Week 4- Wednesday 16th October 2025: Butterfly Bodice and Moth Wing Adjustments

There was such a good, fun atmosphere in the workshop today. Amy and I snuck Dougie away and tied bow ribbons all over his harness. We then released him in full regalia back into the workshop and everyone, especially Diane, was very amused. I did a lot of replacing Moth wing zips today. It required a lot of attention as getting them on the right way, folding into the centre is fairly challenging if you don’t keep track of where the zips lie. I found it really good practice and feel it has improved my confidence around zips. I also began to unpick Jade’s Butterfly bodice, ready to take it I and remake some of the panels a bit bigger. I really enjoyed this and it feels like a bigger job to get my teeth into a bit. 

Week 4 – Tuesday 15th October 2024: Taking Dress In

I took in a dress by creating darts this morning. I was initially a bit nervous and unsure as I haven’t often done this, however, with help and guidance from Amy, I soon realised it was a fairly simple adjustment and I was really happy with it once I finished it. It made me realise that often the thought of something is more confronting than the doing. 

Week 4 – Monday 14th October 2024: Considering wearability and assessing my own limitations

Today I continued with small alterations. I quite enjoyed sewing a protective under-patch on the underarm of one of the sequinned dresses and was happy with its execution. This was to prevent the sequins from rubbing against the performer and causing irritation. It was a good lesson in considering how garments wear on the body and how this should be taken into account in their construction. I also attempted to add fullness into the Moth Maiden skirt, however I soon realised this was a feat outside of my experience and was a point to pass it onto Helen or Sarah. This didn’t feel like giving up, rather assessing my own skills and realising that in order to maintain the integrity of the skirt, somebody with greater construction knowledge would be better suited to working on it.