“I’m a self-taught seamstress who wants to begin making more advanced dresses. I plan to enroll in the Latin and Skate Dance Dressmaker School.
What sewing equipment do I need to be ready?
Do I need an overlock machine or can I use my regular sewing machine for everything?
Also, do I need a dress form?”
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What a great series of questions! Thanks SEW much to Julia for emailing me.
I like to keep the major sewing equipment I use as low-tech and simple as possible. Preparing to make Dancesport, Country, Skate dresses for women and teens is definitely one of those times when less is more — more efficiency with less space and less money.
Yes, you still need fabrics and notions like zippers, thread, etcetera for each dress. But your big expense and big space suckers that you will use for every dress can be minimized to these three pieces of sewing equipment.
Here’s the sewing equipment you need in the order of importance.
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- Sewing Machine = 100% required
- Dress form = 95% required
- Overlock machine = preferred, but not required
- When on a limited budget, it’s better to enroll in my dressmaker school first, make and sell a dress, then use the money to buy your overlock. 🙂
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1) SEWING MACHINE = required
I use an industrial Pfaff 118. It’s German-made, steel and very heavy. It does nothing fancy, only straight and zig zag stitches. This machine is the jet version of a home sewing machine!
I love it. It’s possibly 30 years old and works beautifully.
My Sew Like A Pro™ members use many brands of sewing machines from Brother to Singer to Husqvarna.
The brand of sewing machine, nor the age matters, as long as you can do a wide variety of zigzag and straight stitches.
What your sewing machine needs to make Ballroom, Latin and Skate dresses:
🪡 straight and zigzag stitches in many lengths and widths.
🪡 It does not have to do fancy stitches or embroidery work.
🪡 a zipper foot is a must, both for regular and invisible/blind zippers
🪡 a picot or rolled hem foot is useful for doing a rolled edge hem when you don’t have an overlock machine.
🪡 a walking foot when sewing lycra and other stretch fabrics is optional. However, in the dressmaker schools, I show you how to sew stretch fabrics without needing this extra foot.
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2) DRESS FORM = 95% required
If you want to, or need to, invest in one piece of sewing equipment before you begin making dance and skate costumes, let it be a dress form.
🧵 Yes, you can “get by” with trying the dress on yourself, or your client, 30 times.
🧵 Yes, you can possibly glue rhinestones or other decorations to the dress using a flat piece of cardboard or on a firm pillow.
However, if you wish to remain sane and enjoy making dance and skate dresses, you really want a dress form!
I always used a brand called Uniquely You. It’s all foam and the cover can be taken in if necessary. Many of my sewing school students really like a brand called Fabulous Fit dress forms because they are soft and pinnable, have legs and a wide variety of pads are sold separately so it’s easy to, customize the dress form for your body shape.
I consider dress forms a necessity (which is why I said it’s 95% required). Since dress forms can be adapted for your size and shape, they increase the speed and efficiency of your fittings. Dress forms are also mandatory when rhinestoning curvy body parts of the dress.
Dress forms are really like your best sewing friend. These lumps of foam are there when you need it, and they never disagree with you.
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3) OVERLOCK MACHINE = preferred, but not required to begin making dance and skate dresses.
If you must choose between enrolling in one of my Sew Like A Pro™ Dressmaker Schools, or buying an overlock machine, hands down, you should enroll in the dressmaker school first.
Now, now, don’t roll your eyes and say, “I knew she’d say that.” 
I have two good reasons why you should enroll in my school first.
🧵 reason #1) There are several Sew Like A Pro™ members who do not yet have an overlock machine due to the cost, or perhaps due to limited space to put one in their home sewing rooms.
In the Ballroom and Latin-Skate Dressmaker Schools, I talk about overlocking and how to use it to increase re-sell values, as well as how to help make your dress alterations easier. However, I also discuss ways to finish the edges using a regular sewing machine — for those who do not have an overlock machine.
🧵 reason #2) Dozens of Sew Like A Pro™ members have used money they generated by selling a dress they made to buy their overlock machine. (Of course, this is after enrolling in my Latin-Skate or Ballroom Dressmaker Schools or in my Fabulous Fitting Techniques Course).
That is a wise use of your money and your new dance-skate sewing skills.
I money back guarantee you that my Sew Like A Pro™ education is worth the cost in SEW many ways!
If you have any questions about how my Sew Like A Pro™ workshops, courses and programs can help, schedule a free consultation with me.
Your dance and skate dress coach,
Teresa Sigmon
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