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.