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Pattern Circular Ruffles 15cm
Experiment with 4 versions of a 15cm wide circular ruffle: Full for lots of volume (and weight) Medium for a "normal" amount of volume for dancing Loose and Extra Loose for a slightly waivy and light...
Flamenco Fabrics Where to Buy Online
If you are not based in or visiting Spain you are probably wondering where to buy fabrics for your flamenco dress. If you don't find anything suitable in your local fabric store your next best option is to buy online. Before buying large amounts of fabric it is a good...
“Fit for Real People” by Pati Palmer and Marta Alto
Whether you make your own patterns or buy them, a pattern remains a pattern - a two dimensional representation of a three dimensional human body, based on certain assumptions about body proportions. So no matter how many measurements you take, which pattern making...
“The Complete Book of Sewing” – a Practical Step-by-Step Guide to Every Technique
No matter if you sew for a living or just as a hobby, at some point you're not quite sure how to best insert that invisible zipper, finish off that neckline, insert that lining etc. There are plenty of books around that help you in moments like this. The one I bought...
“Patternmaking for Fashion Design” by Helen Joseph Armstrong
Patternmaking is an integral part of my day to day work. Since my flamenco dancer clients are looking for individual designs there are times when I face a challenge: an unusual dress cut, collar, sleeve etc. That's when a good reference book becomes invaluable. The...
Video Tutorial – How to Insert a Godet (Method 2)
Following the first video tutorial about how to insert a godet into a seam I created this second one explaining another method to achieve the same result. The difference lies in the sequence of the steps performed. I use both techniques - the first one when I am...
Video Tutorial – How to Insert a Godet (Method 1)
Godets (pie shaped pieces of fabric) are commonly used to add more flare to the hem of a flamenco skirt. In this video tutorial I explain a simple method for inserting a godet into the seam of a flamenco skirt - easy and works every time! There are obviously several...
Bata de Cola for Flamenco Dancing – How to Reinforce the Hem
Flamenco dancing with a bata de cola requires a lot of skill and, of course, a bata de cola that you don't have to struggle with. When moving the bata de cola you neither want the cola to flip over nor the sides to flip under. Apart from making sure that the skirt...
A Look Under the Skirt of a Bata de Cola
Most people are fascinated when seeing a flamenco dancer in a bata de cola on stage. If you have ever wondered what a bata de cola looks like from the inside or even thought of making one yourself the following overview might help. A bata de cola can be a skirt or a...
How to Make Ruffles – a Quick Guide for Frill Seekers
Volantes (ruffles or frills) are an essential part of almost any flamenco dress. If you want to find out what types there are and how they are made read on. Love Ruffles? Prefer watching videos rather than read text and look at pics? Register for the next FREE live...
How to Sew Sleeves That Let You Move
So you want to make your own flamenco dress. Great! Unless you are making a sleeveless flamenco dress though you face a challenge: If you cut and sew your sleeves the same way you would for an ordinary dress lifting your arms either leads to the whole dress moving...
What Makes a Flamenco Dress (Part 2)
Continuing the article What Makes A Flamenco Dress (Part 1) here are some more points on what makes a typical flamenco dress: What's On The Inside? Since you will be dancing and therefore sweating your flamenco dress generally needs to be lined (only practice skirts...
Coming Soon .. High Waist Trousers Pattern
Love high waist trousers? Lots of people have been asking recently and I'm working on the pattern. If that's something you're interested in just click the button below and you'll be the first to know when it becomes available.
Hi, I'm Anke Herrmann
Dressmaker for flamenco artists, passionate teacher and coach, dog lover, always learning something.
In 2004 I moved to Spain and started my own sewing business, specializing in made to measure flamenco dance costumes. The thing is I didn’t really know anything about flamenco dance costumes and found that there was no information online I could learn from.
I learnt over time and created this website so that you don’t have to figure it all out for yourself and can easily access everything you need to create beautiful, functional costumes that you are happy to show off in the dance studio or on stage.
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