collapsible hoopskirt

Finally after 3 long years it's here! The bell of the ball collapsible hoop skirt revived! Detailed instructions to come later. This is an early release. 

I recommend printing the hatbox first. You will need it to form the circle shape. You will also need a heat gun/hairdryer, soldering iron, or superglue. As well as stiff leather straps, M bolts, and wide 4 in ribbon, snaps and ½ in ribbon. 

I recommend printing the grommets in TPU then soldering them together from the inside. This will allow them to have some give when collapsing and opening the skirt. You can use PLA as well but it will be more prone to breakage. The superglue fumes will also be horrific when forming it if you use that for the grommets. Not to mention afterwards when being stored in the hatbox.

Basic instructions:

Place two arms over each other straight, add the center grommet (female from the front/male in the back)  and solder/superglue from the back. Next tilt the top arm towards the right. Then add the next x. Ensure all arms are tilted in the same direction. Add the grommets to the top and bottom and solder from the back.

After making a small section use the hat box and a heat gun to form it into a circular shape. Heat up the section then press it from the inside to the edge of box until cool. 

Repeat these steps until you have enough to make a full circle. Then repeat again until you have a slightly smaller circle.

Next is the waistband and supporting ribbons. 

 Measure your waist for the waistband use the larger 4 in ribbon add about 3 1/2 inches to the two ends for the snaps and to fold over and sew the raw edge.  Cut 16- ½ in ribbon pieces, make them about 30 inches long. Space the 16 smaller ribbons about 2 inches apart starting from the waistband center. fold the ribbon over 2 inches. and sew the ends and long edge ( make sure the raw edges are folded over and sewn inside). You will also add snaps to the waistband every inch from the end add 3 snaps. ensure you place them on the correct side of the fabric so they overlap when wrapped around your waist and so you can snap the extra length in if needed. 

The ½in ribbons  will be threaded though the upper and lower grommets that connect the two arms together. feel free to roll the end tightly and use heat shrink to make it resemble a shoelace for easy threading. Thread it through the top connection first from the front then through the lower from the back. Repeat with the larger hoop. space these 16 ribbons on every other connection. starting with a center that will be centered on your waistband on the front.

After that use a fitting m bolt to attach the four leather straps. 2 on opposite sides of each hoop. make a smaller hole at the top and use a short bolt to bolt it into the top. Then make larger holes at fitting sizes on the strap for the lower connection. add a slightly longer bolt on the lower connection for the sizing. simply push the head of the bolt through the hole of your desired size. This will hold the skirt open and ensure it wont collapse on itself during use.

After that tie the excess ends in a knot. that way the hoops don't fall off. You can slide the hoops up and down for your desired length. After that you're done!

Throw on your favorite ballgown and go dancing! At the end of the night just slide two connection points towards each other and collapse the top hoop first then the lower hoop. Store in your hatbox. The center compartment can be used for bustle straps. (instructions to come).

You can also drill two holes in the side of the hatbox and two on the top of the lid. Knot a long enough ribbon on one side then thread inside the box up through the hole in the lid then through the other lid hole and back down inside the box and through. Tie a knot on the outside. The ribbon should be long enough to allow you to lift the lid off and to the side without untying it. This will allow for easy storage and carrying.