Hallo Darkness my old friend

This scene was a very sombre low point in the Les Danseuses dance production “When Life Happens”. It depicts the world in utter desolation and hopelessness without any colour. So for this scene we decided to use grey for the costumes to accentuate that.

We really didn’t feel like making another plain simple leotard and because this scene is already so dull without colour, we wanted to add some interest by changing the costumes. For this leotard dress, we designed an interesting neckline with straps to make it a bit different from the ordinary leotard necklines. We used 6mm elastic and encased it in lycra. For the bottom section underneath the skirt, we also opted for a hot pants pattern instead of the basic leotard panty.

As I’ve mentioned before, most of the dancers are regular women with regular jobs and are not professional dancers, so most of us don’t have the typical ballerina body type. We have curves and most probably don’t fit in a “standardized size”. By adding a seam in the waist, it made it quite easy to mix and match the different pattern sizes for the top leotard section and hot pants, because a lot of the dancers were two different sizes. The skirt was made from netting that doesn’t stretch, so we added an open seam on the right side for movement.

Thanks for reading!

Watch out for our next blog post where we change things up and mix and match.

PS: The feature photo is from the dance production “When Life Happens” by LesDanseuses Adult Ballet studio. Photographer: Carla Nel Photography.

If you are interested in learning how to sew, sign up for one of our online sewing courses and start sewing in the comfort of your own home. Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced courses available to suit your skill level. Sign up now at https://online.craftchic.co.za/

Visit our online store and get your digital pdf patterns for your favourite items. There is a variety of patterns available, including dresses, skirts, tops, pants, casual wear and everyday household items.