Busy year with YAGP and dance competitions.

Talk about luxury "problems". I have been lax with posting since this past season I have been kept busy with multiple fun projects for dancers around the world. Headpieces, especially the Swan lake ones, are consistently popular and in the past year I have sent them off to dancers in France, Singapore, Australia and all over the US. This year I also made a Blue bird headpiece which was a nice change, and I made a few headpiece for Gamzatti and of course the Cinderella headpieces (see post on this).

Blue bird headpiece with custom made jewel

Swan lake headpiece with custom made jewel

Blue version of a Gamzatti headpiece

Red version of a Gamzetti headpiece with a c hand beaded jewel

Bodice "leotard" back

In the Fall I made 22 bodice style leotards for a group of dancers in Wisconsin, starting at girl size 10 all the way up through womens large. It was a challenge since I could not do any fittings, did not have a pattern to work from (I  drew a new pattern using pieces from A Tutus that dance,Jalie and Kwik Sew pattern) and I had to dye the white powernet for the bodice to match the ivory lycra.

Bodice "leotard" front

The bodice leotard over a Romantic length pink tutu.

Also, my serger had a lot of trouble getting through 4 layers of lycra at times but I did get everything done on time and the dancers did have something to wear.



I learned a lot and if I ever have to do something like  this again, I will do a much better job.
The client was not unhappy as later in the year they ordered 18 pink tutus for their Spring competition and recital.
As Christmas approached I had a number of leotard orders which were fun to make. I plan to work on improving my leotards this summer as I am not totally happy with the fit and finishing of some models. I made a child size biketard and appliqued lace to the sleeves, front and back and I made a very pretty Royal blue and black child size leotard. Thanks to the many orders just after Christmas I was able to purchase an industrial serger so making high quality leotards will become much easier.

child size biketard with lace appliques

back of child sized biketard with lace appliques

child size leotard.

Just after Christmas I also received several orders for YAGP which is always exciting since there are so many different costumes to work on.
My first costume was a Fille Mal Garde, based on the Paris Opera's costume followed by a Flames of Paris, a Cupid with matching headpiece and a Talisman. I also sold the Esmeralda headpiece I had made. I used patterns by Travis Halsey (Flames of Paris bodice), Tutus that Dance (Fille costume) and drew my own patterns for the Cupid and Talisman tunics and over dress based partly on a Vogue dress pattern and a ballet tunic from the book "Dressing for the Ballet". I used Dani Legge's stretch tutu pattern for the leotard under both the Cupid and Talisman costume.

Fille Mal Garde

Cupid

Talisman

Cupid headpiece

Flames of Paris

Talsiman YAGP costume

Flames of Paris YAGP costume

Dancers on stage at YAGP in Cupid, Talisman and Flames of Paris

Cupid YAGP costume

 

Dancers at different YAGP competitions around the country.

Spanish Costume with couture bodice

After Christmas, I worked on a costume for a dancer in Canada. For her I recreated a Spanish costume I had made during tutu school. I used Travis Halsey's Elegent pattern and Claudia Folts '(Tutu.com) four tier Spanish skirt pattern. The skirt has over 42 yards of ruffled lace, 10+ yards of fabric, the bodice was made with silk brocades, silk Dupioni, hand painted glitter mesh lace and a red lace overlay. I added black lace sleeves and a red rose side of the bun headpiece.

Summer has arrived and I will be closing up shop for a few weeks so that I can try to finish a few rental costumes.
I also want to work on my leotard sewing technique and making up samples of each of the different models I want to have on offer for the Fall. I currently have been using a Tutus that dance pattern with modifications for a square neck and a sweetheart neckline leotard

Sweetheart leotard, Tutus that dance pattern

Square neck leotard, Tutus that dance

Kwik-Sew leotard pattern

 and several Kwik Sew patterns with modifications for tank, turtle neck and camisole leotard. I would like to get a better, more consistent fit and finishing but will need to work on sewing them with the serger, and coverstitch machine until I am really happy. I also want to make up some samples of little skirts, both mesh and fabric, and a stretch tutu using Dani Legge's pattern and instructions. I always have big plans but find that time and focus can be a problem.