In March I was contacted by a performer, Awa, to see if I would be able to make a costume for a solo performance she was self-choreographing. The performance was to be at a gallery where there were works from a group of artists. I was pretty keen to take on the commission for a number of reasons. It sounded intriguing, it would challenge me and also Awa had contacted me because she had seen my card at The Fabric Warehouse. I asked if I could put one up there some time ago and am pretty pleased it was noticed!
We had an initial meeting to sort out a few details and I was able to get an idea of what was needed and the time frame. Awa is French and there was the occasional word I used that needed more explanation so it was a good lesson for me in making sure a client and I fully understand each other and are working towards the same end product! We arranged a time to meet up and look at fabrics and patterns. Awa had a clear concept of what she wanted for the costume which was great. The item needed was a cape.
The next time we met we looked at several different patterns. Unfortunately the one Awa chose wasn’t at Spotlight but when I put the pattern number into google it showed it was at a place called Pattern Postie which I’d never heard of. They had it in stock and as soon as I got home I ordered the pattern. Delivery was really quick, great service! We also chose some fabric at the Fabric Warehouse that day.
Next up was a meeting to take Awa’s measurements. At that meeting Awa asked if I could also make a pair of harem style pants and a unitard. I could!
One part of the brief for the cape was that it covered Awa’s face for some of the performance. This got me thinking as to how best to achieve that look, and eventually I figured out I could just extend the low collar piece on the pattern. I draughted a pattern piece basing it on the measurements from the pattern.
Then I was able to go ahead with making a toile for the cape. In the photo below the pattern piece has been shortened and the white bit of paper is the front neck piece. Both back and front neck were printed on the same piece and since this was only the toile I didn’t want to hack the neck out before I cut out the main fabric.
Harem pants not being something I generally wear I went looking on the internet and found quite a few helpful videos and this one is the one I liked the best. Once I’d watched it I found an old sheet and set to making a toile pair. I chose the old sheet as it was soft and I thought it would mimic the drape of lycra better than calico. In the photo below the curve is cut for the waist.
Measuring across for the leg openings.
The belt was going to be doubled over so was quite wide. I extended a belt from a dance pant pattern.
The cuff of the pants needed to be long as requested so I draughted a pattern for that. Here it is placed on the fabric that I have double folded so as to cut two at once. This is for the toile as well and I planned to re-use the cuffs for the actual pants.
The first fitting – the pants; as you can see there is only one cuff but that was enough to get the general idea that I was on the right track with Awa’s ideas. They are very baggy. When I made the pants out of the grey fabric I had to reduce the length from the crotch to the bottom of the droop as they were a bit too baggy and restricted the movements Awa wanted to perform.
The toile of the cape. This is the concept Awa described. The high collar was great and what she was wanting. I tried the cape on before the fitting and thought there was one area that may need adjusting and I was right. So I drew a curve at the back neck before I left as I thought if it was lower at the back neck it would allow more neck and head movement. Without the back neck being lowered the collar was quite close to the front of the face . . .
Here I’ve cut out the back neck and as I thought it allowed more head movement.
The next photo shows the adjustment to the pattern piece.
That done it was on to the actual making of the cape. I’d taken some of the depth off the hood as the original pattern had a more peaked back of the hood and Awa wanted a curved shape. After seeing the toile on I reduced the curve a bit more. The hood is still quite deep.
The neck piece all ready to attach to the main cape.
The hood all completed and ready to be attached. All the parts of the cape are lined with self-fabric. They needed to be dark so as not to be seen through. When I was deciding between lining and self-fabric I held both up to the light and self-fabric blocked more light so I went with that.
The pattern instructions were helpful in that they confirmed the order I thought I needed to construct the cape in. Quite a few of the things I make are one-off items and so I tend to wing it a fair bit and work it out as I go along. So much so that I sometimes forget when I do have pattern instructions to refer to! Here the collar and hood are attached to the cape and the collar facing is stitched down. I did this by hand as the less stitch lines showing the better I thought.
Once the cape was done it was on to the unitard. I did make a toile for that to check the fit. It was to be nude coloured and I found a good match for Awa’s skin tone at Pete’s Emporium. I showed her several other samples as well. I backed it with a good quality lining from Dance Fabrics Direct as the main lycra fabric is a looser one than I would usually use for dance wear.
I had just enough white bra-type elastic that I could dye to get a fairly good match. I put it in a solution of about 6 teabags – well, once the teabags were removed – and below is the result. It’s a bit dark and orange since someone distracted me I forgot to set the timer and left it soaking longer than I meant to! A good rinsing took some of the dye out and then I soaked it in coffee dye which darkened it a bit and it was closer to Awa’s skin tone ?
Here are the pants before I added the waistband and leg cuffs. A very simple shape but quite a bit of fabric and the only space big enough to lay them out was outside . . . there were a few grandchildren around which = toys in the lounge! Once I’d taken the photo I noticed it looks as though multi-coloured gas is erupting from the pants . . . . It’s a rainbow really ? ? Note to self – pay attention to the background of the photo!
Once we’d done the final fitting we realised some fabric needed to be taken out. Option one: Un-pick the over-locked on cuffs, reduce fabric on crotch area and stitch cuffs back on. Option two: Do a cheat by leaving the cuffs on and angling the cut from closer to the crotch to the cuffs. I went with option two as you can see. It was not noticeable and just looked like a seam if anyone looked that closely!
Here the unitard lining is laid out ready to cut. This pattern is a bit of a frankenpattern based on a barefoot costume I made for Locket. Her costume had an overdress, this one doesn’t and it would have been better to put a gusset in the crotch as I usually do. The pattern worked ok and Awa was happy with it but the perfectionist in me didn’t like how the seam was noticeable at the front. Always learning!
I attended Awa’s last performance as I hadn’t been able to go to the earlier ones due to other committments. Here is a screenshot of the Facebook event page
And here are some photos I was sent by Awa from the performances. I have a first name for some of them, and will add a last name when I receive it. Also the name for the other photographer if it is given to me.
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| Photo by Michael |
The cape and pants from the front
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| Photo by Michael |
From the back
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| Photographer not known |
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| Photo by Michael |
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| Photo by Michael |
The unitard
I really enjoyed the performance and it was great to see the costume in action as well as to have played a small part in helping Awa’s ideas come to fruition. I also enjoyed looking at the other artists’ work that was in the exhibition space.