Work Placement - History in the Making

Day 4

What an epic day! I really enjoyed today as I was able to work on not just the Shakespeare costumes but do some leather work. I helped made some "aprons" for the new Les Miserable film which is being made/shot at the moment. These are for the drums which are being made by Hamish and the other lads. They should be seen hopefully within the film! Doing this today was extremely exciting! Even though it was a simple task I found it really engaging. As a costume maker I have realised I get my buzz from making garments/props that will be seen by an audience whether it is within film or theatre.

Reference Images - Apron seen on illustration number 6

Leg Apron for protection from the drums

After finishing the aprons Suzie and I carried on finishing the breeches by attaching the button fly, placket and button stand to the breeches. This I have never done before so again it was very worthwhile learning how to make all of this. We then also cut out and canvassed the Canions and waistband. As the leather breeches are very heavy due to the large amount of pleating Suzie decided to increase the strength and width of the waistband and canions by adding the canvas layers. This was to also help support the "bellowed" shape of the breeches. Due to leather being very thick I did find this tricky to sew at times, especially around the leg holes! Many times the thread snapped and the tension played up when using the industrial machine. Nevertheless I persevered and eventually made progress! Due to the leather being tough to sew through Suzie and myself hand-sewed some of the seams to finish them. This involved slip stitch and another stitch which Suzie taught me. It did take me a while to master this however with practice I eventually got the hang of it! Suzie did reassure me that being slow with hand sewing wasn't unnatural as she has had plenty of practice to master it with speed being a full time freelance maker. 

From today I have learnt many new techniques and feel much more knowledgeable when it comes to working with materials such as leather. Also with my hand sewing I have gained a new stitch and learnt how to make breeches as a whole garment. It has been extremely rewarding being on work placement and I hopefully intend to come back and work with Suzie, Hamish and Jean within the summer some time.

Last day tomorrow! Lets make it a good'n!