MORE Costume Care Tips From Satin Stitches!

Satin Stitches | Mar 04, 2008 | 0

Do your dance team costumes look like this?

If your studio never reuses costumes, do not bother to read this.  I am sure that you just keep your fingers crossed, that your recital costumes make it through all your shows, or your competition costumes make it through your entire season.

BUT, if you think you might be able to reuse your costumes, for a future season, here are some very useful tips for keeping your costumes in tip-top shape.

Many state high school dance teams are winding down your competition seasons, while dance studios are going strong.  But all seasons will eventually come to an end. So read this now, and save it to read again later, before you close out your year.

For the future, you can stretch your dancers costume budget by planning ahead, and purchase costumes that may cost initially more than throw-away costumes, but when you use them for two or even more years-they will be much less expensive in the long run.

I know that traditionally, many dancers do not wear undergarments with their dance costumes.  I ask you to really rethink this, if you are still recommending this-it is rather unsanitary, even if no one else will ever wear the costume.  Heaven forbid there be a panty line!  I am sure you are aware that there are many styles of underpants on the market today that can be worn that DO NOT REVEAL PANTY LINES.  Please have your dancers wear them.  You will cut down on feminine accidents and other staining that can occur. A better plan, right?

Do not store costume dirty.  Additionally, they should be checked over during your season.

Do not store costumes that need repairs.  A stitch in time saves nine, is a saying that really holds true.

Check after each performance if any repairs need to be made.  Make the repairs so you are not struggling to find a replacement rhinestone, or needle and thread, or duck tape when your team is ready to hit the stage.

Is one person in charge of all your teams costumes, or do you let each dancer be in charge? It is much safer with having ONE person in charge. Each person can interpret instructions totally differently, with dire results.

Store costumes away from light and moisture, NOT in plastic.  The best option is to store in cloth bags, or just hang free, in a closet.

Use Fresh Again if you decide you cannot launder your costumes, to eliminate nasty odors.

If you have many sets of studio or team costumes, I recommend that you take a digital photo of the front and back of each costume, and have a spreadsheet on what sizes you have in each style.

If need to launder...

Test your care swatch if you have one.

Test an inconspicuous area of a costume, if you do not have a care swatch.

ALWAYS spot clean when possible, as this can save some costumes from ruination.

Do you have detailed instructions from the manufacture?  If yes, follow on ONE costume and see if it works out, then proceed with the others.

Contact Satin Stitches for the possibility of using our professional laundering Costume Care Service.  A note, the holographic fabrics may NOT be able to launder.

If you cannot launder at all, do what Broadway stars have done for decades, with fragile fabric on costumes, air them out, but NOT in the sunlight.

Hanging...some costumes may not hang well on hangers in the normal fashion.  You do not want stretched out shoulders or straps, or even ripping on fragile fabrics, so be careful.

Some costumes might need to be stored laying flat.

What can you do with last years dance costumes?

Wear them again for secondary performances.

Hand them down to JV or another line at your studio.

Transform them into another style by adding different trims or accents.

Sell them on eBay or through your state dance team organizations classified ads.

Donate them to a needy community dance organization or to a studio or high school where their community suffered a disaster, maybe a hurricane or fire, where all their costumes were destroyed.

Or just add to the too much waste that we have in todays world?

For all the options except the last point, your costumes need to be cleaned and made fresh for their next wearers.

If your costumes were made to last, you do not have to worry about your costumes during your season, all you need to worry about is the dancing.  This should be priceless, right?

Check out many more articles concerning costume care issues on our Articles Page at www.satinstitches.com, along with several other of my weekly blogs.  Please do not hesitate to call or email any questions that you may have.

Keep those costumes in tip-top shape!

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Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Costume Care, Costumes (all tags)