For my Self-Directed Project I made four garments for the National Theatre Hire Department. This was a good opportunity to experience what it would be like working in a professional work room, become more confident in my sewing abilities, and to create and manage my own time plan.
Working on a project like this was a valuable lesson in planning both long term and weekly, even daily. In the beginning I created a calendar for the length of the whole project, planning out when I would start and, hopefully, finish each project. I tried to be thoughtful when planning out the length of each garment so I wouldn’t feel rushed and I was able to stick to my time plan successfully. I finished my breeches and almost my entire waistcoat before Easter Holiday began. And although I switched the two shirts around I was able to finish two days before the original hand in. This schedule would not have been successful though if I didn’t have a weekly/daily plan as well. In general I made sure I came in for 9.30 every day that was scheduled and on days the studio was open. If I felt I was behind I tried to stay for late night study to compensate. By planning my own scheduled I learned more how to manage my time for a longer project and to stay focused every day.
Experiencing a work room setting was a huge part of this project and an aspect I was very interested in for a potential future job. I really enjoyed the regularity of coming in every day and sewing and the community feeling of everyone working to complete a project. One of the biggest problems and adjustments was not being in charge of our own supplies. I’m used to bringing in what I will need for the day, both fabric and sewing kit. However our supervisors were in charge of all of our materials. I did think they did a good job but could have been more prepared. At the beginning when we all started working on the breeches they still didn’t have the canvas or the Silesia we needed for the pockets and waistband. This caused us to cut into fabric that was originally intended for a waistcoat and make do with a different canvas than what was ordered. Things like lining and Silesia could have been one of the first items to be ordered because they weren’t necessarily seen on the outside. However, just like in any work room, adjustments can be made and solutions were found for these problems. Another initial adjustment was figuring out the balance of how to make these garments. We had many resources to look at like: our previous class instruction, the garments provided by the National, the National patterns, and our tutor. I found it challenging at first to know what to look at when I had questions or when I wasn’t sure how something should be put together. I feel I was able to find a successful mix between all these different elements. Instead of just going head first into each garment or process taking the time to look over the example garment, write out my own instructions and then talk it over with my tutor seemed to be a very successful blend. This gave me the opportunity to figure out how I would make it on my own and then talk it over with an instructor who could give me advice, suggestions, and make sure there wasn’t anything I had left out. It taught me to look a few steps ahead but also made me feel more confident in my abilities to put a garment together independently.
I’ve learned a lot while making these four garments and learned and perfected many processes; and that has made me a more confident maker. I feel like now I could go into a work-room on work experience or an internship or job and feel like I could make any one of these garments. For each garment there were certain challenges. For the waistcoat and the breeches it was putting in the pockets, only on type (the welted pocket) I had made before so the other two were new processes. The pin-tucks on the blouse and deciphering the pattern for the shirt were also challenging. Overall keeping the garment neat and not over-worked was one area I worked hard on but that I still could improve. Keeping the garments neat and the work space neat are important lessons learned from this project.
I feel like I completed the goals set out in this project through keeping to my time plan, learning to work successfully in a work room, and learning new and perfecting old processes.
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