Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531371
On Ahsoka, there was plenty of work for Carol who had fellow Ager/Dyer Sarah Brown dye the fabrics of the Nightsister Great Mothers, among many other characters. "Sarah did the dyeing of the red fabric, I was working on other stuff, but we both aged them. We split them up and aged them and it was like working on a period garment." On this production, Carol said the things she aged, "were actually beautiful, even if they were beautiful in their destruction and their aging, so it was really fulfilling." The first time that Carol was awestruck by the final product of her work was when she saw A Wrinkle in Time in the theater and Mrs. Whatsit (played by Reese Witherspoon) in the rolling green fields of the planet Uriel before she turns into a leafy creature. Carol tells us that she worked with two Specialty Costumers to make the beautiful costume, among the other wonderful costumes seen in the film. Claudia Hardy, now retired, worked as a "painter extraordinaire" and Brenda Scaglione who would "paern beautifully and fast." For the Mrs. Whatsit dress, Carol says that "we did a lot of devoré" (creating a paern on a velvet fabric by disintegrating some of the pile with chemicals). "Claudia came up with the artwork for the paern that we would stencil on with the fiber etch. We were doing yards of that velvet and some silk that we devoréd also, then we pleated things. And Brenda would figure out how to cut pieces so that they hung the way [Costume Designer] Paco Delgado wanted them to hang." This costume was featured on the cover of the book The Art of Disney Costuming, a fact that Carol is very proud of. As she began her film career with great mentorship, Carol is adamant about sharing information that will help her team and other Costumers working in this industry. "You have your toolbox, and you sometimes have to expand it or come up with something out of le field to get what you want. But you have your basic tools with you all the time. And by tools, I mean, 'If you do this to that fabric, it'll look like this, or if you mix this paint…'" Her experience has given her the tools to be prepared in almost every situation as an Ager and Dyer, but says there is always more to learn. "I have different dyes that are much beer for different uses. If you want something bland because the designer just wants it to not pop out, then you use RIT dye. But if you want beautiful, bright colors, then you use Dylon, which comes from England. There are some acid dyes that are beer for wools, the only thing you should use on wools. And then there's some dyes that have come out now that will actually dye polyester, but it's not that healthy and it's hard to get it to temperature and keep it at temp long enough to get a really good color out of it. The science part of dyeing is that you have to learn the rules for each fabric. What makes this fabric work and doesn't ruin it? So, when you know the basic science of everything, then it's more of an art." Carol is currently working with Key Costumer Stefanie Cytron on a personal cra and business project, Dye Another Day, where Stefanie uses all natural dyes and Carol uses commercial dyes on different garments. Carol utilizes ice dying and tells us that "as soon as I get my garage back, I will be branching out" in other dye techniques. You can follow their work on Instagram at @dyeanotherdaystudios or check out their store, Dye Another Day Studio, on Etsy. then you can walk away from the machine and get some other stuff done. Someone who will listen to how you want something aged and geing somebody that already has skills is just a gi. You try to keep the same people because you know their skills, and they know what you do, and you're familiar with them and you've talked with them, but because there are so few people that do what we do, you don't usually get that. You're lucky when you can get the people you want." MOTIONPICTUREC O S T U M E R S .O R G 35