COSTUME ACCELERATOR HANDBOOK
Welcome ESA is proud and delighted to be working with Film London and Sony Pictures as the training provider on the Junior Costume Maker Accelerator Programme. ESA is the creative college for the culture industry and we specialise in hand on training in the crafts, trades and technical disciplines that underpin the film, TV and theatre industries. We are a designated UK Centre for Screen Excellence [ScreenSkills] and we are a certified Outstanding provider [Ofsted]. We are excited to work with you. Our aim is to support trainees to flourish and become expert in their craft and to provide our creative sector with a talent pipeline of vital technical skills so that the UK creative sector can continue to be the very best in the world. Throughout this course, you will learn about: ● Different historical periods in costume ● Fitting a garment to a person, and how a fitting works ● Construction techniques ● Working from a pattern block or paper pattern ● Creating and using a pattern from an existing garment ● Adapting a pattern ● Alteration processes You will produce: ● Early 20thC mens trousers ● A tudor doublet ● A Victorian bustle ● A Georgian set of stays (corset) ● A Victorian waistcoat ● An Edwardian panelled skirt ● Samples and examples of standard alterations and breakdown techniques OR Edwardian Skirt
Operational Info Expectations of the course: ● It’s packed - There is a variety of experience and expertise. We are covering A LOT. Ask, be proactive, be prepared - HANDBOOKS. ● Attend all sessions and please be on time. ● Keep all work on your rail. Your progress, feedback and assessment depends on it. ● Professionalism, respect, safety and mutual support. Please raise concerns directly with Chris from ESA or Nikhil from Film London. Safety ● Please sign in and out at reception every session ● Stick to the allocated rooms ● Please note there will be minors working late on site sometimes. They should not be using your spaces. ● WIFI password Username: EUTC-BYOD Password: criaw9oa4h8exluc ●
Fire Procedure:
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Allocated workspaces:
SECOND FLOOR
Secondary space if table space needed for cutting
Primary workspace
Projects This course is focussing on western fashion from the early modern period, with garments to make from Tudor to 1940s. These are garments include processes that are most commonly requested from makers, with each project covering multiple transferable skills, applicable to a range of other eras or garments. Please see the handbooks attached for each project. Week
Tue & Thur
Assessment WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3 WEEK 4
WEEK 5
31st July
Tutor
Michaela Aprons
WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10
Period
Handbook
Any
Course Handbook
DAY 1 25th Aug
Mel
Alterations
Modern
Alterations
DAY 2 27th Aug
Claudia
Breakdown 1
Modern
Breakdown
Maureen
Context and Fittings
Modern
Alterations
Waistcoat
Early Victorian: 1840s
Waistcoat
Breakdown 2
Modern
Breakdown
Skirt
Edwardian: 1910s
Skirt
Stays / Corset
Georgian: 1780s
Stays
Trousers
Modern: 1930s/40s
Trousers
Bustle
Late Victorian: 1880s Bustle
Doublet with adapted sleeve
Tudor/Elizabethan: 1560s
DAY 1 1st Sept DAY 2 3rd Sept
Mel
DAY 1 8th Sept
Mel
DAY 2 10th Sept Claudia DAY 1 15th Sept Maureen DAY 2 17th Sept Maureen DAY 1
22nd Sept
Maureen
DAY 2 24th Sept Maureen
WEEK 6
Project Name
DAY 1 29th Sept Maureen DAY 2 1st Oct
Maureen
DAY 1 6th Oct
Maureen
DAY 2 8th Oct
Maureen
DAY 1 13th Oct
Mel
DAY 2 15th Oct
Mel
DAY 1 20th Oct
Mel
DAY 2 22nd Oct Mel DAY 1 27th Oct
Mel
DAY 2 29th Oct
Mel
Doublet
Kit All of your kit and materials are provided. You will have a kit box with tools and equipment for all the projects, and a section of a rail to store your work on. On the rail you will find fabrics for each project which have been cut and allocated for you, as well as the paper patterns for each item. The rail section and kit boxes are numbered - you will be given a number on the first day. Your kit box will contain: ● Fabric shears ● Paper scissors ● Snips ● Unpicker ● Pencil ● Notebook ● Chalks ● Lighter ● Highlighter ● Carbon paper and tracing wheel ● Straight pins ● Safety pins ● 10 pattern weights ● Tape measure ● Hand sewing needles Please make sure your work and tools are accounted for at the end of each session and stored appropriately.
Assessment Each project will assess a number of skills. These skills will be reviewed and marked by the tutors, and recorded on the ‘skills checklists’.
Tutor Bios Melanie Brookes - Costume Maker
Costume Designer and maker across film, TV and theatre including, One Day, Peaky Blinders, Wuthering Heights and for Shakespeare’s Globe and English National Opera
Claudia Johns - Textiles Artist and Senior Dyer
Originally from the North East, Claudia studied Performance Costume at Edinburgh College of Art. With 10 years experience as a textile artist and dyer in the costume department for film and television she uses experimental techniques to bring costumes to life to fit the narrative. Her recent works include Barbie, Wicked and the Fantastic Four (Marvel) and dyeing for brands such as Alexander McQueen, REISS and Victoria Beckham.
Maureen Cordwell - Costume Maker
Teacher at Guildhall School of Music and Drama (costume making) Tailor, Cutter and Costume maker, freelance on various productions and films, and across west end, including for; Grange Park Opera, Sadler's Wells, English National Opera, Almeida Theatre.
Emily Adamson - ESA/Course Planner
Worked with ESA since 2020, developing a new program of training courses for young people to access careers in the film and tv industry in skills-gap areas. Prior to working with ESA, worked as a Costume Supervisor at English National Opera, Shakespeare’s Globe, Opera Holland Park, Freelance costume and costume-props maker at several theatre and opera companies across the west end.
Lisa Lloyd-Smith - Technician
Creative Arts technician at ESA, experienced in costume construction and textiles production. She is also a mixed media and textiles artist.
Glossary of Terms Garment features:
Facings Pieces of fabric stitched along a raw edge (like a neckline or armhole) and turned inside out to hide the raw edges. Notches Marks or cuts made along the seam edge of pattern pieces. Matching these notches when pinning ensures two pieces line up correctly during sewing. Yoke A shaped section of fabric, usually across the shoulders of a shirt or the hips of a skirt, that provides support and structure for the rest of the garment. Placket A double-layered fabric opening in a garment, commonly seen on formal shirts, to add structure for fasteners such as buttons.
Patterns:
Block A basic pattern made to standard body measurements; used as a base to create new designs. Grading - Scaling a pattern up or down into different sizes while maintaining the original design's proportions and fit. Drafting The process of drawing a new pattern from scratch on paper using precise body measurements and geometric calculations. Slash and Spread A technique used to add fullness or flare to a pattern. You cut ("slash") along lines on the paper pattern and pull the pieces apart ("spread") then trace the new shape to create a new pattern piece. CF / CB Short for Center Front and Center Back - marking the exact middle of a pattern piece. SA / Seam Allowance The space between the cut edge of the fabric and the line of stitching. Toile A test version or prototype of a garment, usually made from calico, used to check fit and design of the garment.
Glossary of Terms Fabrics:
Warp and Weft The two sets of threads woven together to make woven fabric. Warp threads run vertically down the length of the fabric roll, with Weft threads running horizontally across. Grain Line An arrow marked on a pattern piece indicating how it must line up with the weave of the fabric. Bias The diagonal direction across fabric running at a 45-degree angle to the weave. Cutting fabric "on the bias" gives it natural stretch and a fluid drape. Selvedge The finished edges running along the sides of a fabric roll. Right Sides / Wrong Sides - Right side is the front side of the fabric intended to be visible on the outside of the finished garment. Wrong side is the back/inside of the fabric.
Sewing:
Ease/Easing Joining a slightly longer edge of fabric to a shorter edge without creating visible gathers, tucks, or pleats, commonly used when setting a sleeve into an armhole to create a smooth, curved shoulder shape. Bag Out / Turn Through Two pieces of fabric are sewn together right sides facing, with a small gap in the stitching left open. The entire garment is pulled through the gap to hide all raw edges and seams inside. Tacking / Basting Long, temporary stitches done by hand or machine to hold fabric pieces in place before sewing the final seam. This is particularly helpful for slippery fabrics or when sewing several layers. Clipping In Making small cuts into the seam allowance on curved seams (like necklines) to release tension so the fabric turns smoothly without puckering.
Useful Links V&A Museum Search the Collections High-resolution imagery and detailed provenance for historical garments, textiles, and fashion plates spanning centuries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Features over 33,000 historic garments and accessories with searchable eras, designers, and high-detail photography. Fashion Museum Bath Online Collection A key UK resource featuring historical attire from the 1600s to modern couture, useful for period accuracy. Kyoto Costume Institute (KCI) Renowned for its conservation and photographic archive of Western clothing from the 17th century to the present. FIDM Museum Digital Collections Focuses on fashion, film, and theater costumes, offering high-res views of screen-worn garments and historical attire. The Commercial Pattern Archive (CoPA) A searchable database of over 50,000 historical commercial sewing patterns ranging from the 1860s through the late 20th century. The Fashion Historical Photo Archive / Fashion History Timeline Hosted by the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), this open-access resource provides contextual essays, artwork analysis, and garment breakdowns by decade.