Final Fitting Photos

so...the last two months

I've been out of touch....rude moi!

So since the last post I had a fitting and have started cutting in top fabric for part 2, and part 1 has been and gone on stage....'citing!

Let's start with part 1. The Pajama Game was on last week and apparently all that needed doing to my costume was taking it in on the waist by 1cm and finishing the hem. Here are 2 production shots:

I'm really pleased with this one, and I love getting to see my work used in something, it's so satifying!

Part 2, the fitting was amazing! We took in the shoulder  by about an inch but that was the only alteration we made. Aside from that we just discussed aesthetic ideas and worked out the details. Here are some pics of that:

Okay admitted it looks a little strange but you get the point. It fit like a dream!

So since then I was trying to sort out fabric. After a tutorial with our head of course, we settled on what turned out to be a £98 p/m lace...excellent. So then there was much to-ing and fro-ing with printing etc. That didn't work. Then I found a cheap alternative on ebay...so asap I shall get up the photos of that!

Laura out!

Dress continued

So far I have a basic sack back dress....but of course my design is not a simple sack back dress, so:

I know that my dress will consist of a sheer layer over a base layer, consequently I went and bought some super cheap sheer fabric to see how that would work. I'm likely going to use a lace in the final make up, but I didn't really want to throw money into lace given how much I'm expecting this to cost.

I asked for a couple of other students help on this one, those I know to be good with sheer fabrics and draping and I'm so glad I did , check it out:

 It really looked like the design, which was pretty exciting for me. Although I am not happy with having to probably put a seam in to make the panel full length.

I felt as nice as it looked, it wasn't really representative of the design, so I kept one side like this and made another with the sheer fabric backed onto calico:

which I feel looks much better.

Dress

With my understructure complete and my bodice lining in place, it was time to start the dress.

A Sack back dress is a mid to mid late 18th century item that had 4 large box pleats of fabric on the centre back from the neckline to floor. The idea was to suggest wealth by having this large amount of essentially unneccessary fabric. The panel would preferably be cut in one piece to further imply the wealth of the owner, although these days a seam is often needed as fabric is not always wide enough for our 21st Century heights.

The pattern of a sack back is almost L shaped - there are the back pleats then the seam that joins to the bodice on the side which goes down to the waist, although it is easier to cut this on the stand than to try and estimate it flat. That said I started the pleats on the back flat as I felt this was an easier approach than fighting with fabric on the stand. Although they are described as box pleats, there is actually only one box pleat and a knife pleat either side.

I pinned this to the neckline then smoothed the fabric towards the side and pinned along the seams of the bodice lining below.

I then cut away the excess down to the waist and cut across from there. I made a box pleat where the sack back joined the bodice then made a series of knife pleats all the way round to the front.

So there you have a sack back dress....citing

Cutting on the stand!

With my understructure complete I moved onto the rest of my costume, starting with the petticoat.

I really struggled with the petticoat, I looked at a lot of different resources for advice, but I just couldn't get the fabric to lie flat across the front. I remembered a throwaway remark Flic had made to me about her petticoat last year: putting a huge box pleat on the CF:

Okay so it needs a good press and even-ing out, but it's getting there. I neatened it today and we shall see monday if it is right.

After that I cut my bodice, pretty simple really - 2 piece with stomacher. Once it was cut it was adapted to be laced at the lower CB to pull in the sack back.

Job for Monday - sack back!

Understructures

So for the first week of the project I was working on the understructure for my dress. My tutors said I didn't have to make it but I figure it's a good thing to learn (especially cause I did it a bit wrong...)

The corset from my last post is now essentially finished, need to do the final bit of strap and bind the top edge:

So then I moved onto the panier (pannier? I'm not sure of the spelling on that one). There was a lot of sewing seams, then zigzagging them down then doing that to another seam, and channels and box pleats. Hassle. But lovely in the end. Originally I cut my steels about 5 cm too small (I have literally no idea how, I had overestimated), so I had to take the whole thing apart and reconstruct it a little smaller, but I don't think that's really a problem:

I'm pretty frickin pleased with myself it must be said.

EMP Part two - A beginning

So I'm officially a week into EMP part 2, and I have the understructure almost finished!

Firstly, 2 weeks ago I visited the Bath Museum of Costume/Fashion Museum and had a 2 hour study sessions where I got to have a really good look at some 18th Century Clothing

I've also been making my understructure, the corset is being fitted tomorrow, but until the building is cleared thanks to a fire in the workshop, I'm having to borrow a pannier off another student (the amazing Sarah Pattison)

Finished!

So I know my posts have kind of dropped off the radar here a little, bloody technology!

Here is the finished article:

It's not perfect I'll admit, but I learnt a hell of a lot on this project, and I am so glad it is over!

Catch up

So I'm finally back online, and hopefully have managed to save all my photos

First up, I had my second fitting:

I went into this one much more confident than the first one, and came out with more changes! Instead of it being with my tutor Graham it was with Kat (who is amazing) and she basically just came in hacked it down the front and across the waist and totally redid the darts etc. But it does seem to fit a lot better now.
 
Since then I've just been cracking on, had to put a gusset it my sleeve (which I basically experimented with til it looked right) 

Fighting with the checks and the collar, and now I'm finally on the home stretch. Hopefully finished by thursday and I can post some pictures!

Lack of Posts

I apologise for my lack of posts, my computer died last week (thank you microsoft!) and yesterday my dad came to try and fix it but he had to take it away and I am on the oldest working laptop in the world...so slow!

Anyway, fingers crossed I can get my work back off my pc, I am very glad I've been keeping this blog! Also this means I can't upload any pictures as I don't think this laptop could even begin to handle my camera.

That said, I've finally got all my pieces (except the sleeves) cut out and mark tacked and I am slowly piecing them together. I worked on a show last week and then I got sick so I am even more behind but hopefully it should all get done this week in time for the fittings on thursday and friday!

So normal service will hopefully return soon!

Check Matching = nightmare!

So I struggled last week with trying to get my checks to work, so I asked not one but two tutors today about it. Of course they gave me two opposing views!
My tutor Kat said I should just essentially bully the fabric into lining up with the pattern, but my tutor Graham said if I do this as soon as I take the paper off the fabric will be the wrong shape.
As much as I wanted to follow Kat's advice because it would make everything line up, Graham had a point so I resigned myself to just be as close as possible. Now all of my pieces are cut we'll see tomorrow whether it worked! I have left my self A LOT of allowance to nudge things around into the right place, and I just pray that it works out!
On the plus side, I learnt how to put in a zipper!

pattern alteration

So although I had my fitting on Friday, I don't feel we did a whole lot of actual fitting!


I spent this week drawing up new patterns from my toile pieces, not a way I have worked before but it might work out better!

One of the things I noted in the fitting was that the shoulder seam was in the wrong place, and I believed this would improve the other fitting issues we had (the waist being too high on the front, the collar sitting wrong and the sleeves being twisted), so I spent a large part of today trying to fix that.

After I moved the shoulder seam, the armhole gaped at the front and initially I tried to fix this with a technique normally used on the back of the bodice.

However, looking at the pattern at the end, I realised this was going to make the checks lie at an angle so I asked Nelson if he was okay with there being a side bust dart....and he said yes!

I rejigged my pattern and now I have a dart along the bust line and everything is a bit better.

Finally I tried to start cutting top fabric, but I just couldn't get the checks to lie right so I am waiting til monday when I can see my tutor *fingers crossed*

First Fitting Notes

I was pretty worried going into my fitting on Friday, something I have never felt before as I am normally not too concerned about fittings. I knew my front panels were totally wrong and I simply didn't feel very confident in my costume.

As it turned out, everything went well! My tutor Graham says 'it would help if you had a belt for this', and I handed him the belt I had brought; 'you should have something to show the cuff' and I hand him the cuff; 'you need something to illustrate the pocket size and placement' and I hand him 3 different pocket samples.

The two front panels were, as I suspected, wrong. We marked that the waist seam needed to come down about 4 cm and that the collar was sitting too far away from the neck on the front. Graham also agreed with my suggestion that the shoulder seam needed to move forwards about an inch, which I think will help the sleeves sit better. We also opened out the armhole and I therefore had to redraw my sleeve.

I then had my skype fitting with Nelson in the afternoon

He said well done and that he really liked how it was looking! He picked the pockets he liked and the collar size, as well as suggesting there should be a gusset in the sleeve and that the design required real belt loops not fashion ones..

Actually a really positive day all round, can't wait to crack on!

Pre fitting photos

The front is still wrong....lets hope it can be fixed tomorrow!

Success!

Further adjustments

So once I had sorted my silly little CF mistake, I moved onto the badly lying collar, which for some reason just wouldn't fall right:

While I had taken the basic concept from one of my commercial patterns, I drew up this collar from Hilary Campbell's Designing Patterns – a fresh approach to pattern cutting, so I went back to my commerical patterns to work out the difference. I made a mock up of Butterick 8501 and it lay perfectly:

So I redrew my patterns and recut my front panels and fingers crossed it should work out better! I'm also gonna put some stay-flex in the collar and overlap...see if that helps!

Redone Pt1 dress and fabric scraps for Pt2

Just a quick update to say:

Here is the redone Gladys 4 dress. The collar still isn't lying right so that is a job for this weekend but at last all the seams and darts lined up beautifully!
Other observations: The button flap is too long on the skirt and the kick pleat on the CF is too low and short. But we shall see on the model









Secondly, here are the fabric scraps I got for part 2 yesterday:

I only really need a couple of them, but I love the palette all together, so there is food for thought.

The design I am currently considering is by deviantart user edarlein *fingers crossed she replies to my email*

Oh and the first mistake is....

So I thought I was doing so well getting my toile together :

Yea, I did the button flap on the wrong side of the skirt piece. Oh it was all going so well! The joy of a toile of course is that I can just flip the panel over...need to make sure I don't make the same mistake in top fabric.

On the plus side, today I went fabric shopping and found some things for part 2 and I've booked to go to the Bath Costume Museum to look at actual 18th Century Dresses, which is exciting. The other day I went to the Museum of Design and Plastics and looked at 50s dresses too, a really good way to learn about historical construction:

Patterns 2

So at the end of last week I got all 3 of my patterns

The Butterick is 50s, the Le Roy I'm not sure and the Simplicity is 60s.

I picked each one for different elements that when combined will make my design. For example, the Butterick is the base, while the Le Roy helped with the button overlap and the Simplicity placed the pleats.

I did a practice half toile before these arrived and so spent today updating my patterns essentially. I learnt how to draw up a skirt pattern last week  (although I'm not sure if I did it right), I was amazed that this was something we were never taught but I get the feeling most skirts are pretty easy to guess, although that knowledge might come from learning to draft a basic skirt!

I then had to stick the skirt and bodice pieces together at the waist to make sure everything lined up, and to draw in the darts/seams that need to match. For some reason, the front piece of the skirt was about an inch to thin...not really sure why, but easily fixed, when I get a minute I will go back and try and work out what I did wrong. Once I'd lined everything up I had to cut the pieces apart again and reshape the waist line, but at least I know everything matches up!

I mostly used the Butterick, but I used the Simplicity to get the darts in a pleasing place. It was just nice to look at vintage patterns and see how it would have been done as opposed to looking in current fashion instructions.

Also learned an interesting way of doing the collar: by attaching it to the bodice front piece as opposed to it being separate, fingers crossed it works!

Its very difficult getting my head round this project, I'm so used to looking in a Jean Hunnisett/ Norah Waugh book for a historical pattern and adapting it to the design, it has definitely been interesting looking at commercial patterns and fashion instructions, but I'm enjoying it so far!

Had a chat with Graham today, he seemed happy with what I was doing (and suggested going with the collar addition), which was nice. My fitting on the 29th at 10am. And then we have another in the afternoon over skype with the designer, another new experience I'm looking forward to.


Must crack on!

Patterns Patterns Patterns

So yesterday and today I've been thinking about patterns. I've been collecting images mostly so I decided it was probably time to look at some vintage patterns and see how the dresses were actually constructed back then.

I bought three on ebay that *fingers crossed* show up soonish.

I've also drawn up my basic block and 1 piece sleeve patterns ready for adapting, and I got a couple of pattern drafting books out of the library that I hope will help a bit. I've also got a mannequin padded and ready for my toile!

Not much to report other than that, trying to find a model this week, although it is a struggle as the actress is a slightly larger girl and we haven't seen anyone who is both the same height and size as her. 

Back view & 1st Line Drawing

So we've got a facebook group for the project to help us keep in contact with the folks across the pond, and we have been asked to start a discussion for each of our costumes to ask Nelson directly any questions we may have.

I asked for a back view and he uploaded this with some notes:

shirtwaist dress

functional front button closure with side zipper

front waist darts - can have side bust darts, back standard bodice darts from waist and shoulders

elbow length sleeves finished with cuff

self belt (kit included-follow instruction on package), self belt loops at SF, side, SB

bias edge (wine cotton) around collar, down front, around pockets and fake flaps, sleeve cuffs

skirt front double darts (open end), back princess seaming matching to back bodice darts 0 inverted box pleats to match CF pleat - arrow head finish at top

And I did a quick initial line drawing for myself

There were a couple of notes I didn't really understand, but I'm going to have a read and a sit before going back with more questions...wish me luck!

Fabrics!

So first day of the new term and we got to see our fabrics today!

I didn't manage to get a picture of everyone else but it was all so bright and fun! We will never be depressed on this project!

Coloured Design

I'm loving this design now it is in colour. I don't know why, it just looks more exciting, although I'm a little concerned about the checks!