Breathe - Hunters Cloaks

Since working on the second cloak last I'd managed to dye, construction the cloaks shape and complete half of its textile work. I was really pleased with its progressed and made me really positive for the days session. First of all I continued to finish off patch working the cloak and once finished pinned it to a mannequin with the base attached. My next task was to work out how to attach it to the base costume as in the design there was no obvious neck ties etc to be interpreted. As Kate, the designer, was around to consult I decided that the best method would be to use poppers as a temporary solution. Once this was done I began to consider the best was to interpret the netting which is draped over the arm and visible at the front of the cloak. To do this I started to play around draping net over the shoulders and around the front of the cloak. This had a really nice organic charm to it; wild, free and linking to fishing/ the sea. 

Once I'd secured it all in place I began to make the shoulder pads visible on the design. It looked like a big furry pad resting on the shoulder, however there was a sample in the hunter folder of a much more textural piece; net with lots of short tied on lace/ribbon/string/rope. Taking this sample I began to make my own. They looked a little bit too flat when placed upon the should so made a small pad for it to rest on and be attached to. It was then worked into a little for a more aged/ distressed appearance. Like the other cloak I attached elastic arm bands for secure movement and then draped the net over and stitched it in place; thus realising the design. 

I was pretty pleased with the end result of the second cloak. After the previous cloak I was much more prepared for making this one; knowing what things to avoid when stitching the base cloak and to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Out of the two, its definitely been my favourite to construct.