Making Tutus E-Book

Amanda Hall

• Herausgeber: The Crowood Press
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 240

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Beschreibung

Making Tutus is a practical guide to making these traditional costumes for classical ballet dancers. As with the tutu itself, the book approaches the task in three parts – the tutu plate, the bodice and the decorative sections. It shares the secrets of a leading costume-maker as it explains the challenging task of, on the one hand, creating a light and beautiful ballet outfit suitable for performance and, on the other, making a comfortable and hardwearing costume that suits a character. In doing so, it reveals the extraordinary talent and techniques required by the costume-maker.

Leseprobe

Contents

Introduction

1 Fabrics and Equipment

2 Getting Started

3 The Tutu Plate

4 The Bodice

5 The Second Fitting and Finishing the Bodice

6 Decoration

7 Finishing

8 Extending Your Work and Further Advice

Conclusion

List of Suppliers

Fabric Quantities

Scallops and Points Templates

Index

Introduction

The purpose of this book

This book aims to guide people through the process of constructing a tutu. It came about after teaching tutu-making not only to college students and to parents whose children needed tutus to perform in their dance school productions or in competition, but also to people who sought out private tuition and travelled from all over the world to learn the skill. It became apparent that there was little if any literature on the subject of tutu-making, and this book aims to fill that gap.

Although I work as a costumier for professional companies, I am conscious that this book is likely to be used by students and those making costumes for dance schools or for their own use. The first few chapters illustrate the processes I use to make a tutu and bodice to a standard needed for professional performances. The book assumes you will be making a whole costume, but to make just a tutu plate or a bodice, turn to the relevant section and start there.

Although I have yet to meet someone I couldn’t teach to make a tutu, as a project they are not easy. You will need basic hand and machine sewing skills, tenacity and time. One of the most noticeable differences between a professional and an amateur is speed, but this will improve with practice. If you follow the instructions closely, there is no reason you should not be able to produce a good result.

I trained as a costume-maker and costumes are quite different from fashion. They need to be robust enough to undergo the rigours of performance and they may need altering as a dancer grows or someone else needs to wear them. If costume-making is new to you, there may be some things that surprise you as you follow the instructions.

What is a tutu?

A tutu is the general term for the traditional costume usually worn by female ballet dancers. There are many different styles of tutu plate (the ‘skirt’ section) that have emerged over the years as a result of evolving fashions and advances in fabric technology.

The type of complete ballet costume we are concerned with in this book is made of three separate elements: the tutu plate, the bodice and the decorative sections. These three parts are generally made separately before being assembled into one complete costume.

The tutu plate

The tutu plate itself also consists of three elements:

• a basque, which is made of drill and extends below a waistband which sits on the natural waist. It acts as a carrier for the knicker. It is this area below the waist where the dancer will be supported if they are partnered, and it needs to fit closely. A basque should be 7.5cm deep for the average dancer; if making for a child, the basque should be shallower at around 5cm.

• the knicker, made of cotton bobbinet onto which the nets are stitched.

• the nets, which are generally twelve layers of net on an adult tutu and eight on a child’s, comprising a mixture of stiff and soft net. The top layer is the longest; as the layers descend down the body, they become less deep and shorter, until finally by the knicker leg they are quite shallow at 2.5cm. A net channel to carry a hoop will help with engineering and longevity, and should be added to one of the middle nets. All these layers get a finished edge of either points or scallops and are then pleated to size in preparation for adding to the knicker.

A tutu plate viewed from the underside.

Once this tutu plate is assembled, the layers can be strung with thread to create different shapes:

A plate tutu – also known as a classical, pancake, dinner plate, platter or Russian tutu. These sit quite flat and create the iconic shape people generally bring to mind when they think of a tutu.

A drop tutu – also known as a bell or umbrella tutu, is a softer tutu and hangs in a domed shape.

There is a different type of ballet skirt which sometimes gets confused with a tutu. A romantic or Giselle ballet skirt is a long net skirt that was popularised in the early nineteenth century. They generally consist of around five or six layers of soft tulle and are stitched onto a long basque. They differ from a tutu as they don’t have an integral knicker but are worn with separate frilled pants.

The bodice

The bodice is the upper part of the costume that finishes below the waist on the high hip line, or can end at the waist. It is devised in such a way as to allow the dancer as much movement as possible while still holding enough shape to echo the heavily boned and structured bodices of earlier fashions.

A bodice, this example with a low neckline containing an infill.

The decoration

Decorations tend to be constructed separately to the tutu and bodice sections and are stitched onto their own net bases, which are then applied to the costume before the sections are connected. These decorative elements help to bring the costume together as they often flow from the bodice onto the plate.

The decoration, in this case the bodice embellishment, is sewn onto a net base.

A brief history of the tutu

The tutu is a garment that developed in response to the emergence and increasing popularity of ballet, the classical form of dance which originated in the royal courts during the Italian Renaissance. The art form spread to France with Catherine de Medici and reached its peak at the time of Louis XIV during the seventeenth century. Ballet spread to Russia where it thrived in the nineteenth century and today many countries around the world have national ballet companies.

There were initially no special costumes; embellished traditional court dress was worn until the beginning of the eighteenth century when the skirt hem was raised slightly to display the feet. Towards the end of that century, the image of the female dancer we know today began to emerge as a romantic, feminine ideal.

The design of the tutu has been credited to artist Eugène Lami and Swedish-born dancer Marie Taglioni who first wore it at the premiere of La Sylphide at Paris Opéra Ballet in 1832. Her muslin bell-shaped ballet skirt was shortened to a level which fell halfway between the knee and the ankle, and not only helped portray her character of an ethereal, supernatural being, but also highlighted her feet. Taglioni was the first to dance en pointe and this shorter-style skirt, although shocking at the time, was designed to show off her innovative footwork. These bell-shaped skirts can be seen in the paintings of Edgar Degas. The Italians shortened the skirt further during the 1870s to knee-length.

The increased popularity of pointe work meant a style of tutu began to evolve which was designed to frame the dancer’s movements. Shorter and shorter skirts appeared, and in the 1940s wire hoops were first inserted into channels to enable the skirt to stand out from the hips and create the silhouette most people imagine today when they think of a plate tutu. The fabric for the skirts was originally stiffened tarlatan, then tulle and finally nylon net, which is still in current use.

Barbara Karinska was a Russian-born émigré who moved to New York and gained fame designing and making costumes. Working together with George Balanchine, she formulated a tutu which would not bob and dip, accommodating the fast-paced American style of ballet. Her tutu was shorter and tacked together loosely to create a softer look. It was originally designed for the ballet Symphony in C in 1950 and the popular style, which was copied all over the world, came to be known as a ‘powder puff’ tutu.

Ballet costume today is influenced to an extent by the fashions of the day. Indeed, several fashion designers, including Christian Lacroix, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Jasper Conran and Isaac Mizrahi, have designed for the ballet.

A final note for those new to the craft of tutu-making

It is important to stress that there is no right way to make a tutu – I am constantly learning better or more efficient ways to do things, often thanks to my students. You may find other methods as you go along, so please change them to suit your needs, but I encourage you not to stray too far from the techniques here until you become familiar with them. It is important to stress the need to make everything robust, as a tutu is a costume which will undergo many demands in performance. It should be designed to be comfortable, to be worn without impeding the choreography and to be seen from a distance, with emphasis on this and not how it looks close up.

I teach a wide range of students – some need extra encouragement to be accurate and neat; others fuss over the tiniest mistake. You will have some idea which category you fit into. You should always aim to make everything beautifully, but as a general rule, if you have made an error, ask yourself if it will show on stage. If the answer is yes, then address the problem; if it will not be noticed in the stalls, stop fretting.

If tutu-making is new to you, even if your aim is to make a larger or adult size, I would recommend you start with the child’s plate as you get a quicker result, will learn all the techniques, get some idea if it is within your abilities and, of course, make a child very happy.

CHAPTER 1

Fabrics and Equipment

Making a tutu is a complex project for a beginner. The correct fabrics and haberdashery will help you to achieve a good-quality result and the correct equipment will add to your efficiency. This chapter details the fabrics you will need to make the tutu, the haberdashery required, and finally a list of essential and desirable equipment to complete the garment.

Fabrics

The toile

You will need fabric from which to make a toile. This is a mock-up of the basic bodice and basque pattern in an inexpensive fabric to ensure it fits before cutting into more expensive fabrics. Creating an accurate pattern will also allow you to calculate more precisely the required quantity of fabric. Traditionally a toile would be made from calico, an unbleached cheap cotton which comes in various weights. A medium-weight calico would be ideal, but it is not necessary to buy something specially; similar cotton fabric left over from other projects or even an old sheet could be used.

Examples of calico, an inexpensive fabric used to make a toile.

Cotton bobbinet, a high-quality woven net used to carry the net layers.

Cotton drill, used to make the basque and as a backing to add body to the bodice.

Tutu nets, available in many stiffness ratings and colours.

The tutu plate

Knicker

Cotton bobbinet is used to make the knicker. This is a high-quality woven net fabric which is strong and light, and is used in a double layer to carry the nets. Bobbinet, developed in the nineteenth century, was often used as a base to make corselettes for couture dresses. If you look inside a Dior ballgown, this durable, fine fabric is used as the base onto which the gown is stitched. Although it doesn’t have stretch as such, it certainly has ease in one direction. When cutting the knicker out, this ease will go horizontally around the body, which will help the dancer to get into the costume and provide a little give for a larger size. Bobbinet is available in white, off-white and black, so you may decide to dye it if you are making a coloured tutu. Instructions for dyeing cotton bobbinet can be found in Chapter 8.

Nylon bobbinet is also available. It is cheaper than cotton bobbinet, but much less easy to use: when using it folded double, the layers slip against each other. I would always favour cotton bobbinet as it is stronger and easy to launder.

You may think Lycra would be a good choice for the knicker. However, it should not be used for a professional costume as it will perish over time and the tutu will not have longevity. I have worked on productions where the tutus are still being used 20 years after they were first made. However, you may decide that Lycra suits your purposes; if that is the case, I would recommend using it in a single layer.

Basque

The basque is best made from a good-quality fine cotton drill. White should suit most costumes, but you may prefer to use black if you are making a black or darkcoloured tutu. The style of bodice in this book is cut through the waist and finishes on the high hip line, completely covering the drill basque. If making for a child, a softer, finer cotton, like a cambric or sheeting with a plain weave, would be more suitable.

Tutu nets

Nylon net is used for the main part of the plate. The quality of net varies hugely, but I have suggested some suppliers at the end of the book. When I first started making tutus in the mid 1980s, very stiff net was available which made excellent, long-lasting tutus, but formaldehyde was used in the making process and concerns about its toxicity mean it is no longer available. There are alternative stiff nets on the market, which should be used for your tutu to have any kind of longevity.

For a professional tutu, I would use a combination of stiff and soft net. The stiff net is required to keep the shape of the tutu and the soft net is for added comfort – not only because the stiff net can be scratchy on the tutu wearer’s legs, but also really disagreeable to their partner, especially in lifts. The leg ruffles should always be made from softer net to avoid them being uncomfortable. Due to the depth of an adult tutu, the stiffness rating for a professional tutu should be 40 or higher: failure to use this grade could result in a floppy plate. The stiffness rating for soft net should be around 10, or use a net like baroness tulle.

Some of the suppliers listed at the end of the book tend to work with professional companies and it may be difficult to buy smaller quantities of net from them. It is perfectly possible to make a tutu from net in your local fabric shop, but it is unlikely to stand up to the rigours of prolonged performance. It could work for a young dancer performing short pieces and who is likely to grow quickly, rather than for a tutu for a professional company that is likely to be worn by numerous dancers and to be in the repertoire for over twenty years. Use your judgement to decide which quality of net suits the requirement of your project.

I have never had much success dyeing net. It tends to crumple and it is not possible to get strong colours. Nylon net can be professionally dyed, but be warned that it can lose some of its substance in the process, so purchase it in the desired colour if possible.

The bodice

There are a huge range of textiles that would be suitable for the bodice top fabric. I would recommend a natural fibre like silk or cotton. A dupion or plain weave are especially suitable, but brocades work too. Be aware if your fabric has an obvious design as you may need to buy extra to pattern-match at the seams. If making for a professional dancer, be mindful that any dance partner will be in contact with the fabric, so it is important that it is not slippery, scratchy, beaded or heavily embellished around areas like the waist.

Examples of silk dupion bodice fabrics.

The bodice fabric will be backed with a cotton fabric like the drill used for the basque or similar. This will add strength and body to the costume. It is not necessary to colour-match this to the top fabric: white is fine, or you could use black if the bodice is dark. As for the basque, a finer cotton backing would work better for a child’s costume.

A word on stretch fabrics. Professional dancers are used to rehearsing in comfortable ballet wear, and although for a professional costume I am not generally asked to use stretch fabric for the main part of the bodice, it is possible to cut a discreet panel like the side back from a stretch fabric. This shouldn’t show in the finished bodice but will allow the dancer not to feel too constricted. Use a stretch fabric like a dense satin-backed Lycra, then back it with a conventional nylon Lycra. Sometimes a colour-matched conventional Lycra works well; this will have a shiny side and a matt side, so use the side that matches the top fabric best. If you are working for one of the big ballet companies and they have a printing and dyeing department, it may be possible to use digital printing techniques to copy any design on the main bodice fabric onto the panel fabric.

Sleeve fabric

Depending on the style and design of the sleeve these could be made from the bodice fabric, a soft net or something more diaphanous like chiffon.

Examples of delicate net fabrics suitable for sleeves and decoration.

Minx net, matched to the skin tone of the dancer and used to discreetly add structure to the bodice, for instance to fill in low necklines.

Illusion/minx net/souffle

This fabric is used as a flesh-toned infill, generally for a ‘V’ shape on a low bodice centre front or to extend a bodice neckline. It is generally used in a double layer and can provide modesty, comfort and security for the dancer. It should not show when on stage but blend in with the dancer’s skin tone.

Shrinkage

The fabrics should be pre-washed before the garment is cut out as some textiles will contract by up to 15 per cent when laundered. Wash any fabric that could shrink: the drill backing, bodice fabric and knicker net. Nylon tutu net will not shrink so does not need pre-washing, but the rest of the costume is likely to get sweaty in wear and will need laundering at some point. It is therefore important not to skip this stage; it would be terrible to put so much work into finishing a garment to find it no longer fits after cleaning.

You will need to wash the bodice fabric, even if the manufacturer recommends dry-cleaning. You could hand wash it if it is especially delicate.

Any fancy fabrics containing a metal thread should also be steamed with a steam iron; they can shrink dramatically and it is vital that they contract now rather than under the iron after the garment has been cut out.

Haberdashery

Here are the essential items of haberdashery you should have to hand.

Polyester thread – Coats Astra 120, Gutermann Mara 120 or similar for machine stitching. Choose colours to match both the tutu net and bodice fabric if they are different. If your machine is able to wind a bobbin while sewing, two reels will be useful. This should be used to machine the bodice especially if it is made from stretch fabric.

Cotton thread – Coats Tre Cerchi or similar that is primarily used for hand-sewing. Some people prefer to stitch the bodice together with cotton thread, especially if the bodice is made of a natural fibre. You will need thread which matches the bodice, the tutu, stringing and decoration.

Contrast thread for tacking – any contrast-coloured cotton thread you have in your kit.

25mm-wide millinery Petersham ribbon – this is used for the tutu waistband and is generally white in colour, but use black if you are making a black or dark tutu. Steam to shrink before use.

25mm-wide elastic for the waistband – white or black to match the waistband fabric. Wash or steam to shrink before use.

12mm elastic for shoulder straps – get high-quality elastic, either in a skin tone, or use white and dye it yourself either with a cold-water dye or teabags and hot water. Alternatively, the dancer can cover the straps with their own foundation, a process known as ‘pancaking’, which will create a more accurate skin tone match. Wash or steam to shrink before use.

Elastic shoulder straps can be dyed using cold-water dyes or dipped into a pot of tea. The longer they are left in the tea, the deeper the skin tone that can be achieved.

5mm elastic for the knicker legs – either in white, flesh tone or black. Wash or steam to shrink before use.

Corset hooks and bars – these large hooks will keep the waistband closed.

The upper image shows corset hooks, which are used on the waistband. The lower image shows size 3 hooks and bars.

Size 3 dress hooks and bars – these are small fastenings which close the centre back of the bodice. Although the hooks are easy to buy in either a nickel finish or black-coated brass, the bar or loop element is increasingly hard to purchase as manufacturers have replaced them with eyes. There is a list of stockists at the back of the book, or you could ask older relatives who may have a stash not realising their value. The metal fastenings are essential for a professional costume, but a bar made from thread covered with buttonhole stitch or a chain stitch could work for a non-professional costume.

12mm cotton bias binding – white or black for the bottom of the basque and matching the colour of the knicker, or flesh-coloured for the knicker legs.

Narrow ribbon for hanging tapes – this can be India tape, ribbon or similar.

Size 00 cotton piping cord – this fine piping cord is the perfect scale for a costume. It is used to finish the top and bottom edges of the bodice and for decoratively piped seams. Pre-shrink it before use by washing it in hot water.

7mm plastic-covered or cotton-covered steelboning – this is used for the tutu hoop on a professional costume and is easily cut by folding it over and snapping the fold with pressure from pliers.

Or:

7mm plastic boning – this can also be used for the tutu hoop and would be suitable for a child or young adult’s costume. It can be cut with paper or kitchen scissors. Occasionally, I have used both types of boning in the channel – the plastic boning seems to stop the metal from bending out of shape so readily which is especially useful if there is a lot of partnering in the choreography.

7mm spiral boning – the bodice does not generally need boning, but if the centre front needs a bone to stay taught, or the dancer has a large bust, spiral boning will provide strength and flexibility. Spiral corset boning is made from two coils of steel wire that are flattened together. It is available already cut to length, or you may need to cut it using wire cutters. As it is constructed with two filaments of wire, it is easier to snip through each one separately rather than attempting to cut straight across. If left with a sharp, pointed edge, snip again closer to the core of the bone and then finish the ends. This should be done with the equivalent-size metal bone cap and two pairs of pliers, one of which should be dolphin-nosed – a pair of tweezers may suffice. Slot the cap onto the end of the bone and clamp in place, then use the pliers to clamp down the cap. This may need several attempts, but if it is correctly in place, it should be quite secure.

Examples of spiral boning used for the bodice, steel boning and plastic boning used for the tutu plate hoop. Pliers are needed to snip through the spiral boning.

Zinc oxide tape – to close the tutu hoop.

Equipment

Here is a list of essential basic equipment followed by a list of desirable items which will help in creating a professional result.

Basic equipment

Sewing machine – you will need a domestic sewing machine with a swing needle: that is, one which is capable of stitching both a straight stitch and a zigzag stitch. These stitches will need to be easily adjustable in both length and width. It is quite likely that your machine has many further stitch options, but you will not need them for this project. My personal favourite machine is a Swiss-made Bernina. It has a metal casing, which means it has a good overall weight and will not shift about on the table like many modern machines. It also has an easily detachable table and the added advantage that the needle can be moved into five different positions. Although you can make a costume on an industrial machine, it is less easy to control when pleating the nets and it is an advantage for certain processes to use the free arm you get on a domestic machine.

Sewing machine needles – you will need a good supply of regular machine needles: a standard size 12 or 80 should be suitable for most of the fabrics you will use.

Sewing machine zipper foot – you will need a regular foot for most of the project. A zipper foot is useful for making the piping.

Dressmaking shears – these should only be used for cutting fabrics. They should have blades which are around 25cm long. There are many different makes available, but they don’t need to be expensive. Some manufacturers also offer a scissor sharpener, which is useful for keeping the cutting edge honed.

Paper scissors – these are used for pattern-making and cutting the net edges. Net can blunt scissors, especially when cutting several layers of net at once.

Small embroidery scissors – these are used at the sewing machine for cutting threads and for hand-sewing.

Dressmaking pins – these are used for pinning the paper pattern onto the fabrics and for pinning the costume together in preparation for sewing the fabric pieces together. Fine, long nickel pins are most suitable as they will glide easily through the fabric.

Glass or plastic-headed pins – these are used for the tutu; once the plate begins to take shape, ordinary dressmaking pins become very difficult to see in the pleated nets. The coloured heads of these pins make them much easier to spot.

Safety pins of various sizes – you should have a good number of medium-sized safety pins for general use and fittings, small ones to feed the leg elastics through the knicker leg, and a large one to aid feeding the hoop through the net channel.

Tape measure – the ideal measure has both metric and imperial measurements on both sides. Each unit has its merits and I often switch between the two depending on the process I am carrying out.

Pencil – I favour a mechanical pencil, which is especially useful when pattern-drafting. However, a conventional HB pencil is good to draft with and you will need a softer one if you use it to mark the net edges. These pencils will need regular sharpening.

White chalk pencil – this is useful for marking dark fabrics.

Vanishing fabric marker – these felt-tip pens mark textiles and then vanish over time and are available from specialist suppliers. Always test on the fabric you are using as they last varying lengths of time and they may vanish too quickly for your use. Friction pens are available from conventional stationers, and come in a variety of colours. They can be erased from fabric with steam, but again test on the fabric before using them, as they have a hard tip and can damage delicate textiles.

Examples of fabric markers including mechanical pencils, friction pens and a vanishing fabric marker pen.

Ruler – this is used to draft patterns. A 30cm plastic ruler is best, and the specialist pattern-making version, which is flexible and inscribed with horizontal marks to aid with marking seam allowances, is ideal.

Metre rule – this is used to mark out the net in preparation for cutting out.

Dressmaker’s carbon paper – one of the big differences between fashion/home dressmaking and costume-making is the seam allowances. In costume-making we need to make sure we can alter a costume to fit a different or growing performer. To this end different-sized seam allowances are marked throughout the garment, but the original pattern shape needs to be marked with waxy carbon paper. It is made by several manufacturers, but I favour the one made by Burda. I like to use the yellow paper on a white garment as it is discreet but still visible.

Dressmaker’s carbon paper is available in many different qualities and colours. Choose a contrast colour which will show up on your fabric.

Dressmaker’s tracing wheels