Thursday, June 11, 2009

Hooping It Up

There seems to be those crazes that sweep the Internet, knitting and sewing and Shredding are a few I participate in. And now we can add hooping to the mix. For a few months, photos and videos have been popping up everywhere of ladies hooping as exercise and entertainment. It looked fun and I thought I would try it out. Off to Target I went, grabbed the nearest hoop from the kiddies section and looked up a YouTube vid when I could not seem to keep the thing around my hips. And that is how I joined hooping.

At the festival this weekend, there was a large Hoop tent, full of colorful and winged festival girls ready to give anyone a hoop to try. Well, let me tell you a very important lesson I learned. Hoops from Target do not cut it for the adult hooper. The hoops these girls had were substantially heavier and larger and I learned that one should gauge the diameter of a properly fitted hoop by holding it up to your torso where it should hit just above your belly button. There is so much knowledge to be gleaned in this world.
Night Hooping

A few practice minutes with those hoops was all I needed to understand why I was exhausted after a few minutes with my Baby Target hoop. I felt like I could hoop forever with the heavier one and I did just that, with music pumping and watching the advanced faerie hooping girls do all kinds of neat tricks.
Hooping

I did not buy a hoop as the matter of transportation home was a bit of an issue, but I know there are sellers on Etsy and I am sure there is a tutorial out there explaining the joining of 1" PVC piping into a concentric circle. I have yet to make my own, but it is in the works.

One thing that is mostly made is my Alabama Stitch skirt.
'Bama Skirt
I felt the need to wear it out over the weekend despite the initial chill in the air. Can I just say, I am making 5 more of these and I will swear to wear only tshirt material on my lower half for the rest of my life.
'Bama Skirt

This is by far the most beautiful and comfortable thing I have ever made for myself and I already have a 'mind' design for my next skirt. The finding of this book has changed my concept of clothing and sewing and I feel truly excited thinking of the wonderful things I can create, all with my own two hands and some repurposed tshirts. Rock on.
'Bama Skirt

I thought I would include the night shots I captured, once the sky went dark
DJ'd
the DJ came out and festies, hoopers, hippies and your run of the mill Mama with twins all joined in a little dancing to Prince. Quite a sight, I did not realize that little musician man had such power to unite.
Dance

Night Hooping

Night Hooping

Night Hooping

5 comments:

Dawn Johnson Warren said...

I am so in love with that skirt. If you ever decide to put one up on etsy to sell, I would love first dibs!

We are part of the Burner community here in Texas, the people who live by the Burning Man creedos. Hooping is HUGE in that subculture. I loved the night time pictures! Beautiful.

screamish said...

hurray for festivals! the concept of hooping is completely new to me...looks fun tho...nice photos too.

Nice skirt...you've obviously got a talent for this stuff...hope you're making money out of it!

And what is the Burning Man too? I am soo out of the loop/ I mean hoop.

!

Preeti said...

That skirt is fabulous, amazing and so much more!!! Really, really love it...WOW!!!

LauraC said...

You look amazing in that skirt! I wore a white t-shirt flowing skirt all weekend at the beach and agree, why did I ever wear anything less comfortable on my lower half?

Beth said...

The skirt is gorgeous--any chance we could get instructions??!!