Every year there is a national competition among teens where they are challenged to come up with an entire prom date outfit made with duct tape. Thousands of teens and their dates enter this competition in the hope that they will win the grand prize of scholarship money. Many of the teen finalists in these competitions do amazing work that would be far too time-consuming and complicated for the novice duct tape user to attempt. However, there are some helpful tips that you can keep in mind as you figure out how to make your own duct tape prom attire.
The Duct Tape “fabric”
The clothing in duct tape prom attire is usually made by using one of two different methods. Some choose to place the duct tape over existing outfits and others choose to make the “fabric” entirely out of duct tape. Obviously, duct tape that is placed over existing garments is a simpler process than making an outfit from scratch. Nevertheless, if you decide to go all the way with the duct tape theme and make your entire garment out of duct tape, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. First, you will need to make sheets of fabric out of duct tape by overlapping pieces of tape and sort-of weaving them on top of each other until you have the square yardage that your pattern calls for. You can typically use any regular fabric pattern that you may find at the craft or fabric store. But keep in mind that you will need to account for a little more fabric than the pattern calls for because the duct tape will be more difficult to work with as you are trying to fit your shape.
Seams
Putting your duct tape garment together can be tricky. Traditional sewing machine methods do not work well as duct tape is sticky and will jam up the needle and other parts of your machine. If you choose to sew your garments together, do so by hand and lubricate the needle well with cooking spray or another lubricant so that the adhesive in the tape doesn’t make the process impossible. You could use duct tape to form seams but it may cause more complications later on down the road when you will need to change in and out of a dress or suit that you may literally be taped into. Also, people are generally very active on prom night and tape may not be able to hold up to all the activity. Strange as it may sound, the suggested best method for seaming your duct tape garments is to use staples. Staple the garment on the seams and then cover the staples with tape to avoid getting scratched or poked.
Buttons and zippers
You are obviously going to need a way to get in and out of your duct tape garments and the best way to do that is to use buttons, grommets or zippers. Buttons will have to be hand sewn onto the outfit but are generally reliable and functional. Zippers usually work well and are easy to install. Simply cut a slit where you want to install the zipper and staple the zipper down on either side. Cover the staples with tape and you are done. For a more decorative look, the girls may want to use grommets to lace up the back of the dress. You can use ribbon, lace, or of course, duct tape to make the strings needed to lace the back.
When making duct tape prom attire you want to make sure that you do not get lazy when it comes to ensuring that the outfit is not going to fall apart when you are on the dance floor. Ladies should take special care to ensure that the straps on their gowns are especially secure as a broken dress strap could really put a damper on an otherwise active night.