Sizing your waistband correctly:

            Place the elastic around your body, right under the ribs. The waistband should be tight enough so that it can't go over your hips. After sizing your waistband so it fits correctly, cut the waist elastic so you could fold in each edge 5/8 of an inch. Thread your needle and knot the end of it and stitch the edge of the elastic to the front side so it doesn't fray.

Lining up your hooks-and-eyes:

            Your waistband should need only 3 hooks-and-eyes. Space one hook- and-eye set at the top, one in the middle, and one at the bottom. Make sure to line up the hooks-and-eyes correctly so that when you hook them together, the waistband is straight. When placing the second set of hooks-and-eyes on the waistband, make them opposite from the first and the third. If you put the eye on the left and the hook on the right, put the hook on the left and the eye on the right. So that the pattern is hook and eye, eye and hook, and hook and eye. This important tip will ensure that your waistband doesn't spring loose!

Sewing your hooks-and-eyes:

Step 1:  Gather the three hooks-and-eyes from the packet. If you examine the hook and the eye, you'll notice little curly-cues on either side.

 Step 2:  Place your hook so that the hook part is facing down on either side of your waist elastic. Then, on the opposite side place the eye down, so that if you were to hook them, the hook would lap over the eye.

 Step 3:  After placing the hook down, take your needle and thread and sew over and under the curly-cue, so that you are making a loop-d-loop pattern. Repeat this step several times.

 Step 4:  After repeating the loop-d-loop pattern several times, now loop the needle under the curly-cue catching all of the stitches to knot it. Repeat this until secure.

Step 5:  Repeat steps 2 through 4 with the eye.

Step 6:  After sewing both the hook and the eye, begin with the second one. This time make it opposite.

After sewing all of the hooks-and-eyes, hook them together around your

waist and you are ready for ballet class!

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