Quick two day project

We were given a two day project as the start of the 5 week design block we've got leading up to Christmas. For this project we were given the task of designing a male and female costume that could be worn by a couple on strictly come dancing but it had to be along the theme of Halloween. I chose the Phantom of the Opera as the basis for my designs and this is what I have managed to come up with.

Photography opportunity...

With our bodices we have been given the opportunity to have a photograph taken of them that will the be printed out and given to us. In the photo out bodice was put with a skirt to make it look like a dress from the 1820-1825 era.

It wasn't the best angle to take my photos from but I think the one that's been printed for us will look good.

Final Bodice

These show the front back and side of the bodice now it is finished, I am really happy with the results

Sleeves

We had to scale up the sleeve pattern that were had been given onto the dotted paper. After doing this we then had to measure are armholes and see how much we would have to expand the sleeve by for it to ft in the armhole. This measurement would then be split into three different amounts and the sleeve would be expanded at three different sections. When doing this on the larger sleeve I had to ensure that I didn't put the expansion in one of the pleats.

Cutting on a stand

Were have been shown how to the basics of cutting on a stand, I personally prefer the flat pattern cutting but a lot of people did prefer this method.

The photos show the front back and side

Third fitting

 

These show the front back and side views of the starts of the final bodice.

Websites that could be used for my history of dress folder......

• http://www.npg.org.uk/
• http://www.vam.ac.uk/
• https://images.nationalarchives.gov.uk/assetbank-nationalarchives/action/viewHome
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/
• http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/learning/history/archives/
• http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/
• http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/eudr/hd_eudr.htm
• http://www.britishmuseum.org
• http://www.theblandfordfashionmuseum.com/public/index.php
• http://www.manchestergalleries.org/our-other-venues/platt-hall-gallery-of-costume/
• http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/collections/collection_search.aspx
• http://artrabbit.com/all/search/events?query=fashion&x=-1115&y=-13
• http://www.gettyimages.co.uk/editorialimages/archival#
• http://www.loc.gov/pictures/
• http://www.bl.uk/
• http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/
• http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/f/fashion-in-the-archive-of-art-and-design/
• http://www.britishpathe.com/workspaces/BritishPathe/The-Fashion-Archive
• http://www.vads.ac.uk/results.php?cmd=advsearch&words=london+college+of+fashion+college+archive&field=all&oper=or&words2=&field2=all&mode=boolean&submit=search&LCFCA=1

Second fitting

These show the fitting of the altered pattern using a toile.

This was made using the first pattern I did which wasn't right as the darts weren't in the right place or at the right angle going into the waist band. From altering the pattern to have the right darts got a much better result.7

It still needed to be a bit tighter around the waist and from looking at the original pattern the side seams were slightly curved so I just altered these on my pattern and took a bit more off the sides.

Pattern alteration

From the first fitting I was able to make an adapted basic block which I could he use to alter to get the pattern for the bodice. The show pictures show  a few of the stages through the pattern alteration process.

This was an example that we were shown by Mary to give us an idea of what it should look like and what stages we should go through to get to the final pattern. 

This was the first pattern that I got to after making a toile using it I found that it wasn't right because of the placing of the darts. With this in mind I altered my toile accordingly so it followed the pattern of the original bodice and also it fit Shelley

From the alterations of my toile I then went back to my pattern and made the same changes so that I was ready to cut out my final fabrics using it.

Fisrt fitting photographs

These are the fitting photos for my basic block to make sure that it fit before altering it into the pattern for the final bodice.

The only thing that was wrong with it was the seam for the shoulder was to far back causing around the neck to not fit very well.

Through pulling the front of the shoulder up a bit more the seam around the neck matched up and I just had to alter the placing of the armhole and how much seam allowance is needed on it.

Pattern alteration; Frankenstein bodice

I have worked in altering the pattern and creating it out of calico today, to make sure that my pattern pieces are all the right size.

First stage of the pattern altering. I used my basic block and then have taken out and altered the relevant darts and have also changed the neckline and the placement of the shoulder seam. 

Three different sections of the pattern so far

Sections of the pattern pinned ready to be sewn together

I have sewn all them sections together and this is the point that I am up to now. I am ready to transfer my pattern pieces onto the base fabric of my final piece.

Frankenstein bodice

The first project we have a uni is to recreate a women's bodice for 1822 to fit one of the people out of are group. This is an example of the style of bodice that we are going to recreate.

Basic pattern block; Frankenstein bodice

From the measurements that I took of Shelley I was bale to create a basic block. I then fitted it to her to make sure that my measurements were accurate. From this I will create the pattern pieces that I need to make the Frankenstein bodice.

First stage of drawing the basic block using the measurements that I had taken

The pattern drawn  for the second time as the
 first attempt wasn't quite right with the measurements. 

Cutting the pattern onto calico 

The full piece of fabric all marked and ready to be sewn.

From the stages above I came out with this from fitting this to Shelley I found that the neck was sat a bit high and the shoulders also needed some alterations. From making this information on the fabric whilst doing the fitting I was then able to create another pattern with the alterations needed which would be used to make the bodice pattern. 

First week at uni!

I have really enjoyed this week getting to know the people on my course and the work that we have done. The work consisted of studying a foam head, that one of the first years made last year, and taking technical and observational drawings of it. The main thing that I learnt from doing this was that I needed to take more measurements of the head as they too it away and told us to recreate in paper which we couldn't do as we hadn't measured it enough.

Technical drawings of the head 

Observational drawings of the head

3D paper model of the head

Nose of the head that I drew and the ear of another groups head