Making Appliques for Dance Costumes

Sequins and beads are common decorations on dance costumes.

Whether your little girl has decided she wants to be a ballerina for Halloween or your teenager is the prima ballerina in your city's top ballet school, you are faced with having to come up with the perfect dance costume. There are scores of online retailers offering dance costumes, but the prices may be outside your budget. Making your own costumes may require some time, but likely will save you a lot of money. Customizing your daughter's costume with appliques you have made yourself will make it even more special.

Basic Materials

You can often use fabric scraps or items left over from larger craft projects to create one-of-a-kind appliques to match your daughter's costume. Select small pieces of a sturdy, tight-weave fabric such as muslin or broadcloth, since these stand up well to the weight of added embellishments. Use seed beads, pearls, sequins or crystals to decorate the applique. These are available in many colors and sizes to match almost any costume. White glue makes an easy stiffener for the completed applique. An embroidery hoop, a very fine sewing needle and some strong thread complete your supply list.

Select Your Applique Design

Lightly trace or draw your desired applique shape on a piece of the fabric. Fasten the fabric into an embroidery hoop to facilitate your work. Do not cut out the fabric until the applique is completed, or it will be difficult to work with. Select the beads, sequins and other embellishments you will use.

Decorating Your Applique

Using the needle -- beading needles work well -- and thread, hand sew the selected embellishments in the desired pattern directly onto the applique shape. It is best to start at one edge so you have a guideline while you are working, and work a row or section of the design at a time. Unless you want the fabric to show through, be sure you completely cover the surface of the applique with beads, sequins, ribbons or other materials. This also will increase the glitziness of the completed applique.

How to Stiffen Your Completed Applique

When you are finished with the decorating stage, leave the fabric in the embroidery hoop and turn the fabric over. Spread a layer of white glue on the back surface of the applique and allow the glue to dry completely. If you want it to be extra stiff, apply additional coats of glue, allowing the glue to dry between coats. The stiffening makes the applique easier to apply to the costume and helps it last longer.

Finishing Your Applique

After the stiffening process is complete, remove the fabric with the completed applique from the hoop. Carefully cut out the applique, using sharp scissors. Cut as close to the edge of the applique as possible, but be careful to avoid cutting into any of the threads used to fasten on the decorations. Use a little glue or fray-preventing treatment if needed to keep the cut edges from fraying. The applique is now ready to be sewn by hand onto the dance costume.