Final Evaluation
Making a costume for the National Theatre Hire Store was a great opportunity that i'm glad i chose, and have learnt a lot of new skills during the process. At the start of the project I was extremely overwhelmed with the amount of time given and the work load involved but looking back now I feel i have used my time wisely to complete both of these costumes in a short period of time.
The National Theatre supplied all the patterns, fabrics and decorations for the costumes which was a new experience instead of buying them yourself. The fabrics that were given to me were very frustrating and hard to use. I was given brown Taffeta for the top fabric for both Bodice and Skirt which was frustrating as whenever it was pinned it left a mark, and when unpicking it left a horribly noticeable line which was hard to get rid of. The Taffeta also frayed terribly, showing an orange colour, and after attaching the decoration to the skirt the gathered strip is starting to look rough and unprofessional. The pink lace fabric on the bottom skirt, I wish I had more of, because when Fiona came she thought it would be nicer if i could gather or pleat the bottom of the laced skirt to create a more floaty look rather than straight which is how i finished it.
I feel if i had a bit more time during this project I probably would of gone back and fixed a few things i am not happy with or didn't finish to the best of my ability. I realised that the size of my placket is very small, and if i had given myself more time I would of gone back and recreated it. I would of changed the positions of my scallops of the top skirt to make sure they didn't pull on some of the pleats and also lowered the scallops some more.
I feel I have enhanced a lot of my skills during this project. I have never been very good with keeping to a work plan but for this term to efficiently run smoothly i had to pay close attention to my time, and in this my time management improved immensely. A lot of my practical skills have improved as well including learning new techniques, applying decorations and improving both my hand sewing and machine sewing skills. Working in a team was difficult to grasp at first but as soon as Jemma and I started I knew we would work brilliantly together to create a well sewn decorative 19th Century Bodice.
I have enjoyed working with the National Theatre and am pleased to know that my costumes will be in their Hire Store. On both of my garments there are things I would improve on or do again but the overall look of the Ball Gown is aesthetically pleasing and I am proud of the costume as a whole.
Bibliography
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