Where It All Started
- Lucy Knas
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
I learned how to sew by hand at a very young age, mostly from my mom; she wasn’t much of a sewer herself, but I was always a very creative child with an insatiable appetite for arts and crafts, so she taught me what she knew. When I was eight, my grandma taught me how to use her sewing machine and read a pattern, and that year, she bought me my own sewing machine for Christmas. Over the next few years I used it off and on until, like any artsy child, I took an interest in theatre. In middle school, drama was my elective of choice and in 8th grade, we could take a class where we put on a musical at the end of the semester. It was definitely more of an acting class, but I quickly became invested in making for the stage. When the opportunity arose, I jumped at the chance to help paint the set, fix props, and of course, sew costumes.
It all started when I overheard my director, Mary (Ms. Bogrette at the time), mention a costume she wanted altered. I told her that I had a sewing machine and that it wouldn’t be too hard to do, and that night I walked out with a box full of costumes. In that moment something happened that I had never before experienced in my life: an adult trusted my ability, and not for one minute did she second guess me for my age. I knew I had the skills, and Mary gave me the license to take that and run with it. That little bit of faith and the willingness to rely on my small area of expertise gave me this glow; it may have only been some simple alterations, but I took so much pride in sewing those costumes. Little did I know at the time, the foundation I had established with my teacher and director would continue to grow over the next four years. In a surprising turn of events, as I became a freshman, Mary took up a position teaching at the high school. I had already been looking forward to continuing theatre, but after that, I was ecstatic.
When it came time for the fall musical, I wanted so badly to make it work, but due to scheduling conflicts, I found myself working in the costume shop instead. While it may not have been my original plan, I was excited to work behind the scenes again. Not to mention, I could still perform in the winter play. As it turned out, I never did audition, but instead continued in the costume shop for the entirety of my time in high school. It was a running joke that I basically lived in the performing arts wing. Between theatre, orchestra, marching band, I would often spend 6+ hours a day in that hall alone—and that was just on a normal school day. As I continued to take on more responsibility in our little costume department—moving from alterations and repairs, to designing and building custom pieces—I started to seriously consider theatre as an option long-term. By the end of my sophomore year, I knew I wanted to pursue a career in theatrical costumes, and by winter of my senior year, I was accepted into the Theatre Design & Production program at The University of Michigan.
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