How to make a belly dancing skirt

6 Classic Belly Dance Skirts You Can Make (NO SEW & 10 minute skirt included!)

Every belly dancer would love to have a beautiful collection of classic belly dance skirts in her costume wardrobe 🙂

But costume skirts can be quite pricey, and most likely, you have to fix off-the-rack skirts to suit your size as they come in a limited range of sizes.

So why not make your own? 😉

If you are new to costume making, you may be wondering, “But isn’t making a skirt really difficult? I don’t even have a sewing machine!”

No problem! In fact, skirts are quite DIY-able, and some are really straightforward!

So today, I’ll share with you 6 classic belly dance skirts (& DIY tutorials) in the order of difficulty 🙂

Build confidence by first making easy ones, then borrow a sewing machine or buy a cheap one, and gradually move up to make advanced designs! Trust me, skirt making is SO fun!

6 Classic Belly Dance Skirts You Can Make!

#1.

DIY 10-minute Ruffle Skirt (Sew or no-sew!)

Can you believe the above skirt can be made without sewing!? In 10 minutes!? 🙂

Since I shared this tutorial, I’ve seen many people try this method, and since it’s super beginner-friendly, it’s perfect as a troupe costume option!

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Perfect fit skirts with @maomurakami ‘s great tutorial : 10 minutes ruffles skirt DIY. We looked stunning @sarah_bellydance_france show 🔥 Photography by K. Sonzogni • • • • #bellydanceshow #bellydancecostume #handmadecostume #bellydance_queens #bellydancelife #bellydancelove #bellydancequeens #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancesuperstars #bellydanceworld #lovebellydance #orientaldance #rakssharki #costumemaking #costuming #handmadebellydancecostume #sparkybelly #fantasycostume #stagecostume
A post shared by Rapunzel (@rapunzelwardrobe) on Jun 29, 2019 at 3:06am PDT

I love how the above group used shiny stretch fabric! The skirts and ruffles look amazing under the stage lights!!!

Click here to learn how to make this 10-minute Ruffle Skirt!

#2.

DIY Classic Circle Skirt

Once you get your feet wet with the no-sew ruffle skirt, next try a basic circle skirt!

As a belly dancer, you can never have enough circle skirts 😉

This circle skirt has only 2 panels, and yes, it’s best if you have access to a sewing machine, but it’s a great project to practice your sewing techniques on. 🙂

If you’re a beginner, make the first one using inexpensive fabric as a practice. Then move on to using a nicer fabric.

The best part is, you make the pattern once, and you can re-use it over and over to make a circle skirt to fit you each time! 😀

Click here to check out the DIY Circle Skirt tutorial!

#3. DIY Double-Layer 3-Panel Circle Skirt

If you want a bigger, fuller circle skirt that professional dancers wear, try this 3-panel circle skirt. This skirt consists of 3 panels, AND 2 layers.

Because you get to choose 2 colors for the 2 layers, and because I designed this skirt to be REVERSIBLE (who doesn’t want to get more out of 1 skirt? 😉 ), there are so many ways you can enjoy this skirt!

Have a look at this video:

Super fun, right? Which style is your favorite? 🙂

Click here to see how to make this double-layer 3 panel circle skirt!

#4. Mermaid Skirt

Once you’re getting familiar with sewing, it’s time to try making a mermaid skirt!

I design all my mermaid skirts with the hourglass silhouette in mind, and this 5-panel mermaid skirt is no exception! It looks really great on every dancer because it’s made to their measurements!

This mermaid skirt has been so popular, and I’ve created a 5-day Challenge where you can make this skirt in 5 days! Here are just a few examples of the lovely dancers / costumers who participated:

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A huge shout out to Viktorija (from Albania) who created this gorgeous velvet mermaid skirt for her sister using the Sparkly Belly 5-Day Mermaid Skirt Challenge. She did this with no sewing skills which proves you can take on this challenge as a total beginner without fear or intimidation. Prove to yourself that you too can create your own gorgeous mermaid skirt.⠀ ⠀ Do you want to dive into the FREE Mermaid Skirt Challenge too? You can by clicking the 3rd link in my bio. ⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #bellydancecostumes #bellydancecostume #bellydancedesign #dancecostume #dancecostumes #applique #bellydancedress #beadedapplique #rhinestone #customdancecostumes #bellydancelife #bellydanceworld #bellydanceshow #bellydanceclass #bellydancestars #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancers #raqs #raqssharki #raqssharqi #dressmaker #dressmakers #seamstresslife #behindtheseams #ベリーダンス #肚皮舞 #ベリーダンス衣装 #ベリーダンサー #舞台衣装
A post shared by Mao Murakami | SPARKLY BELLY (@maomurakami) on May 16, 2019 at 9:01am PDT

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Sparkly Belly community member, @CarolPlaquin, created this velvet mermaid skirt and we all know that velvet offers its own set of challenges 🙂 I love it and I love the color and the matching bra is perfection. Great Job Girl!!!!⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #costumemaking #bellydancecostumes #bellydancecostume #bellydancedesign #dancecostume #dancecostumes #ballroomdress #latindress #promdresses #applique #bellydancedress #beadedapplique #rhinestone #customdancecostumes #customdancecostume #bellydancelife #bellydanceworld #bellydanceshow #bellydanceclass #bellydancestars #ballroomdance #figureskate #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancers #orientaldance #orientaldancer #raqs #raqssharki #raqssharqi
A post shared by Mao Murakami | SPARKLY BELLY (@maomurakami) on May 28, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

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@TammySpurgeon took the 5-day mermaid skirt challenge and here is what she had to say about it, “The skirt had come out beautifully!…I’ve always been afraid of a skirt like this since I am not the best ‘shape’ but it was the most comfortable and beautiful fit and a confidence builder the way it flowed. ”⠀ ⠀ Join the FREE challenge yourself and create your own mermaid skirt by clicking the link in my bio.⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #bellydancecostumes #bellydancecostume #bellydancedesign #ballroomdress #latindress #promdresses #applique⠀ #bellydancedress #rhinestone #customdancecostumes #customdancecostume⠀ #bellydancelife #bellydanceworld #bellydanceshow #bellydanceclass #bellydancestars #ballroomdance #figureskate #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancers #orientaldance #orientaldancer #raqs #raqssharki #raqssharqi #ベリーダンス #肚皮舞 #ベリーダンス衣装 #ベリーダンサー
A post shared by Mao Murakami | SPARKLY BELLY (@maomurakami) on Jun 13, 2019 at 9:01am PDT

It starts every Monday, so if you’re curious, go have a look & join us below!

Click here to check out the 5-Day Mermaid Skirt Challenge!

#5. Aurora Convertible Skirt

Wouldn’t it be nice if you can get more than 1 look out of 1 skirt!?

This Aurora Convertible Skirt makes your wish come true! 🙂

You get 3+ looks in this Aurora Convertible Skirt with the DETACHABLE side swags and tail!!! The base skirt is a gorgeous mermaid-ish skirt with a huge godet that flares amazingly as you twirl… and with the detachable parts, you can switch up the looks as you please!

It’s my paid course, so the how-to is not free. But what you get in this course is not even comparable to free tutorials!

Just to give you one example, you get 32 skirt design options – you’ll never run out of skirt ideas! 🙂 The below skirt is also from this course (Check out the perfect cut-out!):

Click here to learn how to make the Aurora Convertible Skirt!

#6. DIY 25-yard Skirt

If you’ve been studying belly dancing for a while, sooner or later you’ll want one of these, amazingly fluffy, dreamy 25-yard tiered skirts!

Even though I’ve placed this one at the end of the list, it’s actually NOT difficult to make. If I ONLY consider the level of difficulty, I should place this right after the no-sew skirt.

But this one takes patience!

Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE this 25-yard skirt. In fact, I revised my design so many times so that my version requires MUCH less time to make! But it IS a genuine 25-yard skirt. There IS a lot of fabric.

But if you’re up for the challenge, and if you’d LOVE to have this skirt, go for it!!! I’ve seen many dancers in Sparkly Belly’s Facebook group try this skirt with AMAZING results! 😀 😀

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I absolutely love what @violetmemories has done with her 25 yards of fabric….it has sooo much movement and grace. I can’t believe this is your first time sewing anything and I can’t wait to see what you do next!⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #costumemaking #bellydancecostumes #bellydancecostume #bellydancedesign #dancecostume #dancecostumes #ballroomdress #latindress #promdresses #applique ⠀ #bellydancedress #beadedapplique #rhinestone #customdancecostumes #customdancecostume⠀ #bellydancelife #bellydanceworld #bellydanceshow #bellydanceclass #bellydancestars #ballroomdance #figureskate #bellydancersofinstagram #bellydancers #orientaldance #orientaldancer #raqs #raqssharki #raqssharqi
A post shared by Mao Murakami | SPARKLY BELLY (@maomurakami) on Apr 24, 2019 at 12:00pm PDT

Isn’t it dreamy looking!? This is a really great skirt to dance in 🙂

Click here to check out the 25-yard skirt tutorial!

So which ones are you going to make? 🙂

I think these are really classic skirt styles that can be customized in any way you like!

The best part of all these skirts is that you can make them to YOUR SIZE, which is super important to me! There’s nothing more uncomfortable than performing in a skirt that’s way too long, which makes you worry you may trip and fall every second…. or in a skirt that’s way too short, which makes you worry that you look like you’re in a “borrowed” costume or your audience may be able to see a bit too much through the slit!

Hope you liked this list of 6 DIY classic belly dance skirts, and if you did, please share it with your belly dancer friends! Maybe try the no-sew ruffle skirt for your next troupe performance? 😉

And if you want to start making more costuming bits, let me introduce you to the world of belly dance costume making in my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101! Thousands of dancers have taken this free course, and I often hear from those who’re excited to start creating!

Click here to check out the free course!

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling! 😉

P.S. Pin this image for your next project!

Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?

Sign up for my newsletter here and get my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101!

Belly Dancer costume : 10 elements you may need to DIY your own belly dancing outfit

Let me turn fortune teller for you – I see in my cards that you have just started learning belly dancing after being inspired by Shakira’s gorgeous hips don’t lie sways. Am I wrong? Fine! Then maybe you just want to dress as a belly dancer for the fun of it, without wanting to do anything with the dancing moves.

Funning aside, What do the real Belly dancers wear ? What do you wear if you want to look like a belly dancer ?

To look like a belly dancer, you have to have all the paraphernalia of the part. Nothing less, nothing more.

You have a choice of buying the total costume for belly dancing called the Bedleh – this will have the usual beaded bra top, hip belt, long skirt/pants or You can DIY and assemble all the parts yourself. It is not so difficult, considering many people do that.

Belly Dance Outfit -Main elements
1. Belly Dance pants
2. Belly dance Skirts
4. Scarves
6. Beledi Dress / Kaftans
8. Headbands or turbans
9. Shoes
10. Other Embellishments

1. Belly Dance pants

These are loose pants – usually tightened and gathered at the ankle with elastic or drawstring. Other names for harem pants are Chalwar (Iran), libas (Egypt), Shaksheer (Turkey), Dimije ( Bulgaria)

You can find a sewing pattern to make belly dance pants here.

2. Belly dance Skirts

The long belly dance skirts will be made of a flowy fabric and will usually have a long slit from the middle of the thigh which aids in dancing. They will be colorful and adorned with beads/sequins. Usually it is a circle skirt construction. Mermaid skirts are also used.

Or just take some chiffon fabric and make an elastic waist skirt with it, with a number of long slits. You can wear leggings under the skirt for modesty.

3. Tops/Bralettes

Crop tops or choli blouse (Sari blouse) or glittery bralettes are worn as the top for the pants/skirts for belly dancing.

You can change your bra into a belly dance top by attaching sequins or beads.You can buy a push-up bra and cover it in matching fabric and then attach beads/sequins and such glittery embellishments.

A net fabric sleeve added to the bralette/choli can turn it into a show stopper.Some use a Ghawazee vest over the bralette.

4. Scarves

Hip scarf/Sarongs are tied over the belly dance pants /skirts. The hip scarf will be shorter than a sarong. They will usually have fringes on the edges that swing as you dance and will be made of glittery flowy (and usually lightweight) fabric.They are fastened at the front or at the side with a brooch.

5. Hip Belts

Coin belts are favorites as hip belts – Trims with metallic coins are attached on the edges of the hip belt. If not, the hip belts will be adorned with beads/beaded fringes, tassels.

6. Beledi Dress / Kaftans

Sometimes a one piece costumes are used for belly dancing. Beledi is a one piece costume used so. Kaftan are also used by some for belly dancing.

7. Jewelry

Jewelry forms a very important part of a belly dancing outfit. They compliment the costume. But it is better not to overdo with lots of unnecessary jewelry to remain classy and not garish.

Necklaces, pendant earrings, toe rings, giant finger rings, all in ethnic fashion are used as jewelry other than the hip belt. Rings, bracelets with danglers can adorn the arms. Anklets can be worn on the foot – they have jingles which chime when you dance.

Belly button rings are added for additional fun. Jeweled pins are used as fasteners, functional and decorative. Arm bands decorated with chains, coins or pendants also give you that distinctive belly dancer look.

8. Headbands or turbans

Hair is often covered in either a headband or a turban. Headbands keep the hair away from the face. Either a simple or elaborate headband or headpiece can be used depending on the dance/costume. It is the tribal belly dancers who use turbans instead of headbands.

9. Shoes

Some prefer to dance without shoes. But when shoes are worn they are usually in a metallic shade (gold or silver) matching the beads in the costume. The regular belly dance shoes are Turkish slippers with the toe curled upwards, embellished with tassels and embroidery.

Whatever shoes you wear, Turkish slippers or simple ballet shoes or plumps with heels, you need to have some glitter on them to make them festive enough for belly dancing. You can embellish your shoes with glitter, sequins or glittery beads.

10. Other Embellishments

Coins and chains are one of the most frequently used embellishment on belly dancer costumes. Beaded patches with glittery beads can be added to the belly dance costume. Small mirrors (Shisha ), trims embellished with rhinestones, brocade ribbons etc are added to the costume to make it more exotic than it already is.

Temporary tattoos, bindis are attached on the body to further enhance the belly dance costume. Head pieces or braids or even wigs are added to make the hair long and suitable for a belly dancer.

Related posts : How to attach mirrors on fabric; Make a sari Blouse. ; How to dress like a hippie

Updated on October 18, 2022 by Sarina Tariq

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Do-it-yourself belly dance costume

Sergey Sizov
10 Apr 2018, 22:01

Contents of the article

1 Master class for making a belly dance costume with your own hands.
2 Patterns for a belly dance costume.
3 DIY belly dance costume photo
4 Do-it-yourself belly dance costume video

Belly dance came to us from the Arab countries and conquered not only women, but also men with its beauty. The gracefulness of the body and the beauty of the movements are especially emphasized by the beautiful costumes that reveal the best parts of the female body and present them in an advantageous position during the movements. Such costumes are most often decorated with a large number of beads, stones, beads and others. This is what makes them so valuable. Do not be afraid because such a costume can be easily sewn with your own hands.

Master class for making a belly dance costume with your own hands.

Before tailoring any suit, you need to make the necessary measurements as clearly as possible. Then comes the selection of fabric for the suit. The fabric should be as pleasant to the body as possible, not cause allergic reactions (most often this happens when there are non-natural components in the composition) and not hinder movement (be as elastic as possible). For belly dancing, brighter fabric colors are needed, and one of the best options is silk as a material for tailoring a costume. In addition to the material for such a costume, you may need various decorations - stones, rhinestones, beads, etc. As soon as the purchase of the necessary components is over, you can proceed directly to tailoring.

The costume consists of 3 elements:

Bodice.
Skirt or bloomers.
Bandage. Over the skirt on the hips.

First you need to choose a bodice, it is best to buy a ready-made bodice, which can be transformed into a part of the costume with the help of simple manipulations. The bodice is better to choose, as shown in the figure without any patterns and decor, the usual solid color.

After you have found the most suitable bodice, many get rid of the internal filling of the cup. This should not always be done, but only if you naturally have your own large breasts and the push-up increases it even more and does not support it, as it is necessary for dancing. Many instead of push-up insert shreds of fabric, which gives rigidity and better fixes the chest.

It is very important to change the hooks to this kind of rivet, as shown in the photo below. It is they who will support the chest more favorably during belly dancing.

And the last most favorite and most interesting point in the preparation of the bodice will be decoration. You can decorate it with absolutely any materials and according to your design.

After the bodice, proceed directly to the skirt of the suit.

First, measure the desired material size. Then we cut off the desired piece.

No lining needed. Elastic, threads and fabric - all you need for a skirt.

The elastic must be sewn to the waistband.

The hem of the skirt also needs to be processed so that everything looks as beautiful as possible and there are no protruding threads or uneven cut edges.

After the work done, we will get just such a skirt. Everyone chooses the right color and material from which to sew this skirt. It is also worth remembering that it should not be as long as possible and it is better to make one or two cuts on the sides. Then you can embroider and decorate this skirt with all possible beads, rhinestones, shreds from other materials.

The bodice and skirt are ready, only the belt remains to be sewn. The size and width of the belt can be different and vary only from personal wishes.

Using a sewing meter, measure the hips and transfer it to a piece of material. Next, we make a cardboard sketch of the belt itself.

After we outline the edges of the sketch and cut out the desired section of the fabric. This fabric needs to be stitched along all the edges so that the belt turns out to be even and beautiful.

Belt ready. It also needs to be decorated and the image will be complemented.

Patterns for a belly dance costume.

For beginners in the world of sewing, below will be given options for patterns, according to which it is as easy as possible to learn how to sew this kind of suits.
For those who decide to make a bodice with their own hands, and not to buy, this pattern is offered for viewing.

Skirt pattern.

Belt pattern.

DIY belly dance costume photo

These simple costumes can be made independently and relatively quickly.

The following options will require more time and more decoration materials. But the beauty of such outfits dazzles everyone.

These two outfits are insanely beautiful and bright, which makes the dance even more beautiful and sensual.

Any fashionista can make such an outfit, it just takes more time.

Do-it-yourself belly dance costume video

Now, you can also find a lot of videos with making a do-it-yourself belly dance costume. Here are the top 3:

We create a belly dance costume with our own hands

Almost every modern woman is looking for a hobby for herself. Someone embroiders with pleasure, someone bakes pies, and someone goes to dances. In this article, I would like to tell women who are mastering oriental culture how to sew a belly dance costume with their own hands.

Components

First of all, you should decide on the details of the costume. It will definitely be a long skirt and bodice. However, if it is not possible to make all the details beautiful, you can safely get by with just one belt. From the accessories you can prepare a veil, you will also need a huge number of different decorations for hands, ears, legs - earrings, rings, chains, bracelets, etc.

Bodice

with the preparation of the bodice. For this, an ordinary opaque bra (preferably foam rubber) may be suitable. If it is already the right color, it will only need to be decorated. However, it is better to pre-sheathe it with the desired fabric so that it does not look ordinary. It will be impossible to create a single piece of skin, so it will consist of several parts. The first is a detail for cups. It is cut out in a rectangular shape and bent over the finished product. To do this, you will need to make several folds of fabric according to the principle of creating a tuck. You will also need fabric for the straps. To do this, cut out long rectangles that simply wrap these parts on all sides. The pieces are already sewn on the bra, you can even sew them on with a decorative stitch. "Ponytails" are hidden under the details for the cups of the bodice, which are sewn on last. We go further, creating individual details for a belly dance costume with our own hands. When the bra is completely wrapped in new fabric, you need to start decorating the product. Everything that the lady likes will come in handy here. It can be just beautiful embroidery with threads or beads, or it can be glued sequins in the form of fish scales, etc. Here the woman herself decides what she wants to get as a result. However, you need to remember that everything should be fairly securely attached, because in this costume you will have to dance, that is, actively move.

Skirt

Tailoring of the belly dance costume includes making a long skirt. To do this, you need to take a fairly thin transparent fabric that drapes well, such as chiffon or crepe chiffon. Now you need to decide what kind of skirt you want to make. Two options can be considered. The first is an ordinary straight skirt with slits on the sides, the second is a sun skirt.

In any case, you need to prepare the belly dance costume patterns beforehand. So, for a straight skirt, you will need to take two pieces of fabric that will be sewn along the sides to about the end of the thigh. Unsewn sections and the bottom are simply hemmed. From above, you can provide the usual wide belt, which must be made of elastic fabric, because it will most likely be on the hips, and not on the waist. To do this, you need a piece of fabric twice as wide as the belt itself. The fabric for the belt is bent in width with the wrong side inward. Next, the belt is sewn to the skirt. To do this, first the inner part of the belt (which is adjacent to the body) is sewn with a skirt, then the fabric allowances are tucked in, covered with the front of the belt, and everything is overcast. If everything went out neatly, a decorative stitch is started along the front of the belt. Oriental belly dance costumes also suggest the possibility of creating a sun skirt. You can sew it in the same way as the previous one, but the fabric will take a little more, about 2.5 times. After all, the sun skirt is a circle with a cutout for the waist in the center. The top of the skirt, along the waistline, can be gathered. The bottom is hemmed with a narrow scar, a wide belt is sewn to the top. That's all, the skirt is ready.

Belt

When preparing a belly dance costume with your own hands, it is important not to forget about such a moment as the design of the belt. It is this detail that gives the costume a special appeal. How to make it? To do this, it is better to pre-prepare a full-size pattern. The top must be straight, and the bottom of the belt can be triangular, figured, rounded - whatever you like. The length of the product is calculated: this is the waist circumference plus approximately 4 cm for the fastener. You can make tucks so that the product sits perfectly on the figure.

The fabric is also selected: for the base of the belt - dense, cotton can be used, and for the top - something light and beautiful, for example, supplex, satin, crepe-satin. You will also need a dense interlining for gluing the product, it will be attached from the inside to the front of the product. When the parts are ready, they need to be folded with the right sides inward, sewn, turned inside out, through the hole left, baste and insert the fastener (the belt can simply be tied). Now it remains to decorate it in the same way as the bodice.

Accessories

What other details can oriental belly dance costumes suggest? Of course, these are special decorations. Earrings, bracelets for hands and ankles are definitely needed - the more the better, because when a woman dances, they ring pleasantly. By the way, they can also be made independently from beads or beads. It is necessary to decorate the neck with chains or coarse beads, and fingers with rings. However, it is important not to overdo it with decorations so that the figure is not too bulky.