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“Thrill The World”… By dancing in unison, with other “thrillers” ALL OVER THE WORLD- AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME! to Michael Jackson’s infamous Thriller.
And you know, look good- ghastly good, while doing so. Bust out those rags, paint your nails black and drag your undead self out to play.
All funds raised by Santa Barbara Thrillers go directly to the Mayan village of San Martin Chiquita, in the highlands of Guatemala. The goal is to raise at least $3,000 to support the work that Xela Aid is providing this community. (www.xelaaid.org)
Lots of Ways to Help:
• $20 one time fee to be a Thriller dancer (the $20 goes to Guatemala)
• Sponsor a class (info here)
• Sponsor a dancer (sponsor sheet here. World Dance info here)
What’s In It For You?
• Get some costume help and look your undead finest
• Win a free massage or GYROTONIC session
• Good karma for participating in an event that gives to charity
• Have FUN!
• Arm Bands & Bling Instructions
• Garter Goodies & Feater Anklet Instructions
• Skirt & Waistband Instructions
Items in your Garter Goodies & Anklet kit:
– 2 small yellow feather boas
– 2 turquoise feather strips
– 2 wavy gold sequin strips
– 2 gold stretch sequin strips
– Velcro
Items you will need:
Needle
Thread
glue
GARTER GOODIE INSTRUCTIONS
This is an addition to the brown boa garter instructions and materials.
– pre-glue ends of wavy gold sequin strips, to prevent unraveling
– remove tape, pre-glue and twist ends of yellow boas, to prevent unraveling
1. Layer wavy gold sequin strips on top of turquoise feathers edge. Sew or glue.
*(For most you, this will lie on the pure feather side, with the ribbon side in back.
There is one feather piece where I accidentally sewed the ribbon to the wrong side.
You want the sequins to lie so the feathers are poking up, not lying flat.)
2. Stitch yellow boa to center of your already made garters. It will sit in the middle
of the brown boas, lying under the turqoise appliqué.
3. Drape turquoise feathers at top of applique. Stitch to back of the turquoise
appliqué. The sides will hang down freely.
ANKLET INSTRUCTIONS
1. Layer stretchy gold sequin strip at top edge of yellow feathers. Sew or glue. (This
is on the feather side. The ribbon side will sit against your skin.)
2. Wrap yellow feathers around ankle. Ribbon side goes against your skin. Secure
with Velcro.
Tribal Skirt & Waistband Instructions
Items in your Skirt & Waistband kit:
– green skirt material
– Velcro
– Large gold appliqué
– Small diamond shaped gold appliqué
– 1.5 yds gold sequin fringe
– 1.5 yds. Red feathers
– leopard stretch sequin
Items you will need:
Needle
Thread
Glue
Leftover cheetah fabric from your bra
SKIRT INSTRUCTIONS
This is a double layer skirt. The green fabric will lie on top of the cheetah fabric when done. The skirt will sit over your gold shorts, under your waistband.
1. Get left over cheetah fabric. Cut to desired length (I personally like very short skirts, that don’t extend much farther than the bottom of the gold shorts. However, cut to whatever length you feel comfortable with.)
2. Wrap around your waist to measure how much you need as a skirt, (where you want your ends to meet.) Leave enough fabric- a few inches- of overlap. Cut to size.
3. Lie your rectangle of cheetah fabric on the floor or table.
4. Cut vertical strips from bottom to top, BUT NOT ALL THE WAY!!!! Leave a few inches of material at the top, so that it is still all one piece.
5. Cut diagonally on the bottom of the strips, so that you take out about a 3” triangle
6. Get green fabric and repeat steps 1-4. (You will probably have tons of extra green fabric. If you cut the fabric in half lengthwise, it will probably be the close to the right length for you.)
7. Cut diagonally on the bottom of the strips IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF YOUR CHEETAH TRIANGLES.
8. Layer the green fabric on top of cheetah fabric. Spaced out every few inches at the top, tack (2-3 stitches) the layers together. Use Velcro to fasten.
WAISTBAND INSTRUCTIONS
1. Measure leopard stretch sequin strip around your waist. (Stretch it a little
when you measure, or else it will fall down.) Cut to size. Sew together to
make a giant loop. This is your belt.
2. Layer the gold sequin fringe on top of the red feathers. The ribbon side of the feathers is the “wrong” side. The sequin fringe goes on the “right” just feather side. Stitch or glue together. (*Note: pre-glue dabs of glue on the ends of the sequins for added durability)
3. Fold feather-fringe in half. The middle (where you folded) goes in back . Sew just this point to the leopard belt.
4. Put belt on to stretch and measure. Drape the feather fringe, so it loops down on the sides, and comes up in the front. It should droop so the ends of the feather-fringe rides a little above where your gold shorts ends. Cut off excess feathers and glue raw edges to prevent unraveling (or just overlap in front.) Sew front points to belt.
5. Sew large gold appliqué in center front of your belt, sitting over the feather-fringe.
6. Sew small diamond appliqué to center back of your belt, sitting over the feather-fringe.
Tips:
• For extra security, pre-glue any raw edges to prevent fraying/unraveling
• Tack (2-3 stitches) the belt, skirt and shorts together. I recommend tacking it all together these points: center back, left side, right side, front.
Yippie, Garters!! Please first read through ALL, before you start!
In Your Garter Kit:
2 pieces nude elastic
2 turquoise sequin garters
2 turquoise appliques
2 pieces single strand gold sequin
2 cheetah feather boas
Tools you will need:
needle
thread
glue (elmers, craft, or sobo)
Instructions:
1. Get your Glue. On the sequin strips, put a dab of glue at the ends, so the sequins don’t unravel. On your boas: one end has tape, the other end has string. Remove the tape and dab glue on the ends, twisting the feathers in your fingers. This will prevent the feathers from falling apart. You may have to cut some string off the other end, so there is no white string hanging down. It is ok to leave a little nub. If you cut too much, glue and twist this side, too. Let dry.
2. Use the nude elastic to make two new garters for yourself. They should go a little above the knee. Sew together. Make sure they are tight enough so that when you dance, they do not fall down!! They elastic should be stretched when you measure around your leg. If it is too lax, it will be too loose and fall down. We are using this nude elastic as the support. The ends will overlap and/or you will probably have a little extra.
3. Fold each feather boa in half. Fold each sequin strip in half and lay on top of the boas. Sew one boa/sequin to the nude elastic. Sew the other boa/sequin the the other nude elastic.
4. Lay turquoise sequin garter on top of the nude/boa garters. Sew Sequin applique over the whole thing. About a half inch of the applique will stick up above the garter band. Use this to cover any feathers that are sticking up above the garter band.
5. Tack (sew 2-3 stitches) the sequin garter to the nude garter, so it doesn’t slip off. You may need to do this in several places, or possibly just the side opposite the applique.
Pictures are attached for reference.
Notes:
*We may be adding one more boa strand to the garters. I am going to take a last look at inventory next week. You can still construct these first, however. And even if you don’t sew the whole thing together right now, I highly recommend getting started. Next week I will be handing out more skirt material, arm bands, accessories, and hopefully headpieces.
**Being beautiful and bedazzled takes some time and energy, but it is worth it. You spent a lot of money on these beautiful pieces and it is my job to make sure the end result is beautiful on you. It might seem like a hassle to glue all the ends, but it will preserve your costume. It only takes a few extra minutes to do these steps, and it is soooooooooo worth it in the end.
Tips!:
*Feather Care: Don’t keep your boas squished in the bags the way I gave them to you. Steam will fluff the feathers. (Use a tea kettle or hang in the bathroom while you shower. Moth balls or cedar chips will prevent moths from nibbling on them.
**I always glue the ends of everything. It’s a tip I learned from a professional costumer in Hollywood, who is also a burlesque star and teaches classes on burlesque costuming. For extra preservation, I recommend: on the appliques, put a dab of glue on each dangling end bead. If I’m being really precise, I glue the thread/knots on the back side of the appliques too. I would also glue the raw edges of the turquoise sequin garters. (If you don’t do this extra gluing, it is okay. I just tell you b/c I would on my own costume. You’re already gluing and it only takes a few extra minutes to ensure nothing falls apart.)
Items in your Arm Band Kit:
– 2 leopard sequin wrist cuffs
– 2 nude nylon liners
– 2 turquoise sequin arm cuffs
– 2 strips wide gold stretch sequin
– 4 leaves (there is one package with 6 small leaves instead)
– 1 turquoise butterfly
– 1 gold butterfly
Items in your Bling Baggie:
– 2 red butterflies
– 1 bouquet of green bling
– 1 bouquet of blue bling
Items you will need:
Needle
Thread
Glue (optional)
ARM BAND INSTRUCTIONS
* optional: for added security, pre-glue raw edges of sequin strips to prevent
unraveling.
1. Place the nylon liners inside your leopard wrist cuffs. Tack around edges on
both ends.
2. Sew the green leaves to your leopard wrist cuffs. The larger the leaf, the
closer to the wrist you will want it. Determine what is comfortable for you
with your movements.
3. Remove the white wire from the back of butterfly. Sew or Hot Glue
butterflies over the bottom point of where you stitched your leaves to your
leopard wrist cuff.
4. Measure the wide gold sequin to make a band around your bicep/upper arm.
Cut off any excess. Sew ends together to make band.
– The turquoise stretch sequin bands are worn at the top of your leopard wrist cuff.
BLING INSTRUCTIONS
– Use as you like! I thought you might like to put the butterflies and bling on your
bra. Place wherever you want. The green and blue bouquets can be untwisted to
use as individual, small bling pieces. Or keep twisted! Sew or glue. Have fun.