This project has been made possible by donors to the College of Fine Arts Fund for Excellence, the University of Arizona's School of Theatre Film & Television, and the individuals who have generously donated to the Medici Scholarship Foundation (specifically Ms. Robyn Kessler and Robyn and Jeff Timan) . Thank you for all your support!
Hello!
I have been MIA for a while, sorry about that. Been making some good progress, but not as much as I really hoped to this close to the deadline. That, and my living situation is about to change drastically, so I may have to end up asking for an extension on the due date of this project. I am hoping that because the exhibition isn't until October that an extension is a possibility; not too long, maybe just a few weeks. I have almost everything patterned except for the hats. I am SO NERVOUS about making these hats, specifically the female with the tutu. Her hat looks crazy complicated, and I started thinking about a base yesterday....maybe buckram?
I've also settled on the male's pants. Here is what my final mock-up looks like:
It doesn't look spectacular from this picture, but it is the right shape and size! I finally moved on from this (this is the THIRD mock-up, which means I patterned, cut out, and made the pants THREE TIMES.) The refresher on what this pattern looks like:
SO MUCH CUTTING!!
Anywho, I was able to move on to the pieces that sit under these pants, the two balloon-like structures on the knees and the cage-structure that sits on the hips. I re-made the pants pattern and cut out where I thought it hit. I ended up making it in paper before mocking this piece up, as it is a kind of specific shape. Here is my initial shape:
I made it a little longer than I thought it would be, because I wanted to put it on a form and draw on the lower curved shape. It looks bulky here, but under the pants (which I believe it designs to hold the bulbous hips up and out) they are meant to give shape. I actually had a conversation with my adviser about this, and spoke with her about the fact that, if both of these pieces are sheer, no one will really know or understand the under structures there.
In the picture below, you can see my concerns.
It kind of muffles the intention, I think. I want these pieces to be artistic and functional, and I don't think this look works in terms of function. I decided to make these particular pieces, the hip structure and the knee coverings, out of muslin. It does not detract from the intention, and it gives this piece dimension, and lends understanding to how the under-structure is created and what it's meant to look like.
Here is the knee structure. I will make it larger to fit the entire space in the pant, but this is my mock-up of this piece. It looks good, right?
I went through a few different ideas for this ball shape, and it was frustrating because not only did it need to be a very specific shape, it also needed to encompass a kneecap.
I attempted a few things before I landed on this (with the help of my adviser).
I ended up using the seam allowances of the globe to encase pieces of rigelene, and a single length of rigelene within the center of it to give the shape. It turned out well, aside from the fact that it was just a smidge too tight on my calf, which means any male larger than me will have trouble with the fit. This, thankfully, is a simple fix.
I was also able to start on the bodice for the tutu piece. I cut most of the pieces for this ensemble, and began to stitch them yesterday. There are a few adjustments I need to make before inserting the bones to structure the front portion so it holds the ball-like pieces on the front. Here is the first 'fitting'.
I also started on the other female piece. It's .... not going well.
That's it for now!
Thanks for reading!