Created headpiece

Products/tools
-Buckram
-Pins
-Hot glue gun
-Pins
-Cling film
-Pintail comb
-Polystyrene head
-Assortment of feathers
-Straw

Health and Safety
-Ensure to be careful when using the hot glue gun as the glue is very hot and can burn the skin
-Ensure the polystyrene head is wrapped in cling film to prevent burning the head

Step by step
-Firstly, draw a circle shape in a piece of buckram using tailors chalk.
-Cut out the circle and rinse it under warm water until it becomes tacky.
-Mould the circle around the top of a polystyrene head ensuring to smooth out edges and pin into place.
-Allow to dry overnight.
-Cut a strip out of buckram for the Zebra mane and rinse under warm water.
-Mould the top to the middle of the head and pin into place.
-Sellotape the end of the strip to the table to keep it straight whilst it dries. (See images for reference)
-Once dry, take the strip off the head and begin to create holes in a V shape down the length of the mane for the feathers.
-Pin the strip to the top of the head and stick the feathers through the holes gluing into place with the hot glue gun.
-Start with the blue feathers at the front of the head and work in a pattern of black/white/black/white to create the zebra mane effect.
-Once the glue has fully dried, glue the strip to the circular buckram leaving gaps for the hair grips to stick in. (this will ensure the headpiece is extra sturdy)
-Cut off the excess buckram around the strip.
-Secure the headpiece to the polystyrene head.
-Take some straw and create a long plait with excess straw at each end.
-Glue the plait around the headpiece to hide the base of the glued feathers.
-Once dry, add additional piece of straw to each side of the headpiece and the back, to build up the volume.
-Allow to dry fully.


 

 

Cap made from buckram

Mane made from buckram

Gluing the feathers

The finished headpiece

Evaluation:

I was really happy with my finished headpiece and think it reflected both my tribal research and fashion research on headpieces. Taking inspiration from Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty Exhibition really inspired me to create a feathered headdress. This is the first headpiece I have ever created so I was really happy with the final result.

The head piece was relatively easy to make after I had established how I could construct it. I didn't struggle with any aspect of putting the headpiece together because I think that I had planned the construction very well with some help and input from Emma and Clare. The piece was very time consuming to create because I had to ensure each feather was fully glued and dried before moving onto the next one but it was well worth it when I saw the finished result. At first I was going to stick feathers to the piece in larger groups but I am pleased that I decided to stick them individually as it really helped to create the volume that I wanted. Adding the straw detail around the base of the buckram really helped to finish off the piece and I was especially happy with how I built up the straw gradually at the sides and back.

I honestly do not think that I would change anything about this piece and I was completely pleased with the finished result. Although I don't think I could improve it in any way as it looked better than I ever imagined, I think that in future I just need to continue developing my skills in order to create even better pieces in future. If I was going to be extra critical, I probably could have benefitted from using less glue when gluing the mane to the buckram base as I did find it slightly hard to get pins through the piece for the assessment but that is my only criticism.

Overall, I am really happy with my final piece and think that it worked really well with the makeup and hair that I created.