By: Kristen P Ahern

blue cutting tables, sewing machines, ironing table, dress forms in beige room — Threadline Studios main workspace

For our first few features, I want to stay in my Chicago community which inspires me so much. February we are highlighting Beth Uber, an incredible local draper and a champion of shared resources for costume professionals.

While many people have discussed the need for shared studio space, in 2014 Beth took the leap and launched Threadline Studios to fill that need. She was fascinated by the sharing economy which worked well for industries like transportation or conventional office space. After a large contract for Lyric Opera that exceeded the capacity of her small apartment and led to MANY awkward red line rides, Beth realized how impossible constructing costumes without shop infrastructure is; she needed a real workspace if she was going to make freelance draping her full time career. It needed everything that her job at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre shop had, but she did not need it all to herself and could share the resource. Thus both Uber Costume and Threadline Studios were born in a Rogers Park storefront that Beth passed each day on her way to the red line.

Many theatres in Chicago do not offer construction space for costumes, in contrast to many other design areas, so local designers and technicians previously had to build and store costumes in their homes. Having Threadline as a resource empowers designers to have labor equity with other design areas. “By using the studio and turning a bill to the production manager, a costume designer can easily show an expense...negotiating time at the studio into your budget is useful way to demonstrate that, while most sets are similar in terms of materials and construction process, when a theatre picks intensive costume shows there is an additional challenge that should be taken into consideration and compensated for.” remarks Beth.

Threadline is a member based organization with a low enough cost for membership that even designers working in storefont theatres can afford ($25/year) and gain access to free perks (like free fabrics, notions, pattern and reference book library!). However, the real treasure of this space is...well, the space. Threadline offers all the perks of a major costume shop with a “pay as you go” rate of $25/day, this includes eight foot cutting tables, well maintained machines, industrial irons, a huge variety of dress forms, storage space, fitting space, etc… However, as Beth points out: “we can't pay the rent with compliments...Threadline needs people to use it to stay open.” A loyal, routine user base is key to any successful membership community.

Beyond a workspace, Beth created a gathering space for costume professionals to build community. I’ve met more Chicago costume professionals at Threadline in the last few months of our partnership than I did for the first three years of working in the city. It is a community of costume folks who have decided ENOUGH with cutting fur and sequins on our kitchen tables and who want to separate work and home and it is so inspiring. If you live in or around Chicago, come check out the space by booking a tour or coming to one of our open houses.

Beth and I met about six months ago as I began researching space for a shared costume stock. Conscious Costume Closet opened within Threadline Studios because Beth and I instantly saw a common cause in our individual missions: to serve Chicago costume professionals and be the infrastructure that small theatre companies do not offer.

Sharing resources is one of the best ways to be more environmentally and ethically conscious in your costume production, it reduces waste and increases accessibility! I’m thrilled to work with her and this is why Beth Uber is the February #ConsciousHeroOTM!

If you think work like this is important and want to see more of it, please consider becoming a patron for as little as $2/month and gain access to exclusive content.

beige room with theatre photos on the wall, corkboard, grey sofa — Threadline Studio’s private fitting room complete with the most comfortable couch I’ve ever napped on!