Final evaluation

For my Self Directed unit I chose to study the Costume Store element as I felt this was the area in the industry I possibly want to continue with. As an extra part to this we were then introduced to project Breathe, which is part of the Olympic opening ceremonies in Weymouth. The projects are very different but combining the two has enabled me to refine my sewing skills but also experiment and explore different textiles techniques, giving me a strong body of work towards my professional portfolio.

At the beginning I was allowed time to complete lining my jacket from the previous Battle for the Winds unit. I was highly grateful for this as I had worked hard in producing a costume with a neat finish and didn’t want to let it down by rushing the lining. During my end of unit presentation tutors pointed out how areas such as the front edge didn’t lay flat and needed to be finished correctly. I was aware of this and explained how I had left the front for when inserting the lining. For this reason I wanted to finish everything to a high standard and show that my finishing skills are neat and tidy.

Once my jacket was complete I then joined the rest of my group in creating either a pair of breeches or a waistcoat. I was allocated a waistcoat to be made from a delicate striped fabric in cream.  At first I was extremely nervous as I knew any mistake would show but also that all stripes would need to be matched correctly. During construction of this garment the attention to detail was focused around the pockets and braid decoration. The pockets were the first step and extremely daunting but taking time over them was needed to avoid unnecessarily marking the fabric and having to re-cut. As the decoration was sewn by hand I wanted to take extra care but as stated in my blog, this extra time did set me back beyond the two-week time scale. This highlighted to myself how in some cases I perhaps need to be less cautious and keep on top of my time management. In the end I did gain a garment I am proud of but with this being the area of industry I want to enter, I will need to work on my pace of work ensuring I speed it up but still keeping to a high standard.

Although it was not something I signed up to, I have really enjoyed being a part of the Breathe project. When we first had our briefings about the different options available for the Self Directed unit this was not a project that appealed to me. However when it was further explained and I understood how the project involved a mixture of able and disabled bodies, I realized how much I could gain. Having been given the ‘Hunters’ designs has been nice to use various textiles techniques that I haven’t used since before university. This is an element I enjoy and given this opportunity I have produced two cloaks that include layering up of fabrics. Also the extra time given to Breathe has allowed me to create extra shoulder pads and a headdress towards my costumes. In particular I really enjoyed constructing the hat, as it is something completely different and I have been able to use equipment in the workshops that I have never worked with before. Part of this project asked for us to attend evening sessions and though the initial idea of running workshops did at first seem very daunting, as the weeks have pasted it has been really nice working with everyone. In particular there have been a couple of volunteers who have helped myself a few weeks in a row. This has been nice for them to see my costume progress and ask about my work but also for me to learn about their involvement in Breathe.

I did initially sign up for the costume store project in order to gain greater confidence that I can produce work to a high standard. As even though I am happy with my finished waistcoat I would have liked to continue constructing other garments as well. This being said I have really enjoyed being a part of Breathe and working with unusual materials to create unique costumes. I am pleased I have spent the last two weeks working full time on this project as I have been able to create two costumes and even though this term is finished I still want to attend the evening sessions to help break down all garments and see the project through to the end.

Continuing with Breathe

Although this term is coming to an end this Breathe project is still continuing for a few weeks. I now feel very involved in the project and want to see it through to the end. In particular my two cloaks are finished on the construction side but to match the brief as being hunters from the sea, they will need further breaking down. This will involve dip dying and painting into sections  as well as spraying on sandy effects that will really help complete the look. Also the evening sessions will continue so hopefully more volunteers will attend and can get involved in finishing their own garments.  

Final Hunter Hat

With the horns painted and dry then allowed for them to then be attached to some form of head-dress. For this we used baseball caps as they were already to a head shape and can be easily adjusted at the back. First we cut away the peak as this was not needed. Then inserting wire up into each horn we could use the remaining wire and the base to secure them to the cap where needed. With the wire coiled to the inside of the hat, we used circles of thin foam to cover this for comfort when worn by the artists. Another strip was also attached around the base as this meant it could sit further down on the head to feel more secure when worn. Finally we hand stitched strips of different fabrics across the entire hat to cover the base material and also give great texture.  

This close up shot really shows the variety in materials used and will look really effective when broken into to match the base costumes. They will complete the look and make the characters instantly recognisable as 'Hunters'. In order to sit securely on the artists heads elastic may need to be added but this is something that can be fixed during fittings to ensure it is correct for the specific person. 

Viking Hats

The designs show for each artist to wear head-dresses and these hats are inspired from the horns seen on vikings helmets. As they will be worn all day means they need to be lightweight but also secure to stay in place. Following the example created by the design team myself and another student worked together in creating two further hats to contribute. To create the shape shown below we had to cut a series of circles from blue foam using a hot saw in the workshop. Then once cut we could angle them so that when together they would create the curved horn shape pictured below. 

 

Then using a glue gun to fix in place they were ready to be filed for a smooth finish. As the characters are intended to have been well travelled the horns need to appear worn and broken down. To add texture we mixed sand into PVA glue to coat the foam before painting over them. Keeping this idea of worn down horns we painted a graduated colour of dark brown going up to white before using gold to highlight the raised sections of sand. I think the gold has helped in creating a really effective finish to show horns that are tired and battered from the sea.

Cloak #2 Final

As with the previous cloak I have finished this one with shoulder pads, barnacles and seaweed. The design showed for this cloak to sit mainly on the left shoulder and off the right. However when making this the weight of the fabric would put too much strain on the left shoulder so I have chosen to make it sit on both to even out the weight. So the artist will have enough space for movement I have also pulled back some of the bulk, but this time making it so the material sits over the two arms to show more of the figure. To connect the two sides I have also included a plaited rope so the design appears as though the cloak has just been picked up and quickly wrapped around the neck.

       

Above is an image showing a close up of barnacles and seaweed that cover both capes. The barnacles are placed in clusters with some being underneath sections of netting and the seaweed to appear as if it has caught onto parts of the costume. Once the whole garment has been broken down and colours dulled down I think all these added elements will look really effective and help show the characters as hunters of the sea.

Finally the image above shows where I have sewn on elastic hoops to the inside of the capes. This is so when worn they will sit comfortably in place and can follow the arm movements of the artists when performing. This is something I have included for both costumes as I feel it will be easier to wear but also make them sit correctly against the base costumes underneath. To stay in place poppers will also be sewn to the shoulders of the cloak and base costume. As these are waiting to be brought they are something that will need to be attached at a later date. 

Cloak #1 Final

With both cloaks now complete meant that I could finalise them by sewing on barnacles and seaweed. The 'hunters' are intended to be hunters of the sea and be part of the beach. For this reason the cloaks need to appear as though they have been distressed over time and have collected things such as barnacles along the way. 

The two images below show a front and back view of the first cloak. As shown in the design I wanted to include the different bands of materials in a mixture of textures. At the top i have also included a large section of net that drapes around both shoulders. The reason for this is I wanted it to appear as though the hunters have collected various materials and wrapped themselves in them to create this cloak. By hand sewing sections of this top net in place has allowed for there to still be movement in the wind but at the same time secure in place.

  

 

Above is a close up of a finished shoulder pad. I chose to included a layer of wadding underneath the net as it fills out the shape giving more structure. Then once in place on the cloak I included a few feathers to give an added texture. I feel these pads give greater width to the costume and will only enhance the actors frame and create a strong hunter character. 

Textured Shoulder Pads

During tonights Breathe session I wanted to start creating the shoulder pads towards my two designs. The process is very simple as it just involves tying strips of fabric to a netted base and then snipping the excess. As you tie on more fabrics it builds up to create a section of spiky fabrics as pictured below. Once the section is at the correct size I can then back the netting to calico to strengthen them before stitching to the cloaks. To enhance the shape I could also use wadding between another layer calico as this would enhance the shape and make them stand out further.

One element of Breathe that I have really enjoyed is getting to know the volunteers who help out in the evenings. Although only a few attend, there are a couple who often attend and it is interesting to find out what they are doing within Breathe themselves. For instance one man who helped create these pads this evening has also helped with painting my base shapes. So over the last few weeks he has been interested in how my costume is developing but also talking about what work he is involved in. 

Cloak #2

As with the previous cloak the base shape was painted during one of the evening Breathe sessions. Having completed my first one I now know what techniques and fabrics to use and with this design being a smaller version, should enable me to finish it quicker. 


The second of my designs will be worn by a young girl so I don't want to build into the decoration as much as my first costume. This is because she will need less weight to not only cope with dancing but also to sit comfortably on her smaller frame. With this in mind I do still intend on making both pieces appear as though they are from the same collection. The same fabrics and layering will be used just the shaping will differ to separate the two. Now working full time on this project means I have full days to concentrate on this garment which I intend on completing in the next few days so I can then create other elements for the rest of the week.

Cloak #1 finished

Although I was worried at first, adding extra length to the garment has actually matched it better to my design. Also with my artist being quite tall will mean the cloak is now balanced against his height and wont appear out of proportion to his body.


Once the shoulder pads have been created I will be able to attach them along with barnacles and seaweed to finally complete the design. 

Breathe full time

With the last garment for the costume store on hold until next year means a group of us are able to continue working full time on the Breathe project. This extra time allows for us to complete full costumes rather than just creating sections towards a body of work. I feel much happier with this outcome as in the last Battle for the Winds unit I overlapped lining my jacket into this term, so handed in an unfinished garment. Although I knew what was needed to be done it didn't feel right handing over a partially finished piece. This is something that would of happened again as the limited time may not have allowed for both cloaks to be completed. But now the extra time means I can begin looking at other elements for the hunters designs to create as well as finishing both cloaks.


Both designs include shoulder pads made up of tied fabric which is something that is simple but effective, so could be created during an evening Breathe session with volunteers. Also once both cloaks have been sewn I can follow the example created by the design team and produce a viking inspired head-dress. This is an area more exciting as I wont just be focusing on the sewing elements but also getting creative in constructing sections as the horns for the head-dress and being able to paint them etc.

No need to worry

To in keep with my design I feel that my first cloak needs greater length adding to it. Although I was worried about adding further weight to the garment, having spoken to the designer we decided that adding length to the base with netting would be the best option. Having this close relationship with the designer has been really helpful as it has allowed me to think up ideas but as she personally knows the artists and their abilities means she can direct which methods are best to use. 


I feel I was maybe too cautious that my first artist is partially blind as I didn't want to create a garment that would be difficult to dress or be too big that it over-powers him. As time has gone on I now realise that this was unnecessary as this design is very basic and wont actually affect him as much as I first thought. In fact the garment will only make him stand out more with strong shoulders to portray a manly hunter, an aspect my artist will probably enjoy.  

The finished product

Now the buttons and buttonholes are in place I can clearly see the overall finish. Even though I have constructed a waistcoat before I do feel I have gained a lot as a completely different approach has been used. For example my previous waistcoat focused on tailoring techniques where as this one was more costume based so used larger seam allowances and focused on decoration. Also tailored garments are made precisely to someones measurements but as this particular piece will be used within the costume store there needed to be allowance for alterations and adding a 5cm seam allowance down the CB will do exactly this. 

In order to complete this garment we were allocated two weeks. However I did run over this time as I took longer on aspects such as the pockets and decoration. If I was working in a theatre workroom this would not have been allowed to happen as they do follow strict deadlines. For this reason I am aware that I need to focus on my time management skills as sometimes I am perhaps too cautious as I don't want to make mistakes but in the long run it may put me further behind. Although there are still areas I feel could have been done better, I am happy with the overall finish and I think I need to have more confidence in my work. Wanting to construct everything correctly is obviously a good quality to have but I think in future projects I need to stop over thinking things and trust my instincts that what I am doing is correct.

Cloak #1

For the past two weeks I have continued working on the first cloak for my hunters designs. The cloak pictured below is a work in progress for the longer of the two designs. As shown in a previous post I attached layers of white threaded fabric to the base cloak using circles and free machine embroidery. To then build up the next layer I introduced a dark leather that when up close includes raised fur sections. This then allowed for a shaped edge to be cut to help blend the different sections of colour together through over lapping fabrics. 

 

Building up layers of fabric has given some weight to the garment but as this will be worn by a male artist who is not dancing allows for me to continue using this method. Although some weight has been added I still don't want to keep adding more and more fabric as he will still need to move and I do not want to swamp my artist. For this reason I have chosen to pinch a large section on the left shoulder and tie it back away from the body. This should hopefully free the body underneath but also spread the weight so that it sits on both shoulders.

Waistcoat completed

Finally after a couple weeks of working I have completed sewing together my waistcoat. Although I did take longer than the initial two weeks allocated to finish I am glad I did as it was time spent on my decoration. The decoration used for my waistcoat included braid with very tight loops. As each loop needed to be sewn invisibly meant that extra time and care needed to spent on this area. In industry I am aware that this time would not have been as flexible and would have needed to be completed to a specific date. However as I have been working with such delicate fabric I felt the need to be over cautious. The images below show my final shape, the next stage now is to sew on buttons and mark buttonholes ready to be sewn in place. 

      

As shown above two rows of braid were attached down the front and extra added at the collar and pocket flaps. When sewing to the collar and pocket flaps care needed to be taken so the braid pointed in the correct direction and sat neatly at all corners.