Blue tights for the Joffrey

This is a pair of tights i just finished for a friend dancing at the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. They will be worn for a contemporary competition piece next week in NYC.
Wiping them out was a great reminder of my days in summer stock theatre where with zooming time lines i would often design a show over a weekend and see it open within the next two. I sketched these tights on Wednesday and Fedexed them on Friday. This rapid turn around is what i now refer to as "summer stocking it." As much as i like to putz and toil in the construction step of a costume, i have also learned how to make something rapidly that looks like to took many more hours of labor than it really did.

I started with a unitard i made out of white 5 oz lycra and drew a continuous stripe from ankle to ankle. Next i cut it apart, widened the stripe, and eliminated the material i didn't need from the torso leaving the strap over the shoulder.
Then i died the lycra pieces along with a yard of skate mesh a light royal blue in a hot water bath. Half way threw the dye i removed the skate mesh, and added a little evening blue to make the lycra a little bit richer. After the dye and dry i appliquéd the skate mesh behind the stripe drawn on the lycra, then i removed the lycra from the stripe leaving the skate mesh behind. Lastly i flashed airbrushed in a few other shades of blue, and then white and black high and low lights.