Want to try my tutorials yourself but don’t have the tools?
On this page, you’ll find all my favourite tools and vendors for costuming making! 😀
*Please note that some of the links here are affiliate links. This means that at NO additional cost to you, I will earn some commission from the vendors if you make any purchase. This does NOT mean I list some random products here. I want to have a resource page that is truly helpful to you, and so I am going to list only products that I have used or are very similar and most importantly, ones that I found helpful. The little commission I earn from here helps me run this website and keep the contents free.
Having said, no pressure to purchase anything from the list below. These are just my recommendations based on my own experience for those who want some guidance 🙂
Comes with a whole range of presser feet – I particularly love the narrow hem and walking foot!
and an extension table – super useful when sewing long skirts!
Easy to thread
Lots of fun stitch options
With the right sewing needles, this machine is all you need for creating belly dance costumes and more! I highly recommend it.
If Quantum Stylist is out of your budget, my first sewing machine was a Brother sewing machine under $100. If you go for something like this, make sure:
It can do straight and zigzag stitches
It’s NOT a handheld sewing machine
You can change needles and thread the machine easily
A modern sewing machine like this should be good enough for sewing most dancewear fabric.
Measuring and Cutting
Rotary Cutter & Mat – I LOVE my rotary cutter! Cutting fabric is my least favourite things to do when making costumes, because I am terrible at cutting a straight line or following a line.
Makes cutting fabric super easy & fast!
Cut nice straight lines
Save money by getting Rotary Cutting Set. It comes with a rotary cutter, cutting mat, and a clear ruler.
Clover Wonder Clips – I don’t know how many times I’ve mentioned these clips on my blog and inside my courses!
Use these clips in place of pins
Keep the layers of fabric flat (unlike pins that make fabric wavy)
Great for when you try on a costume in progress – they hold pieces temporarily, and don’t poke you. Plus it’s super easy to make minor adjustments!
They come in small and large, and I find it very helpful to have both sizes 🙂
Decoration Tools
Gem-Tac Glue – I often get asked what glue I use to glue on small rhinestones. My absolute favourite is Gem-Tac!
Dries hard and holds rhinestones really well.
Dries clear.
No weird smell
I used to use E6000, which is good too, but now I prefer Gem-Tac because it doesn’t smell like E6000 does 😉
And I highly recommend you use Gem-Tac with…
Glue Syringes – Hate how messy glue gets? Pour in some Gem-Tac in a glue syringe, and you’ll have a much easier and clear time applying rhinestones!
Dreamtime Creations – Looking for rhinestones? Dreamtime Creations has Swarovski, Preciosa and their very own Spark, all of which are great quality for dance costume making.
Great selection of rhinestones – Swarovski, Preciosa, Spark
Good pricing (if you are looking to buy small quantities)
Fast shipping (FREE with over $75 purchase in the US, otherwise $2.99 for the US & Canada!)
Har-Man Importing – Running a costume making business? Need hundreds of rhinestones? Then you may find better prices from a wholesaler 🙂
Great pricing for bulk orders
Amazing selection of Swarovski rhinestones
They also sell quality beads!
Sewing Classes
Belly Dance Costume Making 101 – If you’re new to the world of belly dance costume making, you can find all the basics to get started in my FREE course!
Create Your Own Mermaid Skirt! 5-Day Challenge – Join this 5-day challenge to help you create a perfectly-fitting belly dance mermaid skirt that you can be proud of… even if you never seem to be able to finish a project!
Beginner friendly, step-by-step instructions
Create a perfectly-fitting mermaid skirt in 5 days!
20 Easy Belly Dance Costume Decoration Ideas eBook – This FREE ebook shows you how to decorate your belly dance costumes! Learn how to spice up your old boring costumes and turn them into something you’ll want to show off at your next hafla!
Professor Pincushion – Her YouTube channel is awesome if you want to know specific techniques like how to sew a rolled hem or how to work with chiffon. Nice quality videos.
Shushanna’s Bellydance Costume Tutorials – I have already mentioned Shushanna’s website a few times on my blog, but I have learned so much from her tutorials before I started Sparkly Belly. Her approach is very precise, complete with all kinds of formulas that help you make your costumes perfectly and professionally.
Shira.net – The amount of information on Shira’s website blows me away. In addition to tons of detailed information and tutorials on costumes, this website has many articles on belly dance techniques, music, cultures…everything.
Sparkly Belly’s Secret Studio – This is a page where I share all of my free patterns and other resources, and only Sparkly Belly subscribers can access the page. Sign up below and get access!
From time to time, I get asked questions about creating websites and online marketing.
If you are a belly dancer building online presence or going professional, you need a website 🙂 Here are my recommendations for making your own website.
My DIY Website Tutorial 🙂 – I tried my best to explain website making in a plain language. Set up a website in 4 simple steps!
Video Making Guide – You can’t explain your dancing just with words. Film your dance and instructions and share it with the world! Learn how here.
Learn how to build an online presence and create a following
Learn how to add income streams to your belly dance business – so you can keep doing what you love and make a living!
Have any other suggestions or want to see other recommendations? Comment below 🙂
And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter so you get access to the subscriber-only Secret Studio and get new DIY’s and costuming fun in your inbox!
Do you have any sources for appliques to recommend? A friend recommended one source for appliques, on Etsy, but I’d like to find more. I have some very beautiful appliques that I only have 1 or a few of, and would like to find similar ones. Could I bead and sequin it? Yes…I started with Native American/First Nations beading techniques after all. 🙂 But, appliques are faster. 🙂
Hi Shakira! Good question. So cool that you know First Nations beading techniques! They are so beautiful.
Unfortunately I don’t know any particular source… I’ve picked up some from a local fabric shop, but I’ve been making my own mostly. Having said, I’m thinking to sell appliques in the future, so that may be added to the sources 🙂 In the meantime, if I find or hear about a good applique vendor, I’ll add it here.
It’s been “a while” since I purchased from them, but I’ve always purchased sequins and appliqués from Sidney Coe, Inc, in the Garment District of NYC.
http://www.sewbizfabrics.com has appliques, this is a close out place so they may not have the quantity that you want but I always find great appliques and trim there at a reasonable cost
Check this place out! They have a number of different appliques available in different colors and even some really beautiful rhinestone appliques. http://www.glitzonline.com/
Thanks for sharing, Tamara! This is a great resource 😀
Thank you for sharing these precious info with belly dancers around the world, Mao.
♡♡♡ You are g-r-e-a-t !!! ♡♡♡
Aw thanks so much, Kim! It’s my pleasure! 😀 Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see on my site.
Hi Mao, I’ve recently joined your followers and am loving it! My comment to you today is that I am not able to find the free Craftsy class on Mastering Zipper Techniques. 😕 I’ve found one for a fee, is that the same class? Thank you. I look forward to all the great advice you can offer me!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tina! And thanks for letting me know about the course. Looks like they’re not offering it anymore 🙁 But if I remember correctly, the one with a fee (http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=472576&U=1029974&M=29190&urllink=) appears to cover more zipper styles than the free version 🙂 I’ll update the list above.
Hi Mao, love your site and all of your ideas and generous sharing of resources. I am trying to find a site that can help me fit my costumes to my body– in terms of proportions. One of the main problems I have is bras: I gotten ideas on how to fit the bra so it doesn’t gap— but what can I do About costumes I have purchased ( for a lot of money) when the bra width is just too long. I’m petite and the bra goes from my neckline to the middle of my ribs. Also I have 2 Bellas bedluhs— and the top is also too long. Thanks for any help you can suggest!
Thank you, Judy! Let’s see… first, you may find this post useful: https://www.sparklybelly.com/4-fixes-for-gaping-bra-cups-belly-dance-bra-alteration/
For bra cups that are too wide, if the appearance of the bra cups bother you, you could add thick shoulder straps that continue down across the cups to the bottom of the cups. These can offer a bit more coverage and support, which would help close any gaps around the area.
Send me photos of your bedlahs to mao@sparklybelly.com and I’ll be able to better explain or offer more ideas 🙂
hi dear,thanks for share,
is it possible to sewing the lace trim on the clothing that i want to DIY by myself.
cause i saw some good lace trim on https://www.dglace.com
it give me some ideas for the diy clothing.
My pleasure! Yes, definitely. You can sew lace trim on clothing by hand or sewing machine. That’s one of my favourite ways to add fun to my clothes 😀
KNOW THANKS I HAVE A SEWING MACHINE AND A 4 THREAD EDGER AND I MAKE JEWELRY SO I HAVE GEMS AND JEWELS. I HAVE A BELLY DANCER DRESS THAT I MADE 25 YEARS AGO WHEN I TOOK BELLY DANCING LESSONS I HAD A SMALL BISNESS WITH IT, BUT I HAVE A LITTLE WEIGHT ON ME AND CAN’T GET IT OFF BECAUSE OF MEDICATION I TAKE BUT WOULD LOVE TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE CAUSE MY HUSBAND HAS NEVER SEEN ME BELLY DANCE AND I DO WANT TO SHOW HOW MUCH I KNOW,
JUDY
Oh how sweet, Judy! That would be an exciting project! 🙂
[…] Resources […]
[…] Resources […]
[…] Resources […]
Thanks for all of the great resources! I’ve made fantasy and theatrical costumes professionally, but not dancewear, so getting your newsletter has been an exciting new journey for me.
My pleasure, Katherine, and thank you for your kind words! That’s awesome!! I’m sure you will combine your talent and skills to create beautiful dance costumes! Let me know if I can help you in any way 🙂
Do you have any sources for appliques to recommend? A friend recommended one source for appliques, on Etsy, but I’d like to find more. I have some very beautiful appliques that I only have 1 or a few of, and would like to find similar ones. Could I bead and sequin it? Yes…I started with Native American/First Nations beading techniques after all. 🙂 But, appliques are faster. 🙂
Hi Shakira! Good question. So cool that you know First Nations beading techniques! They are so beautiful.
Unfortunately I don’t know any particular source… I’ve picked up some from a local fabric shop, but I’ve been making my own mostly. Having said, I’m thinking to sell appliques in the future, so that may be added to the sources 🙂 In the meantime, if I find or hear about a good applique vendor, I’ll add it here.
It’s been “a while” since I purchased from them, but I’ve always purchased sequins and appliqués from Sidney Coe, Inc, in the Garment District of NYC.
http://www.sewbizfabrics.com has appliques, this is a close out place so they may not have the quantity that you want but I always find great appliques and trim there at a reasonable cost
Check this place out! They have a number of different appliques available in different colors and even some really beautiful rhinestone appliques. http://www.glitzonline.com/
Thanks for sharing, Tamara! This is a great resource 😀
Thank you for sharing these precious info with belly dancers around the world, Mao.
♡♡♡ You are g-r-e-a-t !!! ♡♡♡
Aw thanks so much, Kim! It’s my pleasure! 😀 Let me know if there’s anything else you’d like to see on my site.
Hi Mao, I’ve recently joined your followers and am loving it! My comment to you today is that I am not able to find the free Craftsy class on Mastering Zipper Techniques. 😕 I’ve found one for a fee, is that the same class? Thank you. I look forward to all the great advice you can offer me!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Tina! And thanks for letting me know about the course. Looks like they’re not offering it anymore 🙁 But if I remember correctly, the one with a fee (http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?B=472576&U=1029974&M=29190&urllink=) appears to cover more zipper styles than the free version 🙂 I’ll update the list above.
Hi Mao, love your site and all of your ideas and generous sharing of resources. I am trying to find a site that can help me fit my costumes to my body– in terms of proportions. One of the main problems I have is bras: I gotten ideas on how to fit the bra so it doesn’t gap— but what can I do About costumes I have purchased ( for a lot of money) when the bra width is just too long. I’m petite and the bra goes from my neckline to the middle of my ribs. Also I have 2 Bellas bedluhs— and the top is also too long. Thanks for any help you can suggest!
Thank you, Judy! Let’s see… first, you may find this post useful: https://www.sparklybelly.com/4-fixes-for-gaping-bra-cups-belly-dance-bra-alteration/
For bra cups that are too wide, if the appearance of the bra cups bother you, you could add thick shoulder straps that continue down across the cups to the bottom of the cups. These can offer a bit more coverage and support, which would help close any gaps around the area.
Send me photos of your bedlahs to mao@sparklybelly.com and I’ll be able to better explain or offer more ideas 🙂
hi dear,thanks for share,
is it possible to sewing the lace trim on the clothing that i want to DIY by myself.
cause i saw some good lace trim on https://www.dglace.com
it give me some ideas for the diy clothing.
My pleasure! Yes, definitely. You can sew lace trim on clothing by hand or sewing machine. That’s one of my favourite ways to add fun to my clothes 😀
KNOW THANKS I HAVE A SEWING MACHINE AND A 4 THREAD EDGER AND I MAKE JEWELRY SO I HAVE GEMS AND JEWELS. I HAVE A BELLY DANCER DRESS THAT I MADE 25 YEARS AGO WHEN I TOOK BELLY DANCING LESSONS I HAD A SMALL BISNESS WITH IT, BUT I HAVE A LITTLE WEIGHT ON ME AND CAN’T GET IT OFF BECAUSE OF MEDICATION I TAKE BUT WOULD LOVE TO MAKE ANOTHER ONE CAUSE MY HUSBAND HAS NEVER SEEN ME BELLY DANCE AND I DO WANT TO SHOW HOW MUCH I KNOW,
JUDY
Oh how sweet, Judy! That would be an exciting project! 🙂
[…] Resources […]
[…] Resources […]
[…] Resources […]
Thanks for all of the great resources! I’ve made fantasy and theatrical costumes professionally, but not dancewear, so getting your newsletter has been an exciting new journey for me.
My pleasure, Katherine, and thank you for your kind words! That’s awesome!! I’m sure you will combine your talent and skills to create beautiful dance costumes! Let me know if I can help you in any way 🙂