Work Environment

The studio is so crowded and noisy, it's really hard to concentrate. It's also difficult to keep things neat when you barely have elbow room. There was not enough space allotted for so many makers. Also, every domestic machine is getting checked out before 9 30! I am not awake enough to begin sewing at 9 30, I'd be a danger to myself. So, I've started sewing at home. I'm getting so much more done. I really like to just sit by myself next to a sunny window and sew, no distractions. When I run into something I don't know how to do, I ask my housemates. They're all on the fashion course and are sewing as well. It's a much better environment for me.

19th Century Women's Shirtwaist Day One

Today I began construction on a women's shirtwaist, based on the year 1900. This period marked the beginning of wide spread ready made clothes. I chose a simple design that I thought would be appropriate for a woman working as a performer. I adapted one of the patterns from the national theater project to execute my design.

Men's Shirt Day 2

Today I attached the gussets and sleeves. I had to redo the first sleeve because I gathered it with one stitch line instead of two, it didn't look good. Things are going really well, I actually know what I'm doing so far. It's giving me a lot of confidence.

Men's Shirt Day One

I love this fabric. It's like sewing a table cloth. Everything stays where I put it. It's straight and perfect, it's so satisfying! Today I cut the pattern out, over-locked edges, sewed side seams, and attached the yoke. The yoke was a bit of a struggle to get all the seams enclosed. Leona helped me figure out how to get at them from the inside! It looks really neat and I'm really enjoying working on it.

La Ronde

Character Ideas:

The actress should be bright, but not overly decorated. 1900 was right in the beginning of ready to wear clothing, working women were transitioning into simpler mass made garments. I'm thinking dark pink fabric. It's sassy, sexy, and easily transfers from day to night.

The poet is a shifty character. I think of him as a sleazy businessman having an affair. I'm thinking a suit, but not a nice one. Faded, worn, unclear color. Nothing about him is certain.

The scene is dark, candlelit. The costumes should have color!

POP Tutorial

Today was my first individual POP tutorial. We discussed possible essay topics and sources.

I brought up Victor Victoria as a possible base performance for my paper. My tutor focused on the cross dressing aspect, and from there we made a list of other performances with that theme.

Tootsie
Some Like It Hot
Mrs. Doubtfire
Bosom Buddies
She's the Man (12th Night)
Pantomime Tradition
-Judith Butler
Peter Pan

I'm going to proceed with my paper by watching some of these performances and taking note of recurring messages and themes.

"Peeling"

Thursday the 31st of March I attended "Peeling", at the Lighthouse in Poole. My original intent had been to use this performance for my POP essay, now I'm a bit unsure.

The set was an intimate one, with seating right up to the stage. The light and sound booth was visible to the audience. The seats were bleachers, covered in pink fabric. They clashed garishly with the red carpet. The set was not extravagant. There were screens as a backdrop, and three cage skirt contraptions in the middle of the stage. Above it all was a screen narrating the entire play.

The play started with three women filling the caged skirts. It took a few moments to realize that one was a little person, the second was in a wheel chair, and the third one was deaf. They play actors in a play about the slaughter of disabled people. Most of the dialogue takes place in between their character's scenes. The talk moves from simple banter to a confession of each character's personal struggles.

While the play offered many things to write about in my essay, I think I'd rather write about something I enjoyed more. I found this performance heavy and unsatisfying. It was interesting, but I don't feel I gained anything from it.

Disaster!!

There is a hole in my chemise. Right on the front. I have no idea how it got there! I tried to patch it, but it's horrible. I'm going to have to redo the whole front. The fabric is beautiful, but a real pain. Every time I sew anything the machine grabs the grain, making it look tortured. I can't stick any pins in it because they leave holes. You can see my yellow chalk lines through it. I'm afraid it's going to look a real mess after I have to unpick my French seams. I'm feeling very frustrated.