Fastening fix, One skirt made, Score one to the costume girl

 Once again keeping to my block timing system I have spent the past few days finishing the skirt before starting on the tunic. The fastenings were something which became a concern, as during the medieval times they pinned there garments, laced the back of garments or used rough buttons which were sewn on the very edge of the garment. Due to the absence of my designer (production meeting) I asked Katie, our supervisor, what type of fastenings were wanted for the skirt. She suggested I looked into a hidden button placket and use wooden buttons instead of the traditional hook and eye as it would give the security the actress needed as well as keeping it as traditional as possible. This is once again something I have never done before so I took to doing a little bit of Primary research.  I went into the AUCB costume hire and started to look at the historical garments which had the hidden button placket. I found that it was actually the male garments in specific, trousers, which had this type of fastening. The females clothes didn't hold anything which was so complex, not until much later on in the historic timeline. This being said I still wanted to see if it was possible to fulfil the request of the designer/ supervisor. A calico sample was made after looking through the primary samples and readers digest as well scoring the internet for online blogs which may help. After all the research I found the following link which really helped construct the sample:  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwt9Pi_jZuo)  

Once constructed I pinned it to the back of the skirt so i could see if it would fit in with the actresses needs as well as the designers vision. Once I spoke to several of my tutors and received various opinions it was decided a simple placket would suffice and if we switch the buttons for poppers it would be more secure whilst the actress was being dragged across the stage. The buttons could have the hazard of either pinging off or slipping through the button hole during the more physical parts of the play. Whereas with the poppers and a hook and bar at the top of the skirt will give the security the actress needs as well as basic accuracy of the placket. Once I spoke to the designer she agreed it would be for the best instead of the buttons. 

Once the fastenings were decided I sewed up the back seam and placed the placket at the back of the skirt.  For the placket I followed the basic placket instructions that were learnt in my first year through fundamental studies (please see printed appendix in workbook). I found this quite strait forward and fitting for the skirt. If I were to do this again however I would allow myself another 1cm seam allowance as I found my confidence slipped when on the industrial sewing machine as I was constantly worried the line would not be strait as I had no gage to follow. 

Now that the Placket was in place the waistband could be added. Using the same skirt material and a length of petersham I once again brought my Fundamental construction folder out and followed the waistband application learnt for the skirt sample. Again a simple application however the ends of the fabric proved to be a challenge as they kept constantly fraying I had to double turn them and press with an iron several times for it to lay flat. In normal circumstances I would have used fray check, however with the time period, no such thing existed. 

Finally the fastenings could be placed, a hook and bar with two bars at the top of the skirt (so it may be adjusted for the actresses comfort) and large poppers down the placket which are easily hidden. Each were hand stitched using a pink thread matching the fabric colour and secured quite tightly due to the amount of stitches used. 

After applying the waistband, fastenings and a good press with the iron, I am happy to say the skirt is ready for its second fitting. Below is the skirt being modelled by my classmate Bryony. 

Front view

Beck view