Practices: Flag Work | Faux Leather Work

Style/Era: ~1980s - 1990s

This project was a little unique as it required working with two materials I had not much experience with: faux leather and the American Flag. After doing some research of necessities required for utilizing an American Flag in performance, I was instructed to pleat the flag in length and in width to create a cape that would fit the actor and not drag the flag on the floor of the stage. Thereafter, I worked a reflective organza to add flair for the drag performance within the show where this cape was being used. Working on the faux leather bandoleer was not as hard as I thought having previously worked on smaller projects involving leather jackets, however having the bandoleer lay flat was the most arduous process in its construction. The addition of painted Nerf bullets, helped aid the illusion of the bandoleer seeming real leather.

Points in which I was challenged:

• Stitching down pleats on the American Flag.

  • Having to line up the stripes of the flag for pleats was a little difficult for two reasons: the manufactured lines were not all that straight and the fabric became quite thick when pleated. Overall I was successful in creating the pleats but it did cost me two machine needles.

• Getting the organza to behave with the pleats.

  • Stay stitching the organza helped immensely with having it not stretch and wander too much when pleating the American Flag, but it did require me to take it slow and really control how the organza moved with my hands as it passed through the stitching machine.