Self Directed Project : National Theatre Hire Departmet Evaluation

Unfortunately I was working at the National Theatre in the workroom when everyone visited the Hire Department so I was unable to see where the garments would be, however I have met the ladies who work there and they gave a virtual tour of the department so I have general idea. also I am aware of how the garments are used as we had some of these garments for the show I was working on.

After being in the workroom I came back eager and confident to make the shirt and the blouse. I thought the blouse would be harder than the shirt however because of having to change the shirt size this became far more difficult for me and took allot longer than I expected. I found the time frame really difficult and feel that I could have produce better garments if there weren't bank holidays and I was able to take the garments home.

when I returned to the studios for the final term the material I was going to be using was clearly labelled and the patterns were all hung up so I was able to crack on straight away. however there was not enough fabric for the six blouse I would be making so we had to wait for the hire department to get back to us to confirm we could make a smaller size this took half a day where I was unable to work. Also there was not enough Chiffon to complete the collar and the front of the blouse so we had to wait for the order to arrive which took up more time.

I really enjoyed working by my self with the pattern pieces and the shirt and blouse samples and putting everything together properly.

Self Directed Project : National Theatre Hire Departmet

Now I will move onto the Shirt This is made out of a white cotton from the National Theatre. I am going to have to change the pattern as the pattern is a 44 chest and I am making a 42 chest so I will have to down size the pattern. this will be quite challenging as well as the pleats at the front of the shirt will also be quite time consuming so I will be completing these two things first. Again I can use the purple pen to mark as it comes of the shirt material without leaving any marks so this should help me save some time.

here are pictures of the shirt I will be duplicating:

i took this picture so i could see where the shoulder piece is contected and where the top of the sleeve sits.

this picture shows the pleats and the collar.

It is important to know how the pleats sit on the shirt. and also how the front of the shirt opens as there are two pleat patterns, two CF front pieces to be attaches a collar shoulder pieces and a bottom piece on the inside and out of the shirt so this is the most complex part of the shirt.

the bottom of the shirt is pleated so will need to have two running stitches on the seam allowance to be pulled to create this effect.

the same will need to be applied to the top of the sleeve before it is attached to the shoulder

the whole of the bottom of the sleeves will need two running stitches also before the cuff is attached

The seam of the shirt sleeve attaches to the side seam so it runs straight down.

The bottom of the shirt has an opening at both sides.


The first thing I found difficult was the sizes of the pattern pieces, however this was not as hard as the front of the shirt as there are so many different parts to put together some on top of each other some with pleats going in-between two pieces of material. It was like a really confusing jigsaw puzzle it took me two days in total and I couldn't believe this and as I left the shirt until the end of the project (thinking it would be the easiest and quickest to complete) I ended up throwing myself completely of schedule. Also the shirt had a lot of fabric which needed to be gathered in the front (middle section) of the shirt the top and bottom of the sleeves and the back of the collar. It is very difficult to control a massive amount of material through a sewing machine. Marks on this fabric have been a nightmare as well as I came to material there were foot prints on it and as I worked with the material I kept finding marks which I thought I had got rid of this frustrated me a little.
With the shirt being nearly complete now I really like the look of it but it has been a task and a half and I have struggled with every stage I just hope it will be up to scratch for the National!

Self Directed Project National Theatre: Rocket To The Moon Evaluation

Now I have come to the end of the project I have reflected allot on my time at the National Theatre working in the ladies workroom.

I have learnt allot of new skills and I am able to have confidence in my skills. working next to the head cutter at the national gave me one to one teaching and I figured out that i need to question everything I do before I do it so that I don't make mistakes. so every time I was asked to do something I asked why it needed to be done this meant that it would sick in my head for next time I came to make a garment. I learnt so many different techniques as well for different fabrics and how important it is to practice the right technique on different types of fabrics.

I also built in confidence in being able to ask questions. I feel that I have mainly kept away from asking questions and chasing after advice on previous projects.

it was really interesting to find out everyone different roles in the department not just in the workroom but within the Theatre itself and how people collaborated together. I got to experience fittings and how to work in a professional environment .

I have really open my eyes to how I learn and how to self teach within making during this project so I have found it very useful.

I really enjoyed seeing the performance on stage. I was able to take my sister who i have been staying with in London for the five weeks to the performance. we sat on the last two rows with the director, Designer and Costume Supervisor. It was a real difference to see the performance with an audience. It was very strange when we went to see the Tech rehearsal there wasn't a public audience and it seemed such a serious play, however when there was a real audience the performance became incredibly comical. the audience laughed even when they weren't supposed to. everyone had been saying how the play really needed an audience in the rehearsals as it really feeds off the audiences reactions. this was very true.

The set was Amazing with very tall ceilings and a corridor to the side where you could see people coming up to the dentist office. the corridor was slightly at an angel so when people walked towards or away it looked like they were walking further then they were.

On my last day at the National was also Sue's last day as she was going to work freelance. so we all had a picnic outside. They also gave me some books as a leaving present. we also all went out that night for a few drinks to say goodbye. I really enjoyed working with everyone and felt like i fitted in really well with the staff.  

Photo by Catherine Ashmore

Photo by Catherine Ashmore

Photo by Catherine Ashmore