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Movie seamstress reaps what she sews
Photos by Mark Lorenz for the Boston Globe
Bettina Hastie (top and above) worked on a corset for a client. Hastie has worked on set for films such as “Shutter Island.’’
By Cindy Atoji Keene
Globe Correspondent

Bettina Hastie’s business card reads, “Mercenary Seamstress for Hire.’’ She prefers it over “freelance.’’

Her stitching services aren’t cheap, and she prides herself on being a commando in her trade. That means things like showing up at 4:45 a.m. at Crane Beach in Ipswich to make alterations for a movie shoot, or sewing in a grungy warehouse for last-minute production fittings. Sewing is more than the act of fitting, pinning and stitching, says Hastie, who has worked as a costumer and stitcher for dozens of films and plays.“Sewing is more mental than physical. First it’s assessment, then problem solving, and finally, technique,’’ she says. “It’s more than just fixing a hem: How will the costume be used, for one evening or 40 performances? Are the pants too long or is he short-waisted? What is the material? How quickly does it need to be altered?’’ Hastie spoke with Globe correspondent Cindy Atoji Keene about how she stitched together a sewing career:

“I always bring my Bernina sewing machine to every shoot; it’s like my alter ego — I’m a Bettina and it’s a Bernina. We’re both scrappy, dependable, and unfussy. My husband gave it to me when I was working on the film ‘Shutter Island.’ I also bring a conglomeration of other things that help me be MacGyver: threads, needles, bobbins, six different scissors, safety pins, marking tools, and rulers and even lip balm. Sometimes I’m sitting outside the cast trailers, ironing or sewing in the cold. This craft is satisfying, especially taking the patterns of the costume designer and making them into real, tangible wardrobe pieces.

“If an actor or model is nervous around pins and needles during a fitting, I like to joke, ‘I haven’t lost anyone yet doing this.’ And there’s a saying, that if you’re going to bleed on a garment, bleed on the seam allowance.’ That’s supposed to be good luck for the actor but maybe not so much for me.

“I actually didn’t learn to sew till I was 20, when I took an Introduction to Costuming class. I discovered I had a ‘hand’ for sewing and an eye for color. From there, I began sewing, repairing and creating — just because I can and not everyone is able to. When you work with your hands, it’s a different measure of intelligence, using both hands and head.

“My favorite seamstress moment happened recently: I constructed five large silver bags at my home work space for the recent ‘Ghostbusters’ film. I made five of them because extras were needed for the film, especially since one is run over by a subway train. It’s made of a special fire-resistant fabric that was aged and distressed by the movie crafts department. Then I took my 12-year-old son to see the movie. We squealed and hugged each other when the bag came on the screen and the scientist character stored her scientific gear in it.

“These are the fun moments, but I never forget the seamstresses who came before me: the women and children who toil in sweatshops; those killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory who brought safer-work awareness; and Betsy Ross and Rosa Parks, considered “terrorists’’ and troublemakers. Every time I pick up a needle, or turn on my sewing machine I represent all of that and myself, as a maker. I once had a bumper sticker on my car that read: ‘Member of the Ladies Sewing Circle and Terrorist Society.’ ’’

Cindy Atoji Keene can be reached at cindy@cindyatoji.com.