The Counterdanse

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  Step 1

  Start with the dress you want to embellish - This can be either one you bought or made yourself. In this tutorial, I'll show you how I embellished a border print fabric made up of dancing couples. I opted to make my dress out from Retro Butterick B5708 from several different printed fabrics. I had a LOT of trouble with this pattern. Although this tutorial will focus on the embellishments and not the dressmaking, you can see the step by step on where I bought the fabric and how I made the dress and adjusted the pattern on this blog post: http://www.thedressedaesthetic.com/counterdanse/

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  Step 2

  To get started with embellishing, gather your materials. You will need sewing needles and thread, seed beads, 3mm silk ribbon, adhesive rhinestone and pearls, and fabric glue. Optional materials include toothpicks, a disposable plate, and a pointed blade. I also found Fray Stoppa to be incredibly helpful in ensuring my fabric and ribbons didn't fray!

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  Step 3

  I started by making miniature skirts for my dancers to 'wear'. For these skirts, cut small rectangles of sheer mauve silk chiffon that are slightly wider and longer than the skirt on the dancer.

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  Step 4

  On either side of the rectangle, sew a hem, using a hand-rolled hem technique. For this, you fold over the edge of the hem and, holding the fold with one hand, you catch a stitch just under the fold, then run your needle through the top fold (one layer only), and catch again at the bottom of the fold, creating a series of U-shapes. You then pull the thread gently every so often too roll the fabric, and continue on along the whole hem.

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  Step 5

  On one side, pull the thread tight, so that it ruches the top of the "skirt" into a series of folds. Then, hand-stitch the skirt onto the dancer at the top and sides. Don't sew the 'skirt' down at the bottom, which gives it the 3D effect, as if she's wearing the skirt.

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  Step 6

  Next, add rhinestones and pearls to create necklaces, earrings, and tiaras onto your dancers. On a disposable plate, put a small bead of the glue. Working quickly (as this stuff isn't joking about it's "quick dry" properties), dab a toothpick into the glue and dot it onto the fabric where you will place the rhinestone.

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  Step 7

  I found it much easier to remove the rhinestone with a scalpel, and place use it it onto the bead of glue I had just added onto the fabric, though it would work just as easily with a knife or anything that comes to a point. Repeat this across the figure, until the "necklace" is complete. Use this same technique to create earnings, bracelets, and tiaras as desired!

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  Step 8

  Next, add pink ribbon to her feet, to give the appearance of being laced up her legs. Cut tiny pieces of the pink ribbon and put Fray Stoppa on each end. Then, hand stitch the ribbon to her leg, using tiny, tight backstitches. Bring the ribbon to the other side of her leg and folded it over, once again stitching it in place.

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  Step 9

  Make a series of tiny bows from the pink silk ribbon. Cut the ends and dip each in Fray Stoppa.

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  Step 10

  Then, using the fabric glue, glue a bow onto each of her feet, and secure with a few stitches through the center of the bow to keep everything together, completing the ankle ribbon effect.

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  Step 11

  Next, attach a cream ribbon detail to her sleeves. Cut and hand stitch three small pieces of ribbon to the bottom portion each sleeve. Then, twist the ribbon once and hand stitch each to the top of the sleeve to give it a puffed effect. Trim the ribbon right to the edge and added a dab of Fray Stoppa.

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  Step 12

  Next, use the seed beads to create flowers out of beads. With the hand needles (the thin, 'straws' work best), simply use one bead per stitch, and follow the flower print.

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  Step 13

  You can pretty much bead to your hearts content, alternating colors. In this dress, I opted to give one of my dancers a flower crown as well.

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  Step 14

  For one gentleman, stitch two small buttons to the back of his tailed jacket. I used collar buttons (the smallest I could find) to keep things to scale as much as possible.

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  Step 15

  For the other gentleman, I wanted to give him a 3D handkerchief. To do this, draw a square onto a small swatch of silk habotai using the Fray Stoppa (with a disposable plate underneath to protect the table). After it dries, cut a series of triangles, making sure to keep your cuts inside of the Fray Stoppa.

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  Step 16

  Fold over the top edge of each triangle, and fold under the upper right corner.

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  Step 17

  Place this onto the fabric and, using a ladder stitch, secure it in place.

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  Step 18

  You can then add minor additional touches - like a few beads to the men's trousers as buttons and adding a tiny pearl to their waistcoats. It's really up you your imagination (and patience!)

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  Step 19

  Wear and collect the compliments!

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