Gina Warnes

Independent Project

[ginawarnes]

Bibliography

AGVF88. (2013). Giselle (Bolshoi Ballet) - La folie et mort de Giselle (grand scène dramatique). [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPJ4C01mPS8 [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Alexej Ignatow. (2013). Giselle - Russian State Ballet and Opera House. [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvhPssve4Nw [Accessed on 15-04-14].

APlainWhiteCat. (2014). Gillian Murphy - Act 1 Giselle variation. [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0p43YCLw8Q [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Bolshoi. (2014). Giselle. Synopsis. [Online]. Available from: http://www.bolshoi.ru/en/performances/41/libretto/ [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Classic Act Tutu. (2009). History of Tutus. [Online]. Available from: http://www.classacttutu.com/hints-history-of-tutus [Accessed on 15-04-12].

Comune Di Vittoria. (2010). Scoglitti Open Village: Giselle. [Online]. Avalible from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODLyhNSJXnQ [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Crafty Sisters. (2010). Sunflowers. 10 September 2010. Blog: Crafty Sisters. [Online]. Available from http://craftysisters-nc.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/sunflowers.html.

Dance Direct. (2014). The History Of A Dance Tutu. [Online]. Available from: http://www.dancedirect.com/uk/Press/Article/967/ [Accessed on 15-04-14].

David Coll. (2011). American Ballet Theatre Giselle 1969 (Complete). [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbYlMnFgp3c [Accessed on 15-04-14].

John. E. (1967). Creative Stitches. Canada. General Publishing Company Ltd.

Jones. N. (1978). Embroidery. London. Macdonald Educational Ltd.

Kendrick. H.W. (2009). Stitchopedia. London. Quintet Publishing Limited.

Live your Dreams 2. (2014). Ballet Giselle (COMPLETE) - Adolphe Adam - HD Classical Ballet (Ballet Clásico). [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NNgvwBxdSM [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Looseleaf. V. (2007). The Story of the Tutu. Dance Magazine. [Online]. October 07. Available from http://www.dancemagazine.com/issues/October-2007/The-Story-of-the-Tutu [Accessed on 15-04-14].

More2Screen. (2011). GISELLE 3D from the Mariinsky Theatre. [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkV5tM0mRaU [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Newman. B. (1997). The Illustrated Book of Ballet Stories. London. Dorling Kindersley Limited.

ObraztsovaUnofficial. (2013). Evgenia Obraztsova and Mathieu Ganio - Giselle Act 1 Excerpts (2010). [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75Jy2P3F-Q8 [Accessed on 15-04-14].

Oleson. K.E. (1978). Floral Patterns for Needlecraft and The Decorative Arts. USA. Litton Educational Publishing Inc.

SOP195. (2011). State Opera Prague - Giselle act I (part 4). [Online]. Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQfaYkWeLDs [Accessed on 15-04-14].

[ginawarnes]

Final Evaluation

This project has involved learning new skills and improving on old ones. I discovered many differences between ballet construction and normal garment construction causing me to learn several new techniques. As this was the first time I was doing these new techniques, some have not been done to industry standard, but I have recorded how to do them and what I need to improve on, so going forward I can do them to the standard needed.

Time management was very important in this short project, I found the time plan very helpful in keeping me on track. Due to certain things taking longer than I thought or the availability of studio 2, needed for the height, this did set me and the group back at some points, teaching me I need to be adaptable with my time plan. I wanted to use this opportunity to work as I would be expected in industry, because of this I tried to do all my work in the studio. Unfortunately I did need to take my apron home to decorate but by planning well this was the only thing I had to take home, and was much smaller so easier to transport safely than my tutu and bodice which stayed in uni helping to protect the fabric.

I am proud of what I have achieved in this short space of time, I feel my costume represents the design and character well, although some things could be improved. I'm frustrated that I cut my bones too short meaning the fabric on my bodice isn't pulled tight, made more obvious due to the thin overlay fabric. Also my piping is not completely straight, this was a particular area I wanted to improve on from my last bodice, I feel it's a more consistent thickness than the last one so is better, but more work needs to be done in this area. The new skill I struggled with most was attaching the bodice and skirt, this was totally new to me but now I have learnt the technique I will be able to improve on the things that went wrong. I challenged myself with the use of double layered fabric on all parts of my costume, I found this hard at points and meant I need to do extra tacking but with extra time and care taken all the fabric layers lie flat creating a smooth, tidy finish.

This project was meant to be more independent than the last. I felt as many of the techniques were new I wasn't as independent as I should have been, due to the help I needed to understand the new skills. When making the bodice which I have done before I managed to do this with little help and I feel that all of the new skills I have learnt I could do again in the future with minimal help. As well as being independent this unit was to prepare ourselves for next year. I found the long hours I spent in the studio very tiring at points, but this the reality of the course and industry that I have chosen. As I've done these long hours already I feel more prepared for the hard work of next year, than I would have been without this project.

  Word Count : 548

Final Costume

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 6

This was my final week of the project and I still had a fair amount to do. I feel I managed my time well and put it the hours at the start of the week by staying for all three late night studies, which meant I was finished in plenty of time to press and neaten up anything on my costume. I have gone up and down with my time planning in this project as some things took longer than I expected but I worked around this and adapted where I needed to. I'm pleased with the how my timing worked out meaning I didn't need to take my costume home which could have damaged the fabric.

Last weekend I took my apron home to decorate. This decoration is one of my favourite pieces in my costume. I brings all the different colours and trimmings together and reflects my autumnal concept well. I feel I balanced the amount of decoration well with flowing lines of Russia braid. Although the leaves have been made stronger once attached to the apron fabric they are still delicate and need to be taken care of.

I also made and attached the chemise and sleeves, I took on board the comments on my draped chemise and added more fabric into it. The sleeves are put together slightly differently than I have done before, it was interesting learning the differences between dance costumes and other garments. The hand embroidery has turned out better than I expected. I took time to make the stitches even and I feel this has really paid off, the extra hint of detail makes the garment look more finished and the chemise more like a real garment. The chemise was backstitched into the bodice, this took time but means the costume can be quickly changed. Something I learnt it as the back to keep the garment easily changed the button stand is slightly off centre to line up with the back of the bodice. On a normal chemise the buttons would line up with the join in the bodice but as they needed to be attached this could not be done. The buttons are only 5mm out and from the audience this will not be noticeable.

A new technique we learnt this week is attaching the bodice and skirt. This involved pinning through a lot of layers on the mannequin. I found this very challenging, not helped by the fact my pins weren't strong enough. I will need to invest in some long, strong glass headed pins if I am to do this again. Sewing through all the layers also took time, I tried to be as neat as possible but due to this being the first time I had done it I feel it wasn't as professional as it needs to be in the industry, this is an area I will need to improve on. I also have never done a knotted swing catch before but once taught I found these simple to do and feel I completed them well with them being strong enough to withstand use.

I am proud of what I have created, although there are things I would change or do differently next time. I am still learning the techniques so should not expect things to be perfect first time, and I should just concentrate on improving next time. Over such a short project I have learnt so man new things and created a garment that reflects my design and character.

[ginawarnes]

Final Design Decisions

After a talk with Mark we agreed on a decorative stitch to be sewn on the bodice. This is the one decided on.

  This one will be used because it incorporates all the colours of the costume. It creates a wider line than some of the other stitches which will cause it to be more of a feature on the garment and seen more from the audience. It will also work well around the bottom of the sleeve, these will be gathered but the design will still keep a similar style because of the gaps left in-between the stitches. I will need to keep the stitches parallel to the edge and even in size to keep a consistent look to the stitching.

After checking my draped chemise I got told it needed slightly more fabric in it. This will give it more volume giving the dancer more room to move her upper body as well as making the chemise look like it has a looser fit. I will also add silk organza to my sleeves to help them keep their shape. To gather the bottom I will add elastic into a casing made out of my fabric, this will allow the sleeve to sit on the arm without slipping. I will satin stitch the edges of my chemise in a forest green this will keep the edges from fraying as well as adding a simple band of colour to finish my chemise off. Buttons will be added to the back of my chemise with clear snap fastens underneath, so it looks like it is fastened with buttons but secured with snap fastening to keep the costume quick to put on. I have found some simple buttons at home that I will use as the colour compliments the autumnal colours in my costume.

  Now all the design and construction decisions have been made I just need to finish the costume to the highest standard I can.

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 5

This week has been hard as I had to catch-up on what I didn't get finished last week and the realisation that there isn't much time left set in. After a talk with Mark it made me realise that this is the stage of the project where I could ruin my costume by worrying about the time we have left, so I have tried to just continue to work without thinking about time.

I completed my bodice this week, which gives me one less thing to concentrate on. I am happy with the overall look of the bodice and feel it represents my design and character well. There are a couple of things I feel could be improved which I have mentioned in past blogs mainly the bones and piping. I am happy with how my buttons look, it took longer than I expected to get them looking evenly spaced and straight down the front. I had to redo this several times but I think the extra time I took has given it a more professional finish.

I have progressed well with my skirt this week. I learnt how to level it properly. This was a new skill that involved steaming, measuring and cutting each layer individually. I didn't find this difficult but just time consuming, also the steaming using the iron ached my arm a lot due to it being so heavy. This process makes the net of the skirt lie a lot flatter and look more finished, because of the time taken to steam this I need to look after the skirt well to stop the net getting creased again. I then added swing catches to stop the net catching when being danced in and proceed to hem the top skirt. I am pleased with how the skirt turned out, I fell the hem is level with the floor and you can't see where I have sewn up the hem, my herringbone could be slightly smaller in places which can be improved on for next time.

Next I added the decoration to the bottom of my skirt. I gave myself a whole day and late night study to attach this after I tacked my placement lines the day before. I felt this would be enough time but it wasn't, I got frustrated with myself for taking so long. I wanted to make sure that they were all parallel with each other which I found very hard and got more frustrated than I should have. I took a break and come back to it fresh to carry on, this did help to get it finished but I do feel there are places where the decoration has gone slightly off. This is not very noticeable when seen from a distance which means from an audiences perspective it would look fine. When doing tasks that take longer or are harder than I expected I need to keep calmer to get the best possible end result.

Next I cut out my apron by working out the measurements needed. By using a double layer of fabric this made it slightly harder but by basting the layer together this helped keep the fabric flat. The fabric frays quite a lot so it was important to finish the edges of quickly to stop this from happening. I will take this apron home over the weekend to decorate. At the start of the project I wanted to try and use this unit as an opportunity to work as I would in a professional setting. This would mean not taking anything home. Up to this point I have only done samples at home but due to the looming deadline I need to do this apron over the weekend or I will run out of time to finish. I felt as the apron is small it would be the best thing to take home without damaging the fabric.

I draped my fake chemise on Friday. This was easier than I expected, I am happy with what I have created but will get some advice on it before I cut it out of my top fabric to save time if anything needs to be changed.

Next week I need to get everything finished. This involves, attaching my decorated apron, adding the waistband and bias binding, cutting out, decorating and sewing together the fake chemise, attaching the fake chemise and then attaching the bodice and skirt together. I feel this is perfectly doable in the time I have left, I will use the two late night studies to make up for the studio time lost when in the presentation at the end of the week. I need to carry on working hard for the next week to continue the accurate work and get everything done in time.

[ginawarnes]

More Decoration Experiementation

After the feedback from the skirt decoration I change the Russia braid over to try to bring out green ribbon.

Unfortunately from a distance the ribbon still faded into the skirt fabric, so I needed to find a different ribbon. I found one in Fabric Land take I could afford to replace the other one with.

This ribbon showed up better on the skirt fabric as it has more of a difference in colour to the skirt fabric, it also matches with the green braid tying them all in together. This will be the colour I use on my skirt.

  After talking to my fellow course mates I have managed to collect scraps of different fabrics to make more flowers out of. These fabrics will help tie in all the trims and stop my costume for being to overly green.

I have been experimenting with different decorative stitches to decorate the neckline of the chemise and the bottom of the sleeves. For this I used the following books which explained several stitches.

Kendrick. H.W. (2009). Stitchopedia. London. Quintet Publishing Limited.

John. E. (1967). Creative Stitches. Canada. General Publishing Company Ltd.

Oleson. K.E. (1978). Floral Patterns for Needlecraft and The Decorative Arts. USA. Litton Educational Publishing Inc.

Jones. N. (1978). Embroidery. London. Macdonald Educational Ltd.

I tried to keep in mind where the decoration was going, meaning I used the different stitches to create a line that could be sewn around the chemise.

Some worked better than others, I liked the ones that joined in a continuous design along the line but decided that a lot of the stitches that go straight up and down created a spikey look that I didn't want to include in my design as the decoration on my apron has flowing lines that I want it to reflect.

  I picked the stitches that I felt matched the folk look of my design the best and adapted them to use the three embroidery threads I have that match the Russia braid in my apron and skirts.

I will show these to Mark so we can discuss which one I will use on my final garment, but when I do it on my final chemise I will need to be careful to create a straight line parallel to the edges and keep the stitches all the same length.

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 4

This week I have been working on my bodice, I have attached the top and bottom piping, finished the centre backs and the braiding decoration. This is because the next thing I need to do on my skirt is level it and we need the height in Studio 2 to do this which is only free on Mondays.

I have felt that progress has been slow this week and I haven't got as far as I would have liked. This is probably down to me feeling unwell on Thursday so not working as well I am normally do or being able to stay in for the full day. I will need to work extra hard next week to catch up and stay for both late night studies or I will not get my work done in time.

I am pleased with the feed back on my skirt as it is re-creating the shape of my design and all the panels are lying as one piece of fabric.

I am not completely pleased with my piping. I found is hard due to the thin overlay to keep both layers tight around the piping cord but the main issue was with sewing onto the bodice. I did take my time but in places it is not completely straight. I wanted to improve my piping from my last bodice which I have as the width of the piping is more consistent, but I still need to improve the line of stitching to keep it straight on more accurately on the design line.

When attaching the braid I needed to put it into the side seam so it could be let out easily, but this added a lot more work. I needed to unpick some of the work I had already done, in the future I will think about how the decoration will be applied to stop me having to unpick any work and potentially damaging the fabric. I found the thickness of the braid hard to put into the seams and fold around the edges, I ironed it to help with this but due to the braid used it was still difficult to work with. I also found that adding the braid showed up all the imperfections piping due to the braid needing to be parallel with the design line which because of the piping wasn't completely straight. This just relays that fact I need to make the piping straighter in the future. I also found it hard to re-sew the side seams and piping after attaching the braid, this was very fiddly and took a lot longer than I excepted, but by putting in the extra time I am pleased with the outcome of the side seams as they are successfully reattached and the braid lines up well.

My bones are slightly too short as well meaning it doesn't create enough tension to keep my bodice fabric tight. This is something I can easily improve for next time to make my bodice more professional.

Also after making most of my bodice and looking at the other bodices others are making it makes me slightly regret the simplicity in the shape of mine. I like my design and feel it represents the character well but I feel I could have learnt some new skills by having a bodice with more differences than the first one I made this year. I have been trying to learn the techniques others have been using in there bodices, but it's not quite the same if I am not doing these skills myself. I have challenged myself in other areas in this project but feel that without meaning to I have given myself a very simple bodice shape than hasn't taught me many new skills, and this has been a missed opportunity.

The next move for me is to add the buttons to the centre front and the hooks and bars to the centre back of the bodice. The reason I haven't done the hook and bars yet is because the top and bottom ones needed to be placed where the braid was sewn. Then my bodice will be complete and I can concentrate on my skirt and apron.

[ginawarnes]

Tutorial on Progress and Decoration

Notes from my tutorial with Mark.

- The tutu is going really well and I have managed to replicate the shape of the design well, but need to re-sew the placket on the skirt so it folds down and slots underneath the right side in-between the net and the placket.

- The bones in my bodice are a bit too short (only 3-5mm ish) which means I haven't had to create enough tension when sewing in the bones to keep the fabric on the bodice tight. Next time I need to stretch the seams slightly more when measuring for my bones to add on tension in the seams.

- My piping that edges the bodice isn't completely straight all the way along, needs to be improved on for the future.

- When making a bodice think about how it is constructed around the side seam so it can be let out easily if needed. In this bodice because of the thin fabric overlay it would have made more sense to not put piping in the side seam as unpicking this may damage the fabric, but as I have already but it in this seam I will leave it as it is. I will also need to put my braid decoration into the side seams so there is enough in the seam allowance to be let out if needed. This will involve unpicking the side seam to be done, if I had know this before I could have left the edges unsewn to save time and keep the fabric less handled.

- When attaching the braid, iron it first to flatten it and reduce bulk. The right-hand side needs to be placed under the overlocking on the inside and the left-hand side needs to be folded under itself on the edge of the placket make sure all the loose ends are caught down.

- Skirt decoration - the way it is applied works well but the green ribbon fades away when put at a distant, swop Russia braids over to try to bring this ribbon out more.

- Apron decoration - Flower technique creates the look needed but suggested to use other colours as well, like mustard, brown, burnt orange, but depends on budget as I have spent a lot already but I shall try to find scraps from mine and others fabrics left from other projects. I need to use a different fabric for the centre of the flowers as the colour shade doesn't work with the others. Also cover up any joins in the Russia braid as is will keep it looking neater and wont disrupt the sweeping line created with the Russia braid.

- How to make the apron

Work out length of the hem of the skirt

Measure the depth of the decoration and how much of the skirt I want left before the apron starts

This will give me the length of the apron

To work out the bottom width needs to be about in line with the point to point on the bodice

The top edge should go from the middle of each side front panel

Needs to be gathered at the top, but I don't want much so can cut in a tapered line rather than a rectangle if needed

Cut apron out with these measurements and roll hem and slip stitch down to give it a defined line around the edge of the apron

What needs to be done by Monday

Re-sew placket on skirt

Bodice finished with all decoration on

Apron made with pencil line of design on

[ginawarnes]

Experimenting with Decoration

It was getting to the stage where I need to work out exactly what I was doing with my decoration as I need to apply it soon.

I started by working out how to apply the skirt decoration of ribbon, Russia braid and two decorative braids. First I machine stitched the Russia braid onto the centre of the ribbon, then machine stitched on both edges of the ribbon to attach them to the skirt. With a good colour match of the thread (meaning I need several different colours) and a straight stitch this will give a clean whilst fairly quick way to apply these strips of decoration. I then hand sewed the other braid on, this will take more time than machine stitching but due to the braid being 3D machine stitching would flatten this and show up. Hand stitching will give it a neater more professional finish. I need to concentrate on keeping all this decoration straight and the gaps consistent my real skirt to keep the decoration looking professional.

  Next I experimented with the decoration on the apron. After the first tutorial with Mark it was suggested to have wilting flowers. For this I looked at several places to try to find a way to make fabric look like wilting flowers, I eventually found this blog - Crafty Sisters. (2010). Sunflowers. 10 September 2010. Blog: Crafty Sisters. [Online]. Available from http://craftysisters-nc.blogspot.co.uk/2010/09/sunflowers.html

I used the technique of burning shown to create my flowers. I tried it on all of my fabric but only some worked, it needed to have some synthetic content in the fabric or it burnt instead of melted. The left three worked well as the petal shape was created whilst the right side just caught fire.

I then simply layered the fabric together and added a gather strip of fabric to the centre. I really like effect created the burning makes it feel wilted and old and not perfect as if autumn is coming and they are starting to die. This will make the flowers in keeping with the autumn colours used in the rest of my costume.

(excuse the bad colouring in the photo)

I also wanted to use skeletal leaves on my apron, I bought these but worked into the colours with acrylic paint. I used similar colours to the other decoration used and blended them together.

Before

After

The colours have mixed well together, with an orangey colour scheme and a green colour scheme. I feel this makes all the leaves more individual and natural. I need to be careful when painting these as they a delicate and over working with the paint can damage them.

I added the leaves and flowers along with Russia braid to my apron fabric to see how it would work. I found it hard to start with to attach the Russia braid as this needed to be hand sew to get the sweeping curves I wanted, but didn't know the best way to do it. After trying a few ways I found one that worked. By doing a sample this now means when doing the real apron which will keep it looking neat.

  I like all three elements together, the colours complement each other well. The backing fabric makes the leaves stronger, whilst the Russia braid link the parts together.

 I will take these to show Mark and get some advice on whether these work with my costume.

[ginawarnes]

Updated Work Plan

Due to a few changes I thought it would be best to update my work plan to reflect this. This will keep me organised and not get changed dates confused.

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 3

I am feeling very good about my work this week. I have kept on top of it all and have completed what I needed to for next week. Unfortunately there is a bank holiday on Monday meaning we have access to the studio but I am going to take advantage of this and use to try out some decoration samples. This is because I am still not sure I will be making and applying some of it and I will need to start the decoration on my costume soon or it will not be completed on time.

My top skirt is going well, I managed to keep all the layers of fabric working as one. This was helped by the extra tacking down the middle of the panels as my final layer was a thin fabric, prone to movement. It hangs well and all the different greens give in a layered look adding depth whilst all of the compliment each other.

I took my time when applying the bones to the bodice as last time this was rushed and some of the bones come out too long which distorted the design lines. This time it is looking much better and I have the correct amount of ease on all the bones. In the industry getting the bones the correct length is very important so not to harm the dancer, so getting this right now helps me get into a good practise.

I feel I need to update my work plan as a few things have changed due to studio availability meaning the order of what is happening is different. This will continue to help me keep on top of my work and complete everything to a high standard.

[ginawarnes]

Notes from Mark

I have had two talks with Mark about my progress and what I needed to clear up.

- I need to complete the bodice and fake blouse before attaching them together meaning I know what stage I can get to with everything

- I will leave the apron for the moment and concentrate on other things first

- New russia braid has arrived and we have chosen to use a green on yellow ribbon, orange on brown ribbon and brown on green ribbon as shown below. This change is because the shop didn't have enough of the original colour.

  - The skeletal leaves I have bought are good but I need to try to find some with a different shape to make it look more organic and then work into the colour of them. After talking with Alison she suggest trying slightly watered down acrylic paint as it is made from a natural material so shouldn't need special fabric paint or dye

- My net skirt has a very good shape with the more gathers at the back meaning the front is flat to show of the apron decoration, stitching is neat and hasn't pulled but did miss half of a seam which I need to re-sew

- My bodice fits the mannequin, if slightly tight at the bottom due to the overlap with the tutu but the net does flatten to allow the bodice to close. After struggling with the fabric and getting the piping in the seams correctly the end result is good, all the fabric lies flat and tight with the piping being consistently. I am very pleased with the outcome even if it did take me longer than I expected but the time has given it a good quality finish.

Next I need to apply the top fabric to my skirt and bone channels and bones to my bodice.

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 2

During my second week I made good progress I finish applying the net to my tutu, meaning this is as far as I can go with the skirt due to not being taught the next step. I can now focus on my bodice which makes it easier for me to get further as I am not chopping and changing so much but just continuing with one thing. I am happy with how my skirt has been made to far. I feel it is strong and neat whilst creating good shape.

When moving onto the bodice and starting by marking out and draping the pattern I feel I did this a lot quicker than the last time. Due to having done it before I knew exactly what I was doing and felt more confident in myself.

As I mentioned in my last post I had a few difficulties with one of my top fabric but with patience I overcame these.

I am actually ahead of my work plan as I finished applying the net quicker than I thought I would. This is will just give me more time to spend on getting the construction of the bodice correct.

My next step is piping my seams, I feel this is going to be tricky as I am using a double layer of fabric on my piping and the piping is not to the end of the seams due to braid decoration. This means my sewing needs to be very accurate. I will take my time not to rush this stage as it will be very noticeable on the final garment if this is not done well.

I have the chance to have a tutorial on Monday, during this I would like to clear up a few things. I would like to know at what point the blouse underneath the bodice is attached to stop myself going to far and having to undo any work. Also about how I will be applying my decoration to my apron and whether that needs to be done before I attach it to my skirt or after. I also need to check that some decoration I have bought, skeletal leaves, are okay to use, I may need to work into the colours of these which I will then ask Alison's advice on.

Something I need to improve on for next week is getting my haberdashery forms in the day before, this didn't stop me from moving on with my work because Mark was kind enough to get materials at an other time, but it would be much easier for everyone if I put in an order for what I wanted the day before.

[ginawarnes]

Fabric Challenges

After completing the net tutu to the stage where it needs time to drop, I moved onto my bodice. I marked out the shape with designers tape which was simple due to the shape I wanted to create. I then draped it with calico before using these pieces as my pattern to cut out my backing fabric of cotton drill and two top layers of fabric.

The cotton drill and first layer of fabric was fairly straight forward but time consuming due to needing the straight of grain to be exact and the fabric to be perfectly flat. My second layer of fabric was very tricky to work with though. As is it very thin and doesn't have much structure it was very tricky to lye it flat to cut the pieces out, with time and careful use of the iron to press out the air bubbles I worked around this.

The next stage was mark and flat tacking. I am not the fastest at tacking and this is an area I need to work on but I was even slower using this fabric. Although I had pinned the pieces together fairly well, the fabric still shifted when moving the pieces from the iron to my desk. This meant the shapes slightly distorted and the straight of grain (shown my slight creases which are a part of the fabric) was off in places. This meant it took time to reshape and line up parts of the fabric and re-pin in places before tacking. Also as each layer needs to be perfectly flat with no air bubbles I had to be very careful when tacking the top layer together due to the thin weave meaning it moved easily, even when pinned thoroughly. I feel I did eventually achieve well tacked flat pieces that will now hold there shape better but if I was to use a similar fabric again I would definitely use a lot more pins when placing the pieces together which would stop the fabric moving and distorting and therefore save time.

[ginawarnes]

Weekly Reflection 1

The first week of this project was very busy, I had a tutorial about designs which lead to more trimming sourcing, start the basque and net for the tutu, went to London to buy top fabric ready for the week after, as well as our learning agreement and work plan.

When starting the romantic tutu we were given a lot of information in one go, which was very overwhelming. I thought I would struggle to get through it all without forgetting anything or getting confused, but once I started it went fairly smoothly. This was due to the many notes I made which explained things well. I shall continue to take lots of notes when being explained a new skill and then add these to my old notes on making a bodice, so I can refer back to them in other projects if needed as this will help me work more independently from now on. I enjoyed learning the new skill of making a basque, cutting and applying the net with the net being easier to work with than I expected. I also feel that I could create a romantic tutu up to this point again in the future for any different design, as I understand how what I have made this time would be changed for a different skirt shape.

Finding new trimming samples and going to London to buy fabric took up a lot of my time this week. I was very worried that my fabric would be sold out, as it had been longer than expected in-between sampling and going to buy it and I wouldn't have much time to find a substitute. Luckily all my fabric was all there and this didn't cause a problem but for two of my trimmings there wasn't enough in the shop and they couldn't order any more due to it being a discontinued colour. I have looked in other shops for similar colours but I'm struggling to find them anywhere. I will continue to look but if they can't be found I may have to change my decoration slightly to work around this.

I struggled not have a timetable or knowing what I should have been doing when in this first week. Although now I have a personal work plan it's going to be a lot easier to know what I need to do when. This will make my work go smoother and save time as I will know exactly what is going on. I am concerned about getting my costume finished in time as we need to do all the work in the studios as this is how it would work in a professional setting. I need to stick to this work plan and be productive during studio hours to make sure I have enough time at the end to apply the decoration.

  I am exciting about the remainder of this project as my design interests me and I am looking forward to learning more about ballet construction to further my understanding of my chosen practise.

[ginawarnes]

Design Tutorial and Final Design Choices

I had a tutorial with Mark to discuss my design and fabric samples to make a choice on what I will be making.

Tutorial notes

- Research into making fabric flowers, shouldn't be pre-brought

- More trimmings, ribbon and Russia braid, Barnet and Lawson or Hobby craft

- Add piping in between each panel to add detail to the bodice, use a darker colour

- 3/4" at the top and bottom without the piping for the braid to sit

- Stitch work onto blouse - Research

- Add a few autumn colours, oranges and browns, think about skeletal leafs and wilting flowers will bring the decoration out, making it a bigger feature

- Bring blouse design line up will match the rest of the design better

- Chosen fabrics, Classic Textiles, Fabric World, A-Z Fabrics and Universal Textiles

- Re draw design with alterations and attach fabric samples

    During this tutorial I gave my opinions on what fabric I really wanted to use, unfortunately we decided none of the other fabrics complimented it. I should have focused more on getting fabric that would have worked with this one rather than just getting greens, this would have meant I could have used the fabric I liked the most. The chosen fabrics all work well together with the layers adding depth and a lightweight feel to my design. My ideas and design haven't been changed too much during this tutorial as we both agreed the majority of it worked. After looking for some new trimmings and a few small changes I come up with my final design.

  I feel this design is simple in shape but the decoration, braid, piping, flowers and stitching plus the use of layers of fabric will challenge me. I will need to manage my time well to leave enough time to decorate the costume well.

[ginawarnes]

Initail Design Ideas

I drew some quick ideas based on the research I have done. This got my ideas out of my head and onto paper, making it easier to see what aspects work and what didn't.

Idea 1

- Straight design line on the top of the bodice without straps, this makes the blouse underneath a bigger part of the costume which I like as it adds layers.

- The wrap around apron again adds layers but disrupts the smooth silhouette I wanted to create to streamline the dancers body.

- I feel this design doesn't have enough decoration, even though to fit the villager character it shouldn't be overly embellished this is too plain and also wouldn't stretch my skills. Although I like the buttons on the bodice as it's slightly more unusual and unique.

  Idea 2

- Simple shape which makes a clear silhouette, that would streamline and show off the dancers body.

- The decoration is more the correct amount on this design, I particularly like the a-symmetrical design on the apron, this could be done with flowers as if they have fallen over her skirt.

- The lace down the front of the bodice shows the character well but is quite predictable.

  Idea 3

- Under bust corset will bring the dancer in at the waist to accentuate the body, with the off the shoulder neckline of the blouse adding interest.

- Small round apron shows the character of villager well.

- The ribbon decoration on all parts of the costume brings the whole outfit together, but doesn't seem very challenging to create.

Idea 4

- Long sleeves brought in with ribbon changed the design and added interest but I feel the character suits shorter sleeves as the character would be working on the harvest, so long sleeves would get in the way more.

- The shape of the apron compliments the shape of the skirt creating a smooth line throughout the costume.

I took the parts I liked from all of these to create my final idea, including

- Straight design line on the top of the bodice showing blouse

- Button detail down the front of the bodice

- Simple shape and silhouette

- Apron similar shape to skirt

- A-symmetrical decoration on apron with ribbon detail on skirt and bodice

I choose the earthy green colours with a cream colour blouse and apron to keep the colour theme similar to the woods. As I discovered from my research this would keep the ballet looking coherent by linking the villagers from the first act to the colours of the scenery (woods) from the second act.

I collected fabric samples to match this design, locally and from London.

  I didn't want to choose shinny fabric, as the villager character is part of the chorus and reasonably poor, so should be more in the background and not to elaborate as to not take away from the main characters. Also I liked lightweight fabric for the skirt as it would flow and move well when being danced in. I choose a variety of different greens to see what would work together as well as a couple of braids, ribbons and buttons that could be used to decorate the costume.

  I will take these with the final design idea to show Mark at a tutorial to discuss where to go with the design from here.