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. 

Millenary - Blocking the Felt

Now that the felts have been stiffened they need to be stretched over a head block. To start with the head block is covered in cling film so the wood doesn’t get damaged with the moisture from the steam. This cling filming must be re-done every time you use the block.

Once happy turn on the steamer, spray the hat felt with water so it is slightly damp, then begin to steam the hat. Get some one to help then pulling 4 sides of the hat equally putt onto the hat block. Using house hold pins and a thimble pin the hat at the centre front and back and sides. Use two pins to mark the position and hold securely.

Using the steamer re-steam where you want to pin, stretch the felt down and pin into place. Always work evenly in opposites when hat making, slowly begin to pin the hat around and eventually each pin wants to be around 1cm apart. If pins need to be removed and adjusted do this remover then, steam and re-pin. Make sure the felt remains smooth and there are no ridges.  The felt now needs to be left for 24 house to dry and out re-stiffen. 

Week 15 revised plan

After I spent all of Monday altering a sourced suit for one of the gang members I decided to alter my time plan. I also found out that I have to have my trousers close to completion by the end of the month due to promotional photographs. I hope to follow the revised plan as closely as possible to make sure I complete all of my work.

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Tuesday	MFM	MFM	Catch up on all theory
Wednesday	Hat Making 10	Cut out trousers Ask about pockets and fly	Start sleeve Mark tack trousers
Thursday	Dye room samples	Opticians 2.15	Sleeve and mark tacking
Friday	Dye room samples	3PO pockets & fly	-
Saturday	Make 3PO trousers	Make 3PO trousers	Make 3PO trousers
Sunday	Finish BE waistcoat Finish BE trousers	BIC: 2-8

Suit Alteration

Part of working as a tailor on the costume team for The Threepenny Opera involves adjusting and altering some of the sourced suits. This suit is for a Gang member and needed taking up along the bottom jacket line, cuffs and in the leg. It also needed taking out at the centre back. I have recorded imaged of before and after the suit was altered.

This suit was really interesting to look at, as I believe it was tailor made in Hong Kong. I came to this decision from looking at the label and examining the construction.

I started by looking at the suit its self; a point of interest was the facing at the front. This was shaped so the pockets didn’t cut the seam and this was quit a nice effect.

The lining had been hand stitched in and this made it fairly easy to open up the suit and make the alterations I needed to make. Once I had opened up the bottom of the suit I could look at how the inside had been constructed. The majority of the suit was constructed similar to how I would construct a suit however one huge contrast was the canvases. I would pad stitch my canvases together however the canvases here had been machined together, this would reduce the construction time considerably.

Once I had unpicked the bottom of the jacket and the cuffs I altered them and then slipstitched them in place again. I also removed the buttons and raised them by the same amount as the cuff. There was a false envelope on the cuff, which would also reduce time, but once I had raised the cuff length this was not visible at all. I am really pleased with how the jacket looks after the alterations and although it was very time consuming I feel that I have learnt a lot from this experience.

I then moved onto the trousers, these were created in a similar way to how I would create a pair of trousers however the fly was constructed slightly differently and only the front of the trousers were lined.  I pressed all the seams flat and took in the leg of the trousers. I then reduced the seam allowance and overlocked it to keep in neat.

Next I hemmed the trousers to shorten them cutting of some of the excess as there was too much and it created a lot of bulk. I tried to keep the same curve to the bottom seam of the  trousers  whilst doing this.  I re-pressed the trousers including the seam down the front, as this was no longer central. 

To finish I extended the trousers around the hips, as these were tailor made trousers there was enough excess at the back to do this, if it had been a ready-to-wear suit this may not have been possible.

Alteration Measurements 

·      Take up by 2" around the bottom of the jacket

·      Cuffs are taken up by 1½"

·      Button are placed 1¼" up from the bottom of the cuff

·      Trousers are taken up by 2¼" at front 2½"  at the back 

·      Leg  is taken in by 1½"  from the bottom to around 13" up  then taper to the seam around 7" up. 

·      The centre back seam is extended by 1" tapering down 

Week 15 Plan

Day	Morning	Afternoon	Evening
Saturday	Mark tack sleeve	Lunch with dani	Dani’s birthday
Sunday	-	Theory work	Theory work
Monday	Alter 3PO Trousers and cut out	Skill Set 12:15 Hand in Exhibition request Create Sleeve	Finish collar
Tuesday	MFM	MFM	Mark tack trousers
Wednesday	Hat Making 10	Attach sleeve	Attach collar
Thursday	Dye room samples?	Opticians 2.15
Friday	Dye room samples	Dye Room samples	Theory catch up
Saturday	Finish boardwalk
Sunday		BIC: 2-8