Design Notes

Here is my final design and annotated drawings. I plan to make this costume out of white cotton which I will dye using natural dyes. I also potentially want to experiment with lino printing to create a patterned texture on the wings. I will use gathered tule to create the shape of the skirt and I will gather the fabric at the top of the sleeve and use elastic at the base to create a puffed sleeve. I plan to line my bodice and create a lace up back as the fastening.

I plan to make the wings out of wire and add shoulder straps so that they can be worn. I will wrap the wire in strips of fabric and then stich fabric onto theses to create the wings.

My Inspiration:

I have taken inspiration from the above Butterfly (Clouded Yellow-Colias croceus) and flower, to help raise awareness for the decline in UK butterfly species and their habitats due to the lack of biodiversity. This is caused by climate change, increased farming, urban development and pollution.

In the images below you can see the 1/2 scale mock up that I made of the bodice from calico so that I could decide on the shape of my pattern pieces. I decided to have princess seam running down the front and back so that I can add boning channels there. The facing will be cut in a different colour and ironed so that a thin layer can be seen from the outside. I will also line the bodice as well. I did make a mock up with darts in the front however I did not like how this looked so decided to remove the front darts completely.