Sharon,
I am impressed beyond words. Your work is stunning! It just goes to show that great results do not occur by accident. I really admire your degree of forethought and planning, leaving nothing to chance. Dressing your mannequin in the actual costume to ensure accuracy of color and form is such a smart idea. Just obtaining such gigantic reference prints is a daunting task for most of use!
Elizabeth and I were both thinking the same thing: You must use tons of pastels in works so large. You confirmed that you order hundreds of dollars worth at a time. (Not a number for the faint of heart!) Do you ever purchase the giant sized sticks by Sennelier and Unison? What are your favorite brands of pastel? Do you work fat over lean (in the way pastellists use the term)? Lots of questions, I know. Sorry.
But there's one more. Please, if you would, tell us how you address the problem of framing such large pieces?