BIRTLE, Man. — Sewing is a means to an end for costume designer Elly Sotas. Her real passion lies in creating, crafting and constructing.
“If I had to cut out a pattern, I would lose interest really quickly,” said the owner of Whooo’s That costume and design.
From a 1922 hip roof barn loft near Birtle, Man., she has assembled an eclectic collection of costumes drawn from fairy tales, animated features, bygone days and Halloween favourites.
All are grouped on racks, shelves and walls like the clothes and accessories in retail outlets where she once worked.
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“I enjoy it and the next challenge around the corner and that’s what motivates me,” said Sotas, who indulges her love of costumes by dressing up for a Halloween social in Birtle each year.
She and her husband, Harry, have appeared as Lydia and Beetlejuice, the Pirates of the Caribbean, Kermie and Miss Piggy and the king and queen of hearts.
“My husband is very supportive and knows it’s keeping that part of me alive and happy,” said Sotas.
She surprised Harry on his 40th birthday by turning the lower barn into a series of turn-of-the-century rooms, including a saloon, hat shop, general store and blacksmith shop, from which she hosts teas and tours and takes old-fashioned photographs.
Harry called his wife a great talent who could take her skills to any movie or TV set.
“She plays the video in her head and I see it after in real life,” he said.
But Sotas chose Harry over Hollywood, settling into a life raising two daughters on a 1,500 acre grain farm.
The girls had their pick of thousands of costumes, but they usually preferred to create their own.
“It’s just their nature,” said Sotas, who noted one is pursuing a career in architecture.
She said current costume trends are princesses for girls and “anything scary” for boys.
“Pirates and princesses never go out (of fashion),” she said.
Among the self-taught seamstress’s more challenging projects were the armoire and candlestick from Beauty and the Beast, E.T. and the caterpillar from Alice and Wonderland. She has also made showgirl costumes for women to wear at a curling bonspiel, decorated the local school in a Grecian theme for graduation, created sets for school plays and fabricated a pirate ship parade float for Birtle’s 125th year celebrations.
At one end of the barn shop, Jack and the Beanstalk towers above Mr. Dressup’s tickle trunk.
“Never tell me I can’t do something. It drives me harder,” said Sotas.
Images of the many costumes she has created paper a room divider and fill photo albums.
“Once I have it, I keep it. I can’t part with it,” she said.
She creates costumes upon re-quest, largely because there is little room to accommodate much more, but her collection includes clothing purchases and donations.
She alters and remakes some and buys fabrics for others, ensuring the finished product looks and hangs correctly.
“Each costume is a piece of me,” she said. “I’m very protective.”
In recent years, teacher Glenn Marchand from Esterhazy, Sask., has brought a busload of his students to her farm to get outfitted for the high school’s annual play. Each of his 20 actors come armed with costume sketches.
After finding appropriate outfits, the group enjoys a wiener roast before heading home, he said, noting he’ll likely return for his play’s needs again next year.
“It’s nice to be able to get all the costumes from one place,” said Marchand, who paid $1,100 and used the rented costumes for several weeks of rehearsals and performances.
“Previous years, we’d get a little bit here, a little bit there. It was a bit of a logistical hassle,” he said.
This year, his actors staged The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.
“(Sotas) was able to completely outfit us for our play,” he said, noting it featured a number of animals and fantasy creatures, including a unicorn that had to be made from scratch. “She is extremely talented.”
Sotas’s busiest time is Halloween, when she can rent 150 outfits for up to $50 each. She markets her business mainly through word of mouth and a website, www.whooosthat.com, and has clients in Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan.
It’s more an indulgence than a business for Sotas, who admitted she’s not making enough money to take Harry on a Vegas vacation, but she has seen steady sales since starting in 1998.
With her youngest daughter now leaving home, she thinks it may be time to ramp it up.
“It’s my play money. It’s money I can reinvest into my hobby,” said Sotas. “If I quit reinvesting, I could probably make money.”
