Sorry world, I know, I got slack and didn't post yesterday... I just have such a hard time remembering all the things I did!!!
So, my Monday started with repairing Thursday evenings mistakes: the front was still crinkled, so it came down to removing the interfacing tape holding the canvas to the front, and all associated stitches. Then, I could repair it all - interfacing tape, basting, machine just outside the hem; pin, tack, machine x3 the rows of trim, which I now allowed extra ease into, and they ended up barely being long enough - I guess this was a large part of what went wrong originally. My hem was then re tacked up, and I was back where I'd started - 5 hours of my Monday gone.
Then, I started the painful process of inserting my sleeves. My armhole measured 61.5cm, and my sleeve-head 66.5 - 5cm is a lot of difference with a difficult fabric. After much angst, I pinned, tacked, and sewed them in as best I could for a Monday, and went home. (3 hours)
Coming back in today, I decided the sleeves just weren't good enough. So, out they came, and I started again. Pin, check, tack, check, ease, check check... machine sew. adjust the few tiny little 'pokes'... Then, they were in!!! The next few steps went quickly - iron sleevehead seam allowance, to try and shrink it in a little bit; trim back seam allowances (1cm under the arm, 1.5cm forward of the arm through to the shoulder, and as much as possible at the back, where future alterations will take place); and hand catch the lining closed. The lining sleevehead fitted in nicely, with no real dramas!! This made me happy. (4.5 hours)
Then, it looked like a jacket!! I spent 2 hours pulling out all my tacking threads at this stage, it was difficult as some had been sewn in place, and the really unfortunate ones had been interfaced in place. But, I got them all. At this stage, I also finalised my lining hem, with a 1cm pleat in the lining to allow for movement.
Last but not least, I attached my cuffs, simply with a felling stitch of thick button thread. The 'hind' arm seam on both the cuff and the sleeve were pressed flat (not round), to give it a nice corner at the back. And then it was DONE!!!
So, I have finished my first coat, and learn loads from it. I spoke with Thorsten at the end of the day, and he said that whatever my hours had been on this jacket, he would help me work out how to make it faster on the next one - I can spot a few obvious things to do differently myself, but will look forward to his suggestions. Obviously not botching the CF braid and interfacing tape will be a start, and not wasting 2 hours completely redoing the sleeves will be another big thing. The grand total of hours spent on this jacket, was 60. Suz usually takes 48, Thorsten said it's possible to do it in 40. (Ha! For him, I'm sure it's true, but it certainly isn't true for me). I'm proud of my 60 hours, and I certainly hope that I can get this one done in 52-54, or 6-7 work days. The race will be on in the morning, and so now I must get to sleep.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
tailoring day 6
Hours +8
Today was an interesting, educational day of tailoring... I started by finishing my chain stitching, and closing the lining along my shoulder seams. Then, I made up my collar, with two layers of cavas, and a layer of organza, similar to the cuffs earlier. My top collar fabric was the same as the real fabric (interfaced) and my under collar was the real fabric, without interfacing. After bagging it all out, and pressing it nicely into shape, I pinned, tacked, and sewed it to my neck edge! Then covered it in the CF trim, as per the original plans. This took me though till about 230pm, there were so many steps involved.
This brought me to an interesting point. I think the next step was going to be to instert my sleeves (by methods unknown), then the cuffs, then I would have a finished jacket. But, when we looked at my 3/4 made jacket on the stand, it seemed the CF, of each side, was pulling up. I pressed it, several times, over the ironing board, and the ham, and still it wasn't sitting happily when hanging (but was on the flat). I couldn't work it out (cos I don't know too much about tailoring), and Trish couldn't quite work it out, so we called in the pro - Thorsten. It was decided that my trim was sewn on too tight, and that the bulk of it hadn't fed through the sewing machine properly, causing it to pull and bunch and create creases. So, an hour and a half long process began of unpicking my trim all the way along my CF seams. It was disheartening, but I knew that it would make the difference it needed, so I was happy to keep working. After removing all my little threads, and re pressing the front, I hung it back on the stand, and noticed it was still bunching. This was half an hour before my finishing time for the day. We collectively decided it was now the lining that was pulling too tight, so my remaining half hour was spent unpicking half the height of my CF outer/lining seams. The jacket will now take an extra day to complete, knowing how long it takes to tack and sew the trim back on. Not to mention that I don't actually know how the CF will end up being fixed!
So now, I'm taking a three day weekend, and I will return to my tailoring on Monday.
Today was an interesting, educational day of tailoring... I started by finishing my chain stitching, and closing the lining along my shoulder seams. Then, I made up my collar, with two layers of cavas, and a layer of organza, similar to the cuffs earlier. My top collar fabric was the same as the real fabric (interfaced) and my under collar was the real fabric, without interfacing. After bagging it all out, and pressing it nicely into shape, I pinned, tacked, and sewed it to my neck edge! Then covered it in the CF trim, as per the original plans. This took me though till about 230pm, there were so many steps involved.
This brought me to an interesting point. I think the next step was going to be to instert my sleeves (by methods unknown), then the cuffs, then I would have a finished jacket. But, when we looked at my 3/4 made jacket on the stand, it seemed the CF, of each side, was pulling up. I pressed it, several times, over the ironing board, and the ham, and still it wasn't sitting happily when hanging (but was on the flat). I couldn't work it out (cos I don't know too much about tailoring), and Trish couldn't quite work it out, so we called in the pro - Thorsten. It was decided that my trim was sewn on too tight, and that the bulk of it hadn't fed through the sewing machine properly, causing it to pull and bunch and create creases. So, an hour and a half long process began of unpicking my trim all the way along my CF seams. It was disheartening, but I knew that it would make the difference it needed, so I was happy to keep working. After removing all my little threads, and re pressing the front, I hung it back on the stand, and noticed it was still bunching. This was half an hour before my finishing time for the day. We collectively decided it was now the lining that was pulling too tight, so my remaining half hour was spent unpicking half the height of my CF outer/lining seams. The jacket will now take an extra day to complete, knowing how long it takes to tack and sew the trim back on. Not to mention that I don't actually know how the CF will end up being fixed!
So now, I'm taking a three day weekend, and I will return to my tailoring on Monday.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tailoring, day 5
Hours 27-34
Wow, how the hours are flying by!! It's kinda scary, because I don't actually know what is ahead of me. I have no idea if I'm 'on time' or 'running late' for my deadlines.
Today, as predicted, I sewed the cuffs. Two layers of canvas were zig zagged together 'in the round' (making them curve by having an inside and an outside piece). They were then straight stitched to a piece of organza also 'in the round', with the organza being the outer-most piece. The organza had 2cm seam allowances around it, but the canvas were both cut back to no seam allowance. The outer layer of the cuff was then tacked in place, having already marked through the placement lines for the trim. Then, the lining was machine sewn on to the outer fabric, catching the organza in there too, along the top-most edge. the side seams were then closed, making it officially cylindrical. With a lot of pressing care taken, the lining was then inside (where it should be), and hand sewn closed through the hem-edge of the cuff. My trims came next - replicating the designs on the jacket. It took me from 8am to 230pm to finish the cuffs!!
The next thing to do was to start work on my shoulder seams and armholes. The outer layer of shoulder seams were sewn, easing the back in to the front (as it should be done). I then caught my canvas on to the front, and in my shoulder seam allowance. Finally for the day, I chain stitched just outside my stitch line of my armhole, keeping most of my fabric flat, but easing in slightly through the front-armpit, in the same location that the canvas was shrunk in to place right back in the beginning. This took 2.5 hours, and I've only chain-stitched one armhole!! And that was the end of my work day! Cuffs and one armhole... Tailoring sure is a long process.
I'm quite exhausted, and I know that my blogs are getting shorter and less detailed. But I think it is good to keep writing, even just small details like tonight, rather than let it lapse in memory and time.
Wow, how the hours are flying by!! It's kinda scary, because I don't actually know what is ahead of me. I have no idea if I'm 'on time' or 'running late' for my deadlines.
Today, as predicted, I sewed the cuffs. Two layers of canvas were zig zagged together 'in the round' (making them curve by having an inside and an outside piece). They were then straight stitched to a piece of organza also 'in the round', with the organza being the outer-most piece. The organza had 2cm seam allowances around it, but the canvas were both cut back to no seam allowance. The outer layer of the cuff was then tacked in place, having already marked through the placement lines for the trim. Then, the lining was machine sewn on to the outer fabric, catching the organza in there too, along the top-most edge. the side seams were then closed, making it officially cylindrical. With a lot of pressing care taken, the lining was then inside (where it should be), and hand sewn closed through the hem-edge of the cuff. My trims came next - replicating the designs on the jacket. It took me from 8am to 230pm to finish the cuffs!!
The next thing to do was to start work on my shoulder seams and armholes. The outer layer of shoulder seams were sewn, easing the back in to the front (as it should be done). I then caught my canvas on to the front, and in my shoulder seam allowance. Finally for the day, I chain stitched just outside my stitch line of my armhole, keeping most of my fabric flat, but easing in slightly through the front-armpit, in the same location that the canvas was shrunk in to place right back in the beginning. This took 2.5 hours, and I've only chain-stitched one armhole!! And that was the end of my work day! Cuffs and one armhole... Tailoring sure is a long process.
I'm quite exhausted, and I know that my blogs are getting shorter and less detailed. But I think it is good to keep writing, even just small details like tonight, rather than let it lapse in memory and time.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
tailoring, day 4
Ou est mon de? (I'm learning French from Daphne, the new girl, from Paris. We sit at the same table. I can now ask "where is my thimble?" in French! It's good fun keeping my brain active while sewing!!)
Hours 19-26
Today's tailoring consitsted of fixing up the waist/skirt seam, as predicted. This time, I included a few extra balance points, to be able to match it all up nicely. It worked quite well! My pocket flaps were then sewn on with a line of machine stitching, and a quick hand catch to hide my seam allownaces. It sits pretty neatly now, and the curved seam of the waist matches that of the pocket.
After that, I got to machine sew my side back seam - from the waist up, and from the waist down, so as to not catch my thick, one directional waist seam allowances. The curves were quite tight, which makes the rule of not clipping any seam allowances difficult, but after a lot of pressing, I got them sitting pretty flat. The seam allowance through the skirt of the jacket is pressed towards the front, but the upper/body part is pressed open, so half way along the seam, it sort of folds over itself. While I can see that each seam needs to be pressed in those directions, and with no clipping allowed there aren't many options, but I just don't see how it will sit flat, and smooth, and look good. But, if that's the way it's meant to go, then that's what I will do! The lower part of the back seam needed braid attached, so I went through those motions again - pin, tack, 3 rows of machine sewing. Then I was able to machine sew the lower back lining seam. It was nice to be able to machine this one, as the hand sewing process takes a little longer, and this seam consists of two perfectly straight edges, so no need to do anything tricky on it! I then got to do some hand sewing - closing the lining above the waist along the side back seam. The CB piece of fabric was laid flat, and the seam allowances were basted together; then the side back was folded over and 'felled' closed. It's kind of like a whip-stitch, but seems to be quite heavily used in tailoring, and looks quite beautiful when it it finished. All of this took me through to lunch time - 4 hours of work.
After lunch, I was able to do my hem - well, most of it. The outer fabric was pressed up, and hand caught from inside the fold (the same way the sleeve hem was sewn back on day one, though I don't think I explained it too well then). A large amount of consideration was put in to making sure both the CB vent, and the CF were finished to the same lengths. The hem of the lining was not caught permanently, but just tacked in place, 1cm above the hem of the jacket. This, I was told, is so it can be ready to be sewn later, but also if things shift in the mean time, I wont have to undo my beautifully sewn hem, but just the tacking to be able to smooth it out and fix it. It was nearly time to sew my shoulder seams, but then most of my team of supervisors were heading home, so I had a quick lesson in cuffs and began those. This was roughly 4.5 hours of work.
Each cuff is made up of 2 layers of canvas (the 'orange stripe' one, I like to call it), cut on perpendicular grain lines, for strength in all directions. They get zig-zag sewn together, curving as you go along. The idea is that the inside piece of canvas will be slightly smaller than the outside piece, and it will help keep the cuffs in beautiful curves. There are many more steps involved, including organza, outer and lining fabrics, braids, trims, and tacking, but this was as far as I could confidently get. I have a sneaky suspision I have sewn my 'zig zags' wrong and my canvas isn't curving enough. We shall see in the morning!!
In other tailoring news, I will be making a second jacket after I have finished the first one. I am also now helping Daphne make hers! It is quite intimidating to be supervising someone when I am only 2 days work ahead of her. We have already had to ask two different people for help on two different occasions. I hope the notes I have been taking at work are extensive enough to be helpful, though I know that there are many people around should we require more help. She is not as excited by tailoring as I am, and it got off to a bad start, so I hope we can collectively stay strong, and not let the tailoring win!!
That's all for today...
Hours 19-26
Today's tailoring consitsted of fixing up the waist/skirt seam, as predicted. This time, I included a few extra balance points, to be able to match it all up nicely. It worked quite well! My pocket flaps were then sewn on with a line of machine stitching, and a quick hand catch to hide my seam allownaces. It sits pretty neatly now, and the curved seam of the waist matches that of the pocket.
After that, I got to machine sew my side back seam - from the waist up, and from the waist down, so as to not catch my thick, one directional waist seam allowances. The curves were quite tight, which makes the rule of not clipping any seam allowances difficult, but after a lot of pressing, I got them sitting pretty flat. The seam allowance through the skirt of the jacket is pressed towards the front, but the upper/body part is pressed open, so half way along the seam, it sort of folds over itself. While I can see that each seam needs to be pressed in those directions, and with no clipping allowed there aren't many options, but I just don't see how it will sit flat, and smooth, and look good. But, if that's the way it's meant to go, then that's what I will do! The lower part of the back seam needed braid attached, so I went through those motions again - pin, tack, 3 rows of machine sewing. Then I was able to machine sew the lower back lining seam. It was nice to be able to machine this one, as the hand sewing process takes a little longer, and this seam consists of two perfectly straight edges, so no need to do anything tricky on it! I then got to do some hand sewing - closing the lining above the waist along the side back seam. The CB piece of fabric was laid flat, and the seam allowances were basted together; then the side back was folded over and 'felled' closed. It's kind of like a whip-stitch, but seems to be quite heavily used in tailoring, and looks quite beautiful when it it finished. All of this took me through to lunch time - 4 hours of work.
After lunch, I was able to do my hem - well, most of it. The outer fabric was pressed up, and hand caught from inside the fold (the same way the sleeve hem was sewn back on day one, though I don't think I explained it too well then). A large amount of consideration was put in to making sure both the CB vent, and the CF were finished to the same lengths. The hem of the lining was not caught permanently, but just tacked in place, 1cm above the hem of the jacket. This, I was told, is so it can be ready to be sewn later, but also if things shift in the mean time, I wont have to undo my beautifully sewn hem, but just the tacking to be able to smooth it out and fix it. It was nearly time to sew my shoulder seams, but then most of my team of supervisors were heading home, so I had a quick lesson in cuffs and began those. This was roughly 4.5 hours of work.
Each cuff is made up of 2 layers of canvas (the 'orange stripe' one, I like to call it), cut on perpendicular grain lines, for strength in all directions. They get zig-zag sewn together, curving as you go along. The idea is that the inside piece of canvas will be slightly smaller than the outside piece, and it will help keep the cuffs in beautiful curves. There are many more steps involved, including organza, outer and lining fabrics, braids, trims, and tacking, but this was as far as I could confidently get. I have a sneaky suspision I have sewn my 'zig zags' wrong and my canvas isn't curving enough. We shall see in the morning!!
In other tailoring news, I will be making a second jacket after I have finished the first one. I am also now helping Daphne make hers! It is quite intimidating to be supervising someone when I am only 2 days work ahead of her. We have already had to ask two different people for help on two different occasions. I hope the notes I have been taking at work are extensive enough to be helpful, though I know that there are many people around should we require more help. She is not as excited by tailoring as I am, and it got off to a bad start, so I hope we can collectively stay strong, and not let the tailoring win!!
That's all for today...
Monday, August 22, 2011
Tailoring, day 3
Just look at this! Three posts in quick succession of each other! I feel like such a blogger...
Hour 13 - 18
Today was not a full day of tailoring, and I will get to that part of the story later, as it comes at the end of the day. It was a good day though. My usual two supervisors weren't around, so I was very self guided today. I had a third supervisor on hand, though it was more difficult to get the answers I needed, but luckily I didn't need to ask too many questions.
I started off by machine sewing my lining to my outer down the CF, and pinning and tacking two rows of trim down my CF. The layering and direction of the trims needed to be consistent with the other jackets being made, and extra length needed to be added to the top - so it can follow through the collar piece to a CB join, allowing for future alterations. Rather than machine sew the whole length of braid on, I needed to sew 20cm or so from the hem line to just the front layer of fabric, whereas the rest of the braid could be sewn through both outer and lining fabrics. I took a lot of care in making sure I didn't pull either trim too tight, and making sure the trim was exactly along the CF. Currently, the top of the trim is still dangling loose and has more than enough to do the collar, though that will come later I'm sure. This took me roughly 4 hours!!
Next was the side seam. The trick with this part is that I still haven't gotten it right! The seam of both the lining and the outer were sewn vertically, and then the horizontal waist/skirt seam could be sewn a little more than half of the length. I needed to unpick it and try again as my seams are not quite the same length at present! The difficult part of it is that, being an Opera costume, we're not clipping any of the seams, and both pieces fit together with roughly a right-angle. Sounds simple, but sewing it is actually not that easy! If you imagine two L shaped pieces of fabric fitting together, the 'down stroke' of the L is the side seam, and the 'across stroke' is the waist/skirt seam. This 'across' needs to be sewn towards the corner, not away from it, and stops half way, with the remainder to be hand sewn - because it is not physically possible to fit a sewing machine in there and stitch along the right lines! It would be a breeze if the seams could be clipped, but that would entirely defeat the purpose of making things so they can be altered, and that's why it's tricky! This took me 2 hours, and it's still not right!
The next step will be to attach my pocked flap over the 'across srtoke' part of the L, and that is where I got up to today. My original tailoring time got cut short when I was needed to do some other menswear alterations, as most of the menswear department weren't at work today! When that work was done, it was time to leave work early anyway, as I was going and seeing a show at the Opera House. Lakme was beautiful, very pleasing on the eye and ear, with the most gorgeous duets and trios harmonizing perfectly.
It looks like after this jacket is finished, I will be doing a second one! The time-frame for Don Giovanni is getting quite close, and there are still lots of principal-costumes to make! I don't mind doing it at all, and it will help me learn properly - cementing this knowledge, rather than doing it once and forgetting.But for now, it is sleep time...
Hour 13 - 18
Today was not a full day of tailoring, and I will get to that part of the story later, as it comes at the end of the day. It was a good day though. My usual two supervisors weren't around, so I was very self guided today. I had a third supervisor on hand, though it was more difficult to get the answers I needed, but luckily I didn't need to ask too many questions.
I started off by machine sewing my lining to my outer down the CF, and pinning and tacking two rows of trim down my CF. The layering and direction of the trims needed to be consistent with the other jackets being made, and extra length needed to be added to the top - so it can follow through the collar piece to a CB join, allowing for future alterations. Rather than machine sew the whole length of braid on, I needed to sew 20cm or so from the hem line to just the front layer of fabric, whereas the rest of the braid could be sewn through both outer and lining fabrics. I took a lot of care in making sure I didn't pull either trim too tight, and making sure the trim was exactly along the CF. Currently, the top of the trim is still dangling loose and has more than enough to do the collar, though that will come later I'm sure. This took me roughly 4 hours!!
Next was the side seam. The trick with this part is that I still haven't gotten it right! The seam of both the lining and the outer were sewn vertically, and then the horizontal waist/skirt seam could be sewn a little more than half of the length. I needed to unpick it and try again as my seams are not quite the same length at present! The difficult part of it is that, being an Opera costume, we're not clipping any of the seams, and both pieces fit together with roughly a right-angle. Sounds simple, but sewing it is actually not that easy! If you imagine two L shaped pieces of fabric fitting together, the 'down stroke' of the L is the side seam, and the 'across stroke' is the waist/skirt seam. This 'across' needs to be sewn towards the corner, not away from it, and stops half way, with the remainder to be hand sewn - because it is not physically possible to fit a sewing machine in there and stitch along the right lines! It would be a breeze if the seams could be clipped, but that would entirely defeat the purpose of making things so they can be altered, and that's why it's tricky! This took me 2 hours, and it's still not right!
The next step will be to attach my pocked flap over the 'across srtoke' part of the L, and that is where I got up to today. My original tailoring time got cut short when I was needed to do some other menswear alterations, as most of the menswear department weren't at work today! When that work was done, it was time to leave work early anyway, as I was going and seeing a show at the Opera House. Lakme was beautiful, very pleasing on the eye and ear, with the most gorgeous duets and trios harmonizing perfectly.
It looks like after this jacket is finished, I will be doing a second one! The time-frame for Don Giovanni is getting quite close, and there are still lots of principal-costumes to make! I don't mind doing it at all, and it will help me learn properly - cementing this knowledge, rather than doing it once and forgetting.But for now, it is sleep time...
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tailoring, day 2
Hello...
So, on Friday, my tailoring adventures continued. I'm still enjoying it, and now it 'looks like real tailoring'!!
Hours 5-13
The first part of my day was spent completing the sleeves - hemming the outer fabric, attaching the lining to the outer through both seam allowances, turning it inside out, and then hemming the lining; followed by tacking the sleeves outers and linings together to keep the lining out of the way, but not completely free to move. They are now resting on my sewing table, flat and with nothing on top of them (so they don't crease badly, or get squashed). Probably 2 hours of work.
After this, I got to start on my fronts! This started with stretching/shaping my canvases at the iron - giving roundness through the chest, and shrinking it a little around the armhole to encourage it curving in the right places! Each side needed to end up looking similarly curved, and it was something I felt you could spend hours perfecting, but limited myself so as to not over do it. I joined the cavas to the outer with three vertical rows of tacking (1cm inside the CF, one roughly down the middle, and one near ish the armhole). This was done over a ham so as to give the appropriate chest shape. Then the canvas needed to be cut back to 1mm inside the stitch lines- the CF and hem never have seam allowances in it. To permanently attached the canvas, with a interfacing tape was used over the hem +2cm, and the whole length of the CF. Assuming that the interfacing glue will one day give up, a quick whip stitch was sewn connecting the interfacing tape and the cavas, and I have been assured the machine stitching joining the lining to the outer at the CF will be enough at that stage. Maybe 3 hours of work.
My final thing to do on Friday was attach the braid to the front. This first needed tacking in place, checking all the lines were even (left to right length, as well as matching vertically, and giving a good line), and finally machine sewing it on! This part of the process took me probably 3 hours!
I do have the exact times this is taking me on each step of the way, and a particularly detailed method list, but I am keeping all that information at work until it is complete. I don't think I'm forgetting anything, though it is difficult to tell. I will do my best to keep updating this on a daily basis as the work continues!!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend. I will be blogging about another project soon - there is something else in the mix that is not through work, and will be a beautiful collaborative piece!
So, on Friday, my tailoring adventures continued. I'm still enjoying it, and now it 'looks like real tailoring'!!
Hours 5-13
The first part of my day was spent completing the sleeves - hemming the outer fabric, attaching the lining to the outer through both seam allowances, turning it inside out, and then hemming the lining; followed by tacking the sleeves outers and linings together to keep the lining out of the way, but not completely free to move. They are now resting on my sewing table, flat and with nothing on top of them (so they don't crease badly, or get squashed). Probably 2 hours of work.
After this, I got to start on my fronts! This started with stretching/shaping my canvases at the iron - giving roundness through the chest, and shrinking it a little around the armhole to encourage it curving in the right places! Each side needed to end up looking similarly curved, and it was something I felt you could spend hours perfecting, but limited myself so as to not over do it. I joined the cavas to the outer with three vertical rows of tacking (1cm inside the CF, one roughly down the middle, and one near ish the armhole). This was done over a ham so as to give the appropriate chest shape. Then the canvas needed to be cut back to 1mm inside the stitch lines- the CF and hem never have seam allowances in it. To permanently attached the canvas, with a interfacing tape was used over the hem +2cm, and the whole length of the CF. Assuming that the interfacing glue will one day give up, a quick whip stitch was sewn connecting the interfacing tape and the cavas, and I have been assured the machine stitching joining the lining to the outer at the CF will be enough at that stage. Maybe 3 hours of work.
My final thing to do on Friday was attach the braid to the front. This first needed tacking in place, checking all the lines were even (left to right length, as well as matching vertically, and giving a good line), and finally machine sewing it on! This part of the process took me probably 3 hours!
I do have the exact times this is taking me on each step of the way, and a particularly detailed method list, but I am keeping all that information at work until it is complete. I don't think I'm forgetting anything, though it is difficult to tell. I will do my best to keep updating this on a daily basis as the work continues!!
Hope you all have a lovely weekend. I will be blogging about another project soon - there is something else in the mix that is not through work, and will be a beautiful collaborative piece!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Tailoring, day 1
Hello world!
It has certianly been a LONG time since I last blogged, and I have no real excuse other than I never really got hooked on it. YET!!
Today at work (with Opera Australia still) I started a tailoring project. The last 4 months with the company, I have been working exclusively on womenswear (dresses, skirts, corsetted bodices etc), but today I was given some tailoring work. For the upcoming production of Don Giovanni, the male chorus members wear a kind of 1750s style outfit (jacket, shirt, waistcoat, breechers); and as there are 8-10 of them, one jacket has been given me to me as a big learning exercise. I'm looking forward to it (there had been rumours it was coming), and so far I'm feeling good about it.
I feel the need to make this perfectly clear though - I am arriving quite late into the process as far as making is concerned: the patterns were made, fabric cut, and a fitting done already, as well as the alterations marked through to the fabric. I am 'simply' completing the garment. I have heard this stage of the process actually takes someone with considerable skills and practice a little less than 50 hours, and I will be documenting my process carefully, and taking the time to get it right, so I expect it will take 80 hours or so - roughly two working weeks. I don't actually know the deadline of the show though, and that may change how thoroughly I can write my notes. I also have every intention of blogging about it, so here is the first installation.
Hours 0-5
My jobs began with the very straight-forward, but very important: marking through stitch lines, and tacking. All hems, notches, CF line, neck, armholes, and sleeveheads needed to have hand sewn tacking lines, as well as all the trim placement lines. While it was possible, I was also encourgaged to sew closed my sleeves (outter and lining pieces) so as to not worry about them later, which I did.
As the hours went by, I also started the next few tasks: sewing the CB seam of the lining, to include an 'action back' for ease of movement, following this up with tacking the CB line itself closed (to be removed later), and pressing it with the seam allowances facing left (when worn).
Then, I was given an option! To do the front, or the back first! It was a difficult one to choose - do you do the front, with loads of trim to be tacked, then machine sewn on, matching perfectly; or the back, which looks simple, but has a VENT! A vent is an overlap/split in the CB, below the waist. You'd recognise it if you saw it (I will load photos later) I chose the vent. It seemed the lesser of two evils.
The way the Opera cuts its jacket linings, is actually in two parts, split horizontally. This is for not-difficult alterations later down the track (keeping in mind that Opera costumes can be worn for 10 or 20 years!) I can't begin to explain how it was put together, especially without images to go with it, so you will just need to be left with the knowledge (for now) that I did it, with only a few crooked lines, but generally got it right the first time.
The useful information I CAN pass on, is how you know which side of a vent sits on top, and which side sits flat/underneath. This amazing knowledge comes in two steps. 1 - The Woman is Always (on the) Right. So, when you stand on the right side, with the man on the left, step 2 comes into play: you need easy access to his wallet (these days, it tends to be kept in his back pocket of his trousers). Therefore, the side of a vent with the 'extension' is the RHS, and the side that is folded back in the LHS. Visualise it, it makes sense, I promise!!
My day finished up with attaching the top part of the CB lining to the jacket, in all possible ways: tacking the seam allowances together, 1mm off the stitch line, from the inside; a later-to-be-removed tacking of the two CBs on top of each other; and the diamond/heart shaped two lines of tackingsimply holding the majority of the lining to the correct parts of the jacket. The trick with the diamond stitching is to not get too close to the shoulder pads, or seam allowances - you will always need to get complete flat access to these seams, and in the mean time you don't want to mess with your lining.
And thats it! That was 5 hours of sewing.
In an amusing note, I was offered a job to sew 3 suits in a weekend. This weekend. All I can assume is that they are in no-where near the same league as this one I am creating at work. I am curious as to what that job was going to be for, and who they end up finding to do it.
It has certianly been a LONG time since I last blogged, and I have no real excuse other than I never really got hooked on it. YET!!
Today at work (with Opera Australia still) I started a tailoring project. The last 4 months with the company, I have been working exclusively on womenswear (dresses, skirts, corsetted bodices etc), but today I was given some tailoring work. For the upcoming production of Don Giovanni, the male chorus members wear a kind of 1750s style outfit (jacket, shirt, waistcoat, breechers); and as there are 8-10 of them, one jacket has been given me to me as a big learning exercise. I'm looking forward to it (there had been rumours it was coming), and so far I'm feeling good about it.
I feel the need to make this perfectly clear though - I am arriving quite late into the process as far as making is concerned: the patterns were made, fabric cut, and a fitting done already, as well as the alterations marked through to the fabric. I am 'simply' completing the garment. I have heard this stage of the process actually takes someone with considerable skills and practice a little less than 50 hours, and I will be documenting my process carefully, and taking the time to get it right, so I expect it will take 80 hours or so - roughly two working weeks. I don't actually know the deadline of the show though, and that may change how thoroughly I can write my notes. I also have every intention of blogging about it, so here is the first installation.
Hours 0-5
My jobs began with the very straight-forward, but very important: marking through stitch lines, and tacking. All hems, notches, CF line, neck, armholes, and sleeveheads needed to have hand sewn tacking lines, as well as all the trim placement lines. While it was possible, I was also encourgaged to sew closed my sleeves (outter and lining pieces) so as to not worry about them later, which I did.
As the hours went by, I also started the next few tasks: sewing the CB seam of the lining, to include an 'action back' for ease of movement, following this up with tacking the CB line itself closed (to be removed later), and pressing it with the seam allowances facing left (when worn).
Then, I was given an option! To do the front, or the back first! It was a difficult one to choose - do you do the front, with loads of trim to be tacked, then machine sewn on, matching perfectly; or the back, which looks simple, but has a VENT! A vent is an overlap/split in the CB, below the waist. You'd recognise it if you saw it (I will load photos later) I chose the vent. It seemed the lesser of two evils.
The way the Opera cuts its jacket linings, is actually in two parts, split horizontally. This is for not-difficult alterations later down the track (keeping in mind that Opera costumes can be worn for 10 or 20 years!) I can't begin to explain how it was put together, especially without images to go with it, so you will just need to be left with the knowledge (for now) that I did it, with only a few crooked lines, but generally got it right the first time.
The useful information I CAN pass on, is how you know which side of a vent sits on top, and which side sits flat/underneath. This amazing knowledge comes in two steps. 1 - The Woman is Always (on the) Right. So, when you stand on the right side, with the man on the left, step 2 comes into play: you need easy access to his wallet (these days, it tends to be kept in his back pocket of his trousers). Therefore, the side of a vent with the 'extension' is the RHS, and the side that is folded back in the LHS. Visualise it, it makes sense, I promise!!
My day finished up with attaching the top part of the CB lining to the jacket, in all possible ways: tacking the seam allowances together, 1mm off the stitch line, from the inside; a later-to-be-removed tacking of the two CBs on top of each other; and the diamond/heart shaped two lines of tackingsimply holding the majority of the lining to the correct parts of the jacket. The trick with the diamond stitching is to not get too close to the shoulder pads, or seam allowances - you will always need to get complete flat access to these seams, and in the mean time you don't want to mess with your lining.
And thats it! That was 5 hours of sewing.
In an amusing note, I was offered a job to sew 3 suits in a weekend. This weekend. All I can assume is that they are in no-where near the same league as this one I am creating at work. I am curious as to what that job was going to be for, and who they end up finding to do it.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Opera Australia
Hi!
Last week, I finished my job on Blood Brothers. Filming ended, and at the 'wrap party' we saw a short clip of what the footage is looking like, and I must say, I am VERY excited! I don't know for sure, but it will probably be on tv in the next 2-3 months. I'll definitely be blogging more about it as it comes closer!
This week, I have a new job. I have started work, as a casual so far, at Opera Australia. I'm in the womens wear area, and have spent the day on alterations. The work is very similar to the things I was doing at Angels in London, though this time there are more familiar faces around me - I have seen 1 NIDA lecturer, and 3 NIDA grads from only a few years above me. Friendly faces who have recently been through similar years of trying to find work. It's encouraging. :-)
Over the weekend just passed, I was in Canberra. I visited my friend Libby, and my cousin Marcus and his fiance Misa. One of the main reasons for visiting Canberra on a long weekend was to see the Ballet Russes Exhibition, on at the National Gallery of Australia. It was beautiful. Most of the costumes were from 1910-30 ish, and there were really beautiful and in good condition. Of course, I just wanted to actually the fabric to get a better understanding of how it would move while being worn, and also to be able to feel the condition. Though to be fair, there were a few costumes that were in such poor condition they couldn't even be dressed on mannequins. It was really lovely to see the costumes, they had such strong colours, even 100 years after they were originally made!
The only other exciting costume news I have of late is that my Graduation is coming up. May 1 (a Sunday). It will be nice to see as many of my classmates as possible, and to finally have the piece of paper that says I have a qualification. I doubt anything will change, really, but it'll be a nice thing to have, and my parents will come over from half way across the country to see it happen. Yay! A few of my friends have been graduating lately, and they all seem so happy and proud. That's what I'm looking forward to - something tangible to show for my 3 years of hard work.
That's it for now... More news will come as I have more news to tell!
Last week, I finished my job on Blood Brothers. Filming ended, and at the 'wrap party' we saw a short clip of what the footage is looking like, and I must say, I am VERY excited! I don't know for sure, but it will probably be on tv in the next 2-3 months. I'll definitely be blogging more about it as it comes closer!
This week, I have a new job. I have started work, as a casual so far, at Opera Australia. I'm in the womens wear area, and have spent the day on alterations. The work is very similar to the things I was doing at Angels in London, though this time there are more familiar faces around me - I have seen 1 NIDA lecturer, and 3 NIDA grads from only a few years above me. Friendly faces who have recently been through similar years of trying to find work. It's encouraging. :-)
Over the weekend just passed, I was in Canberra. I visited my friend Libby, and my cousin Marcus and his fiance Misa. One of the main reasons for visiting Canberra on a long weekend was to see the Ballet Russes Exhibition, on at the National Gallery of Australia. It was beautiful. Most of the costumes were from 1910-30 ish, and there were really beautiful and in good condition. Of course, I just wanted to actually the fabric to get a better understanding of how it would move while being worn, and also to be able to feel the condition. Though to be fair, there were a few costumes that were in such poor condition they couldn't even be dressed on mannequins. It was really lovely to see the costumes, they had such strong colours, even 100 years after they were originally made!
The only other exciting costume news I have of late is that my Graduation is coming up. May 1 (a Sunday). It will be nice to see as many of my classmates as possible, and to finally have the piece of paper that says I have a qualification. I doubt anything will change, really, but it'll be a nice thing to have, and my parents will come over from half way across the country to see it happen. Yay! A few of my friends have been graduating lately, and they all seem so happy and proud. That's what I'm looking forward to - something tangible to show for my 3 years of hard work.
That's it for now... More news will come as I have more news to tell!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Location Filming, and Daft Punk
Hello...
The filming part of Blood Brothers is finished now. I have never felt this way about anything, I guess as it's the first time I've seen through a film project start to finish. As I have previously said, the hours were hectic. It did get to a point where the office would let me do more than 10 hour days, and at the worst of it, I did three back to back days of 12+ (or up to 14) hour days... I saw some amazing sights, mostly sunrises in beautiful locations, and even a few sunsets! We filmed inside Darlinghurst Law Courts on two consecutive Saturdays, which was very cool to be able to do - the best way to spend a lot of time inside a court (no relations being charged, no real criminals at hand). The cast always did such a fantastic job, rarely dropping lines, and always being absolutely perfect at everything! I can't imagine the strain it puts on your body to become a character, as (of course) our actors were playing both the 'goodies' and the 'badies'... Despite the slightly frightening times in the law courts (our story is after all based on a true story), we also had fun times, filming happy family times, and gorgeous outdoor parks and gardens. I've heard many versions of events, but Blood Brothers could be apearing on television within 2-6 months, depending on editing, marketing, and a few real life factors. We shall see what happens.
On Friday night just passed, we had our 'wrap party' - a celebration of the movie, with cast, crew, producers, and a few real life people our characters were based on. As with all fantastic parties, there was free flowing champagne, beer and wines; and we got kicked out of our venue at midnight. But, it was a great chance to network, and see all my work colleagues in a non work environment. I even had a chat with one of the producers, I think it was the first time I had ever been acknowledged by him, and he probably didn't know what part I had played in the process. But that's fine, I'm not in it for the recognition, and realistically, I played quite a small part. Not that washing and ironing isn't important, but it is comparatively tiny.
Next, I have several projects about to begin.
Soon, I will be starting 2 weeks as a casual employee at Opera Australia. I'm looking forward to getting back into sewing, heavily. It's been a while now since I've spent hours on end in front of a sewing machine, and I'm looking forward to it, even if I end up with a sore neck (which is always the most likely injury for me).
Though, it's not that I've done no sewing lately - I was recently comissioned to make a Daft Punk costume for a friend's birthday party. With little more than this picture to go from, I agreed to make the birthday boy something to wear to his party.
The filming part of Blood Brothers is finished now. I have never felt this way about anything, I guess as it's the first time I've seen through a film project start to finish. As I have previously said, the hours were hectic. It did get to a point where the office would let me do more than 10 hour days, and at the worst of it, I did three back to back days of 12+ (or up to 14) hour days... I saw some amazing sights, mostly sunrises in beautiful locations, and even a few sunsets! We filmed inside Darlinghurst Law Courts on two consecutive Saturdays, which was very cool to be able to do - the best way to spend a lot of time inside a court (no relations being charged, no real criminals at hand). The cast always did such a fantastic job, rarely dropping lines, and always being absolutely perfect at everything! I can't imagine the strain it puts on your body to become a character, as (of course) our actors were playing both the 'goodies' and the 'badies'... Despite the slightly frightening times in the law courts (our story is after all based on a true story), we also had fun times, filming happy family times, and gorgeous outdoor parks and gardens. I've heard many versions of events, but Blood Brothers could be apearing on television within 2-6 months, depending on editing, marketing, and a few real life factors. We shall see what happens.
On Friday night just passed, we had our 'wrap party' - a celebration of the movie, with cast, crew, producers, and a few real life people our characters were based on. As with all fantastic parties, there was free flowing champagne, beer and wines; and we got kicked out of our venue at midnight. But, it was a great chance to network, and see all my work colleagues in a non work environment. I even had a chat with one of the producers, I think it was the first time I had ever been acknowledged by him, and he probably didn't know what part I had played in the process. But that's fine, I'm not in it for the recognition, and realistically, I played quite a small part. Not that washing and ironing isn't important, but it is comparatively tiny.
Next, I have several projects about to begin.
Soon, I will be starting 2 weeks as a casual employee at Opera Australia. I'm looking forward to getting back into sewing, heavily. It's been a while now since I've spent hours on end in front of a sewing machine, and I'm looking forward to it, even if I end up with a sore neck (which is always the most likely injury for me).
Though, it's not that I've done no sewing lately - I was recently comissioned to make a Daft Punk costume for a friend's birthday party. With little more than this picture to go from, I agreed to make the birthday boy something to wear to his party.
For better or worse, I agreed to make this costume a little over a month before the party, and then got caught up on set. However, it all came together quite well, I think. I took a large amount of measurements, and ended up drafting my own patterns. While eventually worn as one piece, the belt is hiding a waist seam, so at first fitting, the trousers and top were worn seperately, and the entire garment was to be fastened by a long CB zip. With the due amount of discretion involved, we were after quite a tight fit, and the cotton lycra used worked well to that effect. Also, in case you haven't realised, these costumes are animated, not physical clothes, so there was room for artistic interpretation. Joe, the customer, also had a few extra requests - to make sure that when he painted himself with blue body paint, it wouldn't effect the costume. The costume also had to be able to survive a dance floor and one hectic night of partying, as well as future wear. We ended up doing 2 fittings over 8 days, and for the first time ever, Joe's trousers needed taking up, twice. Not that I'd taken the measurements wrong, but more than the fabrics was streatching and dropping dramatically. In the future, the only thing I'd do differently would be to some how end up with a non stretchy collar - even with a double layer of white cotton lycra, it did manage to stay up quite well, and for ability to breath, it worked quite fantastically - it just didn't have the clean crisp quality I was hoping for.
The only other sewing project I have in mind is to make myself a winter coat. I have purchased a pattern, with the idea of changing the collar, and the fabric came home from England with me, so now I just need the time to do it. I've got the urge to get back into sewing, as it has certainly been a while, but now I just need to have a little more time in order to get the ball rolling.
As I'm working on a week of post-production cleaning, ironing, and general sorting, I should get to sleep now to be able to function properly tomorrow. Thursday ends my committments to Blood Brothers, and there are now not many people left in the building. All I need to sort through is approximately 400 pieces of clothing by Friday and return it all to the right places, and everything will be fine. :-)
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Blood and guts
HI!!!
Today will be our third day of filming Blood Brothers, and it feels like it is going well, but slowly. We seem to always run late, but I guess that's just the nature of the job. Things are coming together still, but I'm enjoying the lifestyle. The 'powers that be' will not let me work more than 10 hours (+ 30 mins lunch break), so cos I'm needed on set late tonight, I'm not starting till 12. It'll be a long day, but I've finally worken up feeling refreshed from my sleep.
Yesterday, I got to spend some time on the actual set, not just with the 'unit' base 20m away. The costume standby needed an extra set of hands because we were filming two different pieces at once - she was upstairs with the main cast and most of the crew, and I was downstairs with a 3rd Assistant Director, Props man, Camera man, and an actor - filming close ups of stabbing. I'm not going to lie - I felt quite nausious. Props man - Simon - had rigged up a pork belly with syringes and tubes so that it would 'bleed' when our actor stabbed it. I was there to provide the clothes, so that our pig matched the characters they were meant to. I felt like throwing up whe a bit og pig flesh flew off the bloody knife and onto my leg. Even knowing it's all fake isnt enough sometimes, as we are trying to recreate what happens when a real person actually gets stabbed.
In other news, I'm emailing my resume and portfolio out to some other future potential employers today; it's a really good idea to email the next job looking for work BEFORE the current one ends. So that's what I'm doing. Fingers crossed, eh?
Gotta run, or I will be late, as there is so much to do!
Today will be our third day of filming Blood Brothers, and it feels like it is going well, but slowly. We seem to always run late, but I guess that's just the nature of the job. Things are coming together still, but I'm enjoying the lifestyle. The 'powers that be' will not let me work more than 10 hours (+ 30 mins lunch break), so cos I'm needed on set late tonight, I'm not starting till 12. It'll be a long day, but I've finally worken up feeling refreshed from my sleep.
Yesterday, I got to spend some time on the actual set, not just with the 'unit' base 20m away. The costume standby needed an extra set of hands because we were filming two different pieces at once - she was upstairs with the main cast and most of the crew, and I was downstairs with a 3rd Assistant Director, Props man, Camera man, and an actor - filming close ups of stabbing. I'm not going to lie - I felt quite nausious. Props man - Simon - had rigged up a pork belly with syringes and tubes so that it would 'bleed' when our actor stabbed it. I was there to provide the clothes, so that our pig matched the characters they were meant to. I felt like throwing up whe a bit og pig flesh flew off the bloody knife and onto my leg. Even knowing it's all fake isnt enough sometimes, as we are trying to recreate what happens when a real person actually gets stabbed.
In other news, I'm emailing my resume and portfolio out to some other future potential employers today; it's a really good idea to email the next job looking for work BEFORE the current one ends. So that's what I'm doing. Fingers crossed, eh?
Gotta run, or I will be late, as there is so much to do!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Lunch Break
Hi internet world...
I'm on my lunch break, and thought I would follow through on my promise to blog more regularly, and as there is no time like the present, I thought I'd try a sneaky blog.
Work is going well! The show is called Blood Brothers, not sure if I mentioned that previously. I'm still unsure on all the privacy clauses, so I will be circumspect. The cast I have met are amazing, and make me really excited to see some familiar faces, as well as knowing a little of their backgrounds and wanting to see the work they will produce on this project. I'm really enjoying the work, though the only sewing I have been doing has been ro produce multiple dressing gowns for when they get covered in blood, and burnt etc, as well as needing duplicates for continuity. I have completed 4, and found out today that I need to make a 5th one!! cest la vie... I'm learning loads about how Hero works - the costume hire place most of our costumes are coming from, as well we re living the 90s through fashion. I do miss velcro sandals, PALE denim, straw sunhats with bright coloured flowers, and aboriginal dot print t shirts. All of which I can unashamedly say I owned and wore regularly!! Late this week we will move into the 'Costume Bus' - a trailer on the back of a truck which will be our home for the next 4 weeks of shooting.
The shoot schedule came out today, and it looks like I'll be working on a couple of saturdays, though will get the mondays off those weeks so we only ever do 5 days in a row. That's so we can film in a court room without ever taking up the court's precious time. Also, there are a couple of huge late nights ahead of us - start at 1pm, finish at midnight for several days. Thats the trouble with summer - we need outside to look dark sometimes, and when we do, we have to wait AGES for it to happen!
That's all I actually have time for. It's 10 mins till a fitting with our lead, and the costumes are still in bags waiting to be unpacked. oops!!
I'll write again soon, as always.
Caitlyn.
I'm on my lunch break, and thought I would follow through on my promise to blog more regularly, and as there is no time like the present, I thought I'd try a sneaky blog.
Work is going well! The show is called Blood Brothers, not sure if I mentioned that previously. I'm still unsure on all the privacy clauses, so I will be circumspect. The cast I have met are amazing, and make me really excited to see some familiar faces, as well as knowing a little of their backgrounds and wanting to see the work they will produce on this project. I'm really enjoying the work, though the only sewing I have been doing has been ro produce multiple dressing gowns for when they get covered in blood, and burnt etc, as well as needing duplicates for continuity. I have completed 4, and found out today that I need to make a 5th one!! cest la vie... I'm learning loads about how Hero works - the costume hire place most of our costumes are coming from, as well we re living the 90s through fashion. I do miss velcro sandals, PALE denim, straw sunhats with bright coloured flowers, and aboriginal dot print t shirts. All of which I can unashamedly say I owned and wore regularly!! Late this week we will move into the 'Costume Bus' - a trailer on the back of a truck which will be our home for the next 4 weeks of shooting.
The shoot schedule came out today, and it looks like I'll be working on a couple of saturdays, though will get the mondays off those weeks so we only ever do 5 days in a row. That's so we can film in a court room without ever taking up the court's precious time. Also, there are a couple of huge late nights ahead of us - start at 1pm, finish at midnight for several days. Thats the trouble with summer - we need outside to look dark sometimes, and when we do, we have to wait AGES for it to happen!
That's all I actually have time for. It's 10 mins till a fitting with our lead, and the costumes are still in bags waiting to be unpacked. oops!!
I'll write again soon, as always.
Caitlyn.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
3 months is not very long...
Hello!!
I'm now back in Sydney, having not had any good opportunities to update while having many adventures around Europe... It seems my last update was while I was in Florence, which is SO long ago!! I don't quite know how to tell the whole story, so I will tell the relevant parts of it as they come to mind.
I was heading overseas for the Costume Colloquium II conference in Florence, which was fantastic; but also to do a work placement at a London based company called Angels. Angels have been making costumes for 150 years or so, and these days make and alter stock costumes for film and stage shows. Basically, someone putting on a show or film will contact Angels, and pay money to be able to use their HUGE amount of costumes already in stock for the show they are a part of. ... I don't know that I'm really explaining this too well, sorry.
I ended up in the Alterations Department of Angels, for 8 weeks from late November through till mid January. I had a fantastic time working with everyone else there, and learnt a lot!
In Alterations, we would basically alter the costumes after they had been fitted to the various actors. So, depending on the job, we could be letting trousers up or down, in or out; replacing buttons, epilettes, or military braids on jackets; re hemming skirts; entirely replacing trim on worn out old costumes... the opportunities and variation was endless! Of course, not all of it was interesting - trouser hems will never be fun, lets be honest - but the interesting projects more than made up for the less challenging ones.
I had many favourites, but here are a few particularly great ones: I got to re make a skirt, including underskirt and two layers of frills, just because the designer wanted it to look "more yellow" (it was already quite yellow, but it needed to be MORE so!). I also spent nearly 3 days replacing the worn out, fragile silk floral trim on a skirt and jacket of a costume based on 1860s evening dress - 11m of 12cm wide trim needed to be sourced, matched, approved and perfectly reapplied. In the early days of my placement, I was spending quite a lot of time working on original dresses from 1910 or so, all of which needed to be either let down, or have false under skirts added to make them about 15-20cm (6-8inches) longer, or let the centre back out by approximately 5-7cm (2-3 inches) - women just aren't built the same as we were 100 years ago (we now have freedom of movement, not corsets; and also have much better nourishment!!)... And, menswear wise, it took me a day and a half to take in a military jacket. For better or worse, it had actually been properly made, not store mass produced - there were layers of hand stitched canvas through the chest and shoulders, etc. I needed to take it in 1/2 inch all the way from the front of the arm pit, across the sleeve head, and all the way to the hem, going along the side back seam. The most difficult part of that was encountering the shoulder pads - I pulled them apart, cut them back, and replaced them - it was much easier to get a smooth line across the shoulder that way; where the other option had been to push them in to the garment further and make terrible bubbles all across the back.
The beauty of being in London for 8 weeks was that the rest of England, and Europe, were relatively accessible on weekends.
I took one Friday off work to go up to Nottingham. I had a friend up there to visit, but also a business contact to re introduce myself to. Lawrence of Dukeries Textiles is a manufacturer of the most amazing tulle and nets. His family run and owned business has provided fashion and costume designers with top quality fabrics for generations. I went with the idea of purchasing some lace - the kind that can't be made anymore. When machines get so old that parts are no longer available for replacing, the last of anything in the world is always more worthwhile. I bought 4 lengths of lace, the narrowest was 4cm, the widest almost 18cm; and each piece approximately 9m long. None of those patterns of lace can ever be made again, I own the last of them in the world. I believe. 2 of them are cream, 1 antique gold, and 1 blue thread on black fabric. To me, they are the most beautiful things in the world, and I will not use them until the perfect moment comes along. Lawrence told me that he supplied the royal family with the tulle for Princess Diana's wedding veil, and that he's expecting another order from the royal family soon.
Other great adventures included a trip to Canterbury to visit a friend for Christmas. There wasn't a lot of costume things on around there, but I wanted to publicly say that I had a fantastic time with the Arnott family, and met a budding fashion designer/maker on Christmas eve, Dulcima, and can strongly recommend you all check out her website.
http://www.dulcima.co.uk/
Another amazingly exciting experience was getting on the train out to Reading, to visit the fantastic Kerry - aka Costumes Incarnate http://costumesincarnate.blogspot.com/ My classmates and I had a fantastic time catching up with our Tailoring Lecturer in her new environment. We partied, ate too much, danced it off, and ate more. It was wonderful!! I'm sorry I didn't make it to visit more than once in my time in England, but I promise I'll be back again soon!! ;-)
Before I knew it, my placement was over, and I had 1 week left in Europe. So I went to Paris for the weekend. Well, 4 days, but it was worth it, despite my lack of French. I climbed almost everything I could, saw the best of the best sites, and managed to spend 3/4 of a day out at the spectacular Palace and Gardens of Versailles. I can't recommend a visit there strongly enough, it was all so breathtaking. The size of the castle itself, not to mention the gardens, fountains, Grand- and Petit Trianon, everything! It was so perfect. I kept thinking of my research project dress, which would have been perfect to photograph in the gardens, though a pain to transport all that way across the world!
Now, I'm back in Sydney and settling in to my new apartment, and setting up my sewing room. 3 months away taught me that I'm not ready to stop learning, so I've come up with a few costume ideas of things I would like to make. The research process will begin in late March, when I have finished a job I'm starting on Monday! I will be Costume Assistant on a telemovie on Channel 9 - pretty sure I can't talk about it, so I wont.
Now that I have finished my essay, I will end this for now. I'm really keen to blog regularly, so maybe I will go into more detail of each of my costume adventures in Europe, or come up with new projects to write to you all about.
Until next time - happy sewing! xx
I'm now back in Sydney, having not had any good opportunities to update while having many adventures around Europe... It seems my last update was while I was in Florence, which is SO long ago!! I don't quite know how to tell the whole story, so I will tell the relevant parts of it as they come to mind.
I was heading overseas for the Costume Colloquium II conference in Florence, which was fantastic; but also to do a work placement at a London based company called Angels. Angels have been making costumes for 150 years or so, and these days make and alter stock costumes for film and stage shows. Basically, someone putting on a show or film will contact Angels, and pay money to be able to use their HUGE amount of costumes already in stock for the show they are a part of. ... I don't know that I'm really explaining this too well, sorry.
I ended up in the Alterations Department of Angels, for 8 weeks from late November through till mid January. I had a fantastic time working with everyone else there, and learnt a lot!
In Alterations, we would basically alter the costumes after they had been fitted to the various actors. So, depending on the job, we could be letting trousers up or down, in or out; replacing buttons, epilettes, or military braids on jackets; re hemming skirts; entirely replacing trim on worn out old costumes... the opportunities and variation was endless! Of course, not all of it was interesting - trouser hems will never be fun, lets be honest - but the interesting projects more than made up for the less challenging ones.
I had many favourites, but here are a few particularly great ones: I got to re make a skirt, including underskirt and two layers of frills, just because the designer wanted it to look "more yellow" (it was already quite yellow, but it needed to be MORE so!). I also spent nearly 3 days replacing the worn out, fragile silk floral trim on a skirt and jacket of a costume based on 1860s evening dress - 11m of 12cm wide trim needed to be sourced, matched, approved and perfectly reapplied. In the early days of my placement, I was spending quite a lot of time working on original dresses from 1910 or so, all of which needed to be either let down, or have false under skirts added to make them about 15-20cm (6-8inches) longer, or let the centre back out by approximately 5-7cm (2-3 inches) - women just aren't built the same as we were 100 years ago (we now have freedom of movement, not corsets; and also have much better nourishment!!)... And, menswear wise, it took me a day and a half to take in a military jacket. For better or worse, it had actually been properly made, not store mass produced - there were layers of hand stitched canvas through the chest and shoulders, etc. I needed to take it in 1/2 inch all the way from the front of the arm pit, across the sleeve head, and all the way to the hem, going along the side back seam. The most difficult part of that was encountering the shoulder pads - I pulled them apart, cut them back, and replaced them - it was much easier to get a smooth line across the shoulder that way; where the other option had been to push them in to the garment further and make terrible bubbles all across the back.
The beauty of being in London for 8 weeks was that the rest of England, and Europe, were relatively accessible on weekends.
I took one Friday off work to go up to Nottingham. I had a friend up there to visit, but also a business contact to re introduce myself to. Lawrence of Dukeries Textiles is a manufacturer of the most amazing tulle and nets. His family run and owned business has provided fashion and costume designers with top quality fabrics for generations. I went with the idea of purchasing some lace - the kind that can't be made anymore. When machines get so old that parts are no longer available for replacing, the last of anything in the world is always more worthwhile. I bought 4 lengths of lace, the narrowest was 4cm, the widest almost 18cm; and each piece approximately 9m long. None of those patterns of lace can ever be made again, I own the last of them in the world. I believe. 2 of them are cream, 1 antique gold, and 1 blue thread on black fabric. To me, they are the most beautiful things in the world, and I will not use them until the perfect moment comes along. Lawrence told me that he supplied the royal family with the tulle for Princess Diana's wedding veil, and that he's expecting another order from the royal family soon.
Other great adventures included a trip to Canterbury to visit a friend for Christmas. There wasn't a lot of costume things on around there, but I wanted to publicly say that I had a fantastic time with the Arnott family, and met a budding fashion designer/maker on Christmas eve, Dulcima, and can strongly recommend you all check out her website.
http://www.dulcima.co.uk/
Another amazingly exciting experience was getting on the train out to Reading, to visit the fantastic Kerry - aka Costumes Incarnate http://costumesincarnate.blogspot.com/ My classmates and I had a fantastic time catching up with our Tailoring Lecturer in her new environment. We partied, ate too much, danced it off, and ate more. It was wonderful!! I'm sorry I didn't make it to visit more than once in my time in England, but I promise I'll be back again soon!! ;-)
Before I knew it, my placement was over, and I had 1 week left in Europe. So I went to Paris for the weekend. Well, 4 days, but it was worth it, despite my lack of French. I climbed almost everything I could, saw the best of the best sites, and managed to spend 3/4 of a day out at the spectacular Palace and Gardens of Versailles. I can't recommend a visit there strongly enough, it was all so breathtaking. The size of the castle itself, not to mention the gardens, fountains, Grand- and Petit Trianon, everything! It was so perfect. I kept thinking of my research project dress, which would have been perfect to photograph in the gardens, though a pain to transport all that way across the world!
Now, I'm back in Sydney and settling in to my new apartment, and setting up my sewing room. 3 months away taught me that I'm not ready to stop learning, so I've come up with a few costume ideas of things I would like to make. The research process will begin in late March, when I have finished a job I'm starting on Monday! I will be Costume Assistant on a telemovie on Channel 9 - pretty sure I can't talk about it, so I wont.
Now that I have finished my essay, I will end this for now. I'm really keen to blog regularly, so maybe I will go into more detail of each of my costume adventures in Europe, or come up with new projects to write to you all about.
Until next time - happy sewing! xx
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