January~
Defeating (re-threading) My Greatest Rival (an overlocker)
a very proud moment for me
recording everything is tiring
Over my time at the studio ive been trying to make notes on the construction methods and tips. This will be both useful to reference for my own learning but also many of the prpsesses remain the same for different garments so having jotes will mean i have to ask fewer questions.
It’s quite a lot of information to get down and i struggle to remember to do it often.
Applying to Hercules internship
Ive applied to a wardrobe intern porsition for the new disney musical hercules. The advertisement said to email a cover letter and CV to them so i spent a while researching the musical/ disney theatrical company & drafting my letter (I hate writing ew). 3 days later i was sent a link for the actural application site that didnt require any cover letter :/
UPDATE: I was requested to do a quiz to finalise my application. I didnt mind as i hoped it would give me more information about the role, hiring process or disney theatrical company. Part 1 was a 136 question personality quiz and part 2 was a near impossible picture puzzle 😀
7am me is not a puzzle person
journal thoughts
Operation Mincemeat Trousers – full process in photos
Some things ive made Nov-Jan
Post Christmas thoughts
Its my 9th week at the studio. I feel very at home and have a good routine for commuting in. Im being trusted with more tasks and knowing how to complete them independently but still feel able to ask for advice to improve my technique. Its refreshing to be so confident in my abilities whilst also learning and improving my dexterity and tailoring skillset. Being paid for my time and work also has had a big impact on me, for the first time I feel my time, work and skills are appreciated and valuable. Accepting payment helps in accepting the responsibility of the work.
However, I feel as though the things I am learning about the industry and my professional development starting to plateau. I gained so much from random chats or even overhearing discussions with people passing through the costume department. It was especially great meeting actors and designers with such different perspectives of costume from me. The set and prop departments were also incredibly interesting to see and I’ve realised how much I miss building and painting things beyond sewing.
At Kingsley’s studio I feel more isolated and I only get to talk with the other freelancer sewers- no actors, directors, designers, supervisors…
Future plans??
Hearing other peoples experiences going on tours and working on cruise ships ect. Im realising id really like to travel in my work in the next 5 years if i can. I see myself really enjoying freelance studio work either part time or maybe 10 years in the future if i were more settled in my personal life. Looking forward; I could learn to dress for film/ theatre and see if i can get a job on any touring productions this summer/post-graduation.
Once, we are finished with Operation Mincemeat in February, I want to move on to a more dynamic work environment, perhaps something less sewing/tailoring-based. My current plan is to look into what skills i have & skills want to learn then research where i could do a placement to develop them.
4/12/2024 Day with Katy Adeney
This week Kingsley had some fittings to go to so there was not much to do for him but Katy had her big Christmas show deadline fast approaching so I offered to help her out for 2 days.
Katy specialises in event costumes and does some designing too. This event was for a tech company’s Christmas party inspired by The Greatest Showman so it involved lots of sequins, accessories and circus garments.
I went on a trip to Macollogh and Wallis in Soho for fabric supplies then came back and made a ruff for one of the costumes. I also adjusted the fit of some ASOS body suits and helped George hand-stitch decoration to the ringmaster jacket.
It was fun to see this other side of costume for events but it definitely felt stressful and chaotic. The event planner had made a lot of last-minute changes to the costumes and the tight time constraint meant a lot of the costumes were modified fast fashion garments.
Weeks 2, 3 & 4 with Kingsley
So far my work has been quite piecemeal; when working on a project there will be pattern cutting, fabric cutting/ marking, construction, canvas construction, finishing tasks etc.
•Nothing is made from start to finish by 1 person. To make the best of each person’s skill set and time available part of the process may be done by a different one of us. This is what happened with the first Hamilton jacket we made. Every person in the studio had a hand in making parts of it.
• From what I know this is similar to traditional tailoring shops where the most senior tailors do cutting + carry out fitting & consultations. Junior tailors do finishing work & ironwork