Juice Festival

Since the start of my Millinery Module I have been working on a live project where I have designed and made a Willy Wonka hat for the Juice Festival in Newcastle. This is my first hat and it was made from a wool felt hood and blocked. The lollypops and candy canes were made from pipe cleaners and the sweets in wrappers were made from cellophane, foil and pompoms

Visit the Juice Festival blog at
www.juicefestivalblog.com 

Willy Wonka Hat- Front View

Willy Wonka Hat- Side View

Willy Wonka Hat- Side View

Willy Wonka Hat- Back View

Willy Wonka Hat- Close up

Millinery

We have started our millinery project and I have decided to produce the hats from the 2006 film Maria Antoinette which is set in the 1700s. Here is an image of my first blocked hat from felt made blocked for the Juice Festival.

 

Felt Blocking, Alysha Rankine, 2016

Festival of Thrift

Today I visited the Festival of Thrift in Redcar, Kirkleathem. It was a really good event, it had numerous craft workshops and live music. There was also an oxfam fashion show and loads of stalls selling hand crafted and vintage items. Cleveland Collage of Art and Design's costume course also had a stall there doing a workshop on how to contruct a fascinator which was fun to take part in. I was also able to visit Kirtleathem museum where I saw some information on Medieval costume that will be helpful on my Costume Design module this year as well as Saxon jewellery. I defiantly recommend this festival to people of all ages since it had activities for both children and adults.

Saxon Beads

This image shows some beads that were found in a grave made from glass.

Medieval Statue

Medieval Statue

These statues were created by George Evelyn Pallant in 1994. The first statue shows Sir Peter IV and the second statue shows Sir Marmaduke II from 1323. Their Coat of Arms was also displayed with them.

1400s Armour

This image shows a reproduction of medieval metal armour from the 1400s.

1400s Womens Costume

This image shows a reproduction of a Burgundian dress seen in England after the middle of the 1400s. A hennin is also being worn with a veil over it.

Here is an image of my fascinator

Fascinator

This fascinator is built on a sinamay base with netting, buttons and velvet ribbon.

Visit their website at: http://www.festivalofthrift.co.uk 

Kirkleatham Museum: http://www.redcar-cleveland.gov.uk/accommodation.nsf/TouristList/12AAA9A52D192358802579CF004AB033?OpenDocument

Sister Act

Today I visited The Grand in Leeds to watch the production of Sister Act. I really enjoyed this production. Unfortunately, since I watched the matinee, Alexandra Burke did play the part of Deloris but Joanna Francis, who played Deloris instead, did an amazing job. The costumes reflected the setting of the production, which was the 1970s, well so I was quickly able to identify the year through the use of platform heels, short skirts, flared jeans and pointed shirt collars. The Nuns costume were also correct and I could easily identify them as Nuns clothing. In the final scene, when the Nun were singing to the pope, I liked the fact that Deloris was still wearing something that identified as a nun costume but reflected her personality. This was done through making the costume tightly fitted and covered in sequins. The used of black and white and its placement also made her dress relate to Nun's clothing. I also liked the set since it worked and flowed well with the scenes through the use of disco balls, jail bars and lit signs. I also enjoyed the moveable element of it.

Visit their website at: http://sisteractuktour.co.uk

Staircase House

Today I visited Staircase House in Stockport. I decided to visit this house since I have decided to set my costume design module which is starting in September in the medevial era around the middle of the 1400s. This house is thought to have been built in the 1460s though unfortunately it has been laid out like a 1600s/1700s house so there is more information about this era then the medieval, still it was interesting and I saw a variety of decorative features on the furniture that could be great inspirations for future projects.

The Hat Works

Today I visited the Hat Works Museum in Stockport. This was part of my research for the Millinery module I will be starting in September. This museum was really good and showed a large variety of hats starting in the Victorian Era to modern day. There was also a floor that showed all the machine and hat blocks used in order to make hats. I gained a knowledge about hats and the felt making process along with the conditions that hat makers and milliners had to work in.

Machine, Hat Works.

This image shows one of the machines used to make the cones of felt which are used to block hats. The door of the machine would closed and felt fibres would be released. The fibres would be drawn to the cone by suction and then solution and water would be spray to keep the fibres together.

Hat, Vivienne Westward, 2005.

The designer of this hat is Vivienne Westward and it is bonnet made from straw with cotton ribbon which is patterned.

Hat Display, Hat Works.

This is a display from the museum showing a variety of hats made from different materials such as feathers, fur, suede, straw, silk, ribbon and velvet.

Straw Toque, Hat Works, 1980

This is a Toque that is constructed from straw and it has decoration made from netting and feather.

Java, Hat Works.

This is a Javanese hat that is made from satin and has decoration in the colour gold. This would have been worn by a dancer. This is one of my favorite hats due to the amount of decoration used on it.

Visit their website at: www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/museumsandgalleries/hatworks/ 

Update- 1890 Corset

The corset is finished, though they are some elements that I dislike. I ran into some problems in sewing the boning channels since the fabric was too bulky and the machine would not sew. If I did this again I would also add an additional layer of fabric between the boning and main fabric since the pattern of the spiral boning shows through the thin satin. On the inside of the corset I used bias binding to finish the corset, in the future I will add lining instead to get a neater finish.

In order to cord the corset I used tapestry needles to thread the cording through the channels and I also used wire as an alternative to the needles. This process was quite difficult and time consuming. I'm glad I used the colours black and purple since they stand out against each other and work well together. The lace on top of the corset is also a nice element.

Back View Corset

Full View Flat Corset

Close up View of 3D Corset

Close Up View of Flat Corset