Reflection

I am struggling a lot at the moment with this blog,  i am not using this format for reflecting and find it far easier and more useful to do it in a journal or workbook so i know which bit i'm talking about.  Anyhow i will do it as best i can.

Over the past few weeks i have learnt a whole new side of costume making a new nothing about or what i did know was in fact wrong and more aided to old fashioned techniques and amateur performances. For me the first eye opener was the bodice which i though would be made out of stretch fabric and made out of some type of leotard with patterns built onto it.  However it is made out of a cotton drill and Satin which fits the body so snugly by a few vital processes involving draping and using the grain line to its advantage.  i really enjoyed learning all this area and how to break certain rules in order for something to work so well.

Pattern making
This i feel really challenged me to be accurate and really look at my draping aesthetically, things that i probably wouldn't have done before like making sure the panels are of a similar size and that the gradually get bigger around the the back, making sure each panel line follows the general line of the one before, make a big difference.  I realise its really important to look at these things in order to create a a costume that will look good, especially for Ballet as the costumes are scrutinised so much in industry.  I feel even after this short time that i know a lot more about shaping a garment to the body and really focusing on the shape of the woman's body making sure the design line shapes the bust well and holds it in place so the dancer will feel secure.  I really learnt from this how to emphasis the waist of the dancer through using small things like the grain line going diagonally toward the bottom C/F and C/B.  This small area create such a different to the aesthetics of the bodice.   i found it exciting creating my pattern through draping and not having to follow a pattern book,  it made it interesting as every ones will be slightly different.

Cutting Out.
As many other will have written working with the satin was incredible hard.  Its very slippery and static especially  when being ironed.  It did try my Patience at times and this process of cutting out my pattern pieces and tacking down took longer than i thought as i had to walk away at points as i was getting frustrated. The fabric slipped around the ironing board and the drill curled away from  the satin  changing the grain line so it had to be repositioned. Just this small process i learnt a lot, i have finally learnt to walk away and take a break when im getting annoyed instead of carrying on and not getting the best result.  I am glad i did this as with a bit of patience i managed to do it properly tack the two fabrics together and cut out.   I found that cutting the satin slightly bigger than the drill fabric worked best as it gave so room for the satin to slip.  The C/F panels grain line isn't perfectly straight but with time and practise i'm sure i will get it right.

I really feel that i am growing as a maker i have learnt just in  this short time a lot of new skills that are easily transferable into other areas.. My interest in Ballet is growing each day and i feel this is challenging me as i'm out of my comfort zone.  I feel i am becoming far more accurate in my work and pattern  draping and cutting and am looking forward to learning more throughout the unit.