Best Skating Costumes?

The last post was about the worst skating costumes. So which ones are the best? Answer: the ones I sew for my kids, of course! :-) Seriously speaking, I'm not all that good at sewing. I can only do simple patterns and it's best not to look too closely at the seams and edges. However, it is nice being able to make a dress rather than rely on the small selection at the shops or pay for a custom dress.

The photo at the left is from Julia's 2006 club competition. This dress is the first one I'd made and it has all kinds of flaws but it is my favourite. Julia has the right colouring for this dress; if I try to wear orange, I end up looking like I'm dressed for a Halloween party. The pattern is from Jalie, which specializes in patterns for athletic clothing. The pattern had cost $13 and the materials $20, which is a terrific savings given that most off-the-rack skating dresses cost $100 each. I bought the fabric from Ann's Fabric Shop in Hamilton, which carries a huge variety of hard-to-find dance and skating fabrics.

I've bought other patterns, and I've made dresses from a couple of them. However, Julia liked this pattern so much I made her a second dress from it, in a different fabric, and now she wants to use the same design for her next dress. That makes the sewing easier for me, but the downside is that the coaches and other parents will think that I only know how to sew one kind of dress!