Book Title: Introduction to Costume Technology
Book Description: Introduction to Costume Technology is an Open Educational Resource for beginning theatre students and emerging technicians. Focused on the foundational tools, techniques, and workflows of a university costume shop, it combines clear, accessible instruction with applied sampler assignments that build practical sewing and shop skills. Topics include shop organization, safety, hand and machine sewing, fasteners, serging, gathers, and buttonholes, with planned expansions into patterning, crafts, and wardrobe roles. Suitable for use alongside hands-on instruction, this resource supports student learning, production readiness, and cross-disciplinary understanding of the collaborative nature of costume technology.
Contents
Book Information
Book Description
Introduction to Costume Technology is a foundational Open Educational Resource designed for early-year college students—particularly those studying theatre—who are new to costume construction. The book provides a practical, skills-based introduction to the work of the university costume shop, offering clear instruction paired with hands-on sampler assignments that allow students to build a personal skills reference notebook.
Initial chapters cover the organization and function of the costume shop, key tools and supplies, fabric basics, hand sewing, fasteners, machine sewing, serging, and specialized techniques like gathers and buttonholes. The text is intended to be used alongside classroom lectures, demonstrations, and coaching and can serve both as a curriculum backbone and an independent study reference.
Future planned expansions include basic patterning, wardrobe technician responsibilities, and an introduction to costume crafts such as distressing and millinery. Though rooted in the practices of one university program, this OER is designed to be adaptable and collaborative, inviting instructors at other institutions to modify and supplement it to suit their own shop structures, pedagogical goals, and production needs.
License
Introduction to Costume Technology Copyright © by Jill Van Brussel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
Subject
Theatre: technical and background skills
Metadata
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Introduction to Costume Technology Copyright © by Jill Van Brussel is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.