For a while I designed, sewed, and sold my own leotards. Making leotards is fun, but it can be difficult if you're not an experienced seamstress, and you have to have a serger. At one point I had perfected my own leotard pattern (store bought leotard patterns are horrible) and had graded it into multiple sizes. Then they all went down with the ship during Katrina. The ones I've created since haven't been quite the same.
So just to get in a quick, fun project with no sewing involved, I suggest a tie-dye leotard. You end up with a unique creation, and you haven't committed to expensive fabric or frustrating elastic-sewing.
The cost of this project was very low!
- Tie-dye kit $6 ($10 with 40% off coupon).
- Two leotards on clearance at www.dancewearsolutions.com $7.99 each. Can't beat that. And they're lined!
- So I've got two custom leotards, basically at $11 each.
Obviously, if you're purchasing a kit, there will be tie-dye instructions included. But they are not expecting you to dye a leotard, so keep the following in mind:
- Use a cotton/lycra leotard. Do NOT use nylon (that's the thin, cheapy packaged kind in translucent pink from Walmart) or shiny nylon/lycra. (Note: Lycra=spandex) If you can't get a white one, a pale color can also be dyed over.
- Warning: Cotton/lycra leotards are almost always going to be dance-style leotards, not gymnastics-style. There is a difference. The most important difference is leg opening. See the legs of the leo above? Fairly high cut, not really strong elastic. This is because it's a dance leotard meant to be worn with tights. Gymnasts don't wear tights so they need lower cut, heavy duty elastic--or permission to wear shorts over their leotard.
- Because of the lycra (spandex) in the fabric, even though it looks and feels cottony, it will repel the dye. Much like stain-resistant microfiber couch fabric, liquid will bead and roll off, even when the leotard is pre-soaked and damp. So you really have to hold the bottle of dye directly on the fabric and patiently let it soak in. A cotton t-shirt will absorb the dye well enough that you can pour and dribble the dye right over it. If you scrunch up the cotton/lycra leotard in order to make a certain pattern (as I did in the leotard pictured), there will be some parts left white. If you're not okay with this, don't tie up the leotard into a very small bundle as you would with a t-shirt; just keep it loose and apply like you're painting a picture.
