Once Upon A Tease:


Since I last blog about Once Upon a Tease, rather a lot has had to change and be re thought due various reasons.
The final designs had been chosen, 8 corsets were to be made by the team working on Once Upon a Tease. Fabrics of various price and colour were sourced to present to the company to decide which were best suited to the designs. However due to the nature of the corset making the estimate for the budget of the 8 corsets and bustle was a little to big.
This was an obstacle that had to be discussed with the company to see how was best to proceed.
Due to time, work load and budget the company decided to create 3 over bust corsets and 2 full bodied corsets and 5 bustles.


It was very very handy, when dealing with the issue of the budget, to have one person supervising the project. Without having such a person the project would not have started. The company would not have been impressed with our lack of planning before meeting with them to discuss money and other details.
Naomi took up the roll of supervisor and because she organised the budget so well, the company and the makers could then make much clearer decisions on fabrics etc.

Below are the 2 designs now being created:


x's 2

x's 3

  . Because 2 corsets were dropped from production, 2 people lost corsets to make; as a compromise Naomi took up the job of supervisor and Stephanie has taken up construction of a number of bustles

Time Plan:
. Patterns fully drafted this week
.Cut out in top material by the end of the week

Breathe:
Cloak Continued:


After the base costume was create into the right shape we took the cloak to a Breathe Together Club to paint the inside of the cloak so then when the Breathers are dancing in the parade the white wouldn't flash across and take away from the Hunters look.


Once this had been done and dried we moved on to decorating the top of the cloak. Grace Mortlock designed the idea of the decoration with layered up fabrics with the different textured. We attached these to the base cloth using a free embroidery foot to create circles. This was to link in the barnacles that would be attached later.


This is what was created from the top decoration:

Things that still need to finished:

. The rock sash- experiment with expandable foam

. Clasp finishes/ poppers?

. Attach finishing decoration- barnacles/ seaweed

Breathe:


On Thursday I had the opportunity to work on the designs that I had been given to construct. I have been given  two cloaks to construct from the Hunters group.

During the day I work as a group with the other makers in the Hunters group to work out a way to drape the base layer of the cloaks as all of our designs were very similar just with different lengths and openings and decoration.

It was a very good experience to experiment on my own and have the opportunity to work problem solving without a correct way of constructing the garment.

Below is the base shape for the cloak:

Progressing from this point:

. Wednesday Breathe session- volunteers to work into the undergarment of the cloak with base colours

. Continue to experiment with different fabrics to create the decoration on the top fabric

Breathe:

On the Wednesday night session me and another Breathe maker had to help in the supervising of a working session.
The work we overlooked was a weaving workshop, this was to re create sections of weave that would be used to create skirts a different dance section of Breathe.

This workshop was interesting to work on as we needed to develop the working process so that it was as simple and effect as possible to create a lot of woven pieces in one session. However it also needed to remain quite simple so the volunteers would remain engaged with the workshop and enjoy it.

Together we managed to find the simplest solution for the workshop. As supervisors we created a right angle with two strips of fabric- the waist length was cut so that it would create half of the waist measurements of each of the actors wearing the skirts
- this was done in pairs so that it made up a full skirt size

. The volunteers then had to choose strips of fabrics to pin horizontally and vertically on the right angled strips
. Strips were then machine stitched in place and once secured woven by hand

Below is an image of one of the final pieces:

18th Century Waistcoat:


For the next 3 weeks I will be working on reconstructing a 18th Century waistcoat for the costume store. In this project Dexter, our construction tutor, wants us to be able to assess and develop for ourselves how we look at the costumes we are making.
In our session on Monday we broke up into waistcoat groups and breeches groups and discussed the stages of construction for ourselves. We needed to discuss a rough time plan for when certain stages needed to be completed for.
It is important for us as makers to be able to break down our time wisely. We need to be able to understand how long certain areas will take to construct so we can work within a deadline.

The waistcoat I will be making is part of a set, a pair of breeches are being made to match. Therefore as a team me and Danielle had to cut out our pattern pieces together to ensure we were being as economical as possible. The budget allowed just for each persons pattern pieces to be cut out.

Below are images of the waistcoat I shall be producing over the next 3 weeks:

Once Upon A Tease


Along side my university work I am also working on a project called Once Upon a Tease. A group of us, the current 2nd years are all working together to budget, plan and complete the project along side our own uni work. This is a project for a burlesque company and is giving me a chance to work with corsets again. This is a fun opportunity to gain some extra work experience in costume making. It is also a huge test of my organisational skills. I have to make sure I balance out my time for; Once Upon a Tease, The Costume Store, Breathe and my POP essay, to make sure all are completed for their deadlines.


Today we had a meeting to finalise the designs we would each be working with and how we should go about drafting our corsets. By the end of this week we need to have the corsets drafted so we can be cutting out and making by next week.

Today Naomi went to a meeting with Sam who runs Once Upon A Tease:
She needed to discuss issues such as:
.Budget
.Fabric choices
.Design features
.Fitting times
. Decoration choices

Below are the designs that as a team we will be constructing:
Designed by Yolanda Collins

Breathe:

Before we broke up for Easter, I had a tutorial with my tutor Adele and the supervisor of Breathe, Grace. This was to discuss the basic ideas of what I wanted to get out of the Breathe project. I was very interested in the textural side of construction, to be able to experiment with this and being able to do some very basic workshops with some of the people from outside of uni who will be in the Breathe procession.

Over Easter the original designs had changed, some some of the workshops I was going to produced where no longer possible. Today I had a meeting with the Breathe team to discuss what I would be able to do. 

I have always been interested in headdress making, so luckily through this project I will be able to really experiment with different textures and shapes to recreate the 'Hunters' headdress. 

Because of time constrictions on my part with extra projects and the costume store work. I will have to use the 'Breathe Club' to do a work shop of how I created parts of the headdress or the whole headdress I can then help to instruct any volunteers who can help on how to recreate the headdress. Volunteers from Breathe can be apart of the making of their costumes and I will be able to gain valuable teaching and assisting time.

  

Below are all of the designs for the 'Hunters'

Designs collaborated by Kate McStraw, based on designs by Kirsty Hanlon and Level 5 designers'

I will only be making certain parts of some of the designs below:

.3 headdress's

.Cloak- top row, 2nd in 

.Cloak - top row4, 4th 

By the end of this week I hope to have:

.Decided on the range of materials I hope to use in the cloaks and the headdress'

.Looked at how to constructed the headdress- create the right shape

Learning Agreement:

NAME:                                   KIM PICKERING

COURSE:                             BA (Hons) Costume with Performance Design        

UNIT TITLE:                                    Self Directed Project                    

REF. NO./LEVEL:               CSS518

WEIGHTING:                        2.0      

DURATION:                         9 Weeks       

HOURS OF STUDY:          300 Hours    

Unit Leader:                         Adele Keeley/Graham Cottenden

Your Blog address: http://kimpickering1.blogspot.co.uk/

DESCRIPTION:

The project I am working on is the costume store and it is to work on the finer details of costume construction. I chose this project as it as an area of my work that I want to develop and make stronger. Since starting year two I have lost a lot of confidence within my making skills and I need to regain my confidence and skill.

This project we will make a shirt, and breeches or waistcoat. Through this project I hope to greatly improve my sewing skills. I want to be able to create more detailed work well and within a time frame that is set.

   We are also helping with the Breathe project which is helping children and adults with disabilities to create Breather costumes for their parade. We will be doing workshops with them creating certain pieces of garments with them. I will also create a whole costume piece plus a body of work which is based on costume interpretation. This work is more individual and problem solving that working in a set way.

I really enjoy working with people so I would like to develop my skills in communication within a learning environment and help in directing them in the workshops we create.

  For the assessment I will be producing a number of garments from a range of eras. All of which will range in difficulty. The garments will range from a shirt, breeches or a waistcoat. To produce each garment there will be a different time scale.

The Breathers project will produce a full costume including decorative pieces; they will vastly differ compared to what will be produced in the costume store. These will be more textiles based and less focused on the finer details as they are bold and more extreme costumes.

What I hope to achieve in the costume store is a huge development in my sewing ability and more precision and accuracy in my making skills.

Through the Breathe project I hope to expand my knowledge of experimental textiles and how to create more extreme textiles into working costumes.

Aims:

A1       To provide opportunities for self-initiated, autonomous learning

            and develop the ability to plan time and work independently

A2       To provide opportunity to study the contextual development of costume and performance design

A3       To further develop the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation within a self initiated environment

A4       To propose, develop and evaluate professional aspirations through professional development planning

Learning Outcomes:

On completion of this unit you will be able to:

LO1     Identify and define the context for the development of your own work towards professional aspirations

LO2     Demonstrate an understanding of the development of Costume with performance design

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LO3     Have developed the creative, intellectual and practical applications of research and contextualisation

LO4    Consolidate and demonstrate professional aspirations and planning                     

Assessment Requirements:

Supervisor / Makers

HAND IN:

A body of construction work to include 2 garments for the costume store (patterns will be provided). and one whole costume and a body of costume interpretation work for Breathe together with personal reflection of the development of your project in your blog.  100%

     …..under pinned by personal development planning (in your blog journal) and a final written evaluation (750 words) evidenced in your Blog             100%

Each assessment requirement must be passed at a minimum grade of 40% to successfully complete the unit

Assessment Criteria (specific criteria related to the learning outcomes and linked to the statement of generic assessment criteria matrix):           

           

1.      Evidence of knowledge of contextual and theoretical issues – The level to which you have considered the context of your project and evidenced that to your body of work (LO1, LO2)

2.      Evidence of understanding through synthesis and development – The application and extend to which research has informed decision-making and project development together with the appropriate management of time (LO2, LO3, LO4)

3.      Evidence of evaluation and reflection – The extent to which you have reflected on the progress of your project and used it to inform personal development planning (LO4)

4.      Evidence of realisation through the communication of ideas - The presentation of your work and the level to which specialist knowledge has been applied, communicated and evidenced (LO3, LO4)