For
Specialist Practice I chose to work on the production of On the Razzel. I wanted to use the tailoring skills I gained in
Self Directed Project, expand on them and use them in a live performance. I created
a Learning Agreement, describing the intention of the project and a Time Plan,
to help me with deadlines and time keeping. As this was a live project my time
planning was constantly altered throughout; it was hard to plan for the end of
the project and because of this I created a separate final plan after the final
fitting to make sure that everything would be ready for Dress Parade. I scheduled
both work and personal commitments into the plan so I could manage my time as
efficiently as possible. Whilst I feel that I was slightly pushed for time in
the final week of the project, due to issues with the lining of the jacket, I
don’t feel that this affected my outcome hugely and the costume was ready for
Dress Parade.
My
research for this project focused on the shape and construction of the suit
rather than style elements. To broaden my research in Extended Major Project I
will try to look at historical garments for reference; now I am more confident
in construction, I will be able to focus my research predominantly on the style
of the suit.
Overall
I am pleased with the construction of the suit, although working with less
guidance on this project meant I made more mistakes throughout the process.
From this though, I recognise the importance of evaluation and reflection;
carefully assessing my work and observing mistakes during the making process
allowed me to make appropriate alterations and produce a good finished garment.
The
main problem I encountered was that the lining for the jacket came up to small.
This meant that I had to re-cut the lining, however I did not have enough
fabric to do this so we had to purchase new material. I didn’t do a toile
fitting for the waistcoat as I felt that I was confident with the pattern and I
also wanted to make the garment using traditional tailoring practice. When
producing the waistcoat though, I had to extend the centre front to create a
better fit. This took time to alter and the designer also decided they didn’t
want a breast pocket so I had to re-cut one side of the waistcoat. Doing a
calico fitting would have saved a lot of time as I would have seen the basic
fit and the designer could have made style decisions earlier, in future I will
always attempt to do a toile fitting. The learning process of making this suit
allowed me to update my Level 5 workbook so when it comes to making suits in
the future there will be fewer mistakes.
This
project has allowed me to extend my tailoring knowledge, taught me how to work
independently during making and as a team when working on the live production.
I am really pleased with my final outcome and I believe it reflects the design
given to me.
