Fun & Challenging Projects – Part 2
Rod Stewart Tour Custom Plaid
In late 2006, we were approached by the tour’s designer. The designer had a great idea – design the entire set around fabric. But not just any fabric – the Stewart Family Tartan. The problem: there wasn’t a Stewart Family Tartan fabric available in the grand scale needed for custom stage curtains – most available tartan fabric is on a scale that would be lost in a large arena. Despite (or perhaps because) of the challenges, we jumped right in to find a solution. Here is what we did:
- Found a traditional textile dye house with a drum printer that could print this grand scale Stewart Family Tartan onto 1,500 yards of 100% cotton fabric
- Had the printed fabric custom flame-proofed through topical treatment
- Cut the fabric extremely carefully to allow exact pattern matching (very difficult in a large format)
- Sewed those 1,500 yards into pleated skirting and drapery, including a 36′ h x 160′ w Austrian Drape, which would be hung on a circular mechanical truss and raised and lowered for this “In the Round” show
- Did it all in three weeks from start of project to delivery of finished soft goods, in time for rehearsals prior to the tour’s mid-January 2007 opening show
Here is a photo of the finished drapery, installed for rehearsals
Isn’t this gorgeous and dramatic?
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