Costume Project

Flat muslin to finished garment in four weeks. The costume unit takes Technical Theatre 1/2 students from a flat pattern to a garment that fits a body and survives wear. Each student developed a character against a shared theme, worked it through research, sketch and color rendering, then moved to the shop floor: reading pattern markings, laying out and cutting on grain, threading machine and bobbin, and sewing straight seams with backstitching. Every piece is muslin, the unbleached cotton a costume shop mocks up in. In one color, the design has to be carried by silhouette and construction. The finished work includes paneled corsets laced through hand-set eyelets, installed zippers, elastic waistband casings, tiered and circle skirts, applied trim and hand embroidery. Several students drafted their own patterns from their measurements.

Duration

4 weeks

Standards assessed

• Each costume is scored on five standards from the department's grade 9 Skill & Concept Matrix: following a basic pattern, machine sewing basics, constructing a wearable garment, fit and finish, and design and process documentation. Every standard is scored 0 to 4, where 3 is the grade 9 expectation — laying out, cutting and assembling a garment from a pattern with limited supervision, and sewing straight backstitched seams with safe machine handling. A 4 is work done independently, above that level.
• Aligned to the California Arts, Media and Entertainment Model Curriculum Standards: ST.17.3 Costumes & Makeup Design, 6.1 Equipment & Tools, and 16.1 Production Tools & Equipment.