Punk 3 1/4 Bondage Shorts

Punk 3 1/4 Bondage Shorts 

These are what I made in the early stages of GCSE. I was going though a punk rock phase and had just discovered Vivienne Westwood and of course the Sex Pistols, hence I was influenced to construct these. The pattern was commercial and adapted to the desired length, size and to allow for the bondage straps in the design. The pattern was a basic pair of unisex shorts with a fly zip fastening, waistband and side seam pockets. You may notice on the patch pocket on the back of the shorts there is a black ball motif: This was machine embroidered using CAD.The straps are sewn into the side seams and held together via a metal accessory. 

"Goths Fashion Fix"

(I'd like to start by noting I did not pick the title of the event, this is all down to the marvelous realm that is Scarborough Museum)

Reasoning for this little workshop is an event that shall be hosted by Myself and 3 other Costume students on the 7th of May at Scarborough's Gallery. Therefore, the Gallery organised for us to style a journalist (from the Women's column in the Scarborough evening news) into a Goth.

For more info on the event  http://www.scarboroughmuseumstrust.org.uk/news/?edid=7103  Don't be shy if your in the area pop in and treat yourself to a new look - or a laugh at least

This is the result: Out of cheap resources i.e. plastic bin bags and poundland trimmings we manages to create the vast majority of this look. The skirt is made entirely out of the bin liners which compliments the luster of the PVC corset and give the look a fetish vibe. I had previously made the PVC corset as an item  for a Tim Burton inspired project and it lends itself to the Gothic Aesthetic well. We asked that the model bring something that we could revamp, this garment is the black Turtle neck jumper that we trimmed with black lace trim. Overall, with the little girl silhouette, long socks and makeup we manage to produce a Gothic Lolita look on a woman who had never even her of the style before. Job's a good one

 

Leather Masks Workshop - a brief "how to"

I will admit when I first signed up for this workshop I had gimp masks in mind. Luckily the masks were much less explicit, despite the option to make “sci fi” inspired pieces. 


Anyway,  time to talk leather. The type of leather used to make these  masks comes from the shoulders of a cow. A note about leather in general is that you can’t buy it in metres you have to buy it in skins - and the price of cows shoulder leather is about a couple of pounds per square foot, so the price of a skin depends on the size of the cow. 

To make these masks you start by making a paper pattern ( make sure the eye holes are in the correct place - if you wear glasses like me they do make great guides ). Using a Stanley knife cut around the template into the leather.  Now boil the kettle, slap the mask in a basin and pour boiling water in and over the leather. It may bubble but just wait for the colour change as it will turn a few shades darker with the water, then take the mask out - this will burn so be careful.

Onto the fun part, surprisingly you do not need a mould you just shape the leather with your hands. This will take a while and the flamboyance of the design is all down to you so go wild. Once you’ve had enough or the mask looks as you intended it to leave it on radiator to dry.

The final step is to paint. High concentrate acrylics are the best for such raw leather, but normal acrylic and mat varnish will also work. The trick of painting masks is to exaggerate the curves and shapes of the item though light and dark colours. so darker in the crevices and lighter on the highlighted bits, like on the ridge of the nose, cheek bones and just above the eyebrows. Of course if your prefer to create a texture this also seems to work well. Further more feel free to hot fix any embellishments onto the mask or add glitter ect, it is leather and it can with stand pretty much anything!

So end result and I have gained a new skill in prop and costume which will most certainly be used for future theatre projects. And I made a mask that resembles Tree Beard that I will probably give to my mum for her Birthday! 

The Glaistig

This bizarre character is based on the Scottish folklore of the Glaistig. For my Design Module - Precious Cargo - I've had to design and create six characters based on British folklore, this one is Alice Glaistig.

The Glaistig is a beautiful woman who is half goat: as illustrated above. She acts similar to a banshee, squeeling by the waters edge in mourning for the drown. Furthermore, sources suggest that she is a symbol of fertility thus I have chosen to elaborate on this idea by making her pregnant. 

  

1860's Under garments

So, for my historical project this year i have to make a replica of an 1860's crinoline dress in the portrait  Empress Eugenie and her lady's in waiting. The image below depicts the dress I shall make but before creating the outer shell and all its finery i must start bay making the under garments; the foundations of the dress.  

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The Corset 

I started the corset by first drafting the pattern on a stand: this method is much quicker and simpler than using the metric system. Them pattern I used was that of a mid 1800's corset taken from the corsets and crinolines book. Once the right shape had been achieved the corset pattern was than flat drafted and altered on paper, in order to fit the model. 

for the base of the corset courtil is used. this is a strong woven fabric that has no stretch and molds to the body fantastically. I chose white however it does come in various other shades and patterns: also as it is of a natural fiber it is easily dyed if necessary. An 18" steel busk i used for the front opening of the corset, however, may be cut down depending on the length of the corset. The steel adds stability and works as boning, pulling the stomach in. Spiral Steel boning and surgical tape to seal the ends is used to bone the seams - boning cases are made of corset tape ( this looks like flat shoe lace). The back fastening in made up of several metal eyelets, to be laced up with corset lace. 

To lace up a corset you thread the lace by crossing over the eyelets ( just like a shoe lace) until the middle where you thread one below, leave some slack and then cross over again. This makes tightening the corset easier as the waist is then pulled in most, creating the desired shape. 

Chemise and Bloomers

These are the articles that are worn under the corset - the early days equivalent to a vest and pants. for these I used a poly cotton blend (for price and the synthetic element means less creases) - 100% cotton would have been used any time before the last century.  

The chemise is a huge shapeless garment that gathers at the top to create the off the shoulder neckline with the corset. The neck line gather is achieved by bias casing and elastic - in the 1860's when elastic was not around it would have been achieved by a simple draw string or ribbon.    

The bloomers a basically a pair of baggy shorts, elasticated at the calves and waist. Again, as with the chemise, bias binding is used to case the elastic. 

The hems of the bloomers, the neckline of the chemise and the the sleeves are all trimmed with 1" wide lace: Note, this is applied before the elastic is inserted. 

 

The Crinoline

This is by far the most complex but impressive item of the undergarment. Took from the pattern in the Corsets and Crinolines book it is authentic to the mid 1800's. The crinoline is also made of polycotton to match the chemise and bloomers. 

The base of the crinoline is made up of 10 panels - 2 x center front , side front, side, side back and center back. These are all large and gathered at the waist band once the crinoline steel casing is applied. The center front seam is left open 10" at the top creating a placket opening for the waist band. All the seams are sewn using a double feld seam for extra security as the crinoline shall be under much stress once the steel is in. 

Once the base of the crinoline is made meter's upon meter's of bias binding is needed to case the crinoline steel. 3 rows of the bias strips are applied close together at the hem, the others are evenly spaced out until about 4" off of the waist seam allowance.

For the waist band the top of the crinoline is gathered - this is most easily done using piping chord rather than a double row of tack stitching due to the extreme length. Interfacing must be used to stiffen the waistband, further more if the waist band is made to fit the natural waist measurement of the model it should fit well with the corset.

For decoration and volume a frill is added, this sits so it falls on the hem of the crinoline. To make a frill you need a 12" wide strip 3 x the the circumference of the hem. Then hem both edges so the strip become 10". This may then be pleated, pinned and applied to the crinoline. 

The final step is to insert the crinoline steel. I personally found it easier to work down from waist to hem. As more steels are added it becomes more shaped, the idea is to create a dome. 

    

And there you have it almost half way there after the first fitting