Distressing 

    Fanshen is a play set in agrarian China at the time when the new communist power was establishing itself. It describes the peasants’ political struggle in the village of Long Bow. All costumes for the production were built from scratch. To make them stand out from the earthy brown set, the costume pieces were dyed within a very tight range of cool colors. They were then distressed to look old by airbrushing shadows into the folds and seams as well as “attacking” the costumes with various abrasive devices .

Dye Work

"Gown of Dieties"

    This garment, designed and constructed in the traditional Chinese Ching Dynasty Robe style, is hand dyed using the Gutta Resist method. The figures were first drawn on the robe’s paper pattern, and then copied onto the corresponding fabric pieces. After resist was applied to the lines of the figures, colors were laid in. When the resist was removed and the fabrics thoroughly rinsed, the garment was put together. The fabric used is a rayon-silk blend.