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November 20, 2009

Costume designer creates angel for Fort Gibson

By Liz McMahan

FORT GIBSON — The angel atop this year’s 25-foot community Christmas tree arrived in town several weeks ago dressed in purple and without her wings.

For the third consecutive year, professional costumer Bette Bradley is transforming a doll into an angel that will overlook downtown.

“It’s got to be that size,” Bradley said. “You would not be able to see her from the street if it was any smaller.”

She said the first year’s angel was too small and looked tiny atop the tree. Last year’s was a little larger, but still did not satisfy Bradley.

This year’s doll may be just right, Bradley said.

“She’s a reasonable size,” she said. “I don’t like doing small stuff.”

The doll came dressed as Scarlett O’Hara.

Bradley is covering the purple dress with white taffeta and lace and other materials, turning her into a brunette angel.

As a professional costumer in California, the England-born Bradley said she has made costumes for theater and stage and ones ranging from Playboy bunnies to Twinkies and Ding Dongs. So she wasn’t afraid to tackle the angel project or to step outside her comfort zone on other works.

“If someone comes in and says ‘Can you make this?’ I never say no,” she said.

Bradley, who, with her husband Mike, operates Uniforms of Antiquity in Fort Gibson, turned from her angel project Friday to pick up work on a cowboy re-enactor’s costume she had been working on.

Bradley said she began sewing at age 5 and by the time she finished grammar school and at age 13, she elected to go into a trade school that included her working with a very good seamstress one day a week.

By the time she was 15, Bradley took her first job in the trade. She was an apprentice to a fashion designer. She and other apprentices did the extensive handwork on haute couture dresses for the very wealthy.

And now she’s fashioning a heavenly dress for a tree ornament.

Tim Espe, one of the committee members for the Fort Gibson Hearts Club, said this year’s angel, along with the two previous ones will be saved to be sold at a fundraiser for the club.



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