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Dancers come in all shapes and sizes, so it is always a challenge to garment a team and be sensitive to the needs of individuals. I believe we have come up with a very good solution to this issue in a garment we call the dance oval.



It is, essentially, a large oval of fluid fabric that has an opening for the head and is tacked at the edges to make an opening for the hands. This serves to keep the oval in place as the dancer moves. Any chasuble pattern can be adapted to make a dance oval. You'll need about 2-1/2 yards of fabric that is 60 inches wide. Generally, the best length is dress-length, or just a bit above the ankles. However, the oval can also be made in a poncho-style and length (either just above or below the knee), which works well for men. Fabric choices are not limited to white charmeuse, but that does work well! I've made some deep purple knit ones. Sometimes use them with gold, sequined yoke/collars. I have also made some that were beige & black striped linen with leather fringes for men. They had kind of a desert look.



The dance oval is a garmenting suggestion that provides both grace and modesty to all body types. It can be used under various tunic-like overlays, or another sheer oval can be worn over top of it to adorn it, as in this photo:







In our church (which is liturgical) we have made scapulars (long tunics) in the liturgical colors. The scapular defines a slender body shape in the midst of all the flowing fabric. You see one here:





And another one in this pic, while using flags. At first we thought the dance ovals would inhibit flag movement, but have found that it works just fine in most cases.





Dance ovals and scapulars and patterns are now available in the ZionFire Shoppe:

https://zionfire.com/shoppe

:zf: BASIC FABRIC PRIMER for BANNERS & FLAGS



BANNERS



Structural: Banners often are built in three layers: a front, a back and a center stabilizing fabric. It's important to use a center fabric that has stability in the weave. So a sturdy poplin, trigger or broadcloth is often a good choice. An old muslin sheet is even serviceable if your design fields are not too heavy. I've also used gabardine. The main thing is that it not be stretchy or loosely woven.



Draped fabrics: Since banners can have 3-dimensional elements, sometimes fabric draping is used in design work. It is a good idea to find some kind of knit to to this with as it doesn't crush and wrinkle easily. When one is constantly rolling up, packing and unpacking banners....non-crushable elements become quite desirable.



Backgrounds: I think that one of the errors many beginners make is to spend a big chunk of their budget on the background fabric. Sometimes, this is a good idea, an expensive particular fabric may be an important part of the message in the design....but in many cases, by the time you've put on all your designs and embellishments, very little of the background fabric is visibile anyway. So get something striking, but inexpensive, and put your dollars into the fabulous trims and lettering embellishments. It is good design to use related fabrics, or even the same fabric on front and back for continuity.



Range of Materials: Don't limit yourself just to fabrics. I've often used mylar, paper, netting, and other non-fabric materials to achieve the effects I want. I used quite a bit of irridescent cellophane in the flame designs on the Seven Spirits banners. It gave a great effect and easily was fused to the design with hot glue. Don't forget you have the option to be 3-dimensional. You can use beads, jewels, ropes, cords, silk greenery, pretty much anything that can be glued down. Scale is important...go for large pieces, or smaller ones arranged in groups that give the appearance of large pieces.



Rich & glitzy fabrics are what you want. Brocades, lames, sequin cloth, liquid lames, embellished velvets, silk, and anything glorious.



Fabrics to avoid: Satin, IMO, is a bad choice for banners. It glue-marks easily, and gets soiled looking quite quickly. Better to leave the satin for bridesmaids shoes. Flimsy fabrics with trivial designs. Avoid obvious florals unless it is part of the message. Remember you are garmenting the King. Don't put little poseys all over Him.



FLAGS



Flags, because they are used with more motion than banners, have different fabric requirements. Soft, fluid fabrics and simple shapes and symbols work best on flags. After all, as a flag whips by you, you do not have a lot of time to make out words or intricate images. Sometimes it is purely the color of the flag that carries it's ministry message...or even the shape.



Good flag fabrics: silk, micro-fibers like poly-silks, rip-stop nylon, lining fabric, acetate (great for getting that cracking noise!), and filmy translucent fabrics like organdies and irridescents.



Poor choices for flag fabric: anything heavy (like satin, brocades, denim, etc.) laces & netting(unless overlaid on another thin, fluid fabric--why? the air doesn't hold them up!), anything stiff.



Phlags & Physics Remember that anything heavy on the end of the flag is going to weigh it down and inhibit it's ablility to fly and move properly. Therefore, if designs are going to be appliqued onto the flag, the closer you put them to the pole end of the flag--the better. Although heavy fringes are a good idea on a banner to help pull wrinkles out....they are a bad idea on a flag because you won't be able to keep the flag in the air because of the weight. However, if you must have fringes on the ends of your flags, try mylar streamers instead. They are very lightweight and have the bonus of being spectacularly shiny.



©ZionFire.com



Related threads:

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=296">All about glue

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=1245">Basic Banner Design

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=1126">Basic Banner Construction

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=712">The power of perspective

:twirl:

Hello ZionFireFriends,



I am a newbie! Let me introduce myself!



I have known the Lord since I was in the sixth grade and have been involved with dance and pagentry for several years. God has done some wonderful things and answered a lot of prayers through being involved in worship to Him.



I am a fellow worshipper and church member with Dean and Helena Thomas (we attend the same church).



I am married and my husband's name is Richard. We have no children but we do have a pomeranian named Rocky who rules the house



Fun things that I like to do are crocheting, reading books that edify my spirit and draw me closer to Him, playing with Rocky, and listening to worship music.



I look forward getting to make new friends with fellow worshippers for Jesus!

Jeainnie Brown, leader of Kansas City Dance Fellowship was our guest choreographer tonight at "learn a new dance" night at our church in Olathe. She graciously came and taught the class that she had missed teaching at a recent clinic because of a family situation. And we were very happy to receive what she brought to us.



Jeannie put nine of us through some aerobic rejoicing to music from the worship team at Lakeland Church (Joel Olstein's place) called "Cover the Earth". We learned some great moves and got a good workout, and I think it's a piece we can actually polish up and do, although sometimes we looked like this:



<IMG content="http://www.smileygarden.de/smilie/X-Maennchen/schlacht.gif">



Some warm fellowship time afterwards, too, as we got to know Jeainnie a little better and shared some ministry stories. Seriously, all you Kansas City dancers.....get yourself connected up with Jeainnie and CDF. God is doing something there in bringing His church together in worship.

:zf: ALL ABOUT GLUE



You've heard that saying, "It's the glue that holds everything together." ? Well, that is the truth--GLUE holds EVERYTHING I make together.



And my favorite glue is Aleene's Original Tacky Glue in the bronze bottle. Excellent for use on wood, metal, FABRIC, leather, paper, ceramics, etc. Available at fabric, craft & department stores. It is the best for banner and flag building. Why?

<URL url="http://imageshack.us"><IMG content="http://img280.imageshack.us/img280/5652/g3369ep.jpg"><LIST>

• <LI>
• water soluble</LI>
  <LI>
• not affected by cold or heat</LI>
  <LI>
• long working time</LI>
  <LI>
• dries clear & flexible</LI>
  <LI>
• inexpensive</LI>
  <LI>
• non-toxic</LI>
  <LI>
• comfortable working time</LI>
  

</LIST>Now, the water soluble thing is both a blessing and a curse--but more of a blessing. I have taken glue that is completely dry and re-hydrated it, usually by laying a wet cloth over it. The glue will start to whiten, and then you can separate whatever you have glued. And if you don't let it get too wet...you can usually just roll off the remaining glue 'boogers' left on the fabric. Now THAT is a freeing thing, I tell you.



The curse part is just that if you take your glued banner or flag out into a heavy rainstorm for a long period of time, your designs could start to fall off. So...just don't do that.



That being said, there are applications where another kind of glue is better.



park: hot glue is better for working on an upright object, for example jeweling a crown. Good of attaching beading or other heavy objects. Or when something MUST be waterproof. I don't like it for other things, because I don't like to be tied to a wall, and I'm always burning myself. I also don't like that you have such a short working time and that it is so hard to change things once they are glued.



park: Aleene's Fast Grab. (Used to be called Extra Thick Tacky) Like Original--only thicker. Will sometimes work as well as hot glue. I like to keep some of this in my repair kits.



park: permanent fabric glue is better for flags and garments that you expect will become soiled and need washing. The best one I've found for that is Aleene's "OK to Wash It". A little thinner than the original Tacky Glue. And be sure to test, because some fabrics will mark.



park: Aleene's Jewel-It is best for when you want to permanently bond jeweling to fabric. It will not erode the silvered backing on acrylic or crystal jewels like some other clear jeweling glues (which are also very toxic, BTW.)





Can you tell I think the Aleene's glues are the best? I swear, they should pay me royalties... I've been using the stuff by the gallon for years.



©ZionFire.com



Related threads:

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=1245">Basic Banner Design

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=1126">Basic Banner Construction

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=299"> Basic Fabric primer for banner & flags

<URL url="http://zionfirefriends.com/index.php?showtopic=712">The power of perspective

:zf: I made the fireflag over 20 years ago as almost an afterthought to the set of <URL url="http://www.zionfire.com/SevenSpirits.html">Seven Spirits banners. I had purchased way too much of the coral colored irridescent organdy that I had used in the flame inserts for the Seven Spirits. What to do with all that fabric? So I made a big (at the time I considered it huge and figured only a tall man could use it....ha ha! Now I consider it on the smallish side, as flags go.) and it was the first of it's kind that I know of. It had an incredible impact as it was waved over people in it's debut processional with the Seven Spirits in a tiny Methodist Church in Virginia. I remember the music--"All Consuming Fire".



<IMG content="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/hltpix/zionfire/FireFlag.jpg">





The wing flags were designed for a christmas pageant in which the choreographer wanted a flurry of "angel wings" for a particular number. The flags were put on 8 foot bamboo poles and waved individually. Later, it suddenly became obvious that they should be used in pairs, and so that is the way I now make them. They are one of my favorite flags to dance with.







Flags and patterns can be purchased in the new ZionFire Shoppe