Pictures and reflections of my final toille. Late 19th Cent.

Full length front shot. Overall my toille has a lovely sillhouette that really emphasises that of the era. The strong collar gives it that 'fierce' victorian look.

With the corset creating the correct shape underneathe, the toille sits well on top.

Full length back shot. Again this image shows how nicely it fits and sits over the undergarments. I think this jacket creates a beautiful shape and I feel very proud of it.

This image shows the front close up. From here you can see that the front doesnt quite match up. This is due to my model being slightly smaller than the mannequin. If this was a toille fitting, this would be changed for the top fabric.

Back close up. I think the belt really finishes the back off. I am also very pleased at how the collar sits on the back of the jacket. The stripe really emphasises the shape of the collar and is a nice finishing touch.

A close up of the sleeve and the collar. I am happy with the way that the collar sits on the shoulders however this is one of the aspects tht I think I could have benefitted with a little help. However, I still learnt a great deal from doing this on my own. I now know this for future reference.

A close up of the sleeve. I am happy with the sleeves yet I feel that they could have been bigger at the sleeve head. This would have been adjusted by just adding more fbric to the sleeve head so that more fabric would hae been gathered. Again I now know this for the future.

A close up of the belt. This is a really nice finishing touch.

Another close up of the collar.

Like I have sid before I am very proud of my collar!

This is the under skirt. I am really happy with the shape that is created.

Even though the shape is correct it should hold a bigger shape at the back. I was not able to do this as I was unable to get the correct peticoat and I was also running out of calico. I appreciate this is not a valid excuse and I have learnt my lesson-always have enough materials and always makesure you do enough planning so that this does not let you down at teh end.

Here you can see where I have had to be creative with the calico! Overall the shape is similar to that of the picture but because it does not have the bustle type shape to it I feel that it slightly lacks the inpact that it should have.

Final reflection and evaluation on fourth and final toille

At the beginning of this toille I felt over whelmed and a little daunted. This was due to the the sheer amount of work and also my ever decreasing time scale! However, because of this it made me even more determind to crack on and really make a go of it all.

I really enjoyed constructing this whole toille from the comfort of my own home which also meant that I had to make my own decisions and judgements. Like I have said previously, I know that the garment may not be technically correct but I feel a huge sense of pride and achievement when looking at this piece, I think this is also to do with it being a full piece. I feel that by only constructing half a garment previously, it didn't feel as though it were complete. I also enjoyed that the focus of this toille was purely the sillhoutte which meant I was not pre-occupied with thoughts of facings and complex finishings.

I feel I did extremely well considering I had very little help from tutors and that the mojority of this project was simply draping on a stand (the only thing I pattern drafted was the sleeve head). This was not due to their not being help available but it was just due to me working from home. On reflection however I feel that having a tutors input would have helped and would have helped move some stages on quicker. This has been a big learning curve for me as I have realised when help from tutors is essential and where it is appropriate to make my own decisions. From this my confidence as an independent maker has really grown and I feel I am able to tackle any garment systematically to produce a sillhoueete that is similar, if not the same as what is intended.

Working from home has also taught me to be very resourceful and encouraged me to work more efficiently in a smaller area. This all helps towards the third year as we will be in the smaller studio. This also encourages a more professional and controlled working ethic as I have learnt not to sprawl all my equipment all over my room! It has also taught me to plan ahead and to make sure I keep note of what I have to do and what materials I need. I have stated previously that the back of the skirt isnt quite long enough as I had run out of calico. If I had planned this correctly, this would not have happened-again a tip I have learnt, just in time for third year!

Overall I feel very proud of this piece and I feel that by process of elimination and by using knowledge that I have gained in the past two years I have produced a piece that is similar to that of the picture I was following. I feel that I have really progressed in this project not only as a maker but I have matured in my working style. I have just got to remember to stay on track time wise and then everything else should fall into place!

Constructing the skirt!

I had great trouble with the skirt initially as I was limited with the amount of calico I have left. I have more than enough to fit around the waist, the trouble was with having enough to create enough width at the bottom of the skirt.

The picture that I am follwing shows a simplistic A-line looking skirt that has a bit of full-ness around the bottom. It also appears to go out slightly at the back, created by a bustle. Unfortunately, the peticoat I have chosen to work on does have a slight bustle but does not have the fullness that I require. I am going to just have to make the most of what I have and be creative. Like I have said before, use a little 'artistic liscense!!'.

I began by trying to pleat the fabric around the waist but this made the skirt far too bulky at the top. I then laid the fabric out and folded it in half. I then measured from the top corner half of the waist measurement (as the fabric is folded in half) and then drew a diagonal line from this point all the way down to the oppsite corner creating a large traingle shape. You can see that I have had to add some fabric in here as I did not have enough for the width and it still is a little short.

I then draped this onto the stand and it seemed to work well however was still not quite right. I then worked from this line and created one similar that had greater width at the bottom and this seemed to work better. I now need to sew this up and hem the skirt and it will be done.

I have left half of this seam open as otherwise it cannot be taken on and off. If this was a real garment it would have a seam similar so that a fastening could be used. However I am only creating this piece like a pattern piece so this is un-necessary. Likewise, I have not created a waistband as again, this would be un-necessary.

Evaluation of Third Toille.

I have enjoyed constructing this garment and I feel that this one has beeen my greatest achievement so far. I feel the systematic approach to constructing this skirt worked well and I have realised that this is my desired working style. By constructing it in this way I was able to see cleary what I had to do and what I had to do after. 

I am very proud in this piece as it is not initially meant to be constructed in this mannor. I feel that by using my own artistic license and intiative, I was able to create a piece that would be suitable in the modern world. It also means it is slightly more versatile.

My time keeping whilst constructing this skirt was ok but could have been better. Throughout this project I feel that I have been a bit slack and therefor I feel my work has suffered slightly. I still, however, feel I have learnt a great deal and these are skills that will be highly beneficial to me in the third year.  

I feel that this piece would've benfitted greatly from a little more research. Even though I have my research folder, I could have then gone back to my books and researched into where seams would have been and the basic construction of some of the embellishment. Even though I did not do this, I am very pleased with the end result.

Reflection of third piece..

I feel that my third piece has been my most challenging so far however I feel that by working at it systematically I have achieved a piece that I would initially shy away from. Even though it may not be one hundred percent technically correct, I feel I have made progress in my own knowledge and ability when constructing a piece that is completely alien to me.

I also feel that by working independently with this toille I have made mistakes but I have been able to learn from these. One of these was when I cut through the wrong part of one of the tabs when bagging them out. I have learnt to take greater care when doing things like this as they are very important and can ruin a piece!!

I have also learnt that by taking a little more time over things and care, it can mean that the outcome is more satisfying as you know you have worked to the best of your ability.

I feel that I have done well to create a piece that was not necessarily meant to be a skirt. I feel that I have done well using my own initiative creating seams and darts where they would not have beeen to re-create a piece suitable for contemporary use. I have learnt to be versatile and work with what I have and make these work to the best of my ablility.

I feel that I can come away from making this toille with a growing self confidence as I feel, with practice, I am able to make ever challenging pieces that I would once be daunted at!

Final pictures of third toille!

My skirt. Late 19th Century.

Back.

Front.

My mannequin has style.. !

Side.

Back.

Back.

Third Toille continued..

I have a slight confession.. I have not concentrated on my SDP project in the last week. This was due to another project running along side our SDP which consisted of an essay. Now it is all handed in and done I am ready to SERIOUSLY crack on and finish these toilles ready for next monday..eeek!

Since the last post I have been working on the embellishment that sits on top of the pleating on the back part of the skirt. Like I have said before I have realised that this calico isn't completely appropriate but I am going to try and make it suitable to the best of my ability.

I began by pining the fabric where I think it should be (this is where I left it last time) and I made sure there was enough calico to make it look correct against the picture. I the made sure where I had pinned the fabric it was lying flat against the skirt. I then drew on the tab type shapes to resemble that of the picture. I then took the whole piece of calico off of the mannewuin and traced these shapes onto the other side makeing sure the tabs were the same level and same size on each side.

This is what I want it to resemble when complete. In this picture I have just pinned the tabs in place, working out where they should be and size etc.

When I was happy with the shape of the tabs, I then cut an identical shaped piece of calico so that I could back the original piece onto it. This means that the tabs would have a neat edge. The piece of calico looked like this..

From here you can see that the tabs aren't complete symetircal. If I was to re-create this piece I would make sure that this had been done. I feel that then the outcome would appear more 'crisp'. By backing this piece of calico onto another the top looks really neat. I was a complete wally though and cut through the first tab on the left hand side. I was bagging out the pieces and cut along the wrong seam. Ideally I would like to re-cut these pieces and re-attach them however I am beginning to run out of time and I feel that I need to make this sacrifice.

From here I then pinned this onto the skirt making sure the tabs sat in the same position both sides and making sure the fabric hung correctly.

From here I the slip stithced the tabs in place and also slip stiched the top of the tabs onto the skirt. This is different to the picture but due to the fact that the fabric isnt completley correct, this needs to be done to ensure the tabs sit correctly.

I did not include any fastenings to this piece however this picture highlights where I have included a small dart to insure there is enough room for the skirt to be slipped on and off. This is where I would include a zip and/or buttons if it were a real piece. This dart also ensures the fabric sits corectly on the hip and around the front and back of the mannequin.

Adding to the third toille.

So that the pleating would hold itself and not be taught around the body I backed the pleats onto another piece of calico. I then stitched the pleats to this. I then pinned the sides of the skirt that were coming round from the front to the pleats to see what it all looked like and so far, so good!

 The only problem that I am facing is where to put the fastenings. As I have stated before the skirt would not of been like I am doing it so I have to make a decision as to where to put an opening. I am thinking of hiding the fastenings in one side seam so that it is un-noticeable. I will deicded this at the end!

I pinned the pleats to the back of the skirt where I think they should be in relation to the picture. I then began to play around with the decoration on top of the pleating. This was slightly more difficult than I first thought as the calico I have is farily stiff and does not drape quite like that in the picture. It still looks similar however.

I pinned this in where I think the fastenings would be to see how it looks.

I think from the side it works well. I might make the fabric a little less bulky though so it does not over power the pleating.

This shows the extent of the bulkiness of the fabric from behind.

Pictures of my Second Piece..

The Front.

Side view.

Back view.

A close up of the front top half.

Finishing and reflecting on my second piece..

After I had finished the skirt I went back to the sleeve and cut a shape that was correct. I tried to mimic the scalloped edge of the top skirt in the sleeve. I am pleased with the overall look of the sleeve even if it is not technically correct. I think in future I would like to go back and create a sleeve that is correct for this dress.

I am extremely happy with the overall look of this dress and I think it is just like the picture I was following. I am most pleased with the bodice and how the panneling has worked out. In the images I was following it mentioned that the bodice would be boned. I did not see the need to put boning down the front of the bodice as this is only a toille. If i was fitting this to an actualy body it would be different as it would need the structure.

I have not traced these pieces onto pattern paper as I feel the pieces in calico are more valuable than if they were on paper. I feel that the calico pieces really show where the seams would be and also show the shape better. I feel that the skirt would not need a pattern as such anyway as it seems to be very simplistic and it is easier to cut on the stand when constructing something like this.

Overall I feel I have achieved a lot in this piece. I feel that I have done well to overcome the minor problems I have come accross in this project. I still feel however that motivation is one of my weaker points. I feel that it is becoming increasingly important to keep track of the time period so that I can produce pieces that are benficial to my future work. I have also realised that if a time plan is not kept too it has a knock on effect to other work and comitments. I now feel increasing pressure to complete my next two pieces and other units within the time allocated as at this point I should be constructing my last toille :S.

Reflection so far on second piece.

So far so good. I have found this piece intreaguing yet frustrating at the same time. I really love the shape that is created by the skirts full ness and this contrasted against the deep point at the front.

I have found that because the dress is off the shoulder I have found it incredibly hard to construct this properly so I have had to make an educated guess as to where to put the strap and also where it should fall. If I was to ever make this type of garment I would have to have regular fittings with my model so that the strap would be in the right place.

I have also found it difficult only having the one picture of the dress. The last piece had many references to it, however I have found the drawings in the 'Costume in Detail' book incredibly helpful and I will definately be using this book again!

Creating the correct shape to work on top of..

I went to the costume store and found a crinoline that was correct  and I also found a couple of peticoats that are perfect too-horraaaay!! However.. when I then put them on the mannequin I relaised the the shape was not correct, there was not enough volume to the skirt and there were no other suitable peticoats.. After talking to Dexter I decided to pad out one side of the peticoat by pleating lots of calico and arranging these pleated pieces around the peticoat so that it gives extra volume. This seemed to take a long time and I had not allowed for this. It had to be done but was farily irratating.

Even though I found this frustrating and it initially felt like a waste of time, I think it was iportant as if I go into this industry not everything will go my way and I need to learn to adapt things so that they are appropriate. It was also interesting to see how the shape of the peticoat could be changed by adding such simple pleated pieces. After all this project is about learning new techniques and preparing myself for third year and I feel like I am gaining skills and learning to work independently especially as the majority of this piece (if not all) will be done at home.

First piece pictures!

The front.

The side. I am really pleased with the hem, I feel it has worked really well.

The back.

The back, top half.

The sleeve.

The top half, front.

I will make sure that all pinned things will be either hand sewn or machined for hand in. Therefor I will not loose any pieces of the toille.

First piece finished!

I am very happy to say that I have finished my first piece!! I am however a little tworried about my next three pieces as time seems to be running away with me! I have found having to motviate myself really difficult as I am used to working in a bust studio with fellow students around me, this helps keep me going and keeps me focused. However I have also liked the benefits of working on my own and working from home. I have enjoyed the independence to create my own piece and to work at my own time frame. I just need to be careful that I do not run behind schedule. I am hoping to complete some work over the easter holidays and this should put me back on track.

I have enjoyed looking at the beginning of the 19th cent and have found this piece really satisfying to construct. By having the correct weight fabric I feel I have been able to complete a piece that is to a standard that I am happy with.

I have learnt from doing this pice about different methods of pleating and also how to create a hem that is different in lengths at the front and the back. I have also really enjoyed doing a bit of free hand machine embroidery.

As I was completing the dress I realsied that on my research that a couple of things I had done weren't precisely correct, one of these being the embroidery around the bottom, this should be slightly smaller and this is the same on the sleeve. I also noticed that cartridge pleating should have been used on the skirt yet I feel that my free hand pleating worked just aswell.

The strap that goes over the shoulder isnt quite long enough, this could be altered if I was to have more time. I am happy with the overall shape and look of the dress, in particualr the sleeve as I worked this out myself in a process of illimination of different patters.

Weekend of the 26th and 27th.

This weekend I was hoping to keep ontop of my blog and consolidate any research, unfortunately the internet has been down and I have been un-able to do so. Instead I have been thinking about and researching the next stages that need to be done. I have also been thinking about my next piece that will be over a crinoline.

On reflection this piece will over-run my allocated time schedule, this is because of me being ill and also a lack of commitment on my behlf. This week I am hoping to really get stuck in and get to grips with this project so I do not have lots to do at the end of the unit. I do not want this to be rusehd as I think it would then be a wasted oppotunity.

On a brighter note the Candide performance was today! Everything went really well and Mum was very impressed! I felt a huge sense of achievement and felt really proud about my cotume and also fellow students work. I found it really encouraging and really inspiring.

Poorly Bean!

So far... Ive been rubbish!! A horrible migrane struck me down on sunday night through to al of Monday and relly knocked me out. It then left me with a horrible cold and so I have not beeen on track with my timetable at all. Im trying not to worry about it though as I feel I have enough time to sort everything out and finish everything in time. Hopefully by the weekend things should be back on track and sorting themselves out!

Note to self: Start thinking about POP.

Whooooooooooops! A Confession..

Since my tutorial with Dexter and setting up my mannequin I have been extremely lazy as it has been my birthday!! I hope to get back on track early net week though and really crack on with my first toille as I want to stay focussed and on track so I do not have a sudden panic at the end of the project!

Note to self-MUST stay focused!!