Refurbishing and Tailoring

 

Does my costume qualify for refurbishment?

I love to refurbish costumes and breathe new life into them. Making a project more wearable, aesthetically pleasing, sturdy, and looking good is one of my favorite things to help clients with. However knowing if your costume qualifies for refurbishment by me is the first step to this process, some of the questions I will need to know upfront are:

• Plans: Will this refurbishment lead to a sale or a new owner (that is not you) once I finish?
• Age: Is the costume older but used little, or is it still relatively new but used a lot? Knowing the age of your costume and how much use it has seen will help to know before we start.
• Condition: Would you describe it as "falling apart"? Or has it seen years of heavy use already?
• Build style: Upholstery foam, resin, 3d printed, cast foam, EVA foam, plastic, and so on, I have a wide range of experience working with almost all build styles.
• Completion level: Is this costume a WIP that needs to be finished or completed? Is there a quantity of unsewn areas I will need to attend to?
• Amount of work needed: Does it need lots of reconstruction?

In some of these above cases it may be less likely that I will be able to accept your refurbishing project. That doesn't mean it is out of the question, but you should be upfront with me about your plans, the condition, the age, build style, finish, and completion level of your costume. There is a point in which it might be better to replace, rather than refurbish, if the condition is too far gone.

I am most interested in projects that are going to be enjoyed for years to come by the person hiring me for the project, and less interested in being used to just help you make a sale. Costumes that are falling apart due to heavy wear, WIPs, or projects that have very poor finishing, or ones that have seen heavy use are only accepted on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes I can help, but more often heavily worn, aged, or incomplete costumes, as well as ones that need a very large amount of work needed, those are ones that will often result in a recommendation for replacement rather than refurbishment, and it is best we are each upfront about this before we begin.

 

About working with me

Should I choose to accept a local appointment with you in my home studio, or if I travel to you, pricing is based on an hourly rate that will be discussed privately with you based on your needs. I break it down into 2 price tiers:

• Consultation & Tutoring -- This is where techniques are demonstrated with my guidance, and/or taught to you, such as maintenance, cleaning, hand sewing, or using a sewing machine. You do the task, with my hands-on help. This is also the price tier for my participation/assistance in creating a duct tape body double.
• Body & Head Work -- This includes my work done on bodies, heads, paws, tails, or other costume parts or accessories. This is the most highly specialized and encompasses anything to do with me performing work on the costume itself. This also includes if any cleaning or maintenance is done for you, rather than just demonstrated.

Materials costs are separate, if applicable. Should you require an appointment for a project that needs rushed, or scheduled at a time where it is not convenient for me, higher rates will apply.

I ask that you be respectful when joining me, it is a "safe for work" environment. I do not have a lobby or a waiting room, so in most cases you will be encouraged to drop off the project with me and I will let you know a time frame when it is finished. In select circumstances, work I do may be available for same-day or next-day pickup. If I must perform services as you wait, such as  a duct tape dummy, or if it is a quick fix, or if I am providing teaching or instruction, a time frame for the day will be outlined. I will work on the most important items first and the least important items will be pushed to last in case they are not tended to in the time frame. It is more likely that there are just times where it is more ideal to leave your project and pick it up again once I complete the work.

Thank you for understanding!

Surprise guests are not always conductive to a professional atmosphere, so please ask before bringing a friend or family member. It is usually OK, and helpers are encouraged to join for Duct Tape body double services. If tutoring is something that they will be participating in, I ask that they also pay the hourly rate to be involved with the class session, as that is priced per person.

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This page will have more information on what I offer once I am ready to open for new mail-in clients! I appreciate you thinking of me for your refurbishing or tailoring project, and hope you keep me in mind for the future!