Rome wasn't built in a day, but over several.

After having a good nights sleep, and finding a fresh set of eyes, I continued on my journey of making the tunic. Once again taking care, I finally tackled the tricky arm hole and sewed it into the circular shape needed without the risk of a dart in the velvet forming. Once again I am concerned about the bulk of the fabric with the under sleeve, it also seems quite a tight fit. Im not entirely sure if it is because I've moved the armhole compared to the calico toile or if the deductions recommended at fittings were a bit more than needed. In any case the actress needs to be able to move, so this shall have to be looked at in fittings.

Once both arms were placed another issue came to my attention, the neckline. I have found that as the tunics shape has changed, applying the correct neckline has become an issue. Especially due to the fact the original bust level taken at the previous fitting will be a lot higher now. I have cut the original neckline from the first fitting however in my opinion this will have to be lowered significantly and pinned at the lowest bust point so I can see where the modesty scarf needs to start and finish. During fittings if I place a safety pin where the bust starts to show, I can use the CF as a guide to making the front lace up panel, which shall be reinforced with stay flex. It is my aim to have this completed two days before dress parade so I have time to deal with any issues which may arise. The small amount of gathers placed at the side of the garment have helped create a robust shape without having to give the actress extra padding. I decided to hand stitch this instead of my original notion of using machine gathers. Where they have been done by hand a finer stitch has been used to secure the gathers and the security given will ensure they font fall apart whilst the actress lifts the tunic or gets dragged across the stage.

Finally the last issue is the fastenings on the garment. The eyelets have had to be placed on the sleeves before the fitting as I will need to get the exact fit of the sleeve around the wrist. However, as these are for fitting purposes I won't be using a button hole stitch around them and will wait to just before dress parade. When placing the eyelets I found trying to puncture the weave of the material very tricky and it took several attempts to make an actual hole. After struggling for an hour a classmate said if I place a few layers of calico between the weave and the puncher it will help relieve the pressure. I found this helped slightly however the holes were still not forming properly so I ended up making a rough hole and then forming them with a pair of snips. Using the eyelet former made placing and securing the eyelets a lot easier, though these will also have to have a button hole stitch around them to hide the metal.

After several days the tunic is ready for a second fitting. I anticipate that changes will need to be made to the under sleeves, neckline and possibly the gathers at the side of the garment.

Trouble with the tunic

After receiving the top fabric for my tunic, I became concerned as to which was the best way to tackle using it. Velvet is a fabric I am yet to work with, and have found through working with scraps that it's pile can easily shed and the fibres are hard to pick up off other fabrics. I decided the best way to tackle this is to place pattern making paper over the table, lay the fabric out flat and cut very closely to the table. After this a soft lint brush may pick up the loose fibres. I also had to take into account the fake under sleeve in the tunic was made out of the same wool/cotton blend the skirt was produced of. keeping these separate whilst the pile was loose became a priority as it was tricky to reeve the fibres after they stuck.

To begin with I had to unpick the seams of my calico toile which will act as my pattern for the tunic. Once placed onto the velvet and pinned into place it was noticed that if caution wasn't taken, the velvet would manipulate itself into creases especially along the bias. I also found that if I keep the calico pinned to the velvet the calico will pick up quite a bit of the loose pile. After about an hour of pinning and repining, making sure the pile fell downwards,  I was satisfied that the velvet was placed correctly to the calico. Then came that moment of truth, when you first cut the top fabric and worried that you didn't double check everything. One snip later and the start of the tunic had begun. The pattern took an entire afternoon to cut out and brush down but the time and effort it took made the production stage a lot easier. Placing the tunic front and back together and sewing up the side seams were quite simple, however it was the sleeve placement which took time. Due to the fake under sleeves of the garment it bulked up the armhole a lot due to the thickness of the fabric. At the second fittings we may need to look into a way of making this lighter and thinner so the actress will be more mobile.

Once the placement of the armholes were pinned and secure I took my time on the industrial sewing machine making sure the armhole remained the correct shape.  I found myself unpicking one of the armholes after a first attempt as even though I took great care it seemed to move an extra 5mm from the allotted seam allowance.

Once this happened I found that it was best to step away from the tunic and tackle it again with a fresh set of eyes the next day. If something were to go wrong now the fabric would severally pucker and become obvious to the eye.

After all rome wasn't built in a day, and everything that is worth doing takes time.

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

Diary of a costume student........ Living life by that of a diary round two

Once again I have found my diary having dates added to it with various fittings and final garment construction. Below are the new diary forms and what I will be doing each day.

Skirt is ago

The past few days have been dedicated to making the skirt. I found this garment easier to make than the tunic so I factored 4 days for making this. The past two have been about altering the pleats so they sit evenly around the waist. The fabric was decided to be left, as at earlier experimentation it was found to be malleable enough to hold and form the pleats without any stiffness. Once I had unpicked the seams of the toile and gave the calico a good iron, the fun work could begin. Using the calico as a pattern I pinned and cut the top fabric to the panels needed and then started to measure out the pleats. Following the fitting notes the pleats were kept to a 2cm distance x 2cm depth and a 20cm flat panel was kept at the front. After the 20cm front panel, the pleats were placed all around up to the back panel. I took my time measuring these out as it could be noticeable on stage if they were uneven. As well as this I wanted the skirt to spread evenly from the waistband as well as lay flat, making sure it didn't bulk up around the actresses hips/waist.  The even pleats did become an issue as if a single cm came out of place it meant i had to redo it from the start. after this happening a few times I found a solution and 4 steps which made life a lot easier: Measure, Pleat, Pin & Press. This did take longer however I knew from doing this each one was the correct measurement. After two days of constant pressing and pleating the picture below shows the final shape of the skirt on the padded mannequin. Please take into account the back seam has not been sewn yet which is why the train has on shape. The back seam as well as the fastening and waistband shall be added to the skirt after the weekend. This being said I do need to look into which fastenings shall be suitable.

Back view

Front View

The day after........... the fitting that is

After yesterdays fittings the Canterbury tales group had an early morning meeting to discuss which direction our costumes were going and receive our top fabrics. The tunic fabric is a plush cotton velvet in a deep wine colour and the skirt, a tight woven cotton/wool blend in pinks and a shot of lilac. I can see that both have potential to be an issue, as the velvet will get everywhere as the fibres will be released from the weave when being cut and all the processes throughout making the tunic until overlocking. The weave on the skirts fabric is also quite tight and the material almost like an upholstery fabric. This may have to be washed and softened to create the pleats in the skirt. I was also asked to make 2 capes out of a wool blended tartan for a male and a female character. As a team we shall all have to pitch in on alterations and assist with fittings, however I feel the more experience we gain, the more confident our group shall be when working within the industry in the future.

I shall add dates to my time plans and schedule my days out to maximise the time allotment. If I split the making up again into two half and then schedule a day for the cloaks I will meet the deadline before the  actual date. This way if there are any alterations or issues they can be felt with before the performance.

First Fitting........ Wow

At 2pm today I conducted my first fittings for Wife of Bath. This was my first fitting within the AUCB where I took the lead and successfully applied the practices I have been working on for the past two years. This was a very good work experience for me as I am used to working with community based theatre instead of actual stage theatre, it was lovely comparing the differences between the two fittings such as the actors behaviour or the length of time each fitting took. Each of the notes taken must be applied to the top fabric outfit in order for the garment to reach the design requirements. 

Below is my fitting sheets of what I need to do to enhance, fit and correct the outfit. 

BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design

Female Fitting Form

Production:	The Canterbury Tales	Date:	17th October 2012
Artist:	Diana Winter	Character:	Wife of Bath
Cutter:	Tanya Pye

Skirt:

• No major changes to the skirt.
• Make sure a secure fastening is fitted as actress is being dragged across the table.
• Keep pleats to 2cm each  and 2cm down

Tunic:

• Only lace the sides of the tunic slightly to create shape.
• Change bra size to 36F and take out padding. (The bra must not be seen)
• Sleeves must be in a fitted arm hole and the sleeve head must be larger.
• Top sleeve must be much fuller, add in approx. 12cm flare to the front and back of the sleeve.
• Lower sleeve must length must come down to the hand. Lace up the sides for a tight fit.
• Lower the neckline (boat neck shape).
• Add channel around the neckline and put a cord through to slightly gather.
• Add draped shawl around the collar area and tack in place.
• Add brown leather thronging to the lace up arms, tunic sides, centre front gap and belt.
• Belt size, 80cm with lace up back.
• Take out box pleat from the CB and add slight lacing in a dart at the neck instead.
• Keep the length of the tunic

Back view of garment

Purple line indicates where the neckline must be cut

Pin shows the level of gathering
needed at each side of the tunic

Personal Reflection:

This fitting went extremely well. As this was my first fitting within the university environment where I had minimal assistance and had to work through the issues myself. Due to the amount of work needed to the tunic I shall spend more time during my evenings preparing for this and make miniature deadlines which I shall have to meet. The skirt is the garment I am most proud of. Although this was the most nervous about making this garment, it has turned out well due to the amount of time and attention I have took to make it.