Bata de Cola for Flamenco Dancing – How to Reinforce the Hem

Anke | December 13, 2010 | Bata de Cola, Sewing Tips | No Comments

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 itself has enough body and adding the right amount of ruffles on the top and underside (see “A Look Under the Skirt of a Bata de Cola” for more information) there is one more technique commonly used to make sure the cola moves as a whole:

Reinforce the Hem of the Skirt

After sewing together the skirt pieces and, if required, adjusting length and shape of the hem you want to finish the hem using an overlocker (serger) and then sew in a cord along the hem of the entire skirt.  (if you don’t have a dog don’t worry – it isn’t strictly necessary
I usually use a cotton cord about 5mm thick  but, again, you have room to experiment here. You will need enough cord to reach along the entire hem, usually 4-5m.
Place the skirt with the finished hem right side down and sew in the cord using a zipper foot
This way your bata de cola will keep its shape and you enjoy dancing with it.
Ready to give it a go? Get the pattern now!
http://www.flamencodressmaking.com/