Costuming Info
Cholis
Coin Bras
Putting It Together
Skirts
Streetwear
Veils
Bloomers
Belts

Skirts

Tiered gathered skirts show up in countless cultures, from Eastern European villages to Navaho hooghans. It is the perfect design to turn hand loom width panels into a graceful dance garment. My version uses dense gathering so the skirt is more than full enough for flourishes and full flight.

How to Choose? Fullness for Flight or Flounce
* Flight!
My 10 yard skirts are the absolute best for full flight- they lift easily and extend for high sustained flight without too much effort (extremely gratifying for the beginner). Rayon and silk are the best fabrics for full flight spins, and a weighted hem takes spinning to a new level!- that's why I call my banded skirts spinning skirts. Extreme spinning is achieved with a heavy mirrored band at the hem. My mirrored skirts inspire special choreography and have thrilled even the most experienced dancers!
Ten yard skirts are full enough for most gypsy skirt work, but not for two handed overhead moves.
*Flounce!
15 yard skirts add just a bit more scope for skirt work and spin almost as well as ten yard skirts ( and even better if worn over or under a10 yard for more loft! )
25 yard skirts are for extreme (two handed and over the head) gypsy skirt work and extensive tucking and general flouncing! As FatChance says they are a delightfully fluffy skirt. They are not so good for full flight however and fly best when worn over a ten yard spinning skirt.

Crossover Uses The short skirts are a surprising cross- over hit for me, I originally designed them for girls, but the adjustable elastic waist fits adults as well as kids, and sure enough- adults were snapping them up at festivals, for teaching ( so students could see their legs),for contra, folk, and salsa dancing , for resort wear,and for wearing around town!
The Silk, cotton and rayon skirts are also appropriate for street and evening ware and garner enthusiastic compliments!
The skirts can be used for many traditional dance and costuming styles. The black cotton skirts are good for Balkan and Armenian costuming as well as historical reenactments, Society of Creative Anachronism costuming and they make a wonderful base for a Renaissance Fair costume. The elastic can be replaced with a draw string for increased historical accuracy

Washing
The cotton 15 and 25-yard skirt can be hand or machine washed gentle cycle, and hung to dry. It can also be dryed in the dryer- but will need touch up ironing to regain its length and flow. Don't clean a skirt unless it gets soiled, because washing will encourage fading and wear and tear!

The cotton gauze ten-yard skirt can be hand washed, cold water, and air dried, but don't clean a skirt unless it gets soiled, because washing will encourage fading and wear and tear. Cotton Gauze acts a bit like permed hair- it can seem to grow, or seem to shrink a bit depending on how it is hung, washed and dried. Follow the washing instruction on the hang tag to keep it the length you ordered- Or you can increase the length to the max. by hanging to dry and judiciously ironing the bottom tier, To decrease the length, machine wash warm and then dry in the dryer. Its like have two or three lengths in one skirt! But again don't overdo it; wear and tear will result from too frequent washing

Rayon Challis Ten Yard Skirts and Rayon Challis Spinning Skirts.--The springiness that makes this fabric so wonderful for twirling also makes it unstable when washed- depending on how it has been finished it may either shrink or relax when washed so dry cleaning is best-- the inexpensive bulk method works just fine.

Silk skirts should be dry cleaned, bulk method, for longest wear, but single color skirts can be hand washed cold, line dry. Dry clean silk spinning skirts to protect against color migration.

Skirts with mirror work need special handling: avoid garment cleaning them as much as possible- if you wear your skirt over bloomers, occasional airing or smoking will keep your mirrored skirt fresh for years and years, occasional careful hand washing is OK but good professional dry cleaning the best way to go if cleaning is needed. To air your garment, literally hang it inside out in the fresh air and sunshine- yes sunshine actually kills bacteria and freshens garments. ( be sure not to overdo, sunshine can also fade and weaken fibers). To Smoke your garment, first form a smoke enclosure from your bathroom or porch (make sure it is a room you can air out later). Hang the garment inside out, set herbs or incense burning- and leave the space enclosed at least an hour or more. Then air the skirt as described above. experiment with different scents and herbs. The smoke has a anti bacterial effect and is suprisingly effective in keeping skirts fresh.

Sizing:
The waist/ hip size for all my dance skirts is determined by the physics of flight! With enough fabric for full extension spins, they fit hips up to 60 inches with an adjustable elastic waist.
Skirt length is an individual decision. It depends on your high/low waist or hips wearing preference and what length you desire for your particular dance style. DO NOT USE YOUR INSEAM MEASUREMENT - IT IS ONLY FOR PANTS NOT SKIRTS!. To measure your skirt length, stand next to a wall or doorway and make a mark on the wall where the top of your skirt will be. Measure from the mark to the floor. This is the length you should order if you want the skirt to be close to the floor. Subtract 1 or 2 inches. If you want the skirt to brush the top of your feet or ankles.

Finishing Tips:
To finish the elastic in the adjustable waist band, cut off excess except for one inch, overlap and sew securely by hand or machine, You can also get by just with the safety pin (many dancers have), but be sure to finish the raw edges so they don't unravel. You can use fray check or a household glue if you are careful.
click here for picture tutorial !

Dancers with a bountiful derriere sometimes shorten just the front of the skirt to even things out - you can do this by just folding the front over and securing with a safty pin at center front- or you can follow the directions below.

If you want to shorten your skirt, do it from the top. It will preserve the skirts purportions, and is a lot less work ( heming 10 yards can get tedious)