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 …
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 …
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 …
Our new 4th Ed. Irish dance solo dress pattern offers a Bust Cup Adjustment add-on! Our fashion line also includes these options, but we’re thrilled to be able to offer this feature in our Irish dance patterns too! I thought this was a great time to talk about why cup adjustments are amazing, how different …
Not all bodies are the same shape, so it’s natural to need to do a small adjustment or two to get the bodice sitting nicely. It is easy to alter a pattern if the place that is too big or small is the side-seam or center back, but here are a few ways to correct …
That’s it, you’re almost there! Skirt is done, bodice is done. They just need to come together and you’ll have a dress! For being a fairly simple step, sewing the dropped waist seam can be one of the trickier parts of your dress, depending on your machine and the thickness of your dress stiffener. The …
