With this first method, we are going to create a skirt by placing boas vertically from dance shorts. The reason you would want to do this is that it creates a nice skirt with lots of movement.

Supplies:

Dance briefs or dance shorts
Boas
Thread to match the boas
Needles
Safety pins
Scissors

Directions:

1. Choosing the Bottom Piece of the Dance Costume

The first step is to pick out your basic piece. You can use dance briefs or shorts or whatever you want. It is totally your preference as to which you want to use. In our sample, we are using high waisted briefs. We have already added rhinestones to the front of the briefs. We chose to add the rhinestones because it provides a cute band to the skirt. Also, it is easier to rhinestone the garment before the skirt is added.

After you have picked out your shorts or briefs, you need to choose your boa. Do you want the boa to be a matching, coordinating or contrasting color?

The wonderful thing about using boas in a vertical position is that they have a lot of bounce and movement to them.

2. Cutting the boa strips

Cut the boas in strips. To determine the length of these strips, it is best if the dancer is wearing the briefs or shorts. Fold the boa in half and place the fold on the shorts or briefs where you want the boas to hang. Before you actually start measuring the length of the proposed boa strips, draw an imaginary line around the hips using erasable seamstress’ chalk or some other medium, mark the shorts or briefs with a horizontal line to use as a guide for placing the boa strips. If you use the high waisted dance briefs, there is a built-in guideline to use when measuring for the skirt length or pinning the skirt. You need to make sure the boa strips are smoothed out so they are not crinkled up so that you can accurately measure the boa strips. Then measure the boa to rest at the length you want the skirt to end. Remember, the boa is folded in half so the actual length of the boa strip will be twice the length of the skirt. It is better if the boa is a little longer than you want the skirt to end up because you can always cut it shorter. However, you don’t want to make it too long because you will be wasting a lot of the boa if you have to cut a lot off.

3. Pinning the Boa to the Shorts or Briefs

When pinning the strips around the briefs or shorts, you must, must make sure the strips are stretched out. Since the boas have no actual give to them, once they are sewn down you cannot stretch them out. When pinning the boas on the shorts or briefs, make sure to use safety pins so that the boas do not come off when the dancer takes the briefs or shorts off.

If you have not already marked a horizontal line on the shorts or briefs before measuring the boa strips, then do so now. Before you actually start pinning the boa to the shorts or briefs, draw an imaginary line around the hips using seamstress’ chalk or some other medium, mark a horizontal line around the hips of the briefs or shorts showing where you want the skirt to start. To begin pinning the boa strips onto the shorts or briefs, fold the strips in half and place the folded end of the boa along that imaginary line on the briefs or short. You can start pinning the strips on either the left side or the right side. The important part is to pin the strip on the hip on one side and then measure to make sure that you pin another strip the same spot on the other side. Then fill in the space between those two strips. In the back, we like to make the strips a little longer to give the skirt a nice shape to the hemline.

4. Sewing the Boa to the Shorts or Briefs

Once the strips have been pinned to the shorts or briefs, check again to make sure the strips are stretched out without any lumps or knots in the strips.

The trick to sewing boas to anything is to sew from behind. If you try to sew from the front, you will just catch all those feathers in the thread and it will be a huge mess. Start with the knot on the inside of the shorts or briefs and then sew from the back. Make sure you catch the string in the center of the boa and not just catch a few feathers. We are using a gold thread on the sample so that you can see the thread. You will want to use thread that matches the boa. Make sure that you stitch over the same place more than one time to make sure that the boa is secure. Another way to do it would be to double the thread on the needle which would, in essence, give you the same strength. Another important thing to remember is that you should knot the thread before and after sewing each boa because you want to make sure the boas do not come off when dancing. However, use scissors to cut the thread and do not use your teeth. Just keep repeating that all the way around.

Once the boa strips have been sewn all the way around the briefs or shorts, have the dancer try them on again. At that time, you can trim the boa strips if you wish.