Evaluation

    Within this project there have been so many new skills and elements to learn; most importantly for me has been the development of my own critical judgement. Being able to discern what will look best, what works and what doesn't by eye and being able to recognise when I need to alter things. Evidently this is not a skill I will gain over the short time of this project but something I hope to develop more over the next year and beyond. The contextual studies and screenings which have complimented this project so well have been of immense value, they've helped me to distinguish my likes and dislikes, discover the evolution of my own personal tastes and decide where my interests lie. Through the decoration and sleeve workshops I have been able to implement some of this development and experiment with different ideas and concepts. With all my decoration samples I have been able to experiment and play with different materials, whether it is piecing lace together to create new patterns or layering beads and ribbons and lace to make a new trimming each sample has taught me something different. I have loved this opportunity to explore and discover new ideas and I would love to be able to continue this on into third year.

    The romantic tutu itself was an immense challenge, being two making projects behind the rest of the group I was very concerned about how well I was going to fare on this task, fortunately I found myself equal to it and with a lot of hard work was able to keep on top of the workload. Particularly I found the machine sewing difficult and coupled with such unforgiving fabric meant I struggled to keep my bodice looking as pristine as it needed to be. Next time I would be more careful with my tacking as when I went to take out it left very clear marking on the fabric, I would try to keep it really, really light. After sewing together my bodice I tried it on the mannequin and discovered that as I had cut out my pattern pieces I had not allowed extra for ease (we had draped on the mannequin) and therefore my bodice was too small. I was forced to let the seams out slightly at the side to compensate, luckily I checked mine early enough and had not applied the piping so it was easier to alter than some others who checked later on in the process. 

    With the tutu there were also several things which if I was to repeat the process I would have done differently, namely sewing on the layers following the inside line of the Basque. I didn't, in this case, understand the instructions clearly and was too late in actually figuring out what they meant. As the net, like the satin, tears and pulls very easily I did not want to risk unpicking and re-sewing in case of causing more damage. Instead this is simply something I will learn from in future along with other elements of the bodice. I found myself enjoying hand-stitching, both in the bodice and the decoration samples, the petals were difficult but very satisfying to sew on. The invisible thread was, naturally, very difficult to work with but I found that the technique suited me; with a little more practise I would have been quite confident at it.

    Throughout this project I have felt my confidence grow in all the areas we have covered; with Mark's support I have developed both my practical and contextual knowledge and understanding. The historical lectures we had in the opening of the project were also exceptionally beneficial and I've been surprised how much it's influenced and aided the rest of my work, understanding how the different schools of ballet were established and how this has influence their particular style and technique was both interesting and illuminating. I know now that I am interested in both the historical and modern development of ballet, I want to look in more detail at the progression of classical and modern ballet including how it is likely to continue growing in the future. I am looking forward to continuing these studies into the next year.