Everybody Needs a (COMFY) Simple Black Leo!

Everybody Needs a (COMFY) Simple Black Leo!

Jan 14, 2021 | Athletic Leotards, Dancewear, Designing Leotards

Are you dancing in person these days? For most of last year, my dance company, World Dance Company, was doing virtual rehearsals. It is an interesting challenge to learn choreographies, especially partner work- or formation-intensive choreographies, through live video that sometimes lags!

Well, World Dance Company is finally at a point where we’ve decided to rehearse in person, with masks and social distancing. We rehearse early in the morning, when the studio is otherwise empty and the floor is so cold it makes your feet ache.

I started wearing an old long sleeve leotard with my character skirt to stay warmer (we have choreographies that include skirt-swishing, haha), and I finally told myself that I could make a long-sleeved leo for myself that would be much comfier. So I did!

It was about time for me to make a simple black leo anyway. Everyone needs at least one! I’ve just had so much fun making leotards in crazy colors, I couldn’t bring myself to make a boring one for a while. But comfy and silky and warm really isn’t boring!

Rather than pack this blog post with photos of the process of making it, this time I decided to make it a quick little video, haha. 

This leotard is great for the winter months. Of course, any leotard design can be done with black fabric. If you’re a dancer who has to abide by a dress code, it likely includes black leotards. But in many cases you’ll still have the freedom to spice it up. Do you have a black leotard design you’d particularly like to make?  

At this point, I’ve had a couple of requests for another course with a new leotard. I’ve struggled to decide what leotard should be next, though. Will you help me? 🙂

I would love it if you’d take a second to answer these four questions! Otherwise I’m just guessing about what my people need, haha.

Thank you so much!

Also, if you’re new here, you can start making leotards with me for free by signing up for my free DIY Athletic Leotard Course! Feel free to share with any friends who you think might be interested, too! 😊

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4 Reasons You Should Make Your Own Leotards

4 Reasons You Should Make Your Own Leotards

Aug 25, 2020 | Athletic Leotards, Dancers, Dancers are Athletes, Dancewear, Sewing

Alrighty. We’ve established that typical leotards are unsatisfactory. Now let’s talk about why leotards that YOU make can be awesome.

1. You can make comfy leotards

In my last post, I shared how typical leotards leave lovely, red, itchy indents in your skin after not much time at all. These pictures were taken about a half-hour after putting each leotard on.

After wearing a spaghetti strap leotard for about a half hour
After wearing a typical leotard for about a half hour

But check this out!

Here are my shoulders after wearing a Tia’s Leos leotard for about 4 hours:

Eh??

Instead of weird bits of fabric and scratchy stitching on the inside of your leotard, you can make leotards completely lined with silky stretchy fabric and smooth, straight stitching.

2. You can design leotards with the support and coverage YOU need

Everyone probably has different amounts of coverage they want/need in a leotard. Maybe you’re bigger chested and need more support. Maybe you want a leotard that can cover a sports bra. Maybe you’re a cold person so you like longer sleeves, or a warm person so you prefer no sleeves. Maybe you have religious beliefs that lead you to want to cover more of your body. Whatever your situation, if you make your own leotards, YOU decide how much coverage and support they provide.

3. You can decide what your leotards will look like

K this part is really fun!! Do you have ideas about what you’d like your leotards to look like? Do you have a certain color you need for a class, or a favorite color you’ve never gotten to wear for dance? Have you seen a leotard style you liked, but you hated the color, or vice versa? This is where you get to pick and choose some elements you like and find yet another way to channel your inner creativity and artistry.

4. You have me to teach you how to make your leotards 😄

You might read this and think, “Well that sounds great, Tia, but I don’t know the first thing about sewing, let alone designing a leotard.”

This is the part where I try to decide whether I need a big sign, or a sticker on my forehead, or . . . 🤔

K, now that I’ve reintroduced myself 😉, my final reason for you to start making your own leotards is that you don’t have to do it by yourself or start from scratch. You’ve got me!! I’ll hold your hand through it! And, you can get started and make your first leotard with me for free!!!

If you haven’t signed up yet, don’t wait any longer! I’ve made it as easy for you as I can in this course, and I can’t wait for you to see how satisfying it is to make a leotard for yourself that fits YOUR body just right, that is silky smooth and comfy inside and outside, is colors you chose . . . and that you can’t wait to wear next time you dance. 😊 

Get Free Access to the DIY Athletic Leotard Course!