Adding boas to the bottom of the skirt will give it a very individual, cutesy, bouncy effect. If that is what you are looking for, then this is the skirt for you.
Supplies:
- Dance skirt
- Boas
- Thread to match boas
- Needles
- Straight Pins
- Scissors
Directions:
Choosing the type of skirt you want
As with the prior method, the first step is to pick out your basic pieces. Do you want a circle skirt so that you have lots of movement or do you want a straight skirt so you have more of a fitted look? Once that decision is made, you will have your base. Next, choose the color you want for the boa. The boa could match the skirt or contrast with the skirt. Take the skirt with you to the fabric store to determine which color boa you want. This also makes it easier to choose whether you want a thick boa or a narrow boa. Play with the different boas to determine which color and thickness you like best for the boa. As you can see on our sample, the narrow white boa on a red circle skirt makes a great little “Santa’s Helper” skirt.
We have chosen a red circle skirt and a narrow, pink boa for our sample. This method works great for a circle skirt.
Pinning the Boa to the Skirt
Before you pin the boa to the skirt, have the dancer try the skirt on. You need to make sure the skirt is the proper length because you will not be able to shorten the skirt once the boa has been sewn to the skirt. You want to make sure that you pin the boa smoothly on the skirt so that the boa does not pucker away from the skirt or it does not droop from the skirt but also, you do not pull the boa too tightly which would cause the skirt hemline to pucker. So, you want to carefully pin the boa around the hem of the skirt. You are going to use a lot more boa on a circle skirt than you realize. Just keep pinning the boa onto the skirt until you go all around the skirt.
Sewing the Boa to the Skirt
If you are comfortable with sewing, you could sew the skirt without pinning the boa down all the way. However, you need to be a fairly competent sewer for that. The circle skirt is one of the simplest skirts on which to sew the boa. As you sew the boa onto the skirt, turn the hem under and stitch it down as you go. Make sure you catch the thread that runs through the center of the boa as you go. Also, make a knot on the inside of the skirt every few stitches so that in case the thread breaks, the boa will not end up hanging. Another hint that we use is to double the thread on the needle so that you have, in essence, four strings of thread.
