Northern College of Costume - last week!

Apologies for the erratic posting - just been so busy.  The end of the course has now past - 14 weeks of intensive making, 1 week of intensive worrying about the photos and staging the exhibition.

Photo shoot day was Monday - 7.45 am at the college, packed and ready to go- all of 5 minutes away to the York Cemetery chapel- image a convoy of cars with me pedalling away after them....  ( got there and back first!) - a lovely Neo Classical building  - great pillars, odd tapering windows, and in the middle of a very leafy cemetery!


The volunteer men were first, trying to be thug like - Gangs of New York style. Mine has the look but manages not to be brutish- typical, want a grumpy man, find a nice one! Everything looks good in the photos but I will admit to the stirrups being a pain - there was a battle between pulling the trousers up to the waist and the stirrups pulling them back down whenever he sat. The stirrups lost and the fabric got soaked from the long grass, so Lawrence had two tone trousers with flappy ears at the bottom by the end of the morning. He didn't seem to hold it against me. Might not be right, but elastic would be answer- if used in sufficient quantity.

While they were being 'shot' we were preparing for the bustle gown moment - Why does it all take so long? ( really should have had the corset tighter so the bodice sat more smoothly - no mirrors to check it out in)

The photographer had some odd ideas of how we should pose -   we were supposed to be animated - Faye had just started  a most promising joke, but never did get to the punch line.

Pauline Chambers in the centre- spectator sport

   Then the decades dress - mine based on a Jaques Fath 1949 catwalk number ( ummm indeed)
  Had some very odd ideas about posing. 
I'd just been focussed on the dress shapes and making, handling the satin, getting it to sit on the body right, didn't really consider what it would actually look like!  Oops. And then had to wear it at the end of course exhibition -  thank goodness my shoes hurt - a decent distraction from the dress.










Faye's bustle gown - my favourite piece

The exhibition was Friday and Saturday, 3 outfits didn't look that much to start with - until itemised - shirt, waistcoat, trousers and coat,  bustle cage, petticoat, foundation skirt, aprons, bustle piece and bodice, then glam dress, plus all the toiles! No wonder the fingers hurt and the eyes crossed.

 Thanks to all the friends who came round and managed not to snigger at me trying to be elegant....  Had a few cards taken which is optimistic, but kept on being complimented on the artwork rather than the costumes, oh well.....


And now it is over. Done. Packed up in 20minutes and then collected the stuff first thing this morning.

Learnt a lot, discovered new areas to develop and explore, met people I would be delighted to be able to call friends now, and am pretty sure that working with historical costume is where I should be.

Problems  are a collection of costume pieces that each are bigger than my wardrobe. A house in dire need of extensive, if not aggressive, re ordering, tidying and cleaning ( not one clear carpet!). A hedge in desperate need of a remedial haircut and a front garden to get lost in. And I need to earn a living.

Any one after an 1880s bustle ensemble - one careful owner.......

Gwen's bustle dress finale

Gwen is far less demanding than I am - she is putting up with a lot - and at least she hasn't changed size and shape during an extended make. My own bustle out fit is progressing in fits and starts but is getting towards its final form and details are being resolved - let me get the sleeves on and I'll tell you all about it.

Gwen, lacking arms, isn't too hard to set sleeves for, so hers is about complete now. Some areas may be changed but the garment is together, the lining is in, so we did the photo shoot to show the final dress.

Completed to date - cage, petticoat, foundation skirt, apron and bustle. This week's task was the bodice.  The idea was to combine the two fabrics used to bring the ensemble into a cohesive whole. Yep - cohesive.

The pattern used was an adaptation of one used for the fishergirl project - simple pieces, straightforward construction, clean lines and unfussy. The front was one piece with 2 darts each side, overlapping centre front for button fastening, centre back seam and side back panels, 2 part sleeves and cuff.  t\he plan was to used the pattern fabric for the side back, cuff and facings, but of course this changed. The front looked too plain so patterned revers appeared, the patterned stuff did not like tight corners so a satin lining appeared ( off cuts from my own bustle project).  Also a flirty tail was added to sit on top of the bustle- not quite sure whether this has worked or not.  The sleeves as you can see are a high tech re draft giving less curve on the sleeve top and elbow. The only part not shown are the flirty bits, semi circles, added onto the back and side back pieces.

last week

this week

This was Gwen last week -  wearing the underwear, foundation skirt, apron and bustle. The apron has become more gathered and a little higher - late night decision!   The bodice is to complete the outfit,  not dominate it. Pressure is well and truly on at the costume college so this has to be quick.  So selecting the pattern pieces was Saturday at about 3pm. completing was 11pm.   The fit is not as exact as I want - extra side seams my appear,  to tighten up the back and the forgotten collar should arrive at some point - totally, totally forgot.  I like the 3/4 view- it shows the simplicity of the shaping and lets the contrast in the fabrics speak for itself.  There is the usual lack of mini buttons- the ones I liked were 48p each -  more than I paid for the fabric - dream on.

As for mine - it has got this far - bit of a hiatus at the start of the week - lost so much weight that my corset is too big - so borrowing one that is a different period and shape - so had to put toile back together to check fitting was do-able. Of course all the pieces were already cut so it was fairly fraught. It did work so then tacked together the real pieces to check - some changes to the side panels later and it was ready to work..... Phew!

one morning tea usage!

Distractions - pizza for one of the late nights.
 Forgetting about an art exhibition and having to rush about to get stuff together - thanks, Steve.
  Chain came off bike 3 times - have figured out how to put back on with out oily fingers.
 Chased by a cat.
Washing machine is working!
The Tde F crochet bike I helped with is on display at Naburn!
Made apple chutney so house is rather - fragrant.
 Can not believe the course ends on the 27th. With an exhibition.  Which means no excuses- all has to be finished. Best get on.....