Author: Mao

3 Steps to Turning Your Belly Dance Costume Professional

3 Steps to Turning Your Belly Dance Costume Professional!

Have you felt like your belly dance costume is incomplete? You put on a bra, belt, and a skirt, and it looks like something is missing…. or not dramatic enough. Don’t worry, it happens to many dancers, including me. In this video, I’ll show you how to solve this incomplete outfit problem quickly. Let’s get started! Click here to join… Read more →

Chani's turquoise costume

How to Alter a Beaded Belly Dance Bra with Chani

Looking for ideas on how to alter a beaded belly dance bra? Have a vintage costume that needs an upgrade? In this post, Chani, our alteration expert, will show you how to alter a beaded belly dance bra top seamlessly and make it fit you! Enjoy 🙂 This is a vintage costume I bought on-line many, many years ago. The… Read more →

Meet Chani! – Costume Alteration Expert

Got some costumes you inherited from your teacher that don’t fit quite well?  Love vintage costumes but need help with altering them? Today I’m super excited to introduce to you a belly dance costume alteration expert, Chani!  As you’ll see in this post, she is excellent at taking an old costume and putting new life into it. And her work… Read more →

3-panel-belly-dance-mermaid-skirt-sew-part-2

DIY 3-Panel Mermaid Skirt Pt.2 (Sewing) for belly dancers

In Part 1 of this 3-panel mermaid skirt series, I showed you how to make your own pattern for this 3-panel belly dance mermaid skirt. If you missed it, start from there 🙂 In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to cut the fabric, and assemble all pieces together. Let’s get started! Click here to sign up for the Sparkly… Read more →

DIY 3-Panel Mermaid Skirt Pt.1 (Free pattern) for belly dancers

I shared this 5-panel mermaid skirt tutorial years ago, and it has been one of the most popular tutorials at Sparkly Belly. And since I published it, so many of you have requested a simpler, 3-panel mermaid skirt. Thank you!  So today I’m thrilled to share with you my 3-panel mermaid skirt over the next 2 posts, more straightforward than… Read more →

DIY-long-ruched-hip-scarf

DIY Long Ruched Hip Scarf for Belly Dance

As belly dancers, we can never have enough hip scarves, and today I’m very excited to share with you this new ruched hip scarf I made!  It’s extra long, so it feels like a half skirt, which feels nice as you dance in it. And I love the ruched design. It’s an easy, beginner-friendly project, and let me show you… Read more →

DIY Sparkly Belly Dance / Ballroom Bracelet

I shared the sparkly necklace DIY perfect for belly dancers and ballroom dancers with you last month, and so many of you came to my site and downloaded the free pattern! And some of you requested a bracelet to go with it, which is an awesome idea! So in this tutorial, let me show you how I made this beautiful,… Read more →

How to decorate stretch dresses (1)

How to Decorate Stretch Dresses

Whether you make belly dance, ballroom, or wedding dresses, you’re likely to encounter stretch dresses. Decorating stretch dresses or costumes can be tricky because if you don’t do it properly, you can lose the stretch of the fabric or your finished dress can pull in funny directions. So in this video, I’ll show you how I decorated this dress and… Read more →

DIY nude gauntlets

DIY Nude Gauntlets

I always like to have matching accessories for my costumes, and so for this brand new dress I made, I decided to make a pair of nude gauntlets! Gauntlets are great because they cover parts of your arms without adding much weight to the overall look. In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to make these nude gauntlets that look… Read more →