A belly dance outfit usually comes with a bra top, belt, and a skirt, or you may choose a belly dance skirt without a belt.
If you’re making a costume from scratch, the second option is less time-consuming, so it’s a great option for simpler costumes or troupe costumes. 🙂
But the problem is, how do you make the waistband area look nice and finished without wearing a belt?
So in this video, I’ll share with you some of my best tips on making the waistband area work without a belt and decorating it while saving time. Let’s get started!
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How to Make the Waistband Work on Belly Dance Skirt without Belt
How do you finish the waistband?
Answer: Finish this area with wide elastic.
If you plan to wear the skirt without a belt or hip scarf, you’ll probably want to decorate this area. So the waistband will have to be able to hold up the weight of the rhinestones and beads. To make a nice, secure waistband, add elastic to the waistband all the way around.
I recommend you use at least 2.5cm (1in) wide elastic here. You can use wider elastic, but anything narrower will not give enough support or create a neat finish like this. So 2.5cm-5cm (1-2in) wide elastic is perfect for this look.
How do you decorate the waistband?
Next, how do you decorate the waistband, so it looks finished without a belt? There are 2 approaches.
#1. Faux Belt Look
The first is to create a faux belt look. You can fill the entire waistband with rhinestones and beads and the waistband will look like a belt.
Or you can bead along the top of the waistband for a delicate belt look. (The skirt is my Aurora Convertible Skirt.)
You can mix in lace appliques and bead fringes too along the waistband area. (The dress is my Mirage Dress.)
This is a great approach if you like to have a belt or something to mark the waistband for your design.
#2. Ignore the waistband
The second is to completely ignore the waistband and decorate this general area. This is great if you like to be creative with your design or if you’re working with a high-waisted skirt like this one because normally we don’t wear a belt-high up on your waistline.
For this example, I made these large flower-shaped appliques. I placed one so that the top edge goes over the waistband of the skirt.
I like this type of applique placement because it sort of blurs the horizontal line of the waistband, which tends to accentuate the width of your body. But by blurring the line, it makes the waistband area look interesting and slimming.
By the way, this applique was made using the same materials and techniques shown in my Swirly Belt & Appliques course.
The applique is a little stiff, so you can make the petals curve and make the whole thing three-dimensional. Adding dimensions is great for making your costume look more professional.
I sewed on the appliques, then added large rhinestones. You can place them on the waistband too, but if you’re going for a more artistic look, make sure to spread the stones all over the area.
Over the waistband, just sew the stones onto the top layer of the fabric, not through the elastic.
Then I glued on small rhinestones. Glueing on rhinestones is pretty easy, and doesn’t take a long time, but these stones really add sparkles to your costumes, so I highly recommend it for beginner costumers or experienced costumes who want to save time.
To add some movements to the skirt, I made this strip from satin bias tape that I used in other parts of the costume, and glued rhinestones on it. And sewed it under an applique.
And don’t forget to make a matching bra. If you’re going for an outfit without a belt, it’s really important that the skirt and the bra top match. Use the same colors and materials so you have a nice, cohesive design.
And this costume is finished! There’s no belt to go with it, but this outfit and the waistband works without a belt. The waistband area looks finished and stays up nicely.
If you want to make an outfit like this, the bra top is from my Dina Bra from Scratch, the skirt is my Daria Mermaid Skirt, and again, the appliques are from my Swirly Belt & Appliques.
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Hope you liked this belly dance skirt without belt tutorial, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer and costumer friends!
And if you’re new to belly dance costume making, check out my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 below. It’ll give you a great introduction to costume making and beginner-friendly projects.
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Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this image for your future reference!
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