How to Make a Dance Costume
Part 1 Pattern
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Pattern Selection
Dance costume patterns may seem hard to find at first, but all you need is a good starting base and a little inspiration. I spent countless hours searching the web for the perfect pattern, what I discovered is it didn’t exist. What I needed was a basic pattern. And by using multiple patterns you can create unique costumes by combining individual parts of several favorites.
If you’re still new to sewing, don’t be intimidated. You can sew dancewear with the most basic sewing equipment, it’s a great way to build and learn new skills.
Jalie is a pattern company that runs the market in dancewear and you will learn so much from using one of their patterns. Their website has an abundant of tutorials and resources available.
I choose the PDF option, which allows me to print at home. I only assemble the pattern once, use exam table paper to trace and create completely new pattern pieces. This paper works fantastic for tracing, and it’s the perfect size. You can purchase the paper here Exam Table Paper. I like the 21×125 size.
For this tutorial I will be using these three patterns.
BOTTOM PIECE
Jalie ballet leotard 3349
My Childhood Treasures Pants S505
TOP PIECE
Jalie Violeta 3673
Pattern Mashing
Patterns already come with a variety of options. Then if you add to that ability to mash different parts of various patterns, this makes the possibilities of what you can create almost endless.
The idea of pattern mashing can be intimidating, for some people. But if you start simple, it really is an easy concept.
For this particular mash, is a simple one. I am going to walk you though on how to turn the ballet leotard into bikini bottoms with a more fuller coverage and use the Violeta to make a top piece.
To begin I print and tape the patterns together.
With the Exam Table Paper folded in half, I will begin tracing a size Q from Jalies ballet leotard 3349.
I want a little more fuller bum for more coverage. To achieve this I am going to bump out the booty line just a tad, and to do so I will retrace that line by using My Childhood Treasures.
It doesn’t look like much, but makes a huge difference. This really keeps the bottoms from riding up.
I will also use the waist line from this pattern as a guide to make a new waistline.
Pattern Cutting
Now its time to cut. The bottoms I will be cutting one front piece, one back piece, and will add a crotch lining, so I will cut this piece out also.
These scissors are great for cutting patterns out Fiskars Original Orange Handled Scissors
For bigger areas and when I like a nice crisp straight line, I use a rotary cutter, along with a ruler and a self healing cutting mat. My favorite is the Fiskars Rotary Cutter, 45mm it’s the perfect size to cut patterns and fabric with. The Fiskars Self Healing Cutting Mat 24 x 36 is great for cutting out patterns and fabric. To get those straight lines while using the rotary cutter, I love using the Fiskars Sewing Ruler – 6″ x 24″.