To Sew or NOT to Sew your Own Costumes, That is the Question in this Economy!

Satin Stitches | Sep 08, 2009 | 3

Sewing your own dance costume can be a wonderful experience, or...

What are the PROS and CONS of sewing your own dance costumes? In these difficult economic times, more and more dancers are trying to sew your own. Can this act of frugality really save you money? Will it be worth it?

It absolutely CAN! And depending on how much experience you have, how patient you are, and what your level of expectation is, you can be successful!

If you are considering taking the plunge, and heading to the fabric store, with visions of dollars saved and that new costume that you have been wanting, in your head, here are some things to consider.

How much sewing skill do you really have?
Do you LIKE to sew?
Do you have an easy-to-fit body shape?
If not, do you know what to change, on a pattern, to make it work for you?
Are you OK with less-than perfection?
If not, are you OK with starting with one idea, and allowing it to morph to another result?
Have you allotted yourself plenty of time to complete your task?
Can you find a pattern, or can you adapt a pattern for your needs?
Will you be able to find the right type and color of fabric?
Will you be able to find the trim that you want to use?

Keep in mind that there are alternatives to sewing your own costume!

Hire a professional designer-sewing professional who can do it all, from start to finish, such as Satin Stitches.
Hire a local seamstress who has extensive experience with dance costumes but may or may not have all the skills you need, for them to create your vision.
Hire a local seamstress who does not have any experience with dance costumes.
Bribe a close friend or relative into helping with the sewing of your dance costume vision.

What can go wrong?

Professionals need to be paid a professional commission for their work. Perhaps it does not jive with your budget. The PUN was intended!
Depending on the professionalism of your local seamstress, will you really get the results you hoped for, or will the results not be what you imagined. Or worse yet, will you get exactly what you imagined, but it just does not work?

The fabrics used in dance costumes are some of the hardest fabrics to work with and master. Just because someone sews baby clothes, for example, this does not mean that your dance costume will turn out all right.

Realize that sewing spandex, chiffon and satin fabrics are very difficult to get right. Working with a friend or relative can ruin the relationship, when their skills do not meet your expectations. How will you tell them? How you handle disagreements over the results can be problematic. Working with a friend or relative, assuming that they are doing you a favor, and not earning a living off of you, can also be a problem if they are unable to follow through with their time commitment for one reason or another.
Where does that leave you?

Purchasing fabrics, trims and notions.

If you have access to a full-service fabric store, that stocks lot of options for spandex, chiffon and specialty-novelty fabrics, you are in luck! As all of us seasoned sewers and designers know, the best option is to be able to SEE, FEEL and STRETCH your fabric options, especially viewing them in a mirror, to see what they really look like on you! You need to know when and where you need stretch in a dance costume. Dance costumes CAN be made without stretch, but they are cut differently from snug-fitting costumes.

If you enjoy paying full price for your fabrics-WHAT?? Then shop anytime, to see what your options are. If you are like me, and HATE to pay full retail price for ANYTHING, then find out when this store has sales. Find out if you can sign up for email updates that alert you to their specials. JoAnn Etc. Fabric Stores have a weekly mailer that arrives most every Sunday, in your paper, with a 40% off coupon. Take advantage of this! And sign yourself up for their email alerts!

Otherwise, many of us eBayers sell our overstock fabrics, trims and notions on eBay. The PRO? At Satin Stitches, we list our items at less than HALF of wholesale, so if you do not have others trying to outbid you, you can really pick up some bargains! The CON? You may be surprised at the color, texture or weight of a fabric or trim, if you do not get a swatch before the auctions close. At Satin Stitches, we try to really describe the fabrics as detailed as possible, as we know that you do not like surprises. We try only to surprise, by surpassing our customers expectations. If you read our Feedbacks, you will see that we often do!

You can find trim and notions on eBay also, but it is even harder to discern the quality and actual size and shape without actually seeing the items in person, so beware.

The best way to shop on eBay is to buy something that you think you might like, NOT trying to find a specific color or fabric. Being flexible, as with any garage sale-type shopping can result in getting some wonderful bargains. But be careful to not go overboard! Buy only what you can afford.

Also, you must be aware of shipping costs. Rarely will eBay items have Free Shipping. ALWAYS calculate the shipping cost, along with any handling fees, into your eBay budget. Understand what realistic shipping costs are. It always gets really annoying when someone from Australia or Germany, or somewhere, gets really cranky about the cost to ship their items across the world. We do not set the shipping rates, the shipping companies do!

There are many Online fabric and trim stores out there now, also. Compare prices and shipping costs before you order. And if you have the time, or if matching a particular color is VERY important, allow enough time to have them send you a swatch. And sometimes it is worth it to pay for those swatches, too.

And rhinestones are so very popular these days. You may be able to find near-wholesale prices on the Internet, but realize just how many you need to buy for your project. If you need to buy 10 gross of one style rhinestone, to get a good price, but only use 1 gross, well, it was not really a bargain, was it? And many Online trim and fabric stores have minimum quantities, so you need to take this into account when you are shopping for the perfect fabrics and trims.

Refer to my blog from last year Rhinestoning 101-Embellishing Tips From Satin Stitches! for lots of tips for do-it-yourselfers. The quality of a rhinestone is important, and how you attach it is also very important.

In conclusion, if you have the time and talent, creating your own dance costume can be very rewarding and help to stretch your dance budget. But if you do not have the time or the talent, it is best to leave it up to a trusted professional, such as Satin Stitches!

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Ballroom, Teacher, Enthusiast, Parent, Studio, Dance Costume Designs, Dance Costumes, Saving Money on Costumes (all tags)