I like decorating my costumes with lace appliques in recent years, and today I’ll show you how I made this adjustable belly dance lace belt.
Many fusion-style belts come with ties that let you adjust the size of the belt, but not raqs sharqi belts.
But here’s a sneaky way to make your belt adjustable without compromising the style. Let’s get started!
Click here to check out the Zeina Skirt with Built-in Shorts!
To make this easy belly dance lace belt, you need:
Lightweight fabric that matches your skirt – you only need 20cm (8in) or so, but the whole width of the fabric. Use 150cm wide fabric, or if your fabric is narrower, sew a couple of pieces together to make that length. Use the same fabric as your skirt if possible, and the belt will blend in better.
Lace appliques – enough to cover your entire waistband. Stiff ones will work better. I used the ones from this shop.
Matching color threads
Felt
Fabric glue
How to Make a Belly Dance Lace Belt
Make a tie
Cut the fabric into an 8cm (3 1/4in) wide strip. Use the whole width of the fabric. If you want the tie to be longer, cut another strip and sew the strips at the short ends to make one long strip.
Fold it right sides together lengthwise, and do a straight stitch along the long edge, with a 1cm (3/8in) seam allowance.
Turn it right side out. At the ends, fold about 1cm (3/8in) from the edge towards the inside, and do a straight stitch there, so we have neatly finished ends. Press it well at this point.
Now we have 1 long tie. Fold it in half.
Measure your belt line or the area where you’d like to wear the belt, and measure half of your belt line measurement from the fold of the tie. And mark the place with pins on both layers.
Place lace appliques
Now open up the tie. Take your lace appliques, and place them along the tie in between the pins and place new pins to keep them in place. Try to place the largest parts of the appliques on the tie, in order to maximize the surface area of the appliques that touch the tie.
Leave the pin areas empty so the appliques won’t get in the way when you tie the belt.
Once you like the placement, sew the appliques onto the tie. I used a double-threaded needle and whip stitched around the edges of the appliques.
Finish the back side of the lace belt
Then place the belt wrong side up and take your felt. And create the backing with this felt. Depending on your applique design, you might be able to trace the entire shape of the appliques and cover the back side of your appliques completely. That would be the best option because it’ll give more support to your appliques.
My appliques had a lot of small areas that couldn’t be covered by felt. So I simply cut out a strip that at least covered the back side of the tie.
And using fabric glue, attach the felt backing to the belt.
Leave it overnight for the glue to dry. I used appliques that already had some stones and sparkles, but of course, you can further decorate the lace appliques with beads and stones. Avoid decorating the edges of the appliques, because they can start to sag with the weight of the decoration. Instead, focus on the areas that are supported by the tie or felt backing.
And your lace belt is complete! I made the tie from the same fabric as the skirt, so it blends into the skirt. And I can adjust the size very easily. I love how simple and pretty this lace belt is! It’s a great troupe costuming option since it’s easy to make and accommodates many different sizes.
Do you like the skirt?
And if you want to make this skirt I’m wearing here, I have good news. You can learn to make this exact skirt in my brand new Zeina skirt with built-in shorts premium course!
In this course, you can learn to create these beautiful skirts with built-in shorts. These shorts are very comfortable, and keep the skirts in place no matter how much you dance!
The best part is, these shorts are detachable, so you can wash them easily, and swap shorts to get new looks in seconds! The course will launch in a couple of weeks, so if you’re curious, learn more below 🙂
Learn more about these Zeina skirts with built-in shorts here!
And next week, I’ll show you how I decorate all these shorts and tips on decorating stretch materials. If you’re curious, make sure to sign up for my newsletter below:
Hope you liked this lace belt tutorial, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends!
And again, check out the Zeina skirt with built-in shorts at SparklyBelly.com/shorts.
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this on your belt idea board!
Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?
Learn more and sign up for my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 here!
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