The SweetHeart Mask
This mask is inspired by the SweetHeart circus costume. The costume is part of a design research series of circus training garments exploring direction of stretch of panels on the body. The original costume in the series, the DearHeart unitard, is comprised of over 40 pattern pieces seamed together. While the panels enabled exploration of the body zones requiring different amounts of stretch, alterations to the costume necessitated a revision of the pattern and the 2nd iteration, the SweetHeart costume, is made of over 30 pattern pieces. These costumes were presented at the 2019 International Textiles and Apparel Association conference held in Las Vegas, and a live acrobat to model was brought in to do performance modeling of the SweetHeart costume which allowed the audience to experience the kinds of range of motion necessary in these kinds of garments.
Mask Composition
The SweetHeart mask is made up of 16 pattern pieces seamed together with a heart shape inset at the forehead. The fabrics are leftover scraps from the unitard design: metallic spandex in silver, holographic silver, and holographic pink spandex. The pieces are seamed together with a serger and zigzag stitching, and the inset heart is appliqued in place. The pattern pieces were developed by creating a brown kraft paper version of the mask and drawing seam lines, which were then converted into patterns with seam allowances. The base of the mask is made of neoprene, and the eye holes and edges of the mask are bound in pink spandex.
This project is funded in part by the Cornell Council for the Arts. 
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