The Sewing Place

Strictly sewing

Marniesews

Strictly sewing
« on: November 17, 2019, 23:15:57 PM »
I was reading the post in The Cafe and all their enthusiasm about the competition when it occurred to me that I don't recall posts here specifically about the dresses although I'm sure I can't be the only only who has one eye on the footwork and the other on the seams. I might just be forgetful of course.

I dare say most people here who watch have picked up on DSI-London being the maker of all the dresses but that wasn't the case when it first started. The professionals chose their favourite makers (Erin Boag championed DSI as I recall) but other companies like Chrisanne were also involved until DSI eventually got the contract to make them all. Their shoes are made by IDS (International Dance Shoes) based in Milton Keynes and incidentally my DGD's favourite too.

I'm off on yet another tour  :| of the DSI workrooms tomorrow, I doubt the Blackpool dresses will be back on show but the previous ones should be there. I'm taking another ballroom sewing friend who's never been before and visiting the Chrisanne showroom (1st visit for me too) in the morning this time so I'm really keen to compare the two within hours of each other. I'll be peering up skirts and down bodices as much as I can! :o I've been on the DSI tour twice before but my list of questions is the longest so far. I suppose the more you learn, the more you realise you don't know yet.

If anyone has a specific question they'd like me to ask at DSI...just reply here. I'll check at 1.45 just before it starts.

And my own question to you is: which of the dresses this season (or previously) has really made an impact with you for good or ill and why? Many of the current and past dresses are for sale on their website if you need a reminder.
Hopefully back more regularly! Ballroom sewing may be permanently paused but bag making is the current focus.

Sandra

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2019, 09:49:39 AM »
There are so many dresses which have grabbed my attention, but the dress which immediately springs to mind for me was Catherine's dress she wore for her tango to 'Little Bird'.  <3
It was gorgeous. Such a pretty colour and we oohed and aahed when we saw it.

Another one we liked was Amy's dress from last weeks Viennese waltz...it just moved so beautifully as she danced.  :loveit:

I loved all the dresses worn in the group dance in last nights show. Lots of lovely big foofy petticoats.  0_0

I've got no dance background. No dance dress-making experience. I simply enjoy looking at all the pretty dresses and wonder how they're made.  :)

The dancers sweat buckets after their routines. I often wonder how on earth they launder the garments.  -< What do they use? They clearly can't simply stuff many of these into a washing machine and hope for the best.

Have a lovely day out. I remember when you went last year.  :)

Sandra.
xxx

Sewingsue

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2019, 09:53:28 AM »

The dancers sweat buckets after their routines. I often wonder how on earth they launder the garments.  -< What do they use? They clearly can't simply stuff many of these into a washing machine and hope for the best.

Have a lovely day out. I remember when you went last year.  :)

Sandra.
xxx
And don't forget the transfer of fake tan and other make up.

Is it me or did some of them go a bit overboard with the fake tan at Blackpool?
Bernina Aurora 440QE, Brother BC-2500, Singer 99K (1938), Juki MO-654DE overlocker, Silver Viscount 620D overlocker.

Sandra

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2019, 10:11:43 AM »
Good point Sewingsue.

I sometimes alter prom dresses and I'm surprised by how many of them say...Do Not Wash. Do Not Dry Clean. Don't do anything really. Just wear them and ?
What?

I know they're not designed for heaps of wear but they're expensive to buy and I'd like to think they could be laundered in some way.

Sometimes I alter some which have been worn before and, yes. Smeared in fake tan and make-up. Perspiration marks...etc.
Perspiration can rot fabrics if left.

Sandra.
xxx

Sewingforfun

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #4 on: November 18, 2019, 19:16:07 PM »
@Marniesews - lucky you to go again! We had such fun last year.

I loved Amy's Viennese waltz dress from last week, too. I really want it, or something similar, although I think maybe not in silver. Fine if you are 20 something, but it's a bit "old lady" for the Over 50s group!! I'm thinking properly hot pink ....

And @Sandra - they wash surprisingly well if done carefully. They are basically lycra and mesh bathing suits with synthetic chiffon or organza skirts and glued on stones. All the materials are nylons or polyesters, no fancy silks or anything that needs much pressing.  I hand wash mine, but lots of people put them in the washer!  If you dry clean them, all the stones will come off.

DSI has a Strictly blog that gets up close to some of the frocks, and most of them are also for sale on their website.
Dancing too much and trying to remember sewing is for fun! Used to be CarolC.

Sandra

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #5 on: November 18, 2019, 20:34:24 PM »

And @Sandra - they wash surprisingly well if done carefully. They are basically lycra and mesh bathing suits with synthetic chiffon or organza skirts and glued on stones. All the materials are nylons or polyesters, no fancy silks or anything that needs much pressing.  I hand wash mine, but lots of people put them in the washer!  If you dry clean them, all the stones will come off.

Ah...I see.  0_0  I hadn't thought of them like that.

Yes. Dry cleaning and glue...bad idea.  :S
I worked at a dry cleaners in the early 90's and there was an ongoing claim from a lady who'd left her wedding dress to be cleaned. The label had said it was dry clean only, but there were a lot of trims attached...like little fans?  -<...( Strange, I know. It was the early 90's)...and they were all glued on.

Well they were until they'd been dry cleaned.  :o

So would the heavily beaded/fringed ones hand wash too? They look heavy. They'd be even heavier when wet.

Sandra.
xxx

Marniesews

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2019, 00:44:16 AM »
Oh yes, @Sewingforfun and I saw the Strictly washing machine on the tour last year but it wasn't so visible this time behind piles of stuff that had built up during the Blackpool madness! It's just a front loader. They stick them in a bag and chuck them in on a gentle wash cycle. You may lose a few stones here and there but nothing that can't be re-stuck.

The power of dry cleaning can be a great thing @Sandra when you want to recover expensive rhinestones from a discarded dress of course.

I think we had the best introductory talk of the three I've now seen with interesting info about Vicky Gill's backstory that was new to me. We didn't get to go through a big rail of the season's dresses to date this time, instead, some were brought out for inspection and some more to try on. Fortunately two of them were the ones I'd really hoped to see:

-- Saffron's waltz dress with red embroidered flowers – I wanted to check the skirt profile and underskirt construction  (similar to the ones we saw last year sewingforfun but the crin configuration was different – more beefed up). Made in 8 straight panels with narrow godets for the gentle flare (lycra leotard then mesh above the waist down to the underskirt seam while the embroidered tulle skirt with underlying nude georgette was zigzagged on under the bust at the front and angled around the back neck. Only 2 underskirt layers but with three rows of wide crin deeply tucked to kick it out, 2 on the upper underskirt and 1 on the lower layer.

-- Oti's Viennese Waltz dress with all the draped strings of beads – for the beads (not beads at all but actually flatback rhinestones stuck back to back either side of a thin rolled strip of mesh sewn to the thickness of buttonhole thread) and an interesting construction for extra bust support (crossed straps over the sternum and two layers of elastic tightly holding the bottom of the bra ups together so the bust couldn't slip below them). I'll be trying all that I suspect.

Amy's waltz dress was there, I did get to see it but didn't get a photograph I'm afraid. It was a lovely soft steely blue in real life I'd say and so very silky! Sadly we didn't see Catherine's tango dress with its huge depth of large feathers. I suspect they might have been concerned about the likely damage from people trying that one on. Several people did but I didn't this time - too busy studying the details.

I'll put my photos on here in a day or two as we've another trip to London on Wednesday (hopefully including a flying visit to scope out Woolcrest Textiles on the way to a joint birthday treat for hubby and a friend). I will share some of the new titbits of Strictly info that I picked up this time.
Hopefully back more regularly! Ballroom sewing may be permanently paused but bag making is the current focus.

Roger

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #7 on: November 19, 2019, 09:31:43 AM »
With belly dance kit, that is often heavily adorned and handmade - apparently the preferred freshening techniques are - throwing it in a freezer overnight or spritzing with a mix of water and vodka...
A bit of a vintage sewing machine nut! Singers: 500a, 401g, 48k Elnas: lotus SP & grasshopper, Bernina 530-2 F+R 504, Pfaff 30, Cresta T-132

Sewingforfun

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #8 on: November 19, 2019, 15:02:41 PM »
I've used vodka! I have a vintage-wearing friend who swears by that and freezing for delicate garments.

There's not much hand work on ballroom and Latin dresses, it really is all mostly glued on rhinestones. The fringe washes surprisingly well, but I do wonder about the new fashion for feathers everywhere!

@Sandra if you are interested and can get to Croydon in South London, DSI has lots more "Behind the Seams" tour dates going into March of next year. See here. It is really genuinely very interesting. 
Dancing too much and trying to remember sewing is for fun! Used to be CarolC.

smileabit

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #9 on: November 19, 2019, 16:04:47 PM »
Thanks for these updates! looking forward to the photos. I am definitely in a psych-myself-up-to-make-my-own-standard-dress mode, and the more information I have the better! 
sewing for ballet, gymnastics, and ballroom

Sandra

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #10 on: November 19, 2019, 16:16:58 PM »
Not sure that I'll ever make the visit to DSI. It's difficult for me to get there. I don't drive.

Thanks for all the information though. It's really interesting.  :)

Sandra.
xxx

Lollipop

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #11 on: November 19, 2019, 20:17:55 PM »
Oh @Marniesews  you are going again, how lovely. They will be inviting you to the Christmas party  0_0

I really need to make the pilgrimage to Croyden and have noticed there is a tour on my birthday!! :D
Was Sewnanny

Marniesews

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #12 on: November 20, 2019, 00:21:43 AM »
I really need to make the pilgrimage to Croyden and have noticed there is a tour on my birthday!! :D
You definitely should @Lollipop! It generally starts at 2pm (only the odd one starts at 11am) so you've time to get there without leaving home at some ungodly hour and it's not difficult to get to as long as you can cope with a 15min walk from the Therapia Lane tram stop (on the line to Wimbledon to the DSI premises). We're fortunate that our local line has a service to Horsham that stops at East Croyden, there's a tram stop just outside.

We actually did the double this time and got in early enough to pop into Chrisanne Clover beforehand (my first visit there) - just a few stops further on the tram. More of that in my post on Thursday (hopefully).
« Last Edit: November 20, 2019, 00:26:23 AM by Marniesews »
Hopefully back more regularly! Ballroom sewing may be permanently paused but bag making is the current focus.

Sewingforfun

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #13 on: November 20, 2019, 14:24:16 PM »
I really need to make the pilgrimage to Croyden and have noticed there is a tour on my birthday!! :D

@Lollipop - which day is your birthday? There is a tour on mine, too (13 January). I'd happily go again, so perhaps we should treat ourselves to a birthday outing! I don't think it's even as far as 15 minutes to the tram, 5 more like, and the there are lots of them, and also buses.
Dancing too much and trying to remember sewing is for fun! Used to be CarolC.

MitchOfTheNorth

Re: Strictly sewing
« Reply #14 on: November 21, 2019, 08:11:39 AM »
Apparently, vodka is used for tutus as well.  Dry cleaning destroyed the Sugar Plum tutu - it was stretch & after a couple of cleanings just became stretched.
Stashbusting 2022
Goal:  50 meters
Total:  32.5 meters