Mom’s Costume Shop

I’ve been on a sewing hiatus since December because my twin daughters are in middle school and kids need a lot of support during these years.  One interesting facet of having twins and multiples is that every developmental stage is super super intense because more than one child goes through it at the same time.  I haven’t sewn a stitch since my Susan Kahlje class because I wanted to totally focus on my daughters.  Happily we’re over the hump in terms of the school year; the homework and social pressure is easing up a bit for both of them.

 Both of my daughters dance competitively at the national level; they go to The Gold School in Brockton MA.  They do 9 hours of class weekly in Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Modern, Contemporary and Hip-Hop plus another 4-6 hours a week in choreography and rehearsals.  This year Abby has been cast in a Modern solo for competition and we are thrilled! Modern is difficult to perform, it’s the most abstract form of dance and quite physically demanding.  Dancing Modern well requires physical stamina and mental maturity so it’s pretty rare for such a young dancer (Abby is 13) to do a solo in Modern.  Abby is super excited about it and the choreographer is her favorite teacher Nailah Bellinger. 

 Nailah wants Abby’s costume to be a low back halter unitard with legs at mid-thigh like bike shorts.  The color is dark pumpkin orange and I have had no luck finding this color on dancewear sites so I’m making her costume.  For a pattern I’ll combine Jalie 2913 for the bodice and Jalie 2920 for the shorts.  Abby already has a halter leotard she wears to class that I can trace off.   I’ll also add a shelf bra and molded cups for support.  A bit of Bolduc tape on my dressform above lays out the basic design.

 The color will be the biggest challenge and swatches are on the way from Spandex House.  I’ll  scan them when they come in.   Abby’s hair will be loose and wavy and I think she’ll be wearing a wide headband made form the same fabric.  Her feet are bare, which standard in Modern.    This project is on a tight deadline, so wish me luck!