Out Damn Spot!Laundry Testing Stage Blood Recipes

Jessica Mueller and Holly Poe DurbinDownload this PPT http://pomo2k.wordpress.com

Titus AndronicusUniversity of California-Irvine

Costume Designer Jessica Mueller

Large Volume Blood Effects led toSearch for a Blood Recipe

• Blood would launder out effectively

• Laundry method must be simple enough for a wardrobe crew after every showincluding matinees

• Blood recipe ingredients were affordablewhen used in large quantities

Q? Which blood recipes matched our criteria?

Blood Recipes Tested- 12 Types

One Retail Product Ben Nye Stage Blood

Eleven Traditional Recipes With Common Ingredients Cornstarch Blood

Chocolate BloodCorn Syrup BloodBuckets o’ BloodLo-Cost BloodCardiff Red BloodCherry Red BloodMB2 BloodPudding BloodRealistic Recipe BloodKool Aid/ Jello Blood

Fibers & Weaves Tested- 23 Types

We Created Three Test Swatches for Every Recipe

Original Fabric, Blood Treated and Laundered

All fabrics washed, dried and ironed before testing

• Three swatches cut from each fabric

• Swatch #1 left alone- the control swatch

• Swatch #2 and #3 treated with same blood recipe

• Blood rubbed into surface, sat for 2 hours

• Swatch #2 preserved to show blood effect

• Swatch #3 pre-washed in Oxy-Clean

• Swatch #3 detergent laundered, dried, ironed

Testing Methods Duplicated what a Typical Wardrobe Crew would do each day

Tests Produced 252 Swatches“The Blood Book”

A comprehensive resource for blood effects

Guide to Results: Each Test Ranked For Wash-ability1 = Little/ No bleeding AND Little/No Visible Residue

2 = Some Bleeding, AND Little/ No Visible Residue

3 = Little/No bleeding AND Visible Residue

4 = Bleeding AND/OR Visible Residue

Example #1 Ranking- Most Washable

Example #2 Ranking- Faint Bleeding, Little or No Residue

Example #3 Ranking- Some Bleeding Or Residue After Washing

Example #4 Ranking – Visible Bleeding and/or Residue

And the winner is…. Best Recipe Washability

Realistic Blood

Lo-Cost Blood

Cherry Red Blood

Cornstarch Blood

Each recipe 17-18 number 1 ranksWash from widest range of fabrics

Each recipe did stain some individual fabrics

Worst Recipe Washability

Pudding Blood

MB2 Blood

11 and 9 number 4 ranks respectivelyBoth washed successfully from polyester fibers

Best Overall Fiber Performance…the Synthetics

AcetatePolyesterAcrylic

Synthetics resisted more recipes than any other fiberWider flexibility to allow for specific FX or aesthetics

Fabric surface played a key factor- velour performed poorly

Worst Overall Fiber Performance

Cotton Silk

Weave and surface style were key factors

Blood AestheticsColor and Viscosity

Recipe Section with Cost Estimates

We provide two kinds of cost estimates for budgeting purposes only.We used readily available products found at the big box store, the grocery store or an art store.

We did not include water in these cost estimates, or the cleaning supplies to launder the blood from garments. Please note, our wardrobe crew pre-soaked the garments every night in Oxy-Clean before laundering. Your laundry costs will increase accordingly.

#1 INITIAL COST = the investment to buy ingredients new for one recipe. This figure represents the highest cost for the least amount of blood mixed. For instance, a recipe calling for ½ cup of flour figures the entire cost of a 5 lb bag of flour as your initial investment, because you can’t buy just a ½ cup.

#2 BATCH COST ESTIMATE = the cost amortized by actual ingredient use. This method attempts to calculate a per cup estimate of this recipe, or the lowest cost of using this recipe if it were made in large batches. For instance, if a recipe uses 1/2 cup of flour, we used the average cost per cup of in a 5 lb bag of flour. This figure is created mathematically and is intended ONLY as a handy guide to long term affordability.

Recipe Name: Chocolate Blood

Do you have feedback? Need more info?For design and performance details, please contact Jessica

To request method and cost details, ask Holly for the long form Summary To request this Powerpoint as a PPS or PDF, please contact Holly

Jessica Mueller jscmueller@hotmail.comHolly Poe Durbin hdurbin@uci.edu