Inspiration/Design:
The designer spoke about wanting a steampunk gorget collar. It needed to be symmetrical on each side with some sort of closure on the back. It needed to resemble brown leather. I wanted to think of a theme for the steampunk aspect because it would help with the overall design, as well as ensuring that the design looked cohesive instead of too much like a trash heap.
Shaping and covering the Collar:
I first made a simple pattern by draping fabric on the mannequin. After adding additional seam allowance, I cut the collar and the collar stand out of fosshape. Using the upright steamer and a mannequin, I began to compress and shape the fosshape.
After the fosshape was compressed together, I began to cover it with Sculpt and Coat, along with recycled paper. I wet the paper and scrunched it up before applying it to the fosshape. To create the patchwork, I double folder the edges of the paper to give bulk to the edges.
Painting:
I began by giving the entire collar a coat in the lightest color I wanted for the highlights. I then slowly added reds and brown tones to each section. I used watered down colors so I could quickly wipe away excess paint and keep it from being super saturated. After painting, I added darker colors to the edges of the patches to spruce up the depth, as well as using puff paint for the stitching lines.
Interior:
I decided to keep the interior simple by applying the same paper as the outside so it looked like a continuation of the leather on the outside.
Accessories:
For the accessories, I tried to use a variety of metals, as well as many sewing notions as I could that still gave a vintage feel. Since steampunk is traditionally new innovations in the Victorian world, I thought that the bobbins and tools gave the feel of newer technology. I made all of the straps with the same paper and paint as the body of the collar. The grommets were brads with the backs cut off. I used a dremel to drill holes and added eyelets to finish them for the lace up.
Finishing Touches:
The laces used were a twill ribbon that mimicked a sewing tape measure. I decided that the holes were too close to look correct with the thicker ribbon so I skipped every other hole. I love the airiness it still gives to have the holes still visible. Another was a pocket watch filled with sewing cogs (for repairing a machine) hung by sewing hooks. The last detail was the sewing scissors on the side of the collar and adding a snap placket to the front of the collar.