Patterns

I've been working on my dress for the final costume. I realised that that fabric I wanted to use, I didn't order enough of. Therefore I have ended up using a white lace instead. I have used the winifred Aldridge book to create a bespoke jersey block for my model. This book has won me over just from this first time using it. The toile was so precise which was great.

I am starting to really enjoy pattern making. The idea of it used to terrify me but I am finding it more enjoyable with each project we do. 

Wires

I've been attempting to thread wires through the corset. At first I thought it was working well, then I took the corset home to work on this weekend and I have found it so so hard to sew on my machine. I've been using a non stick foot at uni and it has helped amazingly, whereas from home I have a normal foot and it causes the fabric to slip when I am sewing on it.

The other issue im having with the pvc is the fact that you can't unpick. I'm sure for many this would not be a problem, however, I tend to unpick everything a lot as I am still very much learning.

Lights

I visited the Canary Wharf winter lights installation tonight. It was beautiful to see. The entire installation made me want to create costumes with lights within them - an idea that could be used for further projects)

Samples

I spoke to Caroline about which boning would be best for my corset, she suggested creating some samples to see which I preferred the look of, as the corset is made from a clear pvc it is more of a design choice than anything else.
After working on some samples I found that I preferred the clear plastic boning. Prior to the samples I was sure that I wanted metal boning, so it just shows how important it is to create samples for even the smallest of details.

corset Toile

I drew up a bespoke block for my model Kaiyu and then adapted it to create a corset. I got to work sewing the pieces together and adding in cups etc. When I had my first fitting with Kaiyu I found that the corset sat very big on my model. This meant that there were a lot of adjustments. I made the changes and then edited the pattern pieces. Whilst doing another fitting with Kaiyu, and taking pictures to check the fit, I noticed that the under-cups line did not sit in the right place (once I looked back on photos) therefore I would have to check the adjustments again. This stressed the importance of fittings and to make sure that the garment is sitting exactly in the right place before any adjustments are made.

corset drafting

After designing in our last term as well as over Christmas, I decided I wanted to make a corset and dress. Kevin was doing a corset drafting workshop, so I went to that today. I am starting to enjoy working with flat patterns. There are elements I still like to work on the stand with, but when it comes to corsets I like the way you can draw out your shaping on the flat to create something SO shapely. Im thinking of making my dress from some sort of sheer or lace and then creating a corset to sit on top of the dress in a sheer material showing the boning etc.

jacket no.2

While making the jacket the first time around, Kevin showed me how to manipulate the pattern so that the collar sat nicely. By cutting into the collar of the toile and then adding the slash to the pattern it enabled the jacket to sit better around the neckline, an made it much easier to sew. However while sewing the jacket the second time around I have realised I hadn't changed the markings on the original pattern. Therefore I have made the jacket up without this edit. It means that the jacket doesn't;t white sit how I had hoped. This has taught me the importance of changing everything on the pattern as well as on the garment itself, no matter how small the change may be.

42nd street

I went to see 42nd street today, it was the closing show. I hadn't seen this show before so it was very exciting. I was in love with the show from start to finish. I could not believe how many costume changes there were throughout the show as-well. The dancers would be gone for minutes and then be back in a whole new costume, was fascinating.