So I bought 5 meters of round soft foam band. To be honest, I am not quite sure what it is actually meant to be used for, but I will cut it half way open and duct-tape it all over my back piece to make it softer against my back and shoulders. I bought the band in diameter of 16 mm. 5 meters should be enough to last for at least 3 back pieces so there is plenty of it. And it cost 0,72 € / meter, totaling in 3,6 euros.
This is my back piece from last year after it was welded together and before any padding was added.
The padding part is really simple; you just cut the band open to the middle, bend it around the wire and finally adhere it with duct tape.
I was taught to always ensure the welding seams with duct tape prior to adding the padding.
And when the padding is complete, the lycra strands are added to get the desired colour as well as to give the back piece a base for glueing or (as in my case) sewing on the ornaments.
I also bought a 10 meter roll of ClimaBand, which is a self-adhesive foam insulation tape. Basically, it is about a 2 mm thick soft foam tape, which I intend to use for padding my head piece and for making the belt. I did my belt last year of a similar material and liked it. The sticker on the other side obviously helps with the lycra covering of the belt, but it also gives the belt a much needed durability so that it can carry the weight of rhinestones and pearls etc.
The ClimaBand is 50 mm wide, the roll holds 10 meters and will last you about 8 belts worth. You can use soft foam sheets, but in Finland they only sell A4-sized sheets of "Softis" as it is called in Finnish and so this is an easier option. The roll cost about 15 euros.
I will show you later how the belt is formed. Trust me, it does not have to be a standard ring form, even though the band is!
Compra feliz!
