18th Century Gown

Working from the undergarments up, the Julia dress was finally finished! My first 18th century English Robe. I was happy with how everything turned out -- this has definitely been the most challenging project I've had so far! There were lots of things to learn along the way and I know where I would change things next time. As per usual there are always choices to be made and pros and cons for all these choices. It all depends on what you want, your experience, and trial and error.

I chose to put my opening in the front of the bodice. On the plus side, this is more period. It let the back of the garment be completely smooth and free of interruption. At first we thought that the fichu would be covering a lot of the front...in reality, it ended up covering more of the back than the front...but so it goes! On the negative, there was slight gaping in the front -- all of the tension of the bodice was pulling at the hooks in the center front. For a front closure like this, with all the pressure of a tight fitting bodice, I should have constructed it with an under-closure -- something that held all the tension -- so that the outer layer could lie smoothly over it with no tension. It could also have used a stronger flat lining fabric and possibly some more boning, sort of stomacher-like. All this is of course hard to tell from the get-go, especially for a beginner like me...Would the corset be enough to stabilize everything or does it need more? Different body shapes effect this differently as well...but for a first attempt, I think it was pretty good! :) And like I said, I definitely learned a ton!

I cut the skirt in gores which gave it incredible fullness.  At this time skirts were pretty much rectangular in shape, giving a different look than what I achieved. Theatrically however, the skirt was full and had incredible presence. However, it did not have quite the correct shape for the period. Doing the pleating with the gores was also challenging. Again, it all depends on what the garment needs to do, what the designer wants, what it needs to look like on stage....so many factors!

So, to the actual construction. The bodice is flat-lined to cotton backed satin and boned at the seams, center back, and center front. It is piped along the neckline and waistline and along the center back seams. The seams are finished with lace. The actual garment fabric is a green and red silk dupioni -- it looked fabulous under the stage lights! The sleeves are flat-lined with cotton batiste. The skirt is flatlined with silk organza to give is a bit more structure. The over-skirt and underskirt are on the same waistband (which is covered) and open in the back. The hem is serged and cross stitched up.

18th Century Underthings!

School started off with a bang going into full production for the play, "The Rivals." I created the costume for the character Julia, from the undergarments up -- Petticoat, stays, and bumroll. I can't emphasize how much I learned on this project. I was very happy with how everything turned out and I know where I would change things next time. I'm looking forward to implementing these new found insights in my next project!

I patterned the corset based off of a stays pattern from Corsets and Crinolines. The corset is made of two layers of coutil and 1/4" steel bones. The petticoat is silk taffeta. I patterned the bumroll based on various examples and the shape I was aiming for based on the rendering. The bumroll is made of muslin and stuffed tightly with polyfill. It is attached to the interior of the petticoat undrneath a later of gathered netting to smooth out the transition from bumroll to petticoat...and to give it a little extra poof! The bumroll is attached to the petticoat in an attempt to keep everything together and in the right placement for the actress.

Mokuhanga Workshop with Takeda Sensei

The past three days I participated in a Mokuhanga and Mokulito printmaking workshop at Pratt Art Center in Seattle, WA...and it was absolutely fantastic! Takeda Sensei is an amazing artist from Oaxaca, Mexico. He is originally from Japan but has lived in Mexico making and teaching art for the past 50 years! He has recently been implementing a new technique called Mokulito -- a sort of combination of Mokuhanga and Lithography.

Starting from the beginning: Mokuhanga is traditional Japanese woodblock printing. You use many different blocks, each with a different color, to build up an image. We spent the first couple days of the workshop developing 2 - 3 plates in order to practice this technique. We started by printing the base color -- just a solid rectangle of color to act as the first layer. We used guache mixed with a little bit of nori paste (rice glue) and water. The goal was to get a nice transparent color that captures the wood grain and texture of the plate itself.

Mokulito is a process that involves using lithography on wood instead of stone or metal. It's pretty much the same process as in traditional lithography except that it is on wood and thus involves some different chemical mixtures. Master Takeda uses this process as the last step on his mokuhanga prints. It's like being able to add a final drawing to a print...the possibilities are mind boggling!

Mokulito test plate.

 I ended up with 8 larger prints and a few small ones that I was just playing around with. I really love mokuhanga -- the process is very sculptural and very fun to do! It's so challenging to think about the layers and really integrating colors effectively...I can see spending a life time exploring the depths of this process!

Master Takeda and group working on Mokulito.

Mokulito test prints.

My mokulito test prints

I am so very thankful that I was able to take part in this workshop! I met some amazing and wonderful artists and got to learn a very rare print making technique with a most wonderful, kind and knowledgeable teacher! ...and I got to practice a little Japanese too! :D

Final Crits Spring 2012

Workin' in the Shop

Tailoring -- Suit Coat

 

This was the focus of Tailoring II -- creating a men's suit coat. We started by following the recipe for a pattern called "Young Man's Sac Coat." I drafted my pattern with Matt's measurements. Once I had the patter drafted, I created a canvas mock-up of the jacket and we had the first fitting. Everything went really smoothly -- not many changed to be made. We adjusted the balance of where the jacket falls by opening up the shoulder seam and letting it out a little. Then the collar needed to be lengthened a bit to compensate for that alteration. The sleeves needed to be made narrower. I moved the side dart to the front and we moved the buttons a bit closer together. After all the alterations were made in the pattern, it was time to start creating the actual suit coat. We started with the canvas that goes in the front of the jacket. Basically, you create carefully shaped padding to make that smooth look from the shoulder down. It consists of canvas, felt, and french canvas with a hearty helping of pad stitching (which I find incredibly enjoyable to do!). After the canvas front is constructed you place it with the wool front and baste the two pieces together. These basting stitches do not come out until you are completely done. As you can see on the photos above, all the basting stitches are still there. I didn't quite finish putting the button holes in yet. Anyway, in brief, because this could go on for a while -- The lapels are pad-stitched and taped (with tailor's tape) which helps to create a nice smooth line once you cover everything in the wool. You create the under-collar from felt and collar canvas. These are pad-stitched together in order to create the collar shape. I custom made the shoulder pads -- these are inserted under the wool layer of the jacket but on top of the lining. The back of the jacket has canvas and a single vent. The whole coat is lined. Again, this is a quick, very brief explanation of things, but at least it is the gist of it! 

Victorian Outfit, Draping Final Project

 

For my final draping project I draped and constructed an 1870's Victorian outfit based on a rendering. I started as per the usual with a 1/2 muslin mock-up, patterned it and went into my first full muslin mock-up. I mocked up the skirts in the actual fabric because of their quantity and I was fairly confident in their fit. At any rate, I fitted the first mock up, corrected the pattern and mocked up the bodice once again in coutile this time. I could then alter the coutile as need be and go straight into flatlining it with the fashion fabric.  The final bodice is coutile flat lined with the striped cotton.  There are flexible bones at every seam. The bustle and train are lined with a maroon poly-taffeta. Though I didn't completely get to finish everything, the bodice has hand covered buttons and closes with a combination of snaps and hooks. The model is wearing a corset, cage bustle, and petticoat to help create the right shape. These photos are the project in various stages of completion, from the muslin to the fashion fabric.