver, and has experience working in fashion and costume archives. She has a B.A. in History and an A.A. in Fashion Design. Her personal blog is www.VisforVintage.com. Lia Hansen Lia Hansen has taught and designed costumes at Vanguard University for over 20 years. Research and crafts are her favorite aspects of the field. Maegen Hensley You know that moment when you’ve found your “people” and you can’t shut up about all the neat things you make, the hundreds of things you plan to make, and the thousand things you will never make? That’s Maegen Hensley. Oh, and she is currently the Director of Asset Management for Prop Store of London located in Los Angeles area, was Costume College Dean in 2009 and 2019, and has been on the CoCo committee longer than her daughter has been alive. E Hery Emily Hery is a long time costumer with over a decade of sewing experience. Mostly in the realm of cosplay and lolita fashion, they have recently been dabbling in historical costuming. Experienced in a wide variety of skills from sewing to resin crafts to electronics they are excited to help you level up your crafting skills. Kristen Hopkins Costume designer, creator, and entrepreneur. Ready and able to help you learn how to create the costumes of your dreams. Kristen Hopkins's experience includes working with independent films, circus troupes, burlesque & salsa dancers, and historic re-enactors, as well as geek, bridal and couture fashion. You can find her work at Firetail Design (firetaildesign.com), Lalena Hutton Lalena Hutton currently works as a theater costume technician as a cutter/draper, but she also is also active as a historical costumer and a reenactor. She has trained in Couture and Tailoring construction techniques and loves to share her knowledge on the Thimble And Plume YouTube Channel (ThimbleAndPlume.com). Shelly Jackson Shelly Jackson has been a working buckram and wire milliner for over ten years and sewing for thirty. She specializes in historical and fantasy millinery as well as whimsical accessories. Check her out at Clockwork Monster Millinery (www.etsy.com/shop/clockworkmonster) Glenda Jackson After receiving her great-grandmother's petticoat and drawstring purse at the age of 13, Glenda Jackson's love for antique and vintage clothing began. In high school, she'd drive to Santa Barbara in her 1966 Mustang and buy 1930s evening gowns for $2! Items in her collection range from a 1844 straw wedding bonnet and quilted petticoat to 1920s lingerie. Her prized possession is a pair of 1850s red satin shoes with marcasite clips from Paris! Her newest quest is to find a pair of late 1700s ladies shoes. Glenda has given presentations on antique and vintage clothing and lingerie since the 1990s. Terence Johnson Terence Johnson is a Los Angeles based cosplayer. He is a lifelong fan of all things nerdy and began cosplaying in 2013 after attending his first Comic Con. He is known by his friends for being particularly interested in costumes that have capes, cloaks, or robes that touch the floor. His costumes have been featured on Marvel and Disney social media pages and he was the Costumer's Guild Award Recipient at Comic Con Special Edition in 2021. Laura Katz Laura Katz started sewing originally to be able to have fun in swishy skirts to dance in, since then she's made historical costumes, cosplay, embroidery projects, and quilts. Loving challenges means that Laura has delved into custom dye work, customizing embroidery fibers to hand stitch the perfect applique, and painting pre-made appliques to suit the project. She follows the mantra of "because it's pretty and I like it," as a motivation for creating new things. Courtney Kelly Courtney Kelly is a history teacher, historical costuming hobbiest, and member of the Great Basin Costume Society. As a historical costumer, she enjoys trying new skills and learning new ways to make just about every part of an outfit or costume. This has led to her learning sewing, knitting, crochet, embroidery, lace making, and much more! She can't wait to learn from you and maybe teach you something new! Tanya Knipprath Tanya Knipprath is an avid historic costumer that has worked in museums and libraries for the past decade, and has experience with collections preservation, research, and exhibition design with historic costume and textiles. Outside of her professional life, she is a research nerd, medievalist, and is obsessed with her two cats who are great tailor's apprentices (and pattern weights). Check her out at Crinolines & Cavaliers (crinolinesandcavaliers.com). Becca Konieczny Becca Konieczny's passions in life are needlework of all kinds, 19th Century jewelry, and dogs. Becca is passionate about sharing her knowledge about 19th Century jewelry, especially jewelry from the 1870s and 1880s. She has studied needlework with the Royal School of Needlework in the UK, the Embroiderers' Guild of America, and the American Needlepoint Guild. She has also shown Borzois, Greyhounds, and Salukis in both the USA and Canada. Regina Lawson While still a teenager, Regina Lawson costumed high school theatre productions and rock bands, such as Motley Crue and Quiet Riot. Starting in 1985, she started costuming Highland and Irish, English, and German re-enactors at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in Southern California, as well as dabbling in Victorian, and 16th Century and 17th Century Polish and Turkish clothing. Now Historical Clothing Coordinator for Clan MacColin of Glenderry, the premier 16th Century Irish and Highland re-enactment organization, Regina carries on her almost 40-year obsession with the mysteries of early modern Irish and Highland clothing. Lana Lily Lana Lily is a lover of history, with a passion for detailed research of historical clothing. She received a degree in Fashion Design from FIDM and has more than 20 years experience as a historical reenactor. Lana enjoys sharing her knowledge of historical techniques by teaching classes at various venues which can be found at www.lanalily.com and offering historical accessories through www.etsy.com/shop/NorthSouthEmporium. Involvement in the CGW resulted in the honor of being Dean of Costume College 2007. Olivia Lizardo Olivia Lizardo is a full time professional artist for animation and a children's book illustrator. Her previous costuming experience comes from work in Shakespeare festival costume shops and her own historical sewing practice, with influences from her love of fantasy and her Egyptian and Irish-American background. When not working, she is often sewing, designing, leather working, or creating for fun. Rebecca Maiten Rebecca Maiten is an actor and costumer living in the Seattle area, and has been fascinated with historical fashions for as long as she can remember. She started sewing in high school, and has been creating historical costumes for over 10 years. Rebecca loves sewing costumes of any era, from the 17th century through Edwardian, and also enjoys cosplay. Rebecca runs the Youtube channel, Lady Rebecca Fashions (youtube.com/ladyrebeccafashions), and is also one of the founders of the Puget Sound Historical Costumers Guild. You can also find her on Instagram as @LadyRebeccaFashions. Sandy Manning Sandy Manning is a semi retired teacher who has been enjoying costuming since she was quite young. She still works one semester a year and has time to pursue other interests. She loves researching various topics and sharing her knowledge. Elizabeth McCrary Elizabeth McCrary first set foot on a stage at the ripe age of four, and was instantly, and permanently, ruined for Real Life. After earning degrees in anthropology and archaeology, and working at several colleges and museums, her day gig was working as an aerospace engineer. She did her time at renaissance faires, the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Arts Festival, Disneyland, and as a professional singer. Since her retirement, she has been a costume designer and shop lead for a local musical theater program for youth. Sue McDonald Sue McDonald is an avid costumer and a long-time seamstress, with a special interest in creating those special finishing touches that make a costume come to life. She has taught at Costume College for many years, offering classes like making a beaded bead hatpin, making a Victorian or Edwardian purse, making a carpet bag, and making a buckram hat. She currently lives in Prescott, Arizona, where she sews for many of the local re-enactment groups. Natalie Meyer Natalie Meyer has been sewing since she was 5 yrs. old. She started serious historical costuming in 1993 when she became a docent at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles and joined CGW. Presently, she gives private sewing lessons, lectures on the history of women's clothing, and produces historical fashion shows. Jess Miller Jess Miller has been involved with costuming ever since she discovered the science fiction fandom, the SCA and the Renaissance Faire all in the same year. She has a BA in Art with and emphasis on textiles, and has done further coursework in Anthropology, which only serves to add to the confusion. She is a past Dean of CoCo (1999) and will expound on costuming for hours, given the opportunity. Lance Moody Lance Moody has been a quick change dresser for 7 years and has worked 25 shows in that time. They have worked in productions from local youth productions, to regional theater companies, to touring casts, to Fantasmic at Disneyland. Dressing truly is their favorite part of theater and they're excited to share some of that knowledge with you. Check out their work at Knight & Needle (knightandneedle.com) Ed Morlan Ed Morlan started costuming without realizing it by designing and sewing his own gear for military trainings and finding his way to an occasional movie set where he met a group of guys who managed to get him to a real reenactment. Ever since he has been very involved in costuming. He runs his own sutler store at reenactments, hand-making both wood and leather products. He’s honed his leather skills and enjoys teaching CoCo. Ed is a civil war reenactor, 13th century longbow archer, Rev War Longhunter, and dabbles in Roman, Greek, WW2 Navy, Fantasy and Sci-Fi. Jenn Mulvey Jennifer Mulvey has been a part of the costuming hobby for over 10 years, where she has served on both the Costume College Committee and the CGW, Inc. Board of Directors. She enjoys all aspects of costuming from historical Civil War reenacting to sci-fi / fantasy. Jennifer is a "certified" friend maker and loves to welcome new people in the costuming world, so she has previously hosted the Freshman Orientation. Never claiming to be an expert, she is always glad to lend a hand whenever a costume is in need! Sarah Murray Sarah Murray is a high school English teacher by day and a historical costumer and larper on the weekends. She loves character design and studying historical techniques with an emphasis on the 18th century. More recently she's expanded her repertoire to include historically-inspired, combat-ready larp designs. Kelsey Nichols Kelsey Nichols is the full time costume shop manager and resident designer for West Valley Arts in West Valley City, UT, and teaches theatre for Weber State University. She received her M.F.A. in costume design from Indiana University and has been actively working in theatrical costume design since 2016. She recently spent three years as a designer in residence for Hale Centre Theatre designing and crafting costumes. She prefers to design for period and fantasy pieces and loves the challenge of creating a magic quick change. One of her proudest projects was the engineering of HCT’s Cinderella quick change Youtube video. Christienne Palmieri Christienne Palmieri has been teaching sewing, knitting, and other needle skills for over 35 years. Currently she is continuing her sewing ministry with a weekly Fiber Arts class of 14 middle schoolers! Emily Partridge Emily Partridge, AKA 'The Sucky Seamstress' (@thesuckyseamstress, youtube.com/@thesuckyseamstress), has been into various eras of historical costuming since 2003. She loves doing historical research, planning costumed outings, and running amouk with other costumers! She portrayed Queen Elizabeth I at Renaissance Faires for nine years, ran a historical character education program, is a member of various historical costuming groups, and will dress up for any event or outing (she's probably already dressed up right now!). She sees sewing as a necessary evil and advocates for body positivity in costuming and cosplay. She lives near Seattle with her handsome hubby and puppy son George. Susan Payne Susan Payne is a costumer, cosplayer, and all-around crafter. She enjoys figuring out how to use unconventional fabrics, materials, and scraps to create budget-friendly wearable garments and crafts. What has started out as making an outfit for an anime convention in high school over a decade ago, has grown into a huge passion, including making her own 1950s inspired everyday wardrobe. She’s a long-time lurker, first time attendee of Costume College and is very excited to meet everyone who shares her love of costuming and cosplaying. Margaret Pearce Margaret Pearce has enjoyed making costumes for decades, working in local theater, historical reenactment, and running small shops in Renaissance faires, and boutiques. She loves to sew, embroider, knit, crochet and craft. She is currently working up a line of vintage inspired purses and jewelry. Meg hopes to share the joy of making (on a budget). Scott Pennington Scott Pennington discovered a love of making historical garments and pattern matching. This led him to an interest in drafting patterns through various different systems. For the last several years he has worked in the Dickens Christmas Fair Costume Shop helping to make costumes for various participants before and during the run. He has had formal training in pattern drafting and draping. Scott loves sharing his passion of sewing with others and is eager to pass on his unique perspective on how things fit together. Shelley Peters Shelley Peters has been sewing and costuming for over 60 years. Her children and their friends were always dressed in creative Halloween costumes and Renaissance garb. She has been a Civil War reenactor for over 20 years and has enjoyed learning history through period clothing and construction methods of all eras. She is the proprietress of the Kansas Mercantile, a 19th Century Sutlery (www.facebook.com/KansasMercantile). She also teaches period sewing and corset workshops and does custom sewing, specializing in 19th Century reenactors' clothing. She has attended Costume College since 2000 participating as a student, a teacher, and a vendor. Dena Plant Dena Plant is a teacher, YouTuber, and sewing enthusiast. Her passion for sewing began with cosplay and led to closets full of costumes. She has taught middle school for fifteen years and sewing for nearly ten. Her sewing classes explore everything from pillowcases and how to use a sewing machine, to draping and ball gowns. Her students’ thirst for knowledge prompted her to study fashion design and millinery at the local college. When she is not in the classroom, she is behind the camera and shares her tutorials online via YouTube and her website, learncreatesew.com. LJay Phoenix LJay Phoenix is a DC native Nerd. In 2018, her love of nerd culture and crafting merged to begin her path into cosplaying. LJays cosplays are often original looks based on her favorite characters. Wolfcat Wolfcat has been indulging in playing with fibers/textiles/other materials for over half a century now (no really!). A self proclaimed craft dragon/book wyrm hybrid, she delights in finding new inspirations and skills to learn and share. Isis Quan Isis Quan is a historian who works in museums, a cosplayer, and a video game aficionado. Sherry Ramaila Sherry Ramaila is the designer and maker of the Steamtorium Teacup Holster and Under Corset Belt set patterns (steamtorium.etsy.com). She started sewing and creating at a young age and enjoys passing on skills and tips through teaching others. Liuba Randolph Liuba Randolph is a seasoned Costume and Consumer Product designer with over 20 years of experience. She has illustrated for some of the biggest TV shows and films such as Glee, American Horror Story, Game Night, Transparent, and many others. She has also designed for the Disney Princess fashion dolls, as well as the coveted fashion icon Barbie herself (liubarandolph.crevado.com). Liuba has taught costume and fashion design and illustration classes both at Costume College and at Woodbury University. Come learn how to translate your visions into beautiful sketches! Dree Redditt Adriana Redditt has a long history of both making and wearing costumes. Although many of her creations end up at EDM festivals and not conventions or more traditional venues, the spirit behind them is the same! Better known by her friends as 'jack-of-all-trades', there are very few creative and design endeavors that she has not tried to undertake. She holds a degree in the Fine Arts of McGyvering and regularly finds herself putting it to good use. Carolyn Richardson Carolyn Richardson has been making costumes for over 40 years, starting originally in the middle ages for the Society for Creative Anachronism, which she joined right after high school. Since then, her interests have expanded to just about every period from 1300 to 1950. She also collects antique sewing machines.
Hal Rodriguez Hal Rodriguez is a designer, maker, and programmer at Amped Atelier (www.ampedatelier.com). Jaci Rohr Jaci Rohr is a Jewelry and Costume Archivist at Paramount Pictures. She’s been an entertainment industry costumer/designer for 30 years. Her life-long interest in costuming began at age 5 when she discovered the joys of dressing up her dog. Rohr’s a sometime science nerd with an Art Degree. She’s interested in historical costume and acquired some mad skills in the “lost arts”. She ran her own costume/prop manufacturing business for 10 years, developed pet products ,and invented wacky rigs for reality TV shows before joining the Archive. Her current research project focuses on silent film stars. Carolyn Runnells Carolyn Runnells was bitten by the costuming bug in 1997 after receiving two complete 1872 ensembles. Since that time Carolyn has traveled the world using costumes to bring historical talks to life aboard cruise ships. Certified as an interpreter at the National Association for Interpretation, Carolyn is able to use costuming to teach about a particular region or a theme. Stateside Carolyn has presented various edutainment programs to service organizations, conferences, and historical societies. Teaching and sharing information is a passion that Carolyn has enjoyed and looks forward to doing for years to come. Check her out at CarolynRunnells.com. Donna Scarfe Getting the correct headgear to complete your outfit can be difficult to find. Donna Scarfe found few Renaissance Faire merchants that had a variety of good quality hats and decided to fill the void. She has been creating hats for over 20 years and studied with a millinery teacher in Los Angeles and in England, where they really know hats! Her company, Fyne Hats By Felicity (www.fynehatsbyfelicity.com), creates a wide range of custom hats (period and contemporary fashion styles) and her Renaissance headgear has turned up at Faires from coast to coast. Laura Hansen Skarka Laura Skarka is a library assistant, cosplayer, and crafter who has been sewing & designing since childhood. Something of a "craft dragon", she snuck costuming classes into her university schedule while earning degrees in English & Medieval History and spent her formative years working at an old-fashioned hobby/craft store where she learned everything from beading to model-building to better assist & instruct customers and has applied that knowledge to her costuming efforts ever since. A long-time gamer, she has also written historical costuming & cosplay advice articles and worked as a costumed performer for RPG companies and conventions. Eileen Smolenski At a very young age, Eileen Smolenski accidentally ran her mother’s mail through her machine and was hooked by the possibilities of sewing. After many years of creating doll clothes, outfits for younger sisters, and clothes for her children, her oldest daughter introduced her to Costumer’s Guild West. She have been a member since 2011 and has participated in multiple Costume Colleges and costuming workshops presented by CGW. While she loves most anything from the mid-1700s through the 1940s currently most of her projects are from the 30s because she can wear those things more places. Ruth Sofaer-Morse Ruth Sofaer-Morse is a graduate of Canada College in Redwood City and did a T/A in Fashion History at City College in SF. She has spent her life around amazing textiles; her mum was born in Mumbai so saris were the clothes of her youth. It took some time to find her bliss in this world of costume design- Hats! She has been making hats for about 7 years, but got serious over the last 4 years. She hopes you will come away from her classes with real skills, not just a hat to wear. Check her out at RuMel Creations (rumelcreations.com). Libby Stephenson Libby Stephenson has been sewing and studying historical clothing for nearly 15 years, and has investigated almost every era of fashion back to the Stone Age. She currently lives in Amsterdam with her spouse and a mischievous cat. Crystal Taggart Crystal Taggart is driven by her desire to learn new skills. She's had the opportunity to study costume design, millinery, silversmithing, embroidery, and so many others. Still on the "to be learned" list are shoe making and blacksmithing. For the past 15 years, her days job has been running Crystal's Idyll (crystalsidyll.com), a costume company specializing in fantasy. Her work has been worn on 6 continents, stage and screen, as well as countless conventions and ren faires. She raises Shetland sheep on the small farm she owns with her husband on the Olympic Peninsula. Laura Tan Laura Tan, PT, DPT graduated from the George Washington University with a doctorate of physical therapy. Laura has been working in outpatient orthopedics since 2015 and started working part-time in an interdisciplinary chronic pain program in 2019. While she dreamed of sewing during grad school, she was able to realize her dream of learning garment sewing once she settled into her career. After enduring the various aches and pains of crafting, she has combined her professional and creative pursuits to share with her fellow crafters to help them continue to achieve their costuming fantasies. Jerrie Taylor Jerrie Taylor grew up surrounded by sewing and crafting and has continued ever since. Her passion lies in making bags and purses. She has sewn, altered, and designed dozens of styles including backpacks, handbags, travel bags, wallets, and more. Currently, she makes and sells hand-crafted one-of-a-kind items through her local boutique. She also enjoys crafting and crocheting. Using her sewing skills, she often alters ready-made clothing to improve style and fit. She has enjoyed expanding her sewing knowledge to include the wonderful world of costuming. Asha Taylor Asha Taylor is an introverted little craft dragon. She's been sewing and crafting since she was old enough to "borrow" (lol) her mom's crafting supplies. She learned to sew through 4h (iykyk), but she's self taught when it comes to historical sewing. This will be her 3rd year at Costume College and her 1st teaching. She's so thankful for all the wonderful people who have helped her along her costuming journey and while she's definitely not an expert she hopes she can pay it forward and pass on some small tidbit that will help someone else on their journey. Megan Terry Megan Terry is a writer and editor who has been costuming as a hobby for 14 years and sewing for even longer. She dove head-first into the world of cosplay in 2009 and hasn't emerged since. In college, she began making fantasy-inspired clothing to wear in everyday life. While her main focus has been cosplay and fantasy costuming, she's expanded into historical costuming as well as formal dress making. Kendra Van Cleave Kendra Van Cleave has been creating and studying historic costumes for over 30 years (although we won’t talk about those early mishaps). She is also a fashion historian, specializing in the 18th century. She has published a book on 18th century hair & wig styling (18thCenturyHair.com), will have an academic book published this year (“Dressing à la Turque”), and reviews historical costumes in movies and TV for Frock Flicks (FrockFlicks.com). Bree Wardlow Seamstress, corset maker, leather worker and more-Bree Wardlow has been sewing and creating clothes and costumes since childhood. She has a degree in Accessories Design from FIT, and works in aerospace building air tight components for spacecraft. She has a passion for historical costuming, especially the 18th century. She enjoys sharing her knowledge and experience with others. She believes everyone can make what they want and have fun doing it, while being responsible and respectful of course! “Appreciation not appropriation”, and “vintage style, not vintage values” are important things to remember! Lauren Wills Lauren Wills has been cosplaying since 2008 and has done historical reenactments, fantasy faire and more. She was taught by her mother and countless YouTube tutorials on various sewing techniques and fabric identification. Dave Wilson Dave Wilson has been a history devotee for as long as he can remember. A fascination with medieval heraldry led to so many other fields of interest that there are few things he's not interested in. He's taught at Costume College on heraldry, medieval tournaments, armor, cour boille (medieval fiberglass), hat boxes, frog closures, the 1915 panama pacific exposition, the 1521 Field of Cloth of Gold, leather uses during the Civil War, lost luggage from the Titanic (900 tons!). Best of all is the people he's met and the things he's learned at Costume College. Lisa Wilson Lisa Wilson is currently the Costume Shop Assistant at University of Mississippi. She has her MFA in Costume Design/Technology from Kent State University. Her special areas of interest include: Historical and natural fabric dying, spinning, weaving, puppetry, and crazy quilting. Kathryn Wolters Kathryn Wolters is a confirmed costuming, craft, and general textile junkie from age 9, making historical clothing for her Barbie doll. She graduated to sewing adult sized folks thru various costumning groups for the last 45 yrs. Erin Woodward Erin Woodward has costumed and won awards for historical reenacting for over 30 years focusing on the 19th century. Erin has also created costumes for school and church plays and long distance running events. She is interested in all types of sewing and crafting, especially quilting, beading, and crochet. As a high school teacher, she has taught both quilting and crochet to her students. Lauren Yeager Lauren Yeager is a textile artist with a particular interest in studying and preserving traditional garments and embroidery. She studied with the Royal School of Needlework in the UK, the Japanese Embroidery Center, and Ecole Lesage. She has a BFA in Fashion Design from Columbia College- Chicago, and has received multiple awards, including the DCASE Individual Artist Grant three years running. Before coming to the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design (sfsnad.org), Lauren worked as a production assistant for visual artist Nick Cave in his Chicago Studio and has extensive experience as a freelance artist. Jo Yeakley Jo Yeakley has been sewing for over 50 years, though not professionally, and teaching for decades. Focusing on historical and performance costuming, Jo has also explored making trims, jewelry, and accessories, learning whatever techniques were needed along the way. Acknowledged as an effective communicator in her day job in biotech, Jo enjoys sharing knowledge and engaging like-minded others. |