How to make belly dance pants
Super Easy Belly Dance Pants - free pattern & tutorial
Method 1. Elastic waist belly dance pants
You need to cut two yoke pieces (plus one lining for front yoke), two leg pieces and two ankle bands for making this belly dance pants.
Cut out the leg pieces on the fold as per the pattern given below
Cut out two fabric pieces which are 3 inches wide and of length equalling your ankle round plus 1 inch seam allowance cut on the crosswise grain (for some stretch)
Gather the leg bottom edges to match the length of the fabric ankle bands
Stitch the band to the edge, ensuring that the gathers are somewhat more at the center.Do this for both the leg hems
Stitch the leg inseams, keeping the pieces right sides together, individually – this will give you two finished leg pieces
You have to now join them together at the crotch seams
Cut out a piece of elastic equalling 1/2 of your waist round minus 1 inches.
Take the back yoke piece – turn the top edge twice to make a casing for the elastic.
Insert the elastic with the help of a pin through the casing. Secure both the ends of the elastic
You can make a stitch to secure the elastic edges.
Prepare the front yoke piece by keeping the lining and the main piece right sides together and sewing the top edge with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Turn right side out. This will give you a clean edge to your front yoke top edge
Keep the front yoke and the back yoke right sides together and stitch the side seams. Turn right side out.
The back will look like this
Now you should join the leg piece and the yoke piece. You will have to align the center of the leg piece and yoke piece and pin in place – so that any gathers/pleats you will make will be equally distributed. Pinning or making basting stitches work.
Method 2. Shirred waist belly dance pants
This is a pattern to make the belly dance pants in a free size. The loose and comfortable belly dance pants in this tutorial has a shirred waist and an elasticized ankle and can be easily be made in half an hour or so.
All you need are some elastic pieces and elastic thread and the fabric ( suitably dazzling, drapey and or glittery). When made in a cotton fabric you can use it as a very comfortable lounge wear
This is part of the dance costume used for the enchanting belly dance, though it can be used for any dance. There are many different ways of making this pants. Checkout the tutorial to make Harem pants for other versions.
If you do not know shirring just make a casing on the top edge and insert elastic . If you would like to know more about shirring checkout this tutorial for shirring , which is sewing with elastic thread
Step1
To make this pattern first cut out two leg patterns as per the pattern given below .Take two fabric pieces of width 36 inch and length about 45 inches; fold by the center and mark the pattern. Cut it out. The pants are made about 40 inch long – increase or decrease height as you need.
You will get two pieces like this
Other than this You need to cut one 7 inch wide fabric piece 62 inch long.
Then 2 fabric strips 1.5 inch wide and 22 inch long . you also need elastic thread ( thin elastic thread for shirring) as well as 10 inch long 1/4 inch wide ordinary elastic ( 2 pieces) for ankle casing for the leg pieces
Step 2
First take the two leg pieces. Make the elastic casing at the bottom edge
To make the casing stitch the 1.5 inch fabric pieces and the leg bottom edge right sides together along the edge. Turn the fabric to the back of the leg pattern pieces. Turn under and stitch in place, making a nice casing for the elastic at the bottom edge of the pants.
Step 3
After you have done this for the two legs you can insert the 1/4 inch elastic pieces (2 10 inch pieces, one for each leg ) into the casing with a safety pain.
Hold the both ends of the elastic in place and pin. Now fold each of the leg pieces right sides together and stitch the side edges together.
You have the leg bottom edge prepared . Do this for the other leg as well.
Turn both legs right side out
Step 4
Now join the crotch of the leg pieces – thus joining the two leg pieces together . Keep the pieces right sides together at the crotch seam. Align the center joint of the legs and pin in place. Start stitching from one side to the other. Make two stitching lines to ensure stability at the crotch line.
Step 5
Take the large strip of fabric you have cut out for making the facing for the waist edge .
Turn under the long edge of this piece once and stitch in place ( turn to the wrong side of the fabric ). Measure the top edge of the pant piece . Add 1/2 inch seam allowance and cut the fabric piece accordingly. Join the short edges to make a tube. This is the facing for your pant’s waistline.
The edges should be the same for the facing piece and the pant piece, as they will be stitched together, then the facing turned inside.
Step 6
Keep the pants inside the tube you have made (facing tube) top edges together( right sides together) Stitch along the cut edges.
In the picture below it is attached and ready to be turned inside for a neat finish to your waist edge.
Turn the facing to the back . Press in place. You donot have to stitch this in place though you may as well. Anyways the shirring you do later will keep the facing in place
Step 7
Now you should start shirring the pant waist. Start 1/2 inch from the top edge.
Make 5-6 rows of shirring. Steam slightly to make the shirring look better.
You can decorate the dance pants with big sequins or chains with dangling charms and other trims. Small frills/ruffles can be added to the pants made in soft flowy chiffon
Updated on July 31, 2022 by Sarina Tariq
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How to Make Belly Dancer Harem Pants
by Mao on in DIY Belly Dance Costume Blog, Uncategorized • 11 Comments
I was requested to make a video on DIY harem pants over on Sparkly Belly’s Facebook page, and a few dancers were working on harem pants and sharing their creations there! So that inspired me to make a pair myself.
By the way, the number of members at Sparkly Belly’s Facebook page is growing, and it is such a beautiful community of supportive and crafty dancers. The recent post on the Facebook page made me emotional, because everyone was so caring and supportive and offering practical tips and advice that would help each other grow. If you are part of the community already, thank you for being there, and thank you for being YOU! If you haven’t checked out this wonderful community yet, you can check it out from here. 🙂
Okay, back to the topic…So belly dancer harem pants come in different shapes, and in this video, you will see Princess Jasmine style harem pants that are loose and balloony but has separate legs as opposed to Aladdin style (also known as Afghani pants) that is super loose in the centre and has short to almost no separate legs. And you’ll see how I cut corners and save probably 30 minutes or more making these harem pants. So let’s get started!
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To make Aladdin Jasmine style harem pants, you need:
Fabric – You need about twice your pant length plus about 20cm or 8in. You can use any light weight material that flows nicely, and you can use stretch or non-stretch, it doesn’t matter. I’m using printed chiffon and it has sequins sewn onto it.
Thick elastic for the waistband and thin elastic for ankles – Thick one should be about 2-2.5cm or 1in wide, and the thin one should be about 5mm or ¼ inch wide.
Pants – Find loose pants you have, it doesn’t matter how long they are. Pajama shorts or pants are perfect. We will use these as our pattern
Measuring tape & marker
Scissors or rotary cutter
2 Safety pins
Matching colour thread Sewing machine
How to Make Belly Dancer Harem Pants
First, measure from your belt line or where you want your pants to sit, to the floor.
If you tend to wear your harem pants higher at the back than the front, take your measurement at the back to ensure the pants will be long enough.
Then lay your fabric on a flat surface, and fold it in half.
Next, take your pants, turn them inside out, and put one leg inside the other one, so you can see the curves of the crotch section. The back part tends to be longer, so line them up at the seam of the leg like this.
From the fold, measure 4 cm or 1 ¾ in and place the top of the back side of your pants there and the side of the pants is 1 cm or ½ in from the edge. Then trace the curve 1 cm or ½ in away to give it a seam allowance.
Now quickly measure the distance between the fold and the end of the curve you just drew, and transfer it to the other side of the fabric. These two edges will be sewn together later, so this helps us make sure the lengths of the edges are the same.
Next, bring out the front side of your pants, place it 1cm or ½ in away from the mark, and trace it with a seam allowance just like we did for the back side.
You’ll see that the front side is shorter than the back side, which is normal, and just extend the line upward to meet the fold.
Okay, now measure your pants length plus 6 cm or 2.5 in from the fold and draw a line here.
Cut along the lines, and separate the fold. You’ll have 2 panels.
Now do a straight stitch along the inseam, which is just a fancy term meaning from the crotch to the bottom of the pant. Do this for both legs. What’s great about these harem pants is that because we used the whole width of the fabric and the ends are finished already, we can skip finishing the inseam. I like to cut corners and save time like this especially when it still achieves a similar result. 🙂 But of course, if you like a more professional look, feel free to finish the edges as you like.
Then, here is a little bit of a fun trick, flip one of the legs inside out, and stick it inside the other one, so the right sides are facing together. Line up the inseams and place pins along the curve.
This makes it easier to sew the curved crotch section together.
So go ahead and do a straight stitch, and for the raw edge, you can do a zigzag stitch, or if you have a serger, you can finish the seam with your serger.
It’s exciting, take the inside leg out, and it should looks like a pair of huge pants!
Now, I didn’t want to go back to the fabric and cut and measure more to make elastic casings, so I incorporated it into the original pattern. So at the waist of the pants, fold about 1cm or ½ in at the top edge, then fold again 3cm or 1 1/4in from here. If you’ve got enough patience, you can press it to make it neat and easier to sew. If not, fold and place lots of pins. Do this all the way around the waist of the pants.
Sew with a straight stitch, a couple of mm or 1/8 in or so from the folded bottom edge. At the back or front, make sure to leave a gap about 5cm or 2in long, so you can insert elastic from here later.
Now we’ll do the same thing for the bottom of the pants.
Fold 5mm or 1/4in, then fold again 1.5cm or 1/2in. Press and pin or just place pins, and do a straight stitch all around it, and again don’t forget to leave a few cm gap. And repeat this for the other leg.
It’s a good time to stand up, do a bit of stretch, and see how much elastic you’ll need for your waist. Take your thick elastic, place it around your belt line nice and snug, and cut with 2cm or 1in or so seam allowance. Do the same for your ankles with thinner elastic.
Insert the elastic through the casing you created. Put safety pins on both ends of the elastic, and secure one end somewhere near the gap. This way, you won’t lose the other end of the elastic, which I’ve done too many times not to learn a lesson!
I like to pin it to the seam so even if it leaves holes, they don’t show on the outside. Using the other safety pin, you can guide the elastic through the casing. Then sew the ends together, and stitch up the gap. Do the same for the hems of the pants.
And your harem pants are finished! It may seem like a lot of steps involved, and that’s only because I explained every single detail.
But the construction of these pants is very simple, so if you give it a try, you’ll be surprised how easy it is 😉
I hope you feel like trying, and next week, you will see a thinner version of harem pants that come with slits on the sides. So if you don’t want to miss it, sign up for the Sparkly Belly newsletter from the below link to get updates and free patterns and resources only available to subscribers.
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Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Happy pinning 🙂
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We create a belly dance costume with our own hands
Almost every modern woman is looking for a hobby to her liking. 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. You can prepare a veil from accessories, you will also need a huge number of different jewelry for hands, ears, legs - earrings, rings, chains, bracelets, etc.
Bodice
If a woman is going to make a belly dance costume with her own hands, the work can start with preparing 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. Of course, we must not forget about bright makeup, where the eyes should stand out especially.
Do-it-yourself oriental belly dance costumes: photo with description
If your daughter decided to go in for oriental dancing, it means that you need to buy or sew a bright, memorable costume. Many sew it themselves. An oriental costume for a girl and a girl will look good enough both on stage and in competitive competitions. The type of costume, of course, will depend on the budget, desire and complexity of execution. The article will discuss how you can independently and relatively inexpensively create such an outfit.
Costume base
Typical stage oriental belly dance costumes are based on a base, which includes a bodice and belt. How convenient is the creation of such a foundation? The bodice and belt can be worn with a variety of trousers and skirts. If the base of the costume is made in gold or silver colors, harem pants and a skirt can be of any color.
If the base is made, for example, in emerald or purple, the skirt for this outfit must be matched to match.
A less expensive costume for beginner dancers is one that is decorated with sequins and beads, as well as glass beads, coins, fringe, braid and beads. Inexpensive acrylic stones can be added. In a more expensive version, Swarovski stones are used on jewelry. You can find a copy of the stones in the Chinese version of production. They are also glass, the quality is not worse, and the colors are different. It remains to decide on the color that will be the basis for the costume of the oriental beauty.
How to make a bodice?
If the costume is made for an adult girl, you need to buy a regular bra, one size larger than the bust of the dancer. Why more? Because after the bodice is sheathed with decorations, it will decrease both under the breast and in the cup itself. Some girls involved in oriental dances prefer to sew the bodice on their own by buying cups in the store.
But this is a very difficult job. It’s easier to pick up a ready-made version of a bra for your chest, and then make a bodice for a suit out of it. You should pay attention to how he sits on his chest. If something is wrong, it is better to choose a different bra.
First of all, cut it as shown in the photo below. We cover the cups with fabric selected for the suit. To do this, place the fabric face down on the cup to make tucks. They are marked with a dotted red line in the photo. Stitch them on a typewriter. We turn the fabric right side out and put it on the cup, cut off the excess fabric just enough to fold it in and hem it.
The side straps are made as follows. Cut the cut side straps on any dense material, lengthening in the fastener area. This is done in order to have a fixed length of the strap, and not stretched, as in a bra. Put this cut on a dublerin or any adhesive fabric. Trim off excess fabric.
Iron the adhesive base to the wrong side of the fabric, which will be used to cover the side straps.
Fold the side strap with the fabric planted on the adhesive base. Turn the fabric over and sew. The edge that will be sewn to the cup is processed with a zigzag. The photo shows that the edge with the fastener is not tucked. It is drawn up at the end of the work, when the bodice is ready and the comfortable length of the straps is determined. Hooks for a fastener or loops are sewn on the ends, into which the lacing is pulled, which is convenient for adjusting the tension. The shoulder straps are made to the length you need, from an adhesive-backed trim, and can be embellished in the same way as the bodice itself.
Sleeve in costume
There is one more detail to the oriental costume for a girl - sleeves in the form of lanterns. Usually they are sewn from the same fabric as the skirt or harem pants. They give the dancer grace in the dance. The flashlight is made either as a separate element of the costume, or sewn to the shoulder strap. The sleeve should not fit the arm, but be lush.
In this case, in combination with a skirt or harem pants, it will look rich. The sleeve may have a non-sewn cut along its upper part. Along the cut, you can make the same decorations as on the cut sides of the bloomers.
Belt for oriental costume
Felt can be used for the base of the belt. There is a softer one, but it will not hold its shape as well as the one that is denser. But thin can also be used by folding it in several layers. Felt needs to be bought in a large size (it is usually sold in pieces). It should be enough to form the hip belt of an oriental costume. The easiest option is when a narrow belt is made. You can make it a wave. It is better to create a belt from two parts: front and back. When stitching, you need to make a small margin so that, if necessary, the belt can be slightly increased or reduced. Usually the stock is done on the side in the fastener.
Material for sheathing
The next step is the selection of the material with which the base of the oriental costume will be sheathed.
As a rule, it can be a supplex fabric from which swimwear is sewn. The entire bra is sheathed with this fabric, and not just the cup, so it is important that it does not lose elasticity and stretch. This fabric is also used on the belt, only in this case it does not stretch, but is fixed according to the felt belt pattern.
Many people use satin, thick silk and velvet as the material for covering. Undoubtedly, these fabrics look very nice, but are more suitable for sewing the base for children's oriental costumes, where there is no bra, but the upper part is sewn in the form of a cropped blouse that covers the chest. Moreover, the more beautiful the fabric, the less effort is needed to decorate it. In a suit for a girl, you can sew a belt along with bloomers, as in the photo below.
Costume design
After the base of the costume is covered with material, you need to start decorating. It should be decided what will be sewn or glued on the bodice and belt of the oriental costume.
Beaded stones with hanging beads look much richer than a suit embroidered with sequins. Work on embroidery with sequins in combination with beads is the most time-consuming. The bodice of the costume is decorated with the chosen material.
There are belts that have an embossed pattern with curved ends, as in the photo below. If you are going to sew with your own hands an oriental dance costume with a complex belt, in which there are cut-out details, you need to think about how to make the openwork part solid. No matter how dense the fabric of the belt is, under the weight of the embroidery it will sag and the back surface will be visible. Here you need clamps, they can be wire or whalebone. In this case, the form will hold.
The belt in the photo is embroidered with intricate embroidery, and the hanging is made not with tassels, but with waves of small beads. The belt of an oriental costume has a center from the back. The front part of the belt does not have a center, which is convenient in case the young dancer gains weight or loses some weight and needs to increase or decrease the volume in the side seam.
The flower, shown in front, lies as if from the side and looks spectacular. It is more difficult to make changes to the belt, centered in front and behind, in case of a change in the volumes of the dancer. Therefore, before you start to embroider the belt, you should think about the above problem. You can make a fastener on the back with two strong Velcro. In this case, you do not need to embroider or narrow the belt. Just move the Velcro. From afar, this will not be visible, and the belt looks solid.
Additional accessories for the costume
To create a memorable image of a dancer, bracelets on arms and legs, golden cords, beautiful elongated earrings are used as additional decorations for the costume of an oriental beauty. The monisto decorating the neck of the dancer looks original. It emits a characteristic ringing during the dance and matches the color and style of the costume. It can be made from pearls, coins and glass beads.
To add charm and charm to an oriental dance costume, dancers use many different accessories: shawls and scarves, scarves and headbands, sleeves and gloves.
Bloomers
To sew bloomers, you can use the loose pants pattern. The best material for them is translucent light silk, knitwear or gauze. The details of the legs can be expanded, as the top will be made with an elastic band. The length of the legs is taken 15-20 cm more so that there is an overhang at the bottom. On the sides, the seams should not be continuous in the area from the middle of the thigh to the ankle. Unsewn sidewalls of the legs can be decorated with metallic jewelry, sequins, or any jewelry that is harmonious with the basis of the costume.
Oriental dance skirt is another option in an oriental dance costume. In the classic version, this is a half-sun skirt. The fabric should be thin and flowy. Perfect for crepe satin. Having made a cut of the skirt, you need to sew it along the seam. The top edge of the skirt needs to be processed in a zigzag and tucked up. Pull the elastic into the drawstring. Next, you need to let the skirt hang down for a couple of days.
