Makes: Alice's Skirt for The Book of Dust
Process
When working as a costume assistant on 'The Book of Dust', part of my role was to make the skirt worn by one of the main characters, Alice. The make was based on the costume design by Amy Maguire Lewis. This make involved:
-
Working to the designer's specifications
-
Sourcing fabric, leather and hardware
-
Pattern making
-
Pleating fabric
-
Creating a calico toile
-
Fitting on the actor and making adjustments
-
Leatherwork
-
Hardware
-
Inserting eyelets
The Book of Dust: La Belle Savage
By Phillip Pullman
Adapted by Bryony Lavery
Director: Zoë Templeman- Young
Set & Costume Design: Amy Maguire Lewis
Lighting Design: Ren Liberta
Puppetry Design: Alexandra Kay & Jodie Yates
Photography: Kirsten McTernan
My Role: Costume Assistant/ Maker
Costume Assistants: Amy Adair, Rosie Berry, Hannah Pitfield
The first step was to modify a leather belt to attach the skirt to. I created a calico toile with two pleated panels hanging from brass D rings on the leather belt, which then was fitted to the actor and adapted according to the designer's specifications.
I arranged the fabric to the colour and pattern ratio the designer wanted for each panel and used this as a starting point to create the pattern. I worked out the amount of panels by the width of the belt and marked out where they would hang from by using safety pins and sketches.
After cutting the panels, I pleated each section before marking them up and adding the eyelets. I then sewed the pieces together and overlocked the seams.
Using a vice to pry them apart, I added the D rings to the belt, hammering each in place. I cut the belt in to two pieces, creating a side opening for the actor to get into the skirt. I punched extra holes into the belt and laced up the sides with a leather thong.
Before attaching the skirt, I added snap fasteners into the side opening for extra security.
I then attached the skirt to the D rings and arranged the panels so that the right colours were facing the front.