Sprucing up my Standard gown - sewing questions!

Sandra Rutherford said:
The finer tulle that is soft to touch.
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So I talked to one of our pros who loves to have tulle skirts. She is a standard dancer no smooth. She said 3 layers of tulle is the minimum and then it should be lined with something like chiffon. I would gather the layers and attach them to an elastic band then attach the elastic band to the body suit. You would need to cover the band later with lace or stones. Here she is.
annastayia.jpg
 
At 14:33, Loraine Barry, in the UK Amateur Ballroom championship in 1988, wearing a lovely gown with a tulle skirt. For some reason, it seems softer than any I've seen recently, and moves beautifully. (also, Andrew Sinkinson with hair!)
 
You see Loraine and Andrew at 14.26 min on the floor alone. I think there are several layers of something else under a few layers of tulle. Not sure what they put underneath. As I said above one of the dance teachers who likes these kinds of dresses said chiffon underneath.

Note however, that tulle dresses always seem to be a little shorter!
 
I think it's a combination of the fact that it's fewer layers of tulle over an opaque fabric and it's longer which makes it drape more. A shorter tulle skirt will stick out more as it doesn't have as much weight to pull it down.
 
j_alexandra said:
At 14:33, Loraine Barry, in the UK Amateur Ballroom championship in 1988, wearing a lovely gown with a tulle skirt. For some reason, it seems softer than any I've seen recently, and moves beautifully. (also, Andrew Sinkinson with hair!)
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Fun little hijack story: I was running judges' sheets at a competition recently, and during one of the awards breaks, Loraine came to sit with my fellow runner and me at our table. The other runner only very recently started dancing ballroom, so Loraine asked him what style he liked the best, and he said ballroom. I quipped that that was the right answer, given who he's talking to, and Loraine smiled a bit and went, "Oh, so you know who I am?" ... Yes. Yes, I think it's very safe to say that. Such a lovely, warm person and wonderful to chat with. </hijack>
 
dlliba10 said:
Fun little hijack story: I was running judges' sheets at a competition recently, and during one of the awards breaks, Loraine came to sit with my fellow runner and me at our table. The other runner only very recently started dancing ballroom, so Loraine asked him what style he liked the best, and he said ballroom. I quipped that that was the right answer, given who he's talking to, and Loraine smiled a bit and went, "Oh, so you know who I am?" ... Yes. Yes, I think it's very safe to say that. Such a lovely, warm person and wonderful to chat with. </hijack>
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Continuing the hijack: what have things come to, that LORAINE BARRY wondered if you knew who she is.

BOT, more old-skool tulle:
 
Thanks all! Still unsure whether I will do a tulle skirt or not...it seems tricky to get the volume without the bulk. May do a tulle overlay or something.
 
Tulle overlay sounds like the way to go if you want the tulle look without the bulk of multiple layers of tulle.

Also, seems to me volume and bulk are pretty much the same thing here...
 
mindputtee said:
Well, you can have a voluminous skirt that is light and airy and is projected out by the hem, like a hoop skirt but softer which I would consider voluminous but not bulky.
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Yup. I've seen some super stiff tutus (classical, I think, but I always forget the difference) that fall into the same category of voluminous but not bulky.
 
mindputtee said:
Well, you can have a voluminous skirt that is light and airy and is projected out by the hem, like a hoop skirt but softer which I would consider voluminous but not bulky.
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I have just finished making a ballroom version of a pettiskirt (search "making a pettiskirt") - but rather than the layer closest to the waist being doubled over onto elastic, I used the same 4 point pattern as the overskirt, added the godets so they hit the bottom of the points (about mid thigh), and then gathered a doubled strip onto that, and then gathered doubled strips onto each of those layers, followed by ruffles of chiffon ribbon on all 4 bottom edges. It looks as if it has worked ok, and since it is only one layer around the waist it isn't bulky where you don't want it to be, but suitability bouncy and full where you do. It supports the outer skirt nicely. This one was in chiffon, but I will be trying an organza one next... I have ordered a dress form, so will post photos once it gets here. Voluminous, light and airy.
 
SwingingAlong said:
Found this today. Might be helpful if you are still making a tulle skirt!
http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/43955/how-to-cut-and-hem-a-tulle-skirt/page/all
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Note she says "Alternatively, the skirt can be cut in an "A" shape, with some of the fullness removed from waist to hip." So the pattern must have two ways to cut the tulle.

I thought the video (Andrea's video tutorial on arm mobility.) was super interesting. The final sleeve was starting to look more like a dance dress sleeve but for mechanical fabric like cotton. Walking the pattern was a nice technique to make sure the sleeve pattern fits.
 
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