This section is to show you how to sew a decorative chain on your costume. One reason you would want to do this is to give you something that would create a military look. If you want the military feel, look for gold shank buttons with a military design on them to add to the chains. This is the perfect look to give you that military feel.

Supplies:

Dance Garment
Chain
Two shank buttons to match chain
Safety pins
Thread to match garment
Needle

Directions:

Choosing Your Materials
We are going to show you how to sew chains and buttons on your dance costume. Although we are going to demonstrate with a pair of dance shorts, this look could be used on a top, a jacket, a skirt or any other garment you would like. You can sew the chains on the costume without the buttons but the inclusion of buttons is a really popular look right now. We would not normally recommend doing it with pink dancewear and gold buttons and chain, but we want you to be able to clearly see the contrast between the dancewear and the chains.

The first thing you want to do is pick out what items you want to use. For our demonstration, we are going to use a high-waisted brief. In our demonstration, we want the chain to hang over the hip from the front to the back. The first thing to do is fold the brief in half with the side seam being the center point in the middle of the fold. The next step is to find spots in the front and back that are equidistant from the side seam.

Now, take a pair of pliers and open one of the links on the chain so you now have one full length of chain rather than a loop. Close the links up again by smashing them nice and tight with the pliers so that a thread cannot get through.

Because of the weight of the chain, we recommend that you thread the needle with four strands as described in the Pins and Needles section above.

The best way to sew chains and buttons on a garment is to sew the chain to the briefs first and then sew the button on afterward. When you do it that way, you want to make sure that the shank of the button sits nicely within the chain link. It has a much cleaner look and keeps the button from bouncing round too much. Go through the backside of the material and bring it up where you have marked the briefs. Sew the link down.

Even though the link has been smashed together and is closed real tight, make sure that the end of the link that was opened and closed is at the bottom so there is no stress on the end that had been opened and smashed closed. We like to sew the chain and button separately because it makes them a little more secure. Sew around the link several times to make sure that that the chain is securely bound to the brief. Go around the link several times and then knot it on the inside of the brief. Sew the button down with the shank securely inside the link. Check the button to make sure that the insignia on the button is not upside down or cockeyed. You can feel the shank of the button from the back side. Make sure that the shank is securely inside the link. You can feel the hole in the shank through the back side of the brief. Sew through the shank several times making sure the needle and thread goes through the hole of the shank. Then knot it on the inside of the brief.

Something to keep in mind when you measure this chain – the brief is going to stretch out when the dancer puts it on, so you need to make allowance for that stretching. It is highly recommended that you try the brief on the girl to determine what the placement and length of the chain should be. Once you have determined where that chain should be, open up the link and take the excess chain off. Again, make sure that the link is tightly closed up. Repeat the process you used on the other side.