Alterations & Maintenance LogEasyStagecraft Course · Tier 1B · Module 6 (Wardrobe & Makeup) · v1.0 · the line the costume-hire quote never includes and the budget always forgets

Production

Wardrobe supervisor

Season dates

Maintenance station location

What this is — and why it matters more than the garment list. Whichever route a costume arrives by, it then needs to fit a specific body (alterations) and survive a run of shows (maintenance). Summed across a cast, those two things routinely cost more than acquiring the costumes did. This log captures both: the build-phase alteration work, and the nightly running repairs across the run. Keep it at the maintenance station with a needle, thread and a hot-glue gun, and never lose a costume to "someone will fix it later."

Type key: ALT alteration (fit) · REP running repair · LDY laundry/freshening · CON consumable used. Status key: TODO · WIP in progress · DONE.

Worked example · alteration + maintenance entries

Date	Garment / Performer	Type	Work / Issue	Who	Hrs	Cost	Status
12/06	Sandy cardigan (Mia)	ALT	Hem up 4cm; move two buttons	Parent — Jo	1.0	—	DONE
12/06	Danny jacket (Jai)	ALT	Shorten sleeves 3cm	Parent — Jo	0.75	—	DONE
13/06	Pink Ladies jackets ×4	ALT	Take in waist on 2; let out 1; hem all	Sewing team	3.5	A$0	WIP
15/06	Teen Angel suit (Sam, hire)	ALT	Pin & tack only — NO permanent alteration (hire terms)	Sewing team	0.5	—	DONE
18/06	Sandy skirt (Mia)	REP	Popped seam after dance number — re-stitched	Dresser	0.25	—	DONE
19/06	Full cast — show 2 turnaround	LDY	Wash + air sweat-affected pieces; spot-clean leads	Maint. shift	2.5	A$18	DONE
19/06	Wardrobe station	CON	Restock: hem tape, 2 spare zips, dress shields	Supervisor	—	A$26	DONE
20/06	Danny jeans (Jai)	REP	Broken zip — replaced	Dresser	0.5	A$4	DONE

What the totals tell you. Sum the Hrs column = the real labour your "free" parent team is carrying (cost it at a notional rate to see the true wardrobe spend). Sum the Cost column = consumables + paid repairs. On most shows the alterations-and-maintenance total exceeds the garment-acquisition total — which is exactly why you budget this line first.

Blank log — fill across the build and the run

Date	Garment / Performer	Type	Work / Issue	Who	Hrs	Cost	Status

The maintenance station — kit checklist

Needles, threads (black/white/neutral + show colours), pins, safety pins
Hot-glue gun + sticks (fast field repairs)
Spare buttons, zips, hooks-and-eyes, elastic, hem tape
Dress shields, fabric tape, fabric scissors, seam ripper
Spot-cleaner, fabric freshener, lint roller, steamer/iron
This log + a pen, on the wall, filled in every night

The rule that prevents the ragged show: nothing goes back on a hanger un-fixed. A popped seam logged tonight is a five-minute repair; ignored, it's a wardrobe failure mid-performance tomorrow.