I hear all the time from sewers who have been enlisted by a friend or relative to build an Irish dance dress and have no idea where to start. They often feel like they don’t know what they’re getting into, and even parents who’ve spent years going to feisanna often have questions (“what’s going on …
Whether you’re using machine embroidery, free-hand embroidery, or another method for embellishment, it’s likely you’ll have to work around darts. Modern Irish dance costumes are quite fitted, and darts (or princess seams) are what help us get that precise fit! However, we don’t want to see out beautiful embroidery disappear into a dart or end …
“Make a mock-up”, we say! “Check the fit before you start”, we say! Well what does that mean? Generally that it’s not too tight, too loose, too long, too short, no funny bunching, or gaping, or anywhere uncomfortable. Easy enough, right? In this post, I want to highlight how to set yourself up for success …
If you haven’t started with Part 1 of this post, please read that first! It discusses a lot of the concepts we’ll use here which may be confusing without the background and details in Part 1. In Part 1, we discussed how to plan your hoopings and create guides to aid in aligning designs over …
Hello! Today I want to talk about digitizing for machine embroidery. Computerized embroidery machines run off files that tell the machine where to move their hoop in order for the design to stitch out correctly. Think of it as a “connect-the-dots” game with 30,000 dots! Embroidery digitizing software provides us, the artists, with an interface …
One of the most confusing parts of starting your first solo dress can be understanding the layers of fabric, stiffener, and interfacing. Here’s a visual breakdown of the materials of each piece of the dress! Bodice Top: Fashion fabric(s) of choiceBottom: Base material (cotton twill or similar) The base layer gives a light structure to …
So you’ve decided to purchase a PDF pattern. Or perhaps you’re considering it, but don’t know what they entail. Read more about our PDF patterns below, and follow along to assemble your patterns at home! Why go PDF? PDF patterns have many benefits – the largest being that you can print them off multiple times. …
Getting ready for your first feis? We’ve curated a thorough packing list – from shoes to costumes, first aid, and more! For some categories, we’ve created multiple lists to cater to different situations or types of dancers. We think you can usually pick one list from each category. Doing hair/makeup “at venue” could refer to …
This is the third post in our Sewer Feature series, which aims to highlight great sewing being done in the Irish dance community and to inspire those who may be considering sewing Irish dance costumes for the first time. We’d love to feature you too – share your own experience in the link at the …
I occasionally get questions about how to dye fabric, so I thought I’d post some info and tips for anyone looking to try. I used to work as a Costume Painter/Dyer for a large local theater, so it’s something I actually know quite a bit about! Why might you need to dye anything for a …
