Dress #4 -Blue Spirograph

I found this wonderful, patterned chiffon fabric. It reminded me of the Spirograph I played with as a kid.

Then I found a blue Lycra that matched the color.
Then after I bought the fabric, I started designing the dress.

Above is Version 1. It was okay but there was just something… well… boring about it.
So a few days later after it fermented in my brain a while (and the competition got closer without any dress being started), I drew up Version 2.

I liked this version a lot better.
So I started on the pattern.
I used Kwik Sew pattern #3331 as a starting base. Dress A had set in sleeve so I moved up the neckline and lengthened the sleeves.

For the bodysuit, the top portion of pattern A was cut out of nude-colored mesh and the bottom “panty” was cut out of the blue Lycra.
Once I had the bodysuit cut out of fabric, I drew on the bodice pattern for the straps I wanted on the top of the dress.

I laid the dress bodice on top of the bodysuit and appliquéd around the straps and neckline of the dress using a zig-zag stitch (3 wide x 1.5 long). I stopped appliqué 1-2” from the side seam. Those edges would be appliquéd down later after the bodysuit and dress side seam are done.
To do the bodysuit side seams, I pinned the dress bodice out of the way.

Once the bodysuit side seams were in, the dress sides seams could be done.

Here is what version 2 looked like.

I didn’t like all that mesh at the shoulders and around the neck. It looks odd. When I tried the dress on, I felt like a little old lady!
And when I lifted my arms to dance position, the shoulder area wrinkled. UGH!
I thought that attaching the gloves would prevent the problem of always having to pull at the tops of the gloves. This solutions was obviously not the correct one!

So back to the seam ripper…

I removed the gloves from the dress and cut away all mesh at the neckline.
I kept the mesh in the cutaway windows as I felt they were needed structurally to hold the dress together.

The weight of this dress was a lot pulling on the one shoulder strap. After trying the dress on, I added a strap at the other shoulder.

Here are views of the sewn dress (modeled by “Gertrude”). The dress was getting glitzed up with sequins.

The front is finished here. The back would still get sequins going down the 2 major straps in the back.
The combination of sequin placement and the way the holographic silver sequins caught the light was just the right glitz and sparkle.


The 8MM Spotlight Silver Sequins (ordered online from www.sequinsdirect.com ) were US$13 for a bag of 6,000 sequins. I used about a third of the bag.
I glued each sequin on with E6000 just like a rhinestone would have been.
After seeing the dress up close, one person told me she thought it looked like rhinestones from the dance floor.
What a great compliment and a lot less expensive than rhinestones.

Here you can see how well the sequins sparkled under the lights of the dance floor. These photos were taken during a foxtrot with one of our dance instructors.

Dress #3 -Blue Anemonie

To get started on the dress, I cut out a basic bodysuit out of scrap Lycra. I put it on “Gertrude” and sketched out the bodice windows. Then tried the bodysuit on myself to make sure there were no surprises.
I used bra cups from the fabric store with underwires from an old bra. But the neckline plunges too much and is not securely stationary enough for comfort. The fit of this area was not right. The whole time I danced in it, I kept looking down to make sure I wasn't falling out.
Also, I didn't learn the lesson yet of not over-stretching the elastic in the straps.
Then I ended up cutting the underskirt way too short. Overall, I was very self-conscious in this dress. I ended up wearing a zip up jacket the entire time with the exception of the 45 seconds we were on the dance floor.
I still like the idea of this dress and the fabric choices. But I need to tear it apart and remake it slightly more conservative.

Lesson Learned (maybe): Stop being so influenced by the skimpy costumes on the size 2 professional dancers on Dancing with the Stars.

My Body-Double dressform aka "Gertrude"

Since I wanted a Latin dress with window cut-outs in the bodice (The cut out areas covered in nude-colored mesh ), I wanted a dressform to figure out where to put the cut-outs. Once again I started the dress about 2 weeks before the event.
The dressforms I found in the stores were all special order with a 2 week delivery.
Since that wouldn't work, I searched the web until I found a site which explained how to make your own body-double dressform out of duct tape. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs8B4mRVeXU)
A word of warning if you decide to make a body-double dressform.
Seeing your body in 3-D is a shock. It makes what you see in the mirror very complementary by comparison.
I had to come to terms with the fact that no matter how many times I remeasured the dressform, “Gertrude” & I were exactly the same size and shape.
Once I gave in to that fact, I went and ate a big bowl of chocolate ice cream to feel better.

Dress #2 - Smooth & Latin in one dress

I started this dress about 2 weeks before we did our first showcase competition. I had decided that I wanted a real ballroom dance dress. I'd looked online for used dresses. Dresses I liked were way too expensive for me to think about.
Since I needed both a Smooth and Latin dress and time to make dresses was short, I took an idea I saw on one of the dress resale sites.

I created a Latin dress with a removable long skirt.
I like this idea particularly if there is any quick costume change required.

Lessons learned with this dress:
-Never put beaded fringe where you are going to sit on it all day.
-Put a smooth yoke on the top of the long skirt so the bulk of the skirt does not start until the bottom of the short dress.
-Don't over-stretch the elastic in the straps, it ends up curling.
-It's hard to figure out where to put appliqués on the dress when it is lying flat.
Need a dressform/manniquin.
-From Nancy, who has made several more dresses than me, use E6000 adhesive to glue the applique and rhinestones onto the dress.
-And a very helpful tip from Nancy, make the bodysuit with a snap closure at the bottom so you don't have to totally undress if you need the rest room.

Dress #1 -Adding jewels to a store-bought dress

My first dance dress was one I found at a ballet costume website (http://www.discountdance.com).
I got the largest dress they had which was a “large”. I'm a size 12 and it barely fit. I then went to the junk jewelery store in the mall that caters to 12 year olds. I found a big, gaudy crystal necklace. Pulled it apart and sewed the beads around the neckline of the dress. Photo on the right shows the dress before the jewels. Photo on the left was wearing the dress for the Dancing with the Stars 2008 road show pre-show entertainment contest.

Make your own ballroom dance gown

When I was looking to start sewing my own ballroom gowns, I was disappointed by how little information I could find on the web about sewing them.

Many years ago, I took a 2-year program in fashion design. I never used it professionally but I have used those design and drafting skills many times over the years.
Now was as good a time as any to once again dust off those skills.

So with this blog, I will share what I learn about making competition and performance ballroom dance gowns.
And maybe some men’s dance clothes occasionally so my husband (and dance partner) doesn’t feel left out.

Luckily, a friend at the dance studio had started sewing her own dance gowns a year ago. So she had a years worth of lessons learned that she was willing to share. And also the instructors at the studio are very helpful with ideas of what will and won't work in a gown from the dancer's perspective.

Yet even with that help, there are still a lot of lessons that are learned the hard way. Like my first Latin dress that had this cute beaded fringe at the hem. How was I to know that on a short dress the beads would end up being right where I had to sit on them all day in a hard chair!