EMP Evaluation

I decided to spilt my EMP in half and completing two very different projects. The first a 1920’s suit, the second working within part of a team on The Threepenny Opera. I chose to do a self-directed project for the first part of EMP as I had decided that I wanted to focus my level 6 studies on menswear, specifically tailoring and I wanted to complete a project which focused on this. I wanted to create a suit that would build on and further my tailoring skills, some of the things that I wanted to cover included: a pattern match, a range of pockets and a new style of suit. For my dissertation I looked at tailoring and from this watched the TV series Boardwalk Empire, which showed a range of 1920’s suits. I decided to take this as inspiration and create a suit based on one that the principal character Enoch ‘Nucky’ Thompson wears. I collaborated with a designer to create an image to work from and referred to screen shots and historical research throughout to make my design decisions.

I used a range of different historical research to create this suit and made my design decisions through images from the series and historical research I collected. I hoped to gain primary research for this project; however although I contacted a range of museums none were able to help me. To gain historical accuracies I was able to look at Grahams notes of suits he had viewed, taking notes from these and using them to make decisions on the suit I was creating. I also wanted to use a traditional tailoring fabric to create this suit and I sourced English wool from H. E. Box. I believe using traditional fabrics and techniques is very important when constructing a suit.

As I was working individually I had to source fabrics and arrange fittings, this took me longer than anticipated and it really made me appreciate the work that a supervisor does. Working alone was a good experience however it showed me that I work better when I am part of a costume team. This decision to work independently also effected my time planning, as it was hard to meet deadlines I set myself, as they were easily adjustable. I also didn’t give myself long enough for certain tasks and therefore did not achieve deadlines. However I evaluated the work I had done and pushed myself to hit deadlines and I stated to catch up with the work that needed doing. However this meant that it took me much longer to complete the suit than anticipated and it therefore ran into the second part of my EMP project. I then had to work on two projects simultaneously and as I was working as part of a team for the second project this took over, as I had to meet deadlines. However I finished the suit in plenty of time and I am pleased with the outcome.

I then arranged a photo shoot. This was a new experience for me and I found sourcing the items time consuming. I based the photos on the intro to the TV series Boardwalk Empire as this is where I had taken inspiration of the suit. I worked with a first year photography student to create a set of images that we shot on Bournemouth beach. I am very happy with these photos and I feel they show the suit well. These images complete the project and I feel that they show what I am able to achiev.

The second part of the project was working as part of a team to create a costume for the production The Threepenny Opera. To begin with I was unsure about this project, as it was completely different form my first EMP project. However as I started to get involved with the project I realty started to enjoy it. I particularly enjoyed problem solving to create the unusual shapes and structures that the designer required. I also really enjoy working as part of a team and I had to collaborate with several others to make sure our costumes were linked. I firstly had to collaborate with the maker who was constructing Macheath’s Jacket as the costume had to look as a whole when it was on the stage. I also had to collaborate with the maker who was constructing Polly’s jacket as the costumes had to link as they marry in the play. Collaborating with other pushed me to work as par of a team, meeting with them to make sure our costumes linked together and having joint fittings.

Working as part of a team on a live production meant that I managed my time much better as I had set dates that I had to have items completed for. I hit all the deadlines for this part of the project and in some cases I was early, meaning I was able to help with other costumes for the show. I feel that I work best when I am part of a team and working on a live production fills my work with energy.

This project also gave me the opportunity to try millinery and I created a trilby hat. This was something I had wanted to try for a long time and I am pleased I have whilst at uni. Millinery has a structural methodical approach to it and this is a way that I work well. I made the majority of the trilby however I had help with the finishing’s as it was an extra to my project and I did not have enough time to finish it to the standard desired. I am happy with the end result and I am able to take this skill and use it again.

I helped with several other parts of this production. I altered a suit that was to big for the actor and attended fittings for the suits. This is a really useful skill to have as alterations play a bit part of theatre work. I also created a bionic leg for one of the beggars out of Lycra and a tie to go with Polly’s zoot suit as well as helping with many other small alterations, adaptations and repairs.

I dressed and assisted wardrobe for the run of production. This is an incredibly busy week and I had to make sure I was together with all my work before the start of production week as there is no extra time. This week was very physically and mentally exhausting however it is good to see how the costumes are then used on stage. I am happy that I was part of the costume team for the production as it has furthered my knowledge of working backstage.

As an extra part of EMP I was also a dresser on A Midsummer Nights Dream. Reflecting on this I did not plan my time efficiently enough to do this as I struggled to keep up with other aspects of EMP. However in the weeks after I was able to catch up with my work and helping on midsummer’s added to my Backstage knowledge and has given me extra experience.

Overall I have really enjoyed EMP and though time planning is hard due to the length I managed to achieve all that I set out to at the begging of the project along with other tasks. I have achieved a wide range of different work that showcases the skills I have developed whilst at uni and through self-directed learning believe I am able to work confidently in the professional world.

Week 19 Reflection

This was the final week of construction for both my projects and because of this it was very busy. I spent the beginning of the week completing my 3PO costume as I had the dress parade on Wednesday. I completed the costume in time however there were issues with the lights. It appears that if the lights are handled too much they braked, leaving patches which no longer light up or are much dimmer. Due to this I have to replace the lights however they are not longer going to be piped in and instead they will simply be whip stitched on. I am happy with how this outfit is coming together and how it is working with the jacket as a whole piece. It has been a good experience collaborating with another to make a full costume. I then spent the rest of the week finishing my 19290’s Boardwalk Empire inspired suit. These finishing’s should really have been done several weeks ago however once I was given a time plan and a set date to have it finished I was able to quickly complete the tasks I needed to. I then had to source several items for the photo shoot. This is a supervisor’s role however as I am working on an independent self-directed project I had to complete the task. I had not done this before and due to my time limits I found it very daunting even though it was only a small amount of items, however once I focused I was able to source the items needed and this brought it together to compete a full costume. The photo shoot was on Friday and it was really overcast and cloudy which was perfect. It did rain slightly towards the end of the shoot however I don’t feel that this affected the photographs. I then had several images edited and I am going to print a set of business cards and postcards with these images on that will represent me. This week I also had to hand in PPP. This put extra pressure on me to get everything completed in time. By the end of this week I have completed all my makes and I am ready for the dress parade on Monday.  I will now be spending my time completing my workbooks and from Wednesday to Saturday working as a dresser and wardrobe assistant on The Threepenny Opera. This will be very exciting however I will also be incredibly busy.

Week 17 Reflection

Time is starting to get very short now and I am working very hard to try and achieve all have set out to do. My priority this week was to get my PPP unit up to date. I have created my business cards and I have started to organise my portfolio however I feel that I may have left it to late when ordering things as I did not account for the bank holiday weekend. I am happy with how it is taking shape and I believe it will be ready. I have almost completed my suit and I now just need a final push to make sure it is complete. However I really need to organise the photo shoot that will go with it. Finishing the suit and organising the shoot along with PPP need to be my priority for next week. I had my fitting for 3PO and the trousers are almost complete now, I just need to add a lining to the waistband. There are simple changed to be made on my waistcoat the major difficulties are going to be figuring out how the lights are going to work in it. I am going to push myself next week to really set goals and achieve them making sure I complete everything on time. 

Week 16 Reflection

I spent the majority of this week working on A Midsummer Nights Dream, when creating my plan I should have taken into consideration how much of my time this would take up and because of this I didn’t achieve as much as I had planned however I did manage to get a lot of work done considering I was at the theatre assisting in wardrobe and dressing for the majority of the week. I did get work done on my hat and I have begun to block the brim and I have stretched the main part of the hat. I spent several days in the dye room with Bethany to create a recipe for my 3PO waistcoat, as the fabric needs to be dip dyed. I then managed to cut out and dye my fabric on Friday. I am happy with how they dying has taken and I have shown it to the designer and she is also happy with it. I will need to paint into the dye to create the effect in the design but this will happen at a later date.  Whilst I was at the theatre I managed to get uni work done in between dressing. I have finished the trousers for 3PO to the photo shoot stage; I just have to wait for the lining to be dyed by the supervisor before I can add this to the trousers. I also need to speak to a tutor on finishing methods. I also spent time working on my BE trousers and I have also managed to finish these completely; I now need to remove the tacking and press them. All I have to do now is complete the jacket and the first part of my EMP project will be complete. This week had been so busy I haven’t had much time to keep up with my theory work however I feel that I am on top of it. I have managed to work on PPP organising the photos for my portfolio, complete my CV and designing my business cards. Next week I am going to push my self to work hard and I feel that if I keep to the pace I have worked this week, without the pressure of MSND I will be able to get a lot done. 

Week 15 Reflection

Due to the suit adaption I did at the beginning of the week I had to revise my plan, however this worked really well and I have kept on top of my work for the majority of the week. On Thursday I started my dye samples and I am happy with how they are starting to look, however we ran out of dye so were unable to continue. I will continue experimenting with the dye samples next week. I continued with hat making this week, stretching the felt onto the head block. I am really enjoying hat making however it is time consuming and I am starting to feel like I may be taking on to much work at the moment. I started my 3PO trousers and I have put the pockets in them, I didn’t collect my zip in time though and I have yet to put a zip into trousers so this is something I will do on Monday morning. I have prepped my waistband so as soon as I have done the fly I will be able to add the waistband. I feel that Monday will be rushed so I will need to get as organised and prepared as I can be before. My BE suit is really starting to be left behind and I really need to have a final push to complete it and prepare it for the photo shoot. Finally I have my PPP unit that I really need to push myself to complete as soon as possible. I feel that if I work as I have been this week and add the PPP unit in I will complete everything. 

Week 14 Reflection

This week has been very productive and I am beginning to start to keep up to date with my theory work however I still need to catch up with my PPP unit. I had my 3PO toile fitting and this went really well. The waistcoat fits nicely and there are only minor alterations, the trousers were slightly too tight and didn’t give enough room for movement so I extended the pattern and had a second fitting on Thursday. After the fitting Thursday I discovered that the reason the trousers were to tight it that I am used to using tailoring patterns which include a seam allowance however the pattern I used didn’t include a seam allowance meaning that the trousers had no ease in them. I will make sure I leave a sufficient seam allowance in the trousers encase any extra ease is needed. I also started hat making this week and this is a really interesting new skill to learn and one that I have no experience in. I will record all of the skills I learn from it on my workbook to refer to in the future. I spent Friday helping out with the Midsummer Nights Dream production. Although I am very busy I have chosen to dress on this project and help as an assistant maker as I hope to gain extra experience. Overall a very busy week and I can now see how little time I have left in both EMP and PPP, I am going to have to push myself really hard now so that when it comes to later in the project I am not rushed. 

Week 13 Reflection

This week has been very busy. Monday was the bank holiday and I was working Tuesday so I didn’t go into uni until Wednesday when I had my photo shoot for my suit I created in SDP. This went really well and I am happy with the images. I took several photos and here is an unedited image. 

I then had a fitting with the Gang members for 3PO, I was the only maker in this fitting and had to make adjustments to two suits and mark on where decoration will be going. I have undertaken the role of a tailor for the 3PO project and I am therefore going to be helping to work on all the sourced suits. On Thursday I then had my second fitting and this went really well. I only have minor alterations on the suit so I should be able to finish this soon. I will have to carefully start to balance my work between 3PO and BE to make sure I get everything done on time. I also need to start working on my PPP unit as this is a very important unit of work and it is due in soon. I am happy with where I am with all my practical work I just need to catch up with my theory work. 

Week 10 Reflection

This week I feel I have been really productive even though I have yet to start work on The Threepenny Opera. I managed to finish the trousers and waistcoat to the second fitting stage and I am really happy with how these look. I have also faced and began to line the jacket, putting in an inside breast pocket on the right hand side and a cigarette pocket on the left hand side. As I have now done several pockets these went well and I am happy with how they have turned out. I feel that now have re-adjusted my time plan I have realised how much work I have to do and this has pushed me to work much harder this week. Hopefully I will be able to keep this hard work up over the Easter holiday. This week I also had a portfolio tutorial for PPP, this was really helpful and I am pleased with the ideas and information I took from this session. I will make time over Easter to work on my PPP unit.

Week 9 Reflection

This week I completed the waistcoat for the second fitting. I made all the alterations, lined and finished the fronts. I then attached the front to the back however I have only tacked this line through as it may alter after the fitting. After the fitting I will stitch the line through and cut away the excesses. I stitched the side seams of the trousers and completed the waistband adding the hooks and bars.  I met with graham to look at his notes and images on suits that he had viewed. I did this, as I was unable to view any suits myself. From this I took the position of the pockets that will go into the trousers. I positioned these and marked them onto the trousers. For these pockets I am doing a jetted pocket with a flap inside the pocket. Having the flap inside the pocket is a new technique for me and it is made more challenging by the pattern match. I am really happy with how this went and I am pleased with the pocket. I then stitched up the legs and centre back of the trousers. Slip stitching the lining into place.

This week has been very productive and though I have not been able to do any work on the jacket I have got the trousers and waistcoat ready for my next fitting.  I have now also got my design for The Threepenny Opera however I have not managed to do any work on it as I have been trying to complete the first part of EMP that is my suit. I hope to start researching and pattern drafting next week. 

Week 8 Reflection

I have finally completed all the jacket and waistcoat pockets and attached the canvases to both the jacked and the waistcoat. I have really pushed myself this week due to the fitting and it has paid off. However I did not put the pockets in the backs of the trousers, this is now something I have to consider weather I am going to do it or not.  The fitting went really well and I am pleased with how it is looking. In my original plan I was hopping to have my suit almost finished at his point of the project however I have only just had the first fitting. I will be starting the second part of EMP on Monday and therefore I will now re-consider my full time plan making sure I allow for both projects. I will do this after I have attendee the TPO meeting on Monday. I feel that I have not achieved my original goals as I underestimated the time that I hoped things would take. Also as this is such a long project it is easy to think that I have plenty of time for everything however it is really important for me to make sure I do keep on top of things and make sure I work really hard to finish this first part of my EMP project so I can fully focus on the second part of the project. I also have to make sure I find time to complete my PPP project. 

Week 7 Reflection

I have worked really slowly this week and I feel that this is probably due to the fact that I m not pushed for time as my fitting is not until the 28^th. This means that I have not been pushing myself to work hard and because of this I have not been achieving as much as I should be I also did not receive my lining until Wednesday which pushed me back slightly however I should have found other tasks to complete instead of waiting time. I still have not completely finished my jetted pockets and I also have not completed my trouser pockets.  I have also fallen behind on my blog entries and workbook. However I have done some work on PPP and I have planned my portfolio and started my evaluation. Next week I will have to work really hard to be prepared for my fitting and hopefully I will keep this hard work up and keep on top of my project. 

Week 6 Reflection

This week I cut out all my top fabric pieces and mark tack them. The mark taking was slow to begin with as I discovered I didn’t have any basting thread and this held me up slightly. I also did not plan enough time for mark tacking and it took me considerably longer than planed. I finished mark tacking mid week and started to prep for the pockets. I spent a long time working on the pockets, as I wanted the pattern match to be as accurate as possible. This proved incredibly stressful especially when it came to the side entry trouser pockets. I am pleased with the pattern match and I feel that I have created a successful match the majority of the time. In the instances where the match is not exact I have chosen to leave it as it is better to be slightly put then ruin the fabric from constantly working it. I will make sure that I allow plenty of time for the jetted pockets as I am sure theses will be even more time consuming. I also spent a lot of time trying to find an appropriate lining fabric and this proved challenging as I wanted something which reflected the 1920’s style, fitting in with the quality of the suit and which was an appropriate lining fabric. I ordered my fabric Friday and hopefully it will arrive early next week so I am not delayed too much. I feel that though I am not keeping completely to my time plan this is due to the fact that I am not pushed for my next fitting as It will be either the 1^st or 2^nd of February. This week I also started work on my PPP unit and I will have to start adding this into my time plan so I keep on track with it.  

Week 5 Reflection

This week I chose my fabric and ordered it from H. E Box, this was really exciting but also scary as it is a large chunk of my budget. I also had my first calico fitting this week. I created the calico toile, though this is time consuming it is quite a simple process and I completed it reasonably quickly. I then prepped for the fitting. The fitting went really well and I there are mainly only minor alterations. One of these were the pocket positioning and this is part of what makes a calico fitting so important as the pockets go into the jacket first and once they are done these is no going back therefore I would have had to re-cut the waistcoat. I am not keeping up with my original plan and I am going to have to work really hard to make sure I complete on time. 

Week 4 Reflection

This week mainly consisted of pattern drafting and completing any remaining research. The pattern drafting took slightly longer than anticipated and I feel that I am really going to have to push myself to make sure this project is completed in time.  I feel that the pattern drafting took so long as I was using new patterns from The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier, and because I new I had just over a week to prepare for my fitting so I wasn’t pushed for time. I will also have to start working faster as PPP starts next week that will increase my workload. 

Week 3 Reflection

This week I managed to collect a lot of research, which is appropriate to this project. After looking at a range of different pattern drafting books I decided to use take the patterns from The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier. I have decided on these patterns as the book was written in 1928, meaning that the patterns are relevant to the 1920s era. I have chosen patterns that are close to my design that I can adapt to make them as accurate as possible. I also created my line drawings and a design that I can refer back to as well as the images I collected from Boardwalk Empire. This will help me with adapting my patterns, creating shape and looking at positioning of the pockets, lapel and collar. I decided to use nick as my model and I recorded his measurements in both cms and inches. I then collected all this research together and met with Graham to discus the next step. After looking at the patterns Graham agreed that The Modern Tailor Outfitter and Clothier was the best choice for patterns due to when it was written. After looking at the photos of nick and his measurements he advised me to find a different model who is slightly older with a larger chest measurement. I decided to take his advice however I am now unable to find a suitable model and this is holding me back as I am unable to start pattern drafting. I aim to have found a model by Monday so I am able to start pattern drafting next week. I also visited Weymouth and though this was a really useful trip I was unable to find a fabric that is suitable for my garment so I may have to visit London next week. I also contacted a range of museums to try and gain some primary research, this was very time consuming and so far I have still been unable to arrange any primary research. However I was able to view Grahams photos and notes from where has previously visited museums to view suits. I feel that though I have not started pattern drafting I have managed to get a lot done and I will push myself really hard next week to start creating my garment, as I need to keep on top of this project and not let it run into the second part of EMP.