Miss Mina Murray

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…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday!

Before we get to your tip, I want to remind you about my on-line classes. The third Tuesday of every month at 7pm Eastern I’m offering a talk on history or costuming or whatever strikes my fancy. I’m having a great time nerding out, researching, and creating theses classes and presentations for you. If you can’t make the class, you’ll still get the recording and resources.

Upcoming workshops are:

• July 21, Achieving Closure: how to choose and use the best…

Dear Constant Reader,

This book is only tangentially related to burlesque — in a couple of ways you might expect and one you probably don’t. Michelle L’amour told me about this book, probably not long after it came out, and I’m grateful.

Peep Show Pinups: The Golden Era by Jo and Paul Richardson, 2009.

The book is primarily a survey of erotic photographs from the mid-19th century to about the 1920s. There are less than two dozen pages of the history of photography, with many photos included and…

Dear Constant Reader,

I hope those of you who had a holiday weekend last week enjoyed it!

If you are using any kind of electronics, bring all the cords.

Whether it’s a projector for your class, a black light for your act, a video camera to record the show, or anything else that needs power, make sure you have the power cable or charging cord, any connecting cables (like HDMI), and an extension cord. Even if you have prearranged (of course you prearranged this) with the venue and they’ve sworn…

Dear Constant Reader,

Almost exactly six years ago, I filmed this reading and then abandoned it. Yesterday, I decided it should finally see the light of day, filmed a new intro, and edited it. As usual, Scratch gave me a hand, finding the music and the fireworks for the credits. I do wish I had thought of this before we were having massive heat wave and I had to turn off the AC to film the intro. If I look a bit haggard, it’s because I’m actually melting before your eyes.

The reading is from Inside…

Dear Constant Reader,

After not feeling terribly motivated for a while, I did a bunch of costuming in June. Most of it was improvements to existing acts, which I had been meaning to get to for a while.

I’ve been using the same pair of gloves for a couple of acts and I wanted Mina in Furs, one of my most performed numbers, to have dedicated gloves. I found a pair of plain white satin gloves in my closet and Devastasia had some great embroidered net fabric, which I cut out the motifs to make appliqués…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday everyone! It’s been hot and humid these days, which inspired this tip.

You know to stay hydrated, but also keep your electrolytes in mind.

When you’re sweating, you’re losing minerals, like sodium, even if you’re drinking enough water. If you lose enough of them, you can feel pretty terrible (ask me how I know!). You’ll be in no shape to perform if that happens.

The easy solution is to keep some appropriate snacks on hand during hot weather. Nuts, potato…

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! I hope you’re enjoying Juneteenth and reflecting on the day. This week’s tip is a thoughtful one:

There is always more to learn.

Even if you are an expert (or think you are an expert) in a subject, it’s worth learning from someone else. You’ll see new perspectives and perhaps information you hadn’t seen before. A class, a book or article, a documentary, a museum exhibit — it doesn’t matter. Expand your horizons and get out of your comfort zone.

Just this week…

Dear Constant Reader,

In 2007 one of our troupe members needed to take the summer off. Only a few of us knew what she was going to be doing and we had to keep quiet about it. In the fall we could finally reveal that she was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, Cycle 9. She has shared a little of the behind the scenes with us over the years, but now she’s letting everyone know what happened on ANTM in her new book

You Wanna Be on Top? A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming…