How to Wash Those Tights!

My tights are getting scuzzy, but how do we remedy this situation? Well, there are several ways to do this. I can either wash it buy hand or put it in the washing machine. With the machine, though, I would have to put it on a delicate setting and put it in a lingerie bag. Though any bag would work, such as a pillowcase, I decided to conserve energy and soak them in the sink and then wash them by hand.

First, I recommend you turn your tights inside out. Also, make sure that the sink is completely clean.

Next, I fill the sink with semi-warm water. Water that is too hot may damage the delicate fabrics used in quality tights, and we want to keep their life as long as possible. By soaking our tights in the sink, we avoid stretching and tearing the fabric; a machine without a lingerie bag is harsher on tights during the cycle. Pour a little bit of detergent into the sink. If you have detergent for delicate fabrics, I would use that. If you don't, regular detergent worked well for me, so it could work for you, too.

I wouldn't recommend fabric softener. I was speaking with a lady about delicate fabrics, especially stretchy ones, and she said that softener will take the life out of these fabrics faster than if you abstained from softener.

Let the tights soak for a little bit. Make sure to scrunch the tights in the water to release air bubbles and so that the water completely saturates the tights. I let my tights sit a little bit in the water before scrubbing them.

I'm balancing the camera underneath my chin here :)

I took the fabric in between my knuckles and rubbed my knuckles across the tights. I tried to get the high maintenance areas such as the feet, ankles, and crotch area. I then let it soak for a tad longer before rubbing it a little bit more between my knuckles.

*Be sure* to use your knuckles like an old scrubbing board. The knuckles provide a friction. You don't want to poke your fingers through the fabric too far. The fabric could be stretched out of shape. Though you would be able to do this when it's dry, it's not a good idea at all when it's wet. Also, be careful you don't have any hangnails, rough nail edges, or jewelry. We don't want them to snag on the fabric!

 YES!   --------------------------------------------  NO!

After the soak, I drained the sink and refilled it with fresh, lukewarm water. I swished the tights around in the water and squeezed it to get the soap out. I rubbed the tights again with my knuckles. I drained the water again and repeated the last step. By this time, the water didn't have any suds. Repeat swishing the tights in water until all the soap disappears. You should also be able to get more dirt out of the tights if you wash it a couple times.

Once the tights have no more dirt or soap, it's time to let them dry. Again, I wouldn't use a dryer because it's rough and will probably be too hot for the delicate fabrics. The tights could easily dry outside on a wire or just hanging from anything. I used my shower head.

It will take awhile to dry completely, so it's a good idea to wash them when you know you won't need them for at least six hours. Mine didn't take that long to dry, but it's a safe bet.

As you can see, though I did a pretty good job scrubbing, I couldn't get all of the dirt out of the high traffic areas like the feet (no, I didn't mean my crotch was a high traffic area, hahaha! PS: my tight's crotch is, indeed, perfectly clean). But the rest of my tights look great! So there you have it! Hope this helps!

Leotard!

UPDATE: Why is this post so popular?! This isn't even a flattering picture of me! UGH

Ignore my messy hair (I had to jump back in time since the camera was on a short timer) but there's the finished product! For this leotard, I used the spandex Lycra from Distinctive Fabrics and the Jalie pattern for the leotard. Overall, it looks really good! I made some alterations and have suggestions for future alterations.

Alterations I made:
I made the butt coverage a bit more and also lowered how high the cut was on the thigh. I wish I made more butt coverage and more hip coverage so I could wear underwear with my leotard. Also, I did not put elastic on the leg openings (I did on the neck opening and I highly recommend you do the same) because the fabric there already fit rather nicely; plus, I don't want the elastic to cut into my skin. The fabric also is rather unforgiving, so you don't want to make too many mistakes or sew it too much because it'll stretch a bit and start curling.

Future alterations:
More hip and butt coverage and to increase the size of the sleeves. The sleeves are a tad too tight for my liking, but not too bad. They actually just might stretch a bit with wear.

Spandex Lycra:
I only recommend you use this fabric if you're a seasoned sewer. If you have to use the seam ripper often when you sew, don't use this. It's hard to pick out the thread and when you do, you will sometimes pluck the fabric. Also, even if you don't pluck the fabric, it'll still leave holes. This fabric is also super stretchy and if you aren't used to sewing stretch fabrics, this will be very hard and you might end up with uneven seams and wavy edges.

This fabric does make a great leotard. I took it on its maiden voyage today in class and it held up well. It's stretchy, easy to put on, but it can also get a little warm. I would not recommend this for the unitard unless you want it to double as a warmer.


Next I will make a leotard out of the cotton Lycra. We'll see how it goes!

Capezio Website Still Down... AND Sizing Advice

The official site for Capezio is still down. It's been down for a couple months now. This means that you still can't order directly from their site! Here are the best sites I found for purchasing Capezio brands at a lower cost AND are actually available for purchase:

Amazon's Capezio Dance Store
Discount Dance Supplies

I have ordered from both of these stores and they both deliver on time and accurately. Though I have not purchased from them, there's also:

Zappos
Capezio Dancewear (I have no idea what the difference is between this link and the Capeziodance.com link)
6 PM

BUT.

And here's a huge BUT. Capezio's shoe sizes are wacked up. They say to order your street shoe size, but really, you should order half a size to a full size larger. Materials in the shoe also should be taken into consideration. I find leather stretches more and molds better to your foot than canvas. I recommend a half shoe size larger if you're buying leather, and an entire shoe size larger if they are canvas. Ultimately, you should get your feet fitted for new shoes, but if you're desperate (trust me, I know the feeling) then I recommend you start there.

Also, do not sew the elastic on or cut it in anyway. The shoe should fit like a sock. No toes should be curled in the front of the foot. The heel should be comfortably in the back. You can tighten the elastic a little, but it shouldn't need too much coaxing. If you alter the shoe, you cannot return it to try a different size, so don't think that fixing the elastic and such will correct any errors. If you still are unsure if the shoes are not the correct size, try going into relevé and try a couple sauté. If your feet feel tired or ache, they are probably too tight. If your shoes feel as if they are going to come off, they are loose. Just take good judgment when choosing a shoe and listen to your feet.

Capezio tights, on the other hand, are pretty much spot on. Since they are tights, there's always room for stretching and such, so it's not as big of a disaster as when you buy the wrong size of shoes. I bought the transition tights from Capezio in a size S/M. This size is perfect for me. The sizing chart on the back is accurate in my opinion so make sure to check it before you buy.

Picture of the back. I find this accurate sizing.

Though I have not tried Capezio's dancewear, Discount Dance is running a special on selected leotards. If they are unavailable on their website, check the Amazon link. This is also supported by Discount Dance and I sometimes find they have different items available.