Dance Costumes

O.K. I got Dan to finish part of his science study guide. I cleaned two bathrooms, helped clean two bedrooms, picked out possible paint chips for the family room and hall, filed family papers, and finished off my spring semester course paperwork.

Now about the dance costumes. Angelique had her first solo. She and another girl needed white skirts. Mrs. B gave me some beautiful satin curtain like material and an adult company costume. She wanted a white circular skirt with a dropped hem in the back. No pattern came with this request. By the way she said, " Make due with the fabric." Basically the fabric was a remnant and not really enough material to make two skirts. In fact, I think the material was given to me to make Papa's nightgown in Twas and it wasn't enough fabric for that costume.

With my limit skills, an old pattern I'd bought when Angelique first started dancing, and a gymnastic pattern that showed an angled side hem; I began making a pattern from tissue paper. Days later frustrated and positive that I could not get two skirts from this material, I hunted for more material at the stores, cried, and cursed.

Well I managed. I learned a lot about making a circular skirt, the flow of material, how to get that flowing graceful effect, fullness of a skirt, and sizing a waist band. I did have to re-cut the waists because they were too small. I even had to reuse the waist band after I cut it out of the first skirt. I pieced a waist band together from three pieces of material because I didn't have a long enough piece of material left. I had to re-hem one skirt because it turned out to be the longer of the two and of course one girl was two inches longer than the other. The dresses were different lengths because of material remnant was not the same amount. Circular hems are HARD.

Anyway Mrs. B loved them. I was so happy. She has such high standards and a vision of how ballets/performance should look, sound, & be executed. I even finished them five days before the performance (a record for me). I wish that they had been a little bit more full, especially Angelique's. Her's was the shorter one and had the less full circle. The girls were beautiful and Angelique was amazing. She has really come a long was as a dancer. Sometimes she has these fantastic moves that are so professional. I think that Mrs. B is hopeful that she'll be a talented ballerina.
In the first part of her solo, Angelique's skirt was backwards. The long part was in the front and not in the back. Someone got it turned around when she went off stage, so when she came out again to dance it was correct. Angelique danced her solo in two show. One with the little girls in the morning and in the evening with the older girls.