Final Shoot

I think i could have improved my final shoot if I had put more attention into the little details that i had originally planned to, such as belts and a helmet instead of the top hat, and goggles instead of the mask to give it more of the steampunk feel. 

I was very happy with the photographer I had chosen because he had a very small amount of time to work with yet still managed to produce a very lovely photoshoot, and i will definitely want to work with him in the future.

The Mace

I started making the mace by first measuring out a pattern in the shape of a clockwork gear, making sure it is the relevant size for the weapon, I then cut the pattern out 8 times out of cardboard

I then cut out smaller pieces to put in between two of the gear cut out to make a 3D effect, and then stuck them onto a wooden pole.

And then gave it 2 coats of black paint and rubbed the bronze paint on again to give it the same effect to match.

Tophat number two.

Following the way i had made my first top hat, i decided to make a miniature version that women wear at the side of their head rather than just on top. I followed the same method in which i made the first top hat, but i got rid of the rivets, as they were the longest part in process, and i decided to add some of the resin pendants that i made along with feathers coming off the side of the hat.

Design practicality.

After making the garments I decided to try them on and see if they were well suited for the ability the character has; they were very easy to move around in, while retaining the natural appeal of the heroine. The only part i would modify again is how well the leggings fit the person, because the pattern I was following i believe was suited for a person with shorter legs than I. This is something i should have changed during the pattern cutting stage, because they kept slipping down my legs while i was moving in them.

Corset and Leggings

My favourite part about creating a garment is sewing it all together, because somehow i always manage to learn new techniques; in this case while i was making the corset, I learnt how to put eyelets into fabric, which is something i had never done before and it came out really nicely.

The only thing I'd like to change in hindsight would have been while i was putting the eyelets in; I didn't measure the spaces between each eyelet properly and a few came out slight disproportionate but otherwise i was very happy with my final two garments.

Corset by Me.

Material Selection.

I went shopping around London looking for a good fabric, with a colour best suited for my final design; i wanted as close to the shade of brown that i drew in my final illustration, but it was very difficult to find a leather look material that was in that colour as most of them came in blacks, whites and reds.
In the end, I did find what I required and it helped that the fabric had a one way stretch.

I wanted to make props for the final shoot as well because i thought that if it was just the outfit it would make the final shoot look quite plain; I settled with making a top hat, because i already had the knowledge on how to make one, a mace, because the character herself wields a mace, and a mask.
To make the top hat, i bought more foam sheets, for the mace I decided to use cardboard from old moving boxes as it was the best suited thickness for the prop, and i bought the mask because i knew it would take less time than me learning the steps and trying to make one from scratch.

Pattern cutting

I went back to the tutorials on how to make a corset and started making the patterns based on my body shape accordingly. Pattern cutting is my least favourite part of the process when making a garment, but it is a necessary skill i need to know.

The trouser pattern was much easier to make because I didn't make too many variation towards the original plain pattern.