How to Make a Belly Dancing Costume with a Short Skirt

Costume making allows a belly dancer to create one-of-a-kind items that aren't easily found in the belly dance market. With designing their own costumes, dancers can own several unique costumes without having to pay hundreds of dollars for costumes imported from Turkey and Egypt. Belly dance costumes typically all look very similar, but when a dancer hand-makes her own costume, it's impossible for someone else to have the exact same costume. The dancer will be more confident and more motivated to perform.

Things You'll Need

• 1 Indian choli top (short-sleeved)
• 1 short skirt
• 1 1/2 yard sequin trim
• 2 yards sheer chiffon (optional)
• 3 yards chiffon
• 1 yard of 24-inch chainette fringe (optional)

Instructions

1. Choose whether you would like to make the costume from either chiffon or chainette fringe. Choose a color that coordinates well with both the short skirt and choli top.

2. If you've chosen the fringe, hand sew the fringe around the skirt bottom, and then add sequin trim onto the skirt's hemline. If you've chosen the chiffon fabric, lay the fabric out onto a flat surface; cut out one panel for the back of the skirt and one smaller panel for the front of the skirt. You would then sew the panels onto the inside of the skirt and finish off with sequin trim on the hemline of the short skirt. The panels are basic rectangular long pieces of fabric. Once sewn onto the short skirt, it gives the appearance of a short skirt but with a little more coverage.

3. Take the excess sheer chiffon and cut out two small half-circles. Sew them into the insides of each choli sleeve. Take the excess sequins, and sew around the hemline on each choli sleeve and the sheer chiffon.

4. Take the 3-yard piece of chiffon and either hand sew or machine sew the raw edge with an overcasting stitch. Fold the raw edge one time, and repeat with a zigzag stitch. This will prevent the material from fraying.

5. Check over the costume for any loose seams and for proper fitting. If the costume needs further adjustment, make any necessary changes and try it on to verify a proper fit. Try it on several times before performing in the costume to ensure it's comfortable.