Well, I made a 2 circle skirt. I used a deep purple satin fabric. The skirt is actually 3 half circles (1-1/2 circles) with insets that bring it to about 2 circles. There is a zipper in one seam. The waist has no band. It just has elastic inside. Its about 2" elastic and hooks help hold it together in the back. It also has a slit up one front side seam.

I got this fabric because its a showy purple and it was on sale. I actually bought 11 yards and I've used most of it. Circle skirts take a lot of fabric. I used my manual from Rhinestone Guys to guide me through most of making this skirt. I say most since they didn't mention putting in the insets.

The manual had suggested that you use a body form to fit your dress. I didn't have one when I started this. It would have been a help. One problem I ran into was measuring the waist precisely. The manual gave good measurements, I'm the one who screwed up. I ended up with a waist that was too large. It took some work to get it back to my size. The elastic in the waist helps to take up just a bit of slack that was left over. I still need to work on a top for it.

One thing I did after starting this skirt was to realize part of what I had done wrong. I should have started with a better idea of what I wanted. A friend of mine recently decided to have another dress made for her. The seamstress made drawings of her ideas. Do this before you start a dress! It will save you a lot of time.

I went looking online for a "women's form" to draw ideas on. What I wound up with was a paper doll pattern. The paper doll is in PDF format. You can get the Adobe reader free from the Adobe website. There's a link there you can click on to get the reader for free. I printed the paper doll on regular paper and use tracing paper on top of it to get my dress ideas. I use regular colored pencils for drawing.

I showed these ideas to some friends including my instructor. The response was interesting. There was a pretty unanimous agreement on one particular design. I may try.

If you're looking for ideas of what to make, take a look at other peoples outfits. Take a look at websites, at studios, at comps...anywhere you can.

If you want to come up with a dress for yourself remember a few things.

Show off your assets not your liabilities.

• If you have great legs, wear short skirts. Great legs are easy to show off. Wear something short.
• If you don't have the most toned arms, keep them covered. Now that doesn't mean it has to be heavy fabric. Use sheer fabric. It can give a great illusion.
• Wear something age appropriate. Even if you're in great shape and 50, don't try to look like you're 18, you're not. Classy can go a great deal farther that you may realize.
• Wear something bright. Its a great way to be seen on a floor. Bright yellow or red is a great way to be seen. Black may be slimming but on a dance floor it can disappear. I have seen some gorgeous dresses in black, but they usually require a lot a stones. It can be done. But don't forget you can wear color.
• Wear something you're comfortable in. I don't like showing a lot of skin. But I've seen some Latin dresses that are long. The bottom (from the knee down) is sheer fabric, the sleeves are sheer, and a lot of the bodice and back are sheer fabric. You're still covered, but it gives a great illusion.
• If you've got a great body, don't be afraid to show it. Show off a great set of abs with a two piece outfit.
• How you stone a dress can help accent a body part or give an illusion you need also.