Sewing Project

The sewing project taught us how to conceptualize and design a costume through inspiration and justify-able symbols and motifs.

Research

Persephone, a Greek mythological goddess, was abducted by Hades, the god of the Underworld, and her mother Demeter searched for her. Hades tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds, the food of the Underworld. Zeus and Hades agreed to her spending six months in the Underworld and six months on Earth. Persephone's return to the Underworld caused the creation of seasons.

Design Process

Our director gave us the opportunity to imagine the character in a different time period. Me and my partner chose 1940s Hollywood because it made sense for our character to exists in the time period. This is why: this era was marked by its iconic films, glamorous movie stars, and the dominance of the major Hollywood studios in which film production and marketing were highly structured and standardized. Hollywood, with all of its horror stories, seemed to us like hades underworld. With Persephone being an actress being bound.

Construction

Because of lack of time, my class created small objects that best represented our characters. For my project I chose a red flower. The flower is a symbol of Persephone primarily due to her association with spring and renewal. Persephone, as the goddess of spring and the queen of the Underworld, represents the cycle of life and rebirth. Flowers are emblematic of growth, beauty, and the renewal of life, which aligns with her role in bringing new life and fertility to the world each spring after her return from the Underworld. What I had to do was create a pattern with seam allowance to create the exact shape I want.

End Product

I was very impressed on the outcome especially with the time that we were given to complete the project. The only adjustment that I would make if I were to do this again is work harder on making the template even on all sides and angles. I really wish that the template looked more like a flower rather than a star. If I was given more time I would have also sewn on some small beads just like on my design. I think overall I am proud of the outcome and learned what else is possible in costumes.