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Design & production portfolio · San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts

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Costume design

Annabelle W. — Portfolio

Hi! I'm Annabelle, a 9th grade Peformance Theatre Major at SDSCPA.

At a glance

Focus
Costume design
Tools
Materials such as cotton and linen, hand sewing, sewing machines.
Projects
Enchanted Forest Costume
Currently
Halloween Costume

My approach

I like to use theme, material, and resources to inspire my creations. I have the ability to create my own patterns so I'm not limited by the patterns I have available to be. That helps me because then my creativity doesn't have limits and I can create almost anything I desire.

Sketches, construction and finished costumes

2026-27

Enchanted Forest Costume

Flat muslin to finished garment in four weeks. The costume unit takes Technical Theatre 1/2 students from a flat pattern to a garment that fits a body and survives wear. Each student developed a character against a shared theme, worked it through research, sketch and color rendering, then moved to the shop floor: reading pattern markings, laying out and cutting on grain, threading machine and bobbin, and sewing straight seams with backstitching. Every piece is muslin, the unbleached cotton a costume shop mocks up in. In one color, the design has to be carried by silhouette and construction. The finished work includes paneled corsets laced through hand-set eyelets, installed zippers, elastic waistband casings, tiered and circle skirts, applied trim and hand embroidery. Several students drafted their own patterns from their measurements.

2026-09-16

Costume Project

Build a wearable garment and document the whole process, start to finish, in one presentation. The garment is direct evidence of every skill in this unit: cutting, machine operation, and construction order. The presentation is where you show the design thinking behind it.

How a design comes together

  1. Character research

    I gather information on the time period and location that my character is based in.

  2. Renderings

    I then use that information to make realistic silouette, fabric, and color renderings.

  3. Fabric and construction

    I choose my fabrics and techniques by determining which would be most efficient and accurate.

  4. Fittings and performance

    After fitting the base of the costume I then add details such as embroidery, lace, and other trims.

During this project I learned to check what resources you had available to you prior to starting designing.

There were several times during this project that I was left having to completely redesign my project because I realized I either didn't have the right fabrics or didn't have enough.

Resume

Skills

  • Safety Certified
  • Can operate industrial sewing machine
  • Can operate standard sewing machine
  • Can hand sew
  • Can hand embroider
  • Can hang lights
  • Can set up and take down speakers and sound board
  • Can operate light board