Miss Mina Murray

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! You almost didn’t get a tip this week because WordPress was being weird and wouldn’t let me log into my account. But, crisis averted.

Before we get to your tip, I want to remind you that Introduction to Burlesque and Burlesque Your Way: Halloween Edition start this Sunday!

And now, your tip!

Black fabric comes in different shades.

Sounds kind of crazy, right? But black dyes have different undertones, which may not be readily apparent under standard…

Dear Constant Reader,

Once again I participated in the Boston Public Library’s summer reading challenge and once again I read a book in every category on both bingo boards. There was a great reward for a blackout bingo board this year — you got to pick any book in the library and sign a bookplate that would be put into it. I chose Night Shift by Stephen King — one of the most perfect collections of short stories, in my opinion.

As usual, none of these were re-reads (except the one that had to be) and…

Dear Constant Reader,

My summer has been all about peaches. For the past several years we’ve gotten two case of peaches over the course of the summer. Most of them just get eaten, but I cook a thing or two…

There’s always jam. It’s like putting summer in a jar.

When the NY Times Monthly Bake column featured this Peaches & Cream Victoria Sandwich, I knew I had to make it. A gaming day at the Manor was the perfect occasion.

A week later a friend’s party was a reason to make…

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s been a hell of a week. My intention today was to have a tip inspired by Dixie Evans, The Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque, because today would have been her 100th birthday. However, Dixie is going to have to share the limelight with two icons we lost: Dolly Parton and Tim Curry.

Commit to your character.

All three of them created or played big characters and embodied them fully. You can do it too! Throw yourself whole-heartedly into whatever you are performing.

An extra…

Dear Constant Reader,

I wasn’t paying attention, but last week was my 750th tip! It probably should have been something more momentous than a tip about laundry, but c’est la vie. Here’s one of those tips I was sure I’d given you before, but apparently not.

If you’re going to do a stocking peel, you’re going to need to do a shoe remove first.

Unless you’re just going to roll your stockings down to your ankles and leave them there, the shoes have to come off.

These writings and other creative…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Before I get to your tip, I’m thrilled to announce that the autumn classes at BABE are open for registration!

As usual, we have Introduction to Burlesque every month. In September and October our advanced class will be Burlesque Your Way: Halloween Edition. I am super-excited for this version of our act creation course because I’m teaching it with Devastasia and to say we love Halloween is an understatement. I can’t wait to see what the students come up with! In…

Dear Constant Reader,

Here it is, Friday again. And we’ve got a heat advisory again. I hope you all are staying cool. Which leads me to your tip.

Bring a fan to shows.

Not that kind of fan that cheers for you. And not the big feather kind either. A folding fan.

It helps keep you cool backstage. It’s also useful for drying your liquid liner or eyelash glue. Helps with hot flashes as well! In the summer I always have a folding fan in my purse, which I will employ whenever I think it’s too hot…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! On this last day of July, what are you looking forward to in August? Here’s you tip!

When practicing traveling turns, follow a line on the floor.

To move in a nice straight line across stage, give yourself a guide when practicing. If your floor doesn’t have convenient lines, lay out a piece of tape. If you start standing on the line and end on it, you’ve done it! If not, where you end up will let you know how you need to correct your course.

These writings…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

When sewing by machine, before you raise the foot and cut the thread, make sure your needle is in the highest position.

If the needle is in a lower position, the thread will probably be short and pop out of the needle when you raise it to start sewing again. It’s not a crisis, but it is annoying. Get into the habit of moving the needle all the way up before you cut the thread and you’ll be able to sew more efficiently, since you won’t be taking…

Dear Constant Reader,

Occasionally we’ve performed at Ya Mas, a Greek restaurant in a mall in New Hampshire, which was internet-famous for their over-the-top holiday decor.

We learned just the other day that, after celebrating their sixth anniversary last month, they closed. I’ll miss them. I understand why they chose to close and I’m very sorry we couldn’t have had one last meal there.

Performing there was a logistical challenge, but we made it work and had fun, while…