Fashion: Making the dress for my Freestyle program

When I started testing Ice Dancing and MITF I asked around what should I wear. I saw a testing session before I even thought of testing, and the skaters were wearing from colorful and full of crystals dresses, to simple black dresses, to leotards with wrap skirts and even black leggings and black athletic jacket. I was advised not to worry about it. Still, I had to wear something...

I was in few group numbers at my ice rink shows and sometimes we had the dresses ordered and twice we had them custom made for the group. Even if the measurements were required and provided, the dresses never fit me properly. It seems I have a long torso. So I didn't feel like investing in a skating dress or even a leotard that probably won't fit. Plus I do sew! For the MITF and Ice Dance tests I've made and wore a black leotard and a black skirt. You can see them here.

I waited to work on a Freestyle program until I was fairly confident in my skating skills and so I would feel that I could express myself a little. Unlike the pattern dances that are performed on music approved by USFSA and MITF that are testes without music, the Freestyle program is choreographed to music chosen by the skater, and I think the costume should fit the music. My music for the Freestyle program is Strange Magic by ELO. And I just had the fabric for it. It is 4 way stretch a beige with light gray kind of tie dye and with a very delicate goldish foil print all over it, like crackles maybe. As many fabrics in my collection, this was a remnant. I had just a little over a yard. I knew I wanted long sleeves and a neck and luckily, as I am a size small I can cut the sleeves from what is left in the middle after cutting the front and the back. I initially thought I'll make the skirt part of the dress straight and with slits on the side. But I ended up having some leftover fabric after I cut the sleeves so I inserted a triangle at the back seems, it gives me a kind of a bustle vibe... I also wanted the back a little longer as I see many skating dresses looking longer in front while skating. My practice skirt in the video of me practicing the program, is in that shape. The fabric seemed just not long enough for the length I wanted in the back. As I wanted to add interest on the upper body anyhow, I choose to add a mesh band just up of the breast and continuing around the sleeves. That will end up being adorned with rhinestones. So I ended up with a design inspired by the 19 century "magic" and by the limited fabric I had.

I expect I'll wear this dress twice. But I like it so much, I was thinking I can cut it at hips and have a skiing blouse. For that reason I decided to line the mesh band at the top and to not cut the skirt at the waist. Instead I added a power mesh lining connected at the decorative mesh seam and at the sleeve seam and that would continue with the panties. For Ice Dancing I wore a regular dress with a bathing suit under, but for Freestyle, the body of the dress would rise when jumping if it's not pulled down by a connected leotard. This "lining" leotard ended up being a challenge because the mesh and panty fabric had different amounts of stretch between them and then the dress fabric. The power mesh was more "power" and less stretch then I expected and the panty fabric I found after 3 trips to 2 different fabric stores (to match the color of the dress), was very stretchy and soft, but a mechanical stretch, it may not have lycra in it at all. It worked in the end...

Now the execution...
Firstly I washed the fabric. I'm used to wash all fabrics. Same of them, like cotton and rayon, wool, silk go "in" after washing so I pre wash everything I know I want to wash as garments. Another reason to pre wash is to remove some "sizing" from the fabrics, that could make them stiffer or not breathable.
Then, I made the pattern. I've already made a leotard pattern from my measurement a while ago, so I've just copied it and cut the bands were the mesh would be, then cut it at waist and added the straight skirt.
Next I've cut the fabric. I have a 2 leaves foldable craft table that is opening to 36 by 36 if I open one side or 36 by 60 if I open both leaves. It is also counter high so it is very comfortable for cutting fabric. I like to cut every single piece of the pattern so I don't have to open the craft table too many times and to realign the fabric edges. This time, as I was using different fabrics (4 different ones) I was afraid I'll end up mixing the pieces, so I decide to cut just what I'll sew next.
I saw the decorative mesh bands with the lining into the front, left back, right back and the sleeves. Then I saw them all together with the power mesh that would be the top of the leotard. The power mesh I didn't saw at the side seams, it would have a seam on it's own and the panties would be added to it. I used a serger and stretch needles.
At this point I could try it on and I had to take in very little at the back near the neck and at the hips.
Now, I had to put in the zipper. This has to be done with the regular machine. That came out very wavy. The fabric is stretchy but the zipper not and the regular machine doesn't have differential feed dogs as the serge has. I wasn't too upset to take it out because anyhow I disliked the color of the zipper. It was camel, should go with gold right? It didn't. I had to pause the project for a few days until I found a better color zipper.
I wanted to try the dress while skating as I was seeing the choreographer coach for the last time and I wanted his approval. It didn't have a zipper and the panties attached but I've made a temporary seam in the back and pull it over my head and wore it over my leggings. It felt good while skating and people said it looked good...
At this point I received the rhinestones that I planed to glue on the mesh parts of the dress. I've got very excited imagining how great they'll look but I couldn't start gluing them because the dress didn't have a zipper yet, and I couldn't saw over the beads (the needle would break when hitting the stones).
I finally bought the zipper and put it in successfully. I had to do a little hand sewing from where the zipper ended to where I could fit the fabric in to start sewing with the serger.
Now I did 4 sessions of gluing crystals. I spent around an hour each time. I had different sizes in both clear and yellow color. I wanted a random look, but you know, you have to plan very carefully "the randomness". First, I put in the two bigger size crystals (that I had a limited number) after I counted and split them in groups to be sure I use the same amount on each part of the dress. I had lots of the  smaller size beads (2 other sizes) so on the next sessions it went somehow faster because I didn't count them, I was just filling in the spots.
I decided to add a mesh cuff with a hole for my thumbs to hold the sleeves down and to repeat the design of the mesh and crystals band on the upper body. I glued the crystals. I think I would like more crystals there, on the back of my hands, so to be continued...
I finally found some fabric for the panties that matched the dress color and put them in. It is a nude color with a yellowish tint. My over the boot thighs are suntan color, hopefully they will have enough contract from the panties.
The only thing left was the bottom seam. At this point I think I'll let it be raw. The only solution I see would be a rolled hem but that will make the bottom a little wavy and I don't want that.

So it took a long long time to make it. This is partly because I used unfamiliar fabrics and because it was a new design and that always requires tweaking. Still, I find the sewing takes way longer then people that don't sew think.