Merry Christmas readers! Today we have the pleasure of a holiday visit from the AdultBeginner, author of my favorite blog for adult dancers. The Adult Beginner happens to be a master seamstress and has offered her expertise on the steps to creating one of those too-cute-for-words DIY skirts made famous by the students at the School of American Ballet. Quick shout-out to SG, the student that inspired this post. Enjoy this project over your holiday break!

Hello BalletScoop Readers! Guess what – the Adult Beginner had never even heard of an SAB skirt until Juliette asked me to do this tutorial. Can you believe? This is like the best skirt ever! No sewing, super-fast, and just look at how this skirt elongates the legs! Want to learn how to? Ok! Let’s do this thing!

Step 1. Select your fabric

You need one yard of a Four-Way Stretch fabric. “Four-way stretch” means the fabric stretches equally up, down, and side to side. Anything that does not stretch equally all four ways will hang funny and be difficult to pull on. Who needs that? Not you! I’m using a four-way Lycra miliskin that my husband picked up for me at the Michael Levine Loft in downtown Los Angeles. If you’re in LA, totally go there, they sell fabric By The Pound!!!

Step 2. Measure.

The skirt sits below the waist, about hip-bone level. This mannequin measures 30″. You may be bigger, I certainly am, but for sake of example we’re gonna roll with 30″. Continue reading →