[Note: The weather here just keeps getting colder and colder, and yet my outdoor photo shoot outfits keep getting skimpier and skimpier!]
The Selfish Seamstress has been described as “nitpicky,” so as you can imagine, ballet suits her just fine as a hobby. She is therefore also very picky about her ballet skirts. If you have a perfect ballet body with perfectly long toothpicky ballet legs, you can get away with wearing just about anything to class. The Selfish Seamstress, however, has the short, squat muscular legs of a gynmast and therefore has experimented quite a bit to get the right flattering grown-up skirt for ballet class (for stage, anything goes.)
A ballet skirt for grown-ups can’t be too long – once it starts approaching knee length it it cuts the leg line making you look shorter and prevents the teacher from seeing what you’re doing with your turnout. Also, the privilege of wearing a long skirt is often reserved for the teacher herself. Unlike a ballet skirt for little kids, it can’t be ruffly or gathered or elastic waist. For the Selfish Seamstress, the classic ballet wrap skirt is the only option she’ll consider. And it has to have minimal flare, again to lengthen the lines. So basically it has to be clean and simple and all business, but still pretty and elegant. I’m even skeptical of the floral pattern I used in the skirt pictured above and would much have preferred solid black, but that’s all I had in my stash as I’m not much of a chiffon stasher.
A ballet skirt is just about one of the easiest things you can make (provided you can bear to work with sheers) – one piece and some ribbon and that’s just about it. Nice since they usually run about $25 in a dance store (and never fit and hang the way I want them to!) If you’re going to make one for yourself or for the special dancer in your life (sigh, because some people will never learn), take my advice: polyester. Ballet clothes may look all dainty and delicate, but they are hardcore athletic gear that have to stand up to the rigors of ballet class, which means sweat and a lot of movement. And it’ll be balled up in a ballet bag afterwards with dirty dance shoes and other sweaty clothes, so you want to be able to toss it into the machine or at least do a vigorous hand wash. Silk is a not a good idea.
The pattern for my simple ballet skirt for grown ups is available on my downloads page. It’s tapered to be slightly longer in the back than in the front. It should fit most people, but ballet large is not the same as regular people large so I’ve specified it for XS-M to be on the safe side. If you’re not sure, you can add a few inches through the center and it’ll just wrap a little more. So, here you go, dancers and people who sew for dancers – a pattern the perfect ballet skirt for grown-ups. At least according to the Selfish Seamstress’s nitpicky standards.
P.S. Sigh. Since you asked, yes, you could make this for kids and teens too.
41 comments
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January 30, 2010 at 4:15 pm
knitsnwovens
Thank you! It was something on my “to figure out” list, but I have yet to stem the tide of “need another …” (leo, pair of tights, shoes that fit…) and the one skirt I have seems to be the least of my problems ;). I’ll let you know if the skirt makes it to the top of the list!
January 30, 2010 at 4:25 pm
Love it! Sew it!
You, Elaine, are just about the most unselfish person on the blogosphere. I finally got the hang of the all-in-one facing for the Coffee date dress. Will hopefully finish it now.Thank you so much for all the help.
January 30, 2010 at 9:19 pm
selfishseamstress
Glad the Coffee Date dress is working out for you! Even so, there’s no need for name calling ;) Let me see it when it’s done!
January 30, 2010 at 4:34 pm
Catherine
Nice balance there with the floral, the fit and the purpose. Elegantly executed!
January 30, 2010 at 4:43 pm
Miss Celie
You dance ballet TOO?!?!?! My goal is to go on point before 35 ;) In the summer I’m going to twice a week class to make this happen. I thought I was going to make a skirt too, but just went the H&M route.
January 30, 2010 at 9:23 pm
selfishseamstress
I actually don’t do much pointe anymore these days and take class entirely in soft ballet slippers. My feet still are still misshapen and hideous from the decade and a half when dancing on the tips of my toes seemed like a good idea! But I still have some pointe shoes and thought it would be nice for a picture. Anything for my readers ;)
January 31, 2010 at 11:25 am
Miss Celie
So… when you come to visit me someday we can go to class together? Su-wheet!
February 2, 2010 at 9:34 am
selfishseamstress
Yes yes yes! Ballet followed by pattern shopping. Do you like sushi? Ohhh goody, that will be so much fun!
January 30, 2010 at 8:28 pm
Amy
So, in the spirit of selfishness… I’m showing my daughter who lives and dies for ballet (oh the fabric I could buy with the $$ I spend on classes every month – and the time driving her to and from 3x a week… I could have made every pattern in my stash!)… I’m hoping she will be inspired to make it herself! ;)
January 30, 2010 at 9:24 pm
selfishseamstress
Heehee– starting your daughter’s sewing career off with chiffon, huh? Trial by fire!
January 30, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Dei
Ah, ha! I knew it! I didn’t even bother to read the blog. I knew you danced and now I have confirmation! Oh, the elegant line is always easy to spot…makes clothes look nicer too. The profile pic could have been a hint, but I figured you were having a giddy moment of sewing joy. O.k., next post I’ll read.
January 31, 2010 at 1:34 am
Helen Yu
I love your blog. I have sewed on and off for years ( i.e one dress every 5 years) I get ideas, enthusiasm, make something, don’t wear it because it looks home made, then give up for a few years before trying again. Your guidelines on how to avoid looking becky-home-ecky will actually give me, a beginner, reason to try again! Thanks for the courage!
February 1, 2010 at 1:30 pm
selfishseamstress
Good luck- I hope you put together something you love to wear! Come back and show us what you come up with :)
January 31, 2010 at 1:58 pm
taleoftwovegans
Nice! Will definitely have to try this pattern out as soon as I get my hands on some chiffon.
Ballet nerd alert here: what brand of pointe shoes are those? The colour and shape don’t look like any I’m familiar with.
-K
February 2, 2010 at 9:35 am
selfishseamstress
Hmmm. I think the pair in the photo are Bloch Serenades, but I’m usually a Sansha 202 girl :) Yay ballet nerd!
January 31, 2010 at 6:25 pm
amber
More photos of you en pointe, please. I’ll even be happy with throw back shots. Merci! :)
xoxo,
Your sewing/dancer friend that is still pissed she gave up ballet too early and never made it to toe shoes.
February 1, 2010 at 1:26 pm
selfishseamstress
Oh my, I have no idea where such photos would be! But I will tell you that there are videos of me dancing on YouTube. You just have to find them. And searching on “Selfish Seamstress” won’t help ;)
February 20, 2010 at 6:55 pm
Linda
Thank you so much for the pattern! I just volunteered to make costumes for my childrens’ school play (I know, not very selfish, but maybe it will get me back into sewing again!) and I was assigned five wrap skirts for the ribbon dancers…I was only given a sketch of what they wanted it to look like and I like to sew from a pattern so I was in a panic. But then I found your lovely pattern, made a sample and I think it will be perfect! Many, many thanks.
August 23, 2010 at 10:19 am
Rebecca Jameosn
Thanks for the ballet skirt pattern. I made one for my daughter and the ballet teacher liked it. Now I have been asked to make 40 for the entire company! Do you have any idea as to how I should price the skirts?
August 23, 2010 at 10:51 am
selfishseamstress
*gasp* FORTY?? Sigh. My first instinct is to say “SAY NO OR YOU WILL REGRET IT.” But since I realize that there are a lot of people in the world more generous than I (i.e. everyone) I would just have to say this:
*** A handcrafted, hand-sewn ballet skirt should cost MORE than a mass produced one from a factory. ***
The ballet teacher should NOT think that he/she will get them *cheaper* by getting you to do them, rather than putting in a bulk order through discountdance.com or a similar distributor. Why should custom, handmade garments be cheaper than something that is readily available (and already fairly cheap) mass produced? Why would your free time and skill be worth less than that of someone working in a garment factory? It isn’t. Personally, assuming that each one takes about a half hour to make, I would charge no less than $40 apiece for the labor PLUS the cost of materials. Then again, I wouldn’t take on an order of 40 skirts anyway, so my opinion as to the appropriate cost of such a thing is rather moot :) Also, I’m guessing the ballet teacher would balk if you were to suggest a fee of $1600 + the cost of materials for the skirts, so my opinion is probably doubly useless here.
Good luck with it in any case, and I *am* very glad to hear that the skirt is working out for your daughter :)
September 19, 2010 at 7:12 pm
Pattern Review: Jalie 2105, Ballet Skirt « Miss Celie's Pants
[…] ballet jump. I just wanted a vertical shot If you want to see a beautiful ballet pose, check with The Selfish Seamstress. Who also has a free downloadable ballet skirt […]
October 21, 2010 at 12:20 pm
adultbeginner
Whoa!
You sew for fun but have years of training in ballet; I’ve just started taking ballet for fun but have years of training in pattern making.
It’s like opposite day!
October 13, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Evelyn
Hello Elainemay!
I really appreciate all information and pattern instructions about the ballet skirt. I consider you are a very creative young lady. Thank you
November 1, 2011 at 10:06 am
Anna Bryce
When I printed out the pattern the sample square was a half inch small, I figured it was fine, I’m skinny. *cough* The skirt turned out okay, but I wish I had paid more attention to the size, I think I’ll have to make another one that might fit me better.
Thank you for the pattern though! My own attempts to make a ballet skirt without a pattern weren’t that great. Ballet already costs so much money that it’s nice to be able to make your own clothes. If someone is wondering about making a leotard, here’s the link to where I got the pattern for mine: http://www.patternschool.com/?page_id=306 It took me hours to understand all the terminology and draft the pattern, but it was worth it! I could never find a leo that fit me properly, and always wore as many layers of leggings and skirts as I could get away with. But the leo I made for myself with this pattern fits me perrrrrfectly. Now to make a perrrrfect skirt to go with it. :)
February 20, 2012 at 2:17 pm
T-minus 7 days | Liz: Distracted
[…] procrastinating because I should be working on my presentation) 5.) Finished my ballet skirt using The Selfish Seamstress’s tutorial 6.) Made nanaimo bars 7.) Almost finished a Colette Pattern’s Jasmine shirt 8.) Worked on a […]
February 26, 2012 at 9:26 am
Anonymous
wow that is really really really pretty!!!!!
February 26, 2012 at 2:31 pm
Brianna
hmm im just wondering…. why do we need 2 and a half yards of ribbon. and did yours tie in a bow or something? because it looks like you’re just wearing black elastic.. :) please respond
June 8, 2012 at 3:22 pm
Nicole
I’m just starting ballet and I needed a skirt. I remembered this pattern and finally got around to trying it. I made it a bit bigger, and it took me about 20 minutes. Thank you! It’s great!
June 27, 2012 at 8:56 am
Learning the Hard Way (Again) « Delancey Stewart
[…] is very nice and I thought I could probably handle that). Here’s the beautiful skirt she made: Ballet Skirt for Grownups. She also looks like a very pretty dancer, by the way. ANYWAY, the point is that I made this skirt, […]
June 27, 2012 at 8:57 am
Delancey Stewart
If only I’d listened when you talked about cutting the ribbon the right length. I’m out to try once more tonight. Thank you for sharing the pattern. The length and cut are perfect for me!
September 28, 2012 at 3:26 am
Annette
Thank you- my daughter has been in dance since age 4, and now is taking her character classes and needs a character skirt- a wrap that is to the knee is what the character teacher has told us- I think I can use this and make it a bit longer. I love the pattern , and it is easy and fun to make- and since she is allowed to have color leo and short dance skirts on saturday – she is excited . Since we are in Oregon- she wants yellow leo and green skirt for U of Oregon Ducks colors!
December 6, 2012 at 5:40 am
Ballet Skirt « Sherbet Skies
[…] of pounds on sale, and the waste tie is thick ribbon. I used a template which I found online from The Selfish Seamstress‘ blog, but even though I added length to the template I think I should have gone longer with […]
March 7, 2013 at 2:10 pm
Andrea
I never really get much time to sew, and I just started taking ballet, so this project was perfect for me! I can’t wait to show everyone in my class! Thank you!!
September 7, 2013 at 4:44 pm
drheatherdawn
Thank you, this is perfect and easy to follow, even for a novice like me. I’m very tall, so it’s hard for me to find skirts that fit well. Being long-waisted, I added about 1/2 inch length at the top of the skirt. It worked beautifully.
December 6, 2013 at 11:27 am
KC
Love the pattern! I had to make a skirt for one of my classes I teach for a christmas show and it only took my 10 minutes a skirt (mind you I used a stretch red fabric that doesn’t fray or run I had picked up on a halloween clearance). The skirt hangs beautiful and I am now going to have to whip up a couple for myself!
December 16, 2013 at 9:34 am
Matching Dance Skirt Set Tutorial
[…] 1. Download the awesome, free printable pattern from The Selfish Seamstress’ blog here. […]
February 4, 2014 at 12:05 am
kathy
I love this!! Question, how would I make it larger for a fuller figure woman? I desperately need a ballet skirt for class. Thanks!
May 21, 2014 at 10:32 am
Laura D
Thank you for posting this ballet skirt pattern. Your creativity and willingness to share was so appreciated. Your beautiful skirt pattern worked wonderfully for 10 young ladies who were ‘poppies’ in a Children’s Theatre production of ‘Wizard of Oz’ in Ohio recently. I adjusted the pattern to add a second layer, and was able to find fabric that was the same shade as the green tights I had already found. I’d be happy to send you a photo sometime if you’d like to see how your creativity has taken wings! Thank you!
November 3, 2014 at 5:40 pm
Ballet on a Budget | The Blogging Ballerina
[…] small for their child. This is a way to save significant amounts on dancewear. Some items, such as wrap-around skirts, you can make yourself (if you’re not such a handy sewer, maybe a relative or even a friend from […]
November 14, 2014 at 7:03 am
Nina
Hello. I want to make a red wrap skirt as close as possible to the original “Cassie” skirt from A Chorus Line. If you Google Donna McKechnie you will easily find pictures of her iconic look from the original cast of A Chorus Line. Please help.
February 5, 2015 at 10:02 pm
New skirt – homemade yeah! | Kiwi Ballerina
[…] of my very basic and cheap sewing machine, my old ballet skirt and a little inspiration from the Selfish seamstress I made a skirt. It was a little on the small size but ok for a first go. I admit to not following […]