Newbie - Dresses

[laurakate]

Me and my mum are making an ice skating dress which should be really fun!
Has anyone ever made one? And has anyone seen any nice ones?
Plus I think that my mum wants to buy a nice one that relatively cheap, have you seen any?

Thankyou xxx

[isakswings]

Hi there. I have made several dresses. Others on this site have as well. First off, where do you live? Is this dress for a competition or for practice?

There are some great patterns out there. Kwik Sew and Jalie patterns are great! Here in the US, Kwik Sew patterns are easy to find. I have to order Jalie patterns online.

http://kwiksew.mccall.com/leotards---activewear-pages-3338.php

http://www.jalie.com/sports-apparel/figure-skating.html

As for buying an inexpensive dress... that will be hard to do. Most ready made skating dresses will run at least 50-60.00 dollars with most of them being around 100.00. Those are practice dress prices. Competition dresses will cost more. I've been able to make a competition dress for under 100, but that I was lucky enough to find fabric on sale.

Good luck and have fun!

[laurakate]

Hi there. I have made several dresses. Others on this site have as well. First off, where do you live? Is this dress for a competition or for practice?

I like in the UK so patterns are a lot harder to find! every website i go on seems to be in the US!  Its our first one and i haven't been skating very long so unless it turns out really well and i improve before i grow anymore it'll just be for practice.
I am going to Florida in the summer so (this may seem really stupid) do places like walmart and target, you know local shops, have them or will it have to be a specialist shop?
Thanks xxxx

[isakswings]

If you are wanting to buy a pattern, you will have to go to the fabric store for that or order online. I get my Kwik Sew patterns at Hancock Fabrics. No where else I know of carries them. I am in Utah, so I have no idea if there are Hancock Fabric stores in Florida. If you want to buy a dress, you will have to go to a specialty store. Wal-Mart and Target won't carry skating apparel. There are skaters on this forum who live in Florida and in the UK. They might be more helpful in directing you. The skaters in the UK, might know where you can find a sewing pattern too! Good luck!

[hopskipjump]

I've seen pretty dresses for dance on UK websites that would work for skating. 
For an inexpensive dress, put the word out at your rink and maybe another skater will sell a used one to you?  That is how dd had 2 seasons of dress and several practice dresses.

You might look at the Jalie website - they list stores that carry them.  Just make sure you call ahead of time - I learned the hard way that a shop went out of business 2 years earlier!

Here is what they list:
UNITED KINGDOM
Glitter and Dance UK    Located in Long Eaton (Nottingham) - Selected skating patterns
Habithat    Complete pattern line available
Skorpion Industries    Bradford, England

[Bunny Hop]

I like in the UK so patterns are a lot harder to find! every website i go on seems to be in the US! 

Amazingly 'Fabric Land' in Reading (UK) always seemed to have patterns for skating dresses in stock! I was prepared to have them say they'd need to order the one I wanted, but they just pulled it out of the drawer. It wasn't even a terribly big store. So if you do have a local fabric shop it might be worth a try - they'll probably be able to order the pattern if they don't have it.

[laurakate]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/220949729537?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619#ht_500wt_1287

thoughts? xxx

[Isk8NYC]

The applique technique at the shoulder/neck is tricky.  I can't tell if they're using adhesive or they've set in the "flames."  The listing doesn't say whether or not the dress is lined or includes a built-in bra.  Those are things you should think about putting into your design. 

As for buying patterns in the US, you'd need to go to a sewing store.  There are chain stores like Joann's, Hancock Fabrics and Denver Fabrics.  Look in the phone book when you check into the hotel - most towns have small mom&pop sewing and fabric stores.

Walmart used to have fabric, patterns and pattern books, but they discontinued them a while ago near me.  Now everything is pre-cut and pre-packaged; no pattern cabinets.  Target never carried sewing patterns.

[hopskipjump]

If you are making a dress - I would hesitate unless you have a serger.  I have made practice skirts without a serger but the hem is not quite as nice.

[retired]

I used to and still know lots of people who make skating dresses (for themselves) on a zig zag machine.   Kwik Sew provides instructions on how to sew  a seam without a serger.  Hemming a skirt can be harder as a zig zag lets little threads poke out  on chiffon or georgette but remember that in skating, no one sees things close up.   If the skirt is cut of spandex, I've noticed that lately they're left as the cut edge since it doesn't ravel. 

www.jalie.com sells lots of skating patterns and they can be downloaded too. 

[FigureSpins]

If you download the patterns, what paper do you use for cutting out?  I like the thin tissue paper that Vogue, etc. supply.  I've made a few small patterns using the skirt pieces from old wedding dress patterns.  Would you print out onto regular printer paper and then tape it all together?  I hope it's a lot cheaper because that's a lot of work and the paper's hard to pin/cut.


For flimsy, slippery fabrics like organza, I wonder if it would be easier to transfer the pattern to the uncut fabric, go over the outline with stitching (like embroidery,) THEN cut around the stitching?  You'd have to be careful, but it wouldn't get caught in the feed dogs.  Things that make me go hmmm...

I like the idea of making an underskirt to attach the skirt petals of this pattern to the bodysuit.  I think you could make a pattern of a band-and-petals and cut out two to layer over each other and get an easier, set-in effect.

Like this:

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼

That can be inserted into the leotard skirt line more easily, but you have to gather or ease the top part if it's not lycra or stretch fabric.