DIY Beaded Sleeve for Dance Costumes

I’ve been enjoying playing with beads these days 🙂

But decorating costumes with beads can be intimidating, especially for beginners!

You may wonder, “Is it going to take hours of work? Is it going to look good on my costume?!”

So today I want to share with you this pretty DIY beaded sleeve for your costume. It’s very beginner-friendly and takes less than 30 minutes to make. But it makes your costume and your arm movements look so beautiful!

Let’s get started. 😉

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To make this beaded sleeve, you need:

String – I’m using yarn here. Any string would do. About 1 meter is plenty.

Button thread – I’m using button thread because it’s thicker than regular thread. Since it’s for a dance costume, it’s best to use thick thread like this so it won’t break easily with your arm movements.

Beads – Here’s exactly how many of each bead I used:

• 125 – 6mm black round beads
• 69 – size 6 clear seed beads
• 130 – size 6 grey seed beads

Hand sewing needle

How to Make DIY Beaded Sleeve for Dance Costumes

First, put on your costume top and place an end of your string on the back of your shoulder strap like this. My bra has criss-cross style shoulder straps, so I attached it just below where they cross. If your bra is a halter-neck style, you can attach it at the back centre of the halterneck.

Bring the string around to the front, and see how much of the string you need so you can actually move your arm freely. The sleeve will move up and down your arm but it can’t be too tight.

Place the end point at the bottom of the shoulder strap, and mark the minimum length you need on the string.

Then drape it a little more and a couple of inches longer to decide the longest part of the sleeve. Mark it on the string.

Next, take the button thread about 2.5 times longer than the shorter mark on the string, and double thread your needle. Make a tight knot at the end.

Anchor it where you placed the end of the string on the shoulder strap by going through it a couple of times close to the edge, and send the needle out to the edge.

Start adding beads to the thread. Here I’m adding 5 round beads then 3 seed beads and repeating this pattern. But of course, you can mix and match different types of beads and make it colourful and interesting.

Keep stringing beads until it’s the length of the shorter mark on the string.

Then take the needle to the bottom of the shoulder strap, a few mm above the bra cup. And anchor it thereby sending the needle from the edge of the shoulder strap to the back side. Here, if your shoulder straps are a criss-cross style like mine, make sure that you’re anchoring this end to the other shoulder strap, not the same strap. Also be careful not to make the strung beads too tight. We want them to drape nicely, so make sure the beads have a little room to move around.

Repeat this for the longer strand. Anchor the thread a few mm below the first one, and string beads until the longer mark on the string. Anchor the other end a few mm below the first one on the shoulder strap right above the bra cup.

Then repeat again for the middle strand. Anchor the thread in the middle of the 2 strands, string beads until it’s about the middle length between the 2 points on the string, and anchor the end in between the 2 strands on the front of the bra. Here I did 20 grey seed beads, 1 round bead, and repeated the pattern.

That’s it! And your beaded sleeve is complete. They’re very easy to make, and the way they slide on your arms is so romantic and perfect for your flowy arm movements. If you like, repeat the stringing steps on the other side to make another sleeve.

Complete decorating your costume by using the same beads and making matching appliques. If you’re curious how to make these appliques, you can:

Learn how to make beaded appliques in my brand new course here!

And/or

Get a DIY applique kit in my shop here!

In the next video, you’ll see how to make this beaded swag which is detachable. If you’re curious, sign up for my newsletter below so you won’t miss it!

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Hope you liked the DIY beaded sleeve, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends! They’ll appreciate your thought!

And if you want to learn how to make belly dance costumes but if you’re not sure where to start, check out my free course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 🙂

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this image for your future projects!

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