Professional info
I started my degree in Costume Production as I was interested in Theatre and Film, and in sewing and garment construction. During the first year of my degree I developed a keen interest in History of Clothing and Fashion, and research into this in my own time through the use of books, documentaries, and exhibitions. This interest, as well as my knowledge of garment construction, has made me ambitious to work in museums and galleries.
Work experience
Costume Collection Researcher
Haslemere Educational Museum
May 2015
I worked for two weeks at Haslemere Educational Museum in Surrey. The museum has a specialist Folk Costume collection, primarily from Eastern Europe with additional pieces from Asia and South America. I produced four booklets ('Felt', 'Cotton', 'Linen', and 'Leather') about items in the Museum's collection and the fabrics they are made from, reporting to the Museum's Collections Manager.
Gallery Assistant
Victoria and Albert Museum
March 2015 - Present
My current job at the Victoria and Albert Museum involves a mixture of Visitor Services and Security work. I ensure that each visitor has the best experience possible through providing extra information, helping with directions, and remaining approachable. I also conduct regular checks of the galleries I am situated within to ensure all objects are in the correct places and remain at their current level of preservation. I use a radio daily and am professional when doing so.
Skills
-Strong History of Costume knowledge
-Strong History of Art and Photography knowledge
-Well written and thorough research
-Experience working with Database programmes like Microsoft Access.
-Laundry and Maintenance
(including shoes)
-Basic conservation skills
-Alterations (taking up/down, in/out)
-Repairs (cleaning, stain removal, zip replacement, seam/hem repairs)
-Experienced Dresser
-Pattern cutting/draping.
-Costume making
-Hand sewing skills
-Embroidery
-Basic knitting and crochet
-Basic wig dressing and hair styling
-Health and Safety
-Risk Assessments
-Two years COSSH experience
-First Aid at Work (until 2016)
-Current EU Passport
-PC and Mac Literate
-Microsoft Office programmes
-Adobe Photoshop and Bridge CS4
Costume Maker.
Songs for a New World
Stratford Circus
February - March 2015
I made two dresses. One was a grey shirt dress for a plus-sized actor which involved topstitching, pleats, gathering, covered buttons, and a hidden side fastening. The other was a cream dress with a sweetheart neckline which involved gathering, lining, dyeing, bias binding, and hook and bar tape.
Costume Maker, Assistant, and Dresser.
The American Double Bill: The Water Engine/Suddenly Last Summer
Rose Theatre, Rose Bruford College
​October - November 2014
I made two pairs of woolen shorts in grey and blue, and a white open collared shirt. This involved rounded front pockets, jetted pockets, turn ups, button flys, and flat felled seams. I also did some alterations including shortening trousers, taking in waistbands,and constructing a dress from a skirt and an existing dress - including taking in at the sides and shoulders, and bias binding around the neck and arm holes. I also did laundry and maintenance to clothing and shoes, and stain removal. I also dressed backstage, and assisted with quick changes.
Languages
Basic HTML
Comprehension of written French
Basic spoken French
2010 - present
2010 - present
Costume Maker, Assistant, and Dresser.
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Bargehouse
​May - June 2014
​I made a Victorian skirt and blouse. This involved button fronts, flared sleeves, button cuffs, a Petersham waistband, gathering, and collars. I also did alterations, including taking up and letting down trousers, taking in waistbands, adding collars and basic repairs. I also did laundry and maintenance to clothing and shoes - including a trip to the cobblers, and removing false blood. Additionally, I dressed backstage and assisted with quick changes, including one involving blood.
Miniature Costume Maker (for Puppets)
San Diego
Rose Theatre, Rose Bruford College
​April 2014
​I made three miniature suits (two sets of trousers, a skirt, two shirts, and a blouse) for puppets, to match real clothing worn by actors on stage.
Costume Maker, Assistant, and Dresser
Anne Boleyn
Stratford Circus
​January - February 2014
​I made a Tudor jerkin. This involved hook and eye tape, box pleats, embroidery, and it was fully lined. I also did alterations including taking up petticoats, shirt sleeve shortening. I also did laundry and maintenance to clothing and shoes. Additionally, I dressed backstage and assisted with quick changes.
Dresser
End of Year Fashion Show
Cambridge Regional College
June 2012
​I assisted various models into and out of handmade garments, including quick changes.
Education
BA Costume Production
Rose Bruford College
Sept 2012 - Present
​LGBT Officer 2013-4
​During my degree course I've learned various hand and machine sewing skills, as well as various ways to make your own patterns. This includes flat and stand drafting. I've also been able to take part in many workshops including millinary, wig dressing and hair styling, dancewear. During projects I've worked on an embroidered and hand painted waistcoat, leotard, half scale kimono, corsetry and foundation wear, and a half scale Edwardian dress from a Janet Arnold book. My IRP (Independent Research Project) explores the differences between Restoration and Conservation, and whether one or the other does a better job at preserving our cultural heritage.
My role as LGBT Officer incorporated events planning, fundraising, and communicating with both other students and staff members to deliver events, support, and guidance.
BTEC National Diploma in Art and Design (Photography)
Huntingdon Regional College
Sept 2009 - 2011
During this course I learned how to develop and work with black and white film, as well as shooting on TLR, pin hole, and large format cameras. I worked extensively in the dark room, and exposed photographs onto a range of surfaces including wood, various papers, and cotton - which I made a large dress from. I also worked with digital photography, and studio lighting. Through my project-based work I excelled at portraiture, still life, and abstract photography. My Final Major Project was a series of digital studio self-portraits based on Victorian Freak Shows.