Prototype: Reflection

● Does it work? 

Making the corset pattern prototype by draping on mannequin surprisingly works really well. I use YouTube videos to guide me through the draping process. I can't find any tutorial video for the corset design that I was going for, so I experiment using different ways that I think might work. 

● Does it look as you hoped? 

Yes, it does. However, because I don't add boning and lining to the corset prototype, it doesn't have a strong structure. But on the final garment, I will definitely make my corset well-constructed with necessary materials like boning and interfacing. 

● Is the design working as a whole? 

The corset with hip flare that I made for the prototype will work as a base for my garment design. A basic corset will make it easy to add further embellishment and design on top of it, for instance drapery around the neck. 

● What was the process of making the design? 

The process of constructing a corset are the pattern-making, sewing, adding a structure, and finishing, The pattern of the corset is made by using the draping technique on mannequin, which later will be transfer into paper to revised and adjust according to the design. After the pattern is finalized, next is to cut the fabric and sewed all the panels. The next step is to add boning to all the seams which is necessary for well-structured corset. The final step is finishing by sewing bias tape around the unfinished seam. 

● How long did it take? (This should give you an indication of how long your final design will take and a better idea of what you can achieve in the timescale) 

The pattern-making is the longest process of making this corset, while the sewing and finishing is quite a straightforward process. It took me two session to finally have the finalized pattern and another session to finish sewing and adding boning. 

● What materials/equipment will you need?

For my AP2 project, the materials that I will need are fabric (batik and other fabric according to the design), boning, sewing equipment, embroidery beads and accessories (headpiece, arm accessory, borsch, and earring). 

● Have you sourced this?

I was planning to source the batik right from Indonesia, therefore I had already purchase some of the fabric and accessories, which will be brought by my friend that will be coming to the UK this month. As for the beads and other fabric, I have search for stores that sells this in Leicester so when I finally have my final design, I can easily get all the materials. 

● What will it cost?

For this project, fabric can cost from 30 until 60 pound, while beads, sewing materials and accessories can cost up to 20 pound. 

● Which design do you like best?

From the three design sketches that I made, I like the woman and children design best. I think there's a lot of improvement I need to make for the man's design in terms of the fabric choices and to experiment with other styles. 

● What would improve it?

Looking at how my corset prototype turned out, there are a few adjustment I will need to make if I'm going to make a similar design corset for my final garment. 

First, it would be better if the hip flare are extended a little bit more, to add an exaggerated shape of the hip. To create a smaller waist illusion, the bottom point of the corset should be 3 cm lower which will make a 'V' shape front panel. Another thing is to figure out how to sew continuous boning on the curve of the hip flare therefore the curve will look smooth and not split into several parts. As for the corset neckline, I wanted the 'sweetheart' shape to be more faint and less dramatic.